Elephant & Castle: User Reviews

Great Pub, So-so Overpriced Grub
By Foodfight from North Burbs, August 23, 2009

Overall rating:

The first impression when you enter is the decor-- very inviting, cozy and comfortable. The bar area is larger than the dining room and offers a marvelous selection of British spirits including several beers and ales on draught. The menu, heavy on "comfort foods," looked sooo promising. And service was attentive and very friendly.

From there, things went downhill. Bread plates were brought, but no bread. My side Caesar salad was stingy in size and the dressing was too tart. My wife's chicken vegetable soup was excessively salty. Entree portions were likewise smallish. Beef & ale pie had lotsa mushrooms and onions ... but where's the beef? At a fraction of its $12 price, Marie Callender's beef pot pie (sold at most local groceries) is unquestionably bigger and better. The portion size and quality of my wife's fish & chips paled in comparison to the fish & chips we've enjoyed recently at Grand Lux Cafe, Champps and even some coffee shops.

A fun place to have a drink, but the food fell far short of our expectations, and overall it was not a good value.

Cool!
By ilovefood4 from Andersonville, August 21, 2009

Overall rating:

This is really cool place with lots of adult beverages to choose from. Yum! Definitely a must try.

Not bad for lunch
By merevaudevillian from Budlong Woods, February 2, 2009

Overall rating:

Elephant & Castle has a neat ambiance, and it was quite busy for lunch. The soups were good. I had the bangers and mash, my friend had the shepherd's pie, and we both liked them. Mine was good, but definitely quite Americanized--the baked beans were extremely sweet, and it came with some kind of fried onion strings on the side. The sausage was extremely moist and perfectly cooked. My friend had a salad come with his, which was plain iceberg lettuce that looked like it came out of a bag.

The service wasn't the best. We got our soup after a while. Then, before my friend had even stuck his spoon into the soup (he was telling me a story as the soup arrived), they gave us our entrees. I was only half finished with my soup, so we had entrees getting cold and soup to finish on a small, crowded table.

Overall, I'd probably visit again. Good prices and a good selection.

poor management
By las123 from loop, November 3, 2008

Overall rating:

I work nearby and am always looking for good places too eat. When E&C opened I was extremely hopeful that this restaurant would become a regular stop. Unfortunately, while the food is a step-above your average pub grub, my experiences have been disappointing. The staff, while very friendly, tends to disappear off the floor - ALOT. Also, they either have no control over the thermostat, or the manager believes that cold air stimulates the appetite, because it is usually freezing in the restaurant. The final straw is that the music is WAY too loud and generally screaming through the speakers. That might be okay for happy hour, but during lunch - especially a business lunch - it is more than annoying. The first time I went there our waitress agreed that it was cold and loud. But when I asked if both the air conditioning and the music could be turned down - both requests were ignored. I have been there numerous times since then to see if they were just having an off day. They weren't - that's how it is all the time.

Service
By crunchy from loagan square, August 30, 2008

Overall rating:

The restaurant may have some slightly boring food. What makes this place is the staff. I have never had a bad time at the ol' E&C. This place is always busy and always full of people. The beer is cold and the bartenders always manage to make a good stiff cocktail. I am always impressed that the wait staff is able to keep up with the volume that this restaurant does. Granted sometime I have to wait to get a table or five minutes to see my server but what is that really? I highly recoomend if going to see a show or play, just show up far enough ahead of time and have a little patients it will go a long way.

Fish n Chips.
By skid from Wicker Park, August 25, 2008

Overall rating:

I've been to this location and one in DC. I've enjoyed myself both times but the food is a bit pricey. Fish n' Chips is the way to go!

somewhat authentic British pub
By Dean from Downtown, April 9, 2008

Overall rating:

After traveling to the UK numerous times, I can attest that this is a somewhat authentic English style pub. It has warm beer, bad food and is way overpriced. However, real British pub wait staff are typically friendly and charming so the E & C is not completely authentic.

Overpriced generic pub food
By karsen from wicker park, November 21, 2007

Overall rating:

Service was generally poor, but the most outstanding feature was price. $11.50 for rice and vegetables, no free refills, overall a pretty miserable experience. Quality of Chili's, price of loop food.

Textbook mediocrity. Nothing is...
By Lahaha from Chicago, Il, April 23, 2007

Overall rating:

Textbook mediocrity. Nothing is horrible, nothing is good - just blah. The food is remniscent of a blander Applebee's and the atmosphere is little better. Soups are thin and lack seasoning, sandwiches tend towards the dry, the wings lack zip and the desserts are uninspired. Service is equally bland, except on Friday Happy Hour when everyone is in the weeds, big time. It's so close we keep stopping by, but every time we ask ourselved why.

Unbelievable experience where, while waiting...
By pat from Chicago, IL, March 6, 2007

Overall rating:

Unbelievable experience where, while waiting for a table my wife and I wanted a coke and a sprite. After ordering these drinks - the pigtailed bartender shook her head and said "you've got to be kidding me" - and did not serve us at all. I guess she didn't believe in serving non-alcholic drinks or upholding the typical reputation of E&C which is usually always great.