Cafe Bernard: User Reviews

Went here last night before theater; it's very close to Victory Garden. We had the 3 course fixed price menu (a good value at $20.08); choice of soup or salad, 8 entrees and 6 desserts. Nice variety of selections. Lots of traditonal French dishes. Entrees came with potatoes and 4 vegetables! The house signature dish of salmon was very good, the pork au poivre was good but more well done than we had requested, the garlic mashed potatoes that came with it were delicious. The cappucino cheesecake was great. Didn't care for the house cotes-du-rhone but the cabernet sauvignon was a hit.

Service was friendly, attentive and helpful. Nice, quiet setting. Very French, in a good way. Good place for a romantic date. Good selection of seafood specials. Will go back again to try more dishes. Reasonable prices, good value. This one is a keeper.

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I suppose this qualifies as a comfortable and convenient regular haunt if you live in the neighborhood, but as one who passed many other options to reach their door, I was very disappointed. I had visited the adjoining Red Rooster a few years back and remember the decor as cozy and appealing, but Cafe Bernard is bland white paneling with a few "French country" adornments and nothing but overhead lighting. Then there's some crazy modern metal work on the ceiling that is neither attractive nor in keeping with the general theme of the decor. Most living rooms hold together better than that.

The beverages were decidedly below par: no decent beers so I ordered a martini which was short fillled and watery. All of the wines-by-the-glass are generic varietals so you have no idea what you are really getting.

The menu is long on seafood with several fish preparations and a seafood cassoulet. I had a steak which did include a generous amount of a nice sauce, but it was improperly cooked. My date had had the rack of lamb which she did enjoy. The crust on the escargot appetizer was undercooked and doughy.

We ordered dessert, but were never offered anything to drink with it. Fortunately they did a great job of keeping the water glasses filled--hooray for that. The chocolate bread pudding was fine, but certainly nothing more than average.

Overall, I really wish I had gone somewhere else. I has been about 20 years since my last visit to Cafe Bernard and it will probably be at least that long until my next visit.

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Overall I was really impressed with this place. I thought Chicago fancy restaurants would be intimidating, but the atmosphere was very warm and welcoming here. It was one of those places where I would feel comfortable dining alone. We ordered a bottle of wine and I had the Lamb chops...highly recommended. The service was impeccable and would give a true answer any questions I had. Next time I go back to Chicago, I will be paying a visit to this very charming French restaurant.

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My boyfriend and I went here for dinner and were very pleased with the food and the price. The oysters were an excellent value, and our entrees were fantastic. I also appreciated the wide selection of bottled wines that were reasonably priced. The atmosphere was very laid back but it was a little too quiet the evening we were there (Thursday). The waiter was competent, but not especially helpful selecting a bottle of wine and also just seemed generally 'off".

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We arrived at Cafe Bernard at 7 pm and left at 9:30 pm - and not because we were the slow ones. We placed our order promptly but our appetizers didn't arrive for 45 minutes. After we finished our appetizers, it took another 30 minutes for our food.

The bread basket contained stale bread that was so hard we figured it was about a week old. No exaggeration. One person ordered the soup of the day, Asparagus, and thought it tasted odd and non-asparagus-y. The rest of our party tried it and agreed. Stay away from that!

On the positive side, the Calamari and the Shiitake and Goat Cheese appetizers were very good. Likewise, the snails were good but there were only six small ones. The pork tenderloin entre was good, as was the salmon.

The fact that the service was slow and inattentive greatly affected our dining experience. As the time wore on, so did our patience. I'm not sure if we will visit cafe bernard again.

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I have been dining at Cafe Bernard and it's sister restaurant for years and am always satisfied. Both restaurants offer traditional french recipes in casual settings. I have tried several items off the menu and am always delighted by the grilled atlantic salmon and filet migno for their entrees sized salads and their desserts especually their creme brulee and black velvet cake. Whether you choose to dine at Cafe Bernard or the Red Rooster you will not be disappointed!

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Totally empty on a Friday night! Perhaps I should have known when I called to make reservations and was told I didn't need them. Mussels were fishy. Skatewing very good. Stake nothing special. Breadpudding excellent. White chocolate moussee disappointing. All in all, not surprised it was empty on a Friday night. Won't be returning. However, check out Cote deRhone (former chef) in Edgewater for better food and BYOB.

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if you want a traditional french bistro meal, go to this restaurant or to red rooster next door. great service, food and ambiance.
try the prix fixe with wine. it is a real deal.

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I have gone a couple times in the past couple months. My (future) in-laws and I really enjoy this place. Yummy bread and entrees. The french onion soup is great! Last time I got the special scallop salad which was a little over the top with balsamic vinegar otherwise their main menu entrees are terrific. They also have a b-day coupon online.

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While the ambiance was good, the food was lacking. Our apps were the duck pate (good) and the lobster ravioli. The ravioli was pretty "fishy" tasting and I would not recommend it, even though the waiter did. I had the lamb chops (one of the specials) and they were good, not great. My wife had the cassoulet and it it was very dry. She was expecting a more stew/soup, but it was not the case. The wine list is lacking. The dining room was nice, but the pack you in. We do not plan to go back. Our quest for a good and reasonabley priced autentic French restaurant in Chicago continues.

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