Hubbard Inn — Restaurant in Chicago

We went here for brunch and the atmosphere was beautiful! The Holiday decor brought a pleasant and cozy feel. The brunch was delicious- highly recommend the smoked salmon and potato pancakes. Beyond the food and atmosphere, there is lots of room for improvement. Our party had booked a reservation for 7 and had to fill out paperwork for a party of that size. We thought we would have a private space; that wasn't the case, but not a big deal. However, the staff crammed us into a 6 person booth. We had coats and purses with us, so it was VERY tight. They told us they would bring a coat hanger by our table, and that never happened. I held my coat on my lap for about 20 minutes before I hung it on the side of the booth. From there, the experience continued to decline. There was a Holiday drink menu with many enticing beverages; but they were out of just about everything we tried to order, yet our reservation was at 11 a.m., when they opened - I would have been more forgiving if they had run out of things after a very long and busy day. One person at our table asked for coffee or tea and was told that the Starbucks down the street has coffee or tea of we really want it. Another guest at our table ordered 3 or 4 different drinks and our waitress continued to come back to the table to report that they were out of every drink he wanted. Most of us were on our 2nd beverage and we'd about finished our food before he was able to order something they had in stock. He settled for a Holiday Martini of some sort, but 10 minutes later he was served eggnog, which he does not drink. It took another 10-15 minutes to report this to the waitress and get the beverage corrected. Our waitress was very friendly and did the best she could, so I'm not going to put the blame on her. Overall, I think the location has underestimated how popular the place is and hasn't adequately staffed or stocked up for the demand. It's a shame because the space is so beautiful, so you expected a wonderful experience. Unfortunately, they did not live up...

I bought tickets for the St. Patrick's day event 'Champagne & Shamrocks' - a 2 hour open bar event that started at 2pm and ended at 4pm. We arrived at the venue at 1:45pm to a line filling the sidewalk and wrapping around the corner. The event page advertised a 'priority skip-the-line entry' which was denied upon arrival as we were told to join the end of the line. We waited in line and at 2pm they didn't start letting anyone in.

It wasn't until 2:45pm(!!!) that they began letting people in. We had to jump the line multiple times to get anywhere near the front. The event was incredibly disorganized with one line containing people for the 'Champagne & Shamrocks' event as well as multiple different bar crawls. The line also felt very unsafe as people were falling into each other and pushing.

Upon entering the venue (finally), no direction was given so after going to the bar on the first floor and waiting 10 minutes for a drink we were told by the bartender that we should be on the upper level - at this point it is 1 hour in to a 2 hour event. At 3:50 we went to get our final drink at the bar and after standing 10 minutes in line we were refused a drink due to it being 4pm and the event was over.

Essentially we paid full price for only half of an event and an hour of standing in line? This event felt like a huge scam and was a huge frustration as we planned our day around it. To top it all off, the staff was incredibly rude - likely due to being overwhelmed by the disorganization. Don't waste your...

Do not purchase tickets to any special event at Hubbard Inn.

To celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, my party and I purchased $70 tickets each for the Champagne and Shamrocks event, advertised as including VIP lounge access, a two-hour open bar, and priority skip-the-line entry. The event description promised “unlimited cocktails, a private lounge, a live DJ performance, and expedited entry just steps from the Chicago River.” However, the reality was a complete disaster.

Despite arriving 15 minutes early at 1:45 PM, we were met with disorganization and chaos. Security directed us to an unmanageable, overcrowded line stretching down the block. We repeatedly asked where to check in, only to receive conflicting information.

2 PM, the event’s start time, passed, and we were still stuck in line. The crowd spilled onto the sidewalk and even into the street, creating a hazardous situation. Security, clearly overwhelmed, struggled to control the crowd. At one point, police had to intervene to keep patrons off the street. Instead of managing the situation, security became aggressive and unresponsive.

Not once did we receive the VIP access, open bar, or any part of what we paid for—we were never even allowed inside. Given this event’s severe mismanagement and unsafe conditions, we are seeking a full refund.

Hubbard Inn knowingly oversold this event without the capacity to accommodate ticket holders. I strongly advise against purchasing tickets to any of their...