North Pond: User Reviews
Had eaten at N.P. before and enjoyed it, But last night it was terrible, the food mediocre at best, the service fair. The prices are astronomical for what you get. Don't bother to go; there are many, many excellent Chicago restaurants, try M.K. or One Sixty Blue, they are also pricey, but worth it.
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A warm, cozy setting with welcoming staff, pleasant music and food that’s just shy of Chicago’s very finest -- truly a delightful choice for a special meal or any time you’re feeling flush and want to give treat yourself!
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How did this place make the top lists of restaurants in the city? What do people see in thi spot? Sure it has great ambiance. The settting is especially beautiful in the spring. The ability to open the French doors and let the outside come in is great. But the food and the service were way disappointing. The staff was cold, almost snooty. The food was not that great and the portions were miniscule. I don''t like places that serve huge portions but the size of the food served here is ridiculous. My pork was medium rare i.e. undercooked and tough. The price of food here is outrageous. I wish I could have given zero stars for value. There are many, many better places to eat in Chicago. I am a "foodie" and haver been to some of the best places in the city. North Pond is not one of them. I will not go back nor will I recommend this place.
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Avoid Tables next to Noisy Kitchen/Double Check Valet Pickup
By sevenbuddhas from Wicker Park, April 12, 2009
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This restaurant was wonderful and the food was exquisite.
Marred whenwe were seated at table next to the noisy kitchen and dirty-plate stacking station. We asked to move, then told we would have to wait 15 minutes at least ( and one of our party was on crutches). We were allowed to wait for the better table at the bad table. Meanwhile another party came in, seated next to us, complained about the kitchen, and was moved immediately to a table that we had asked for and were told was reserved. This party was eating before we were finally seated at an acceptable table. The waiter supposedly called to have our car waiting outside. He did not call, and we waited five minutes in the cold for our car ( valet is several hundred feet away from the restaurant through the park).
If you plan ahead, warning that you will not accept tables near the kitchen and double check that the valet has been warned before you leave the restaurant, you should have a great time.
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Food was way way too tiny - big plates and no food is certainly for a different time than this economy. The place has a great location but it was freezing in the dining room. Why am I dining wishing I had a jacket? We were told that there was no heating system and the temperature wouldn't change! And the horrible muzac - even it's horrid screaching couldn't distract you from the missing food if that is their intent. And sadly the dessert followed suit with the rest of the evening. I should have known better when nobody around me was eating their dessert.
The restaurant is beautiful from the outside and I would recommend that be the only view one takes of it. Wish I had spent my money elsewhere.
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My husband took me here for a celebration evening and we'd looked forward to it for weeks as we hadn't been out a lot since having another baby - so this was one of our first nights out since.
I had the Fois Gras as a starter - which was extremely soggy and flavorless. For my entree, I had the chicken and lobster. Well, I couldn't see the piece of chicken on my place, until my husband pointed it out. It was about the size of my thumb with a bone in it (I'm not exaggerating) - I had about a nibbles worth. The lobster was one slice placed over the top. When it came to dessert, I looked at the table next door and realized it wasn't going to be much better and gave it a miss.
North Pond - please take note - you can't offer small portions of food, which isn't very special, or rather you don't have enough food to even taste it, and then charge a premium.
Overall, not a great experience, don't waste your money - I've been to much better places in Chicago for a lot less money! I'd only return to North Pond for drinks by the Lake.
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Went here last Saturday to celebrate our engagement. Staff (especially Mindy) did an outstanding job coordinating the special, surprise event to the point of having a perfect table, working with the restaurant's florist (Jerry) to create a special flower arrangement, and even the detail of a congratulations message on our menus. We had the multi-course "tasting" for dinner which was superb! View of Chicago northern skyline and atmosphere were great as well. We'll be back and highly recommend as it is a very unique setting in Chicago with sensational food!
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I've been here 3 times in the past year, and for a good reason. I've never been disappointed with my order-always a fantastic and fresh menu. Service is great. For anniversaries, and birthdays, they print out a customized menu for you to remember the occasion and the menu you sampled. The architectural style borrowed from Frank Lloyd Wright and the golden glow in the restaraunt at night really add to the experience. Also, the grounds on which the restaraunt is perfect for an post-dinner stroll. Nothing but praises for this place.
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We will never know how North pond really is due to the fact they lost our reservation! They even said "Oh your on file, for this time hmm... I don't know how this happened, your reservation was cancelled". They even admitted it was there error. They were very unaccomidating and we were never seated. We had a reservation for 8 people and were left hanging. I will NEVER go back to this resturant again just for the fact that there customer service was so poor and they really didn't care. There "Oh well" attutude really put a damper on our evening and they made absolutly no attempt to fix the situation. So even with reservations this resturants customer service is one of the worst!
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We've dined at North Pond several times and always had a great experience. Our most recent visit was no different. Our server was knowledgable, attentive and provided excellent recommendations (poached egg appetizer was phenominal). All of the food was delicious, the ambiance was warm and inviting. The staff even added some very nice details to recognize my husband's birthday. North Pond is one of our favorite Chicago restaurants, we we will continue to got back
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Review Summary
The following scores represent the average rating submitted by 71 users:
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