Gibsons Bar & Steakhouse: User Reviews
In my quest to find the best steakhouse in Chicago, I tried Gibsons Bar & Steakhouse. The service was fine but the steaks were terribly bland and dry. I had a ribeye and my daughter got the new york sirloin. We ordered them medium rare and got medium instead. The steaks were dry and bland with very little marbling. In retrospect, I have to wonder if those were actually prime dry-aged beef. Don't pay Gibson prices for a steak you could get at Sizzler.
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Have been there over 10 times and always had a great experience
By bmike2000 from lakeview, October 28, 2008
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great staff, great steaks, and the best carrot cake in the city
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This was my first time at Gibsons, and I would gladly go back again. My boyfriend and I had planned to go for my birthday dinner, but I waited too long to make reservations and couldn't get a decent time on a Saturday night. We ended up doing a very early dinner around 4PM. We were greeted by every staff member we came across while being led to our table (same on the way out!). Our drink orders were taken right away and our server explained he would be back in a few minutes to show us all the cuts of meat and explain it all to us. We both had salads - my boyfriend had the house, I had the caesar - neither of us were too impressed. There was something a bit "off" about my dressing.
We both ordered the filet, and asked for them not to char the steaks on the outside like they usually do. My boyfriend got medium rare, I ordered medium. We opted to split the baked potato. When the steaks arrived, they were both almost well done - we cut them right down the middle and saw NO red on the inside. When our server came back to check on our steaks, he noticed how overcooked they were and was overcome with genuine embarrassment. I told him I would keep my steak, but he insisted on taking both of ours back and getting us new ones. Minutes later, the new steaks appeared, and were absolute perfection. He also brought us fresh potatoes along with our new steaks. Our server said that the staff in the kitchen was more concerned with re-stocking the kitchen rather than cooking the steaks, and he offered us his sincere apologies. He said to be sure to let him know if anything at all isn't to our liking.
We were not going to order dessert, since we had seen how huge they were - we were planning on doing some shopping afterwards and didn't want to carry a giant chocolate cake around! But our server surprised us with a HUGE piece of chocolate cake, compliments of the kitchen. It was unlike anything I've ever had - it's two days later, and we're STILL eating leftover cake!
I left with a great impression of this restaurant. I'm not one to send back food, and I was pleased with our servers reaction to everything. It was a very pleasant experience and I can't wait to go back :)"
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We ate at Gibsons last night (a party of 14) - the service was fantastic - everyone had a wonderful meal - best steak I have had - the side dishes were great - we shared a couple of desserts which are fabulous - highly recommend
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After trying many other steak places in Chicago, I've realized nothing beats Gibsons total package. Yes they could be more reasonable, but what a gret expereince it is to eat here. The waiters are always crazy, in a good way, the food is always awesome, and the atmosphere is always way upbeat.
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For the money I was very disappointed with my steak. I have had better at Outback. Not worth it. I did however like our waiter.
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So last night I visited Gibsons for the second time, and had it not been a free work dinner, I never would have returned after my first experience last August. Two factors informed this opinion after my first visit:
1) My party of 6 had a 9pm reservation on a Thursday night and was not seated until nearly 10:30, after repeatedly being told by the hostess that our table was "being cleared" or "being set" or would be "ready in 2 minutes." Hey, I understand that things get hectic and that reservation times are approximate, but there is no excuse for making a party wait 1.5 hours beyond their reservation time while repeatedly lying about when we could expect to be seated.
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2) Perhaps even more damning than the terrible front desk service we received, the steak was just, well, mediocre at best. For a steak house that takes itself as seriously as Gibsons, I expected to be blown away by my cut. Not so. The filet had almost no flavor (I know it's lean and lacks some of the depth of other cuts, but still, it was literally void of taste), and there were several tough, gristly bites. You just don't expect that in a $40+ filet.
So last night my party of 6 was seated within a half hour of our reservation. No problem. Our waiter was friendly and efficient (though he did have to be reminded of one of our side orders when it failed to hit our table with the rest of the food), and I found the experience generally more enjoyable than my first visit. Having learned my lesson, I decided to order the small bone-in sirloin, cooked medium rare. One of my dining companion ordered the EXACT same steak cooked the same way. When the food arrived, our steaks looked completely different. I know steaks aren't carbon-copies of each other, but my cut was encased in a thick layer of gristly fat that seemed largely absent on his. Additionally, my steak was cooked to a solid medium while his arrived as ordered. Consistency in presentation and cooking would be a great addition to the menu. Not wishing to cause a scene with my visiting business associates, I did not complain about the steak.
One bad meal can be excused as a fluke. Repeat it and it starts resembling a pattern that just cannot be tolerated at any restaurant, much less at a place like Gibsons. Next time I want a great steak, I'll go to the butcher and cook it on my own grill. I'm no professional, but at least I'm not throwing away my money on a mediocre meal.
After 2 bad meals, I think I'll be reluctant to return, even if offered another one on the company's dime. Turning down a FREE meal at a "good" restaurant...that should tell you something.
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Everything was good, but I expected more for my money.
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I hate to have to write this, but we had an absolutely TERRIBLE meal in the bar last week. I wrote directly to Gibsons as I have been a loyal customer(even went there on New Years Eve)and wanted to discuss the problem directly-they never replied to me, so am forced to write this review here.
We were in the mood for a burger, and thought as the steaks and chops are always so good at Gibsons, the burgers must be too. The bar was crowded, but nothing can excuse that it took TWENTY minutes for our waitress to come and take a drink order and greet us. We finally get our drinks and order our burgers-one medium, one medium well to well. The took forever, and when they arrived they were cooked to order, but ice cold, including cold greasy fries. They were sent back the first time...they arrive back, freshly made 5 minutes later. We cut into them, they are RAW. They were sent back the second time...they arrived back a few minutes later, they are still raw(not rare but raw which the waitress agreed)they were sent back the THIRD time...At this point I went to the front desk, and got the manager involved. She went back to the kitchen, and when they finally came out for the fourth time(this is not freshly made burgers but the reheated for the third time ones...) they were cooked. She was very nice, and apologetic, and took the food and our drinks off the bill. The thing is though, I didn't want a free meal, I wanted a properly cooked, hot burger, cooked within a reasonable time. I got none of it.
What further disappoints me is that I took the time to write directly to Gibsons first detailing our experience. That they didn't feel a loyal customer deserved a reply makes me think I won't be so loyal in the future. Too bad, I like the feel of the bar, but won't be treated like that again.
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Review Summary
The following scores represent the average rating submitted by 53 users:
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