Bijans — Restaurant in Chicago

I live in South Florida and visit Chicago every year during the Christmas holidays. I've been to Bijan's a number of times on these visits because the food is good and it's open late. Unfortunately, my visit this year was marred by the inexplicably bazaar behavior of Bijan's manager. During our meal, I became aware of an older man seeming to stalk the table where I sat with a number of friends. He didn't say anything, just glared. He returned a few times to repeat this behavior. I didn't know at the time he was the manager. I assumed he was an old man who had to much too drink. After our meal was finished, our group stood outside saying goodbye, getting ready to go our separate ways when the same man emerged from the restaurant and very aggressively approached a friend in my party. He walked up into his face, used inappropriate language and called him, "despicable." This was done with the misplaced intensity of a junior high-school playground. The man was apparently angry that a my friend had not said hello to his girlfriend. His girlfriend was not in the restaurant, so the offence, if an offence at all, was an old one. It was quite an embarrassing spectacle, with my friend unaware of any issue with this man. We all looked at each other, confused by this strange outburst, and my friend simply told him that he "meant no offence." The behavior of the manager in this case created a very sour ending to what had been a nice evening. Any personal issue this man had with my friend (especially one this minor) should have been dealt with privately. It was quite insulting to be subjected to this behavior after paying a $260 tab. So, should you ever visit this establishment while its nut-bag manager has his elderly girlfriend present, be...

REVIEW UPDATE: Basil (the manager) reached out to me and offered my friends and I to come back for a better experience. I must say that it was 10x better. Rachel and Dan were absolutely amazing. We definitely were so much more pleased with our drinks and customer service. We will absolutely be returning after this experience. ❤️

I typically never leave 1 star reviews but I felt very warranted to do this. I went in with a few friends yesterday and had the worst customer service experience. We sat at the bar and ordered espresso martinis. We all work in the industry and a few of my friends there were bartenders. Once we received our drinks we made a comment about the drinks not being great and the bartender rolled his eyes and gave us a small plastic cup of baileys for us to pour into our drinks…he didn’t even offer to take the drinks back to shake the baileys into the cocktail the proper way.

Secondly, I ordered the wagyu burger and once I received it, I knew that it was just standard meat. I asked if he could kindly confirm that this is wagyu burger to which he replied “I’m a bartender not a chef”. Which was extremely off putting. He didn’t even offer to take the burger back. My friend clearly had a wagyu burger so we all knew that even though I was paying for a wagyu burger, I didn’t receive that.

Despite all of that, I left a 10% tip on the bill and paid for everything even though I was displeased.

Once I left, my friends let me know that he was complaining about the tip I left and once they mentioned his terrible customer service and blatant racism, they complained to the manager to which he responded “we’re all just on different wave lengths”.

Save your money....

Comfort food and more! The Bijan is a great go-to place for a good meal any time of the day. Besides the breakfast/brunch items, the luncheon meal has some great sandwiches at reasonable prices. The burgers here are outstanding, but other items are worth tasting. I've enjoyed the shrimp BLT and was impressed at how substantial it could be. Yet dinner is the treasure here, and the meals are excellent. The steaks, poultry, and pasta options all have a lot to recommend. As mundane as the idea of meatloaf may sound for dinner, the Bijan meatloaf is a treat. Served with carrots al dente, freshly made mashed potatoes, and a wonderful mushroom sauce, the meatloaf dinner is worth a visit. I've had salmon here, as well as duck, and it is uniformly good, if not remarkable. The wines are nicely chosen and quite a value, and the bar itself is a work of art. Most of all, the service is always reliably pleasant, accurate, and helpful. Beth and other members of the staff provide a warm, inviting atmosphere. It starts with Rolf, the maitre d', who greets everyone, gets them seated, and makes certain the space works out for the customers. Besides all this, the Bijan is open late, and that means that those of us who attend late concerts, operas, and plays can count on a good meal in the evening or, if we just want a bite, the fine appetizers have a lot to offer. The baked brie is a fine choice late at night, since it hits all the right notes. Or try the very fresh guacamole. Salads are always fresh, and then, if there is still room, opt for a dessert. What a...