Storyville Chicago — Restaurant in Chicago

So I wanted to go to a nice dinner for my Birthday and was so disappointed ! From the first encounter with my server she just seemed like she was over the day or went through alot and didn't wanna be there. I made reservations stating there was a birthday and ig i get it as there was a birthday on my left and right but didnt really get a Happy Birthday till the end of my meal and it didnt seem to happy just felt like it was said to be said. We got the menu looked for about 15 minutes and our server came back to get our drinks but we had to stop her and let her know we wanted appetizers also as it just seemed like she was quick to get out of there we ordered a modelo (bottle) with a lime, i tried to order a Pina Nolada (I DONT DRINK ALCOHOL) there was no coconut so i changed it to Donnys Mule unfortunate not a big deal, and the strawberry lemonade vodka (cant remember the name). Also got the catfish nuggets and cornbread. We got our appetizer before our drinks took about 20 minutes for us to receive our drinks and only got the mule and the modelo draft no lime, and again she set the beer down and was ready to head to the next thing i had to say excuse me this is supposed to be a bottle so that took a good 5-7 minutes. Got the appetizers and before she could run away again i asked for hot sauce but felt like an inconvenience because the feeling of the need to be elsewhere the catfish breading was good just tasted like the fish needed more cleaning cornbread was also great. Finally got my sisters drink and was able to order food i got the strip steak wanted asparagus whole reason as to why i got this dish there wasnt any so i got broccoli again sad umi can get what I want, sister got the pasta and added steak, my man got the bourbon burger with fries and we also got red beans and rice very what what do you want and done. When the food came it was good had a hard time being able to get another beer for my spouse and when we finally did i couldn't ask for the salt and pepper for my broccoli because she never came asked how the food was and we asked for the second modelo and ran off. In the time we got there from the time we got our food my spouse could typically drink 4 beers, hence he tries to have his drinks before his meal to not spoil his meal then will maybe after our meal but only got 2 the entire sitting had to ask for lime with the second bottled modelo after we had to already request the bottles after receiving a glass the first modelo. The burger wasnt good but everything else was. Said please and thank you all night never got a your welcome of course is there anything else I can get for you today, are their any special occasions none of that. By the end we seen the people to our right get a special birthday treat my sister requested for me as i didnt know it was free either way we were willing to pay when brought out the guy set it in front of my boyfriend just didnt feel like it was for me so trying to at least get a cute photo of the desert or me with it wasnt happening and was not informed to set it on fire there was alcohol but its not like our server cared to mention as i ordered a non alcoholic drink(yes i know most people know its common in knowledge buti didn't think about it i was just trying to enjoy myself after atp the set backs and feeling like my dinner wasn't special) Got the check, now i understand how gratuity works as i am a server but i dont understand how you can ask for gratuity when the service doesnt match the price. I make 2.13 and hour and by the looks of your prices make nowhere near what your server does with gratuity alone yet somehow i always show up with a smile great attitude at work ready for anything especially an upset customer or non-tipper/boomer. If you dont like your job or cant even stick with the basic server common courtesy or knowledge i think you need to look for another job. The man who brought out our food gave us so much more of a refreshing experience and attitude in the few seconds we had to encounter with him versus our server Peyton the...

