Roanoke Restaurant — Restaurant in Chicago

Update to Respond to Owner’s Comment: We all ordered entrees off the menu, none of us ordered anything “extra.” There was a point when the waiter offered a list of alternative options for the side of one dish, but then it was included in the bill as an extra charge (sub side salad) separate from the “open food” fee. One of us added chicken to a salad but this was also an extra charge, separate from that fee. We thought this bill was also strange considering the waiter had listed the sides as alternative option for the first entree without a caveat that it would be an up-charge to select certain ones. He just asked “do you want fries, a side salad, etc.?” without saying “it comes with fries but would you like to upgrade to a side salad?” In any event, adding a fee with the label “open food” (which in the restaurant industry only refers to when people bring their own food into restaurants), and not taking time to communicate that addition (which at this point was obviously a mistake to be added considering nothing we ordered justified it) still shows a lack of professionalism. It looks like at this point the waiter purposefully miscommunicated or didn’t communicate charge/fee policies, to add up additional charges to the bill to make it as high as possible.

Not Friendly to Families w/ Infants

We came here for dinner tonight and on the whole the food and ambiance were good, but we all left feeling very angry and adamant none of us will ever come here again. We brought our one year old baby with us and we set her up in a high chair with a children’s rubber plate and bib, feeding her food off of our plates. We did this to avoid her breaking any of the restaurant’s dishware. We also let her drink formula from her bottle and at one point let her snack on a handful of cheerios while waiting for our food. She never fussed the entire meal. At the end of the night we were paying the check and saw our waiter had added a fee for “open food,” meaning we were charged for feeding our baby her bottle and a handful of cheerios. The waiter never said anything to us about this charge, and the charge was added in the middle of all of the entrees (an attempt by the waiter to bury it in the check). Almost all of our party are veterans as well, some actively serving in the military. We were very tempted to only leave the waiter a tip in the exact amount of the “open food” fee, but decided to just tip 15% instead of our usual 20-25%. It was very back-handed to add a charge like that to a check without any communication at all regarding the fee or the policy behind it, as well as no warning to (we guess) force our baby to go without milk for the entire duration of the meal. Like I said, good food and good ambiance, but deplorable behavior we never want to...

Pretty good food in a moderately upscale looking restaurant in the downtown of Chicago. There are tables and booths but might be good for smaller groups (8 or less). There’s some steaks, seafoods, plenty of sides and delicious sweet desserts.

Food I came with my coworkers for a team dinner so I had the chance to try a variety of sides along with the seabass I ordered for myself. First off, the fish was pretty good and the meat was soft and not dry. Bones were not a concern and overall enjoyed the dish. The burrata was excellent and trying the jam over the bread is a must. The fava bean hummus appetizer was good as well and is something to get if you like hummus. The meat and cheese board is nice to pick at but nothing too exceptional about it. We got the hearth oven mushrooms but that wasn’t very popular at the table and we ended up not finishing it. The brussel sprouts were well cooked and pretty good. For dessert we had the panna cotta and the apple cobbler and I thought that they were both very good. The panna cotta flavors can be different depending on the season.

Atmosphere The interior looks upscale and is very organized and clean. I did find the tables to be a little low though. The noise level was not too loud for on a Thursday evening and I could hear people across the table. Good place to come celebrate or just have a nice dinner.

Pricing The prices are average for this type of upscale restaurant, but a little bit more expensive if you had chosen to get these foods at a more casual place. The price was worth the food.

Service I have mixed things to say about the service. We had made a reservation for our group of 10 people but when we arrived they had tried to seat us at 2 separate tables for our team dinner. We didn’t request this but then eventually they were able to accommodate us and seat us all together. Otherwise, the service was good and taken care of...

Gross ineptitude is the most apt description. After sitting for 15 minutes, we finally asked for at least water especially as table that had just been seated behind us was given water.. The waitress/hostess explained the waitress was tied up with a large table, and then offered to take our order given our frustrationg. She also offered to try to get one of the appetizers off the bill.We were given tepid water from another table, while others got cold water from the back. When the waiter finally came, he reported they always serve the water 'room temperature' despite condensation on others water bottles. Another table of guests sat at 5:39, had water at 5:40 and a waiter to discuss the menu at 5:42 while we sat. When he finally did come and we explained that the hostess had taken our order, the waiter had the gall to ask if we needed a menu and if we were 'all good'. The food at least came fairly quickly. The campanelle was a large portion spent between two, and delicious meaty mushrooms. The sauce was heavy and one note completely lacking salt. After adding copious salt it was good. Oddly the bill listed it as buccatini which is a very different pasta.The cheese curds were oil soaked with dried up cheese and no hint of truffle in there sauce. The cheese and meat tray was probably the best, and even then flawed. There were three bland cheeses-1 waxy and 1 not. The third only had 1 piece. The meats were good, and the cornishauns were delicious. Unsurprisingly they did not take an appetizer off the bill. The table behind us refused their meals when they came as they unpredictablly wanted their salad first. The waiter said not to worry as the meals were pre-made. And despite being extremely understaffed due to it being slow 'earlier', there were enough staff for two people to be...