We had reservations at 9pm and when we walked in, the restaurant was very busy which appeared business was good. There was a host stand but no host so we waited about 15 minutes to be seated. Not a problem because a couple people did apologize for the wait and had let us know we will be seated shortly. Busy times happen so that’s okay. Once we were seated, our server came by within 10 minutes. Understandable because it looked like only 2 servers on during a busy rush. We ordered everything at once. 2 drinks, 1 savory beignet for an app, 1 Josie Arlington for entree, and 1 Cajun linguine. We waited close to 20-25 minutes for the drinks which the bartender brought to our table. As we were waiting for the drinks, we were observing the room. One of the guys working was running food to the wrong tables multiple times. One of the servers was obviously frustrated because he was taking the wrong items to her tables and she was having to correct his mistake. A few times we saw him drop food at the tables and walk away before the table acknowledging what they received was incorrect. Then it took the tables awhile to get someone attention letting them know the dish they got was incorrect. There were two women sitting next to us where one ordered the linguine and the other ordered a Po Boy. The food runner brought out two linguines and the one woman corrected him that she was supposed to get the po boy. He dropped the correct dish and said he’d be back with the other dish. He didn’t come back for close to 20 mins. During that wait time, he brought her the beignet app and dropped it and walked away. She looked at us and asked us if we ordered that and we did for our app. We shared a laugh and she handed us the plate. About 10 mins later she got her correct meal. We finished our app and that is when the bartender delivered our drinks. As we were sipping, we saw the line go out the door. No one was at the host stand nor was anyone talking to the guests who were waiting. After about 15+ minutes, one of the servers got a moment to attend to the door. The majority of them were there to see the show downstairs so the line shrunk up immediately after they went downstairs. About 20ish minutes after finishing our drinks, the food runner brings two Cajun linguines to our table. One was mine, but my boyfriend ordered the Josie Arlington. He immediately places both on the table and walks away and my boyfriend was trying to let him know he ordered a diff dish. We spoke to a server who originally wasn’t ours to let her know we were trying to tell the runner about the error. We were not trying to bother her but we haven’t seen our server for quite some time. She was polite and apologetic and took the dish back. I waited 10-15 minutes to eat my food because I thought my boyfriend would be getting his shortly. We also did not have forks and it took some time to get someone’s attention for a roll up. Once they dropped off 2 roll ups, we both ate my linguine. 20 minutes into me having my dish, we got our servers attention and told her my boyfriend still has not received his dish. She asked what he got again and we said the Josie. 40-45 minutes after I received my dish and we both ate it, she came back and asked how everything was. I said he still has not received his dish and he’s waited close to 45 minutes and told her we shared my plate. She apologized, ran to the kitchen and grabbed his correct plate. All within less than 1 minute. She said it will be comped at the end. He ate the majority of his dish and then we sat there waiting to ask for the bill. The one server that wasn’t our initial one, apologized to us and confirmed the one entree was comped. The manager asked if we were okay and if we wanted anything else. We politely said we were okay we were just waiting for the bill and he asked if we wanted a dessert on the house. We declined the nice offer and said no we just want the check. Unfortunately, the night was not positive. We were there from 9pm-11pm exactly while this happened plus a few more details I...

We got there in good spirits, loved the vibe. Bar was empty, and it wasn't full. People around us got there food and it looked great. I wanted to check this place out for so long and was excited to finally be here. When my friends came we asked for recommendations and ordered. Drinks were definitely on the pricey side. $20 for a cocktail, others were $14. Bourbon smash sounded good, but tasted like cough syrup. We were famished and excited to try the food items. About 30mins later we asked about our appetizer and apparently there was a mistake and they sent it to another table. The host and server apologized, and she said she would give us a little discount... in my mind and in my experience from working over 10 years in the service industry, that should have been comped. We finally got them, and it was a total of 46 -50 mins since the time we ordered it. It wasn't bad (savory beignet), it was actually pretty good. When our entrees finally came out, one of my friends entree didn't come, and the server said he didn't order. But we all knew that he did. He had gotten the hosts recommendation. Finally after the confusion, she said it was coming right out. By the time my other friends finished their entree his dish finally came out. So basically, they just prepared his dish, meaning, it wasn't being worked on previously. While he was finally eating his entree a member of my group had to go so we asked for the check. We had to wait another 15-20 mins to get it. This all baffled us to the extreme, because the restaurant was more than half empty. When we got the bill the host said they gave us a 10% discount and walked away. My party looked at each other and thought what a diss. All that time waiting and for their errs we got 10% discount. Meanwhile when we got the check, our server apologized and said he was the only server there, and they had new cooks in the kitchen. That would have been passable, however, when we saw everyone else around us getting their orders and the restaurant wasn't busy, it's just a sorry excuse. I expressed to the server my discontent and how basically it was a slap in our face with the 10% discount for our time and business. He zoomed off right after I said that. What made me more at a loss of words was when I saw my bill and saw that they added a 20% gratuity on my check while 2 of the other members in my party didn't get that, possibly because they didn't order a cocktail. The whole experience was outlandish.

However, their ambiance, and their food is their saving grace. Savory beignets were good but not worth the wait or the price. Bourbon smash cocktail was definitely NOT worth $20. It tasted like cough syrup. Jambalaya was good but overcooked. Southern Fish was the catfish (as per my request) because the red fish wasn't available. But the catfish was good, and cooked well. The etouffee sauce wasn't as thick or creamy as I was used to but the flavor was good. Josie Arlington Farfalle was a good portion and looked creamy. As per my friend: it was delicious.

I would love to come here again but my overall experience was not good and there are many other places in the city worth checking out.

So if you want to come, don't come hungry, and be prepared to spend $$ on their drinks. Maybe just come for their happy hour. All they needed was NOLA style jazz playing in the background and it's a good time.

Update the other 2 members of my party that didn't get alcohol and wasn't charged the 20% gratuity on their original reciept was charged the 20% gratuity when she received her final copy to sign. Her finalized copy to sign had the 20% slipped in to the receipt. Completely outlandish and possibly illegal. We think our conversation was overheard by the employees which led to the insert of the gratuity. Photos...