The Gage — Restaurant in Chicago

I used to consider The Gage as one of my top restaurant choices for a great meal and good service, but my recent experience has left me deeply disappointed. My last visit has solidified that I will never return to this establishment. I had a reservation for the tail end of breakfast service before they switched over to dinner.

Despite arriving early and having about 20 minutes before the menu transitioned, the service was excruciatingly slow. After waiting for someone to come to our table for 12 minutes, I had to go to the host stand to inquire if someone was assigned to our table. Even after that, it took another five minutes for a waitress to slowly make it over to us and take our order.

The food delivery was also subpar. The appetizer and breakfast pancakes arrived together with a side of fries, despite the odd combination. The fries, which used to be a highlight of the restaurant, were saturated in grease and tasted as though they had been sitting under a heat lamp for hours. Despite hoping to ask for fresh fries, no one came to check on us for 15 minutes, then 30 minutes, and still no sign of the burger my date had ordered.

After a frustrating 45 minutes, someone finally showed up to remove our plates, at which point I mentioned that we never received one of our entrees. A different waitress appeared, indicating that our original server had ended her shift without a word, and no one else had taken over the service for us. When my date explained that he never received his meal, the waitress simply said, “I'll be right back,” only to return and read off the items we did receive before handing us the bill with no apology or attempt to rectify the situation.

This experience left us bewildered and disappointed. The lack of apology or effort to make things right was simply unacceptable. It's unfortunate to witness the decline in both food quality and service at The Gage. I sincerely hope that the management takes these issues seriously and works toward restoring the restaurant to its...

We made reservations because our party was over 10 people, to which we included children as we had 4 under 18. Upon arriving, we were seated in the bar. In the bar area with children? We asked for high chairs as we needed them for the 3 toddlers, we were told that a certain part of the bar could not be blocked so we couldn't have one. You all sat us here but then told us we cant have a high chair.. ok lol. We were never introduced to a server, rather, we had several servers come and assist us. Which was no big deal but it would have been nice to know who exactly our server was.

Once we had just the one server assisting us, she did not tell us any specials or anything. She had an attitude with us all so I just looked at what I wanted in a rush and ordered. Every time someone asked her a question she was short and sharp. This was our first time at this restaurant and some people had questions, she clearly did not want to answer them. We ordered our food and there was absolutely no flavor in any food, like not even salt and pepper. There was four orders of the fish and chips, the only thing you could taste was the tartar sauce. I had a virgin Shirley temple and that was delicious but outside of this, everything else was very much bland.

It was time to pay now as we did not order deserts. She came with the check and we asked if we could split, she said AND I QUOTE "I don't have time to do that." Not, 'the policy is if there are (x amount in the party) there is one check', but simply she did not have time for is so to us this means she did not want to do it. Now I want to add, this is not our first time at a restaurant. Usually the server expresses in the beginning about how the bill will be handled, tells us their name and offers water etc.. she did none of this, she was the exact opposite.

If the food was good, it would have made up for her rudeness but it did not. We were so excited to come here and it was nothing but a...

For a place to showcase what Chicago has to offer in restaurant-style American Food, this is an excellent choice. I was looking for a restaurant to give my cousins visiting from Poland a good first taste of the American dining style, and this place delivered. It was near 4 pm when we walked in, and I was pleasantly surprised they could seat our party of five right away, especially with no reservation. The inside is interesting, with at least four distinct areas that each have their own vibe (ranging from open-spacing, bar seatings, and quiet/secluded areas for max comfort). Presentation-wise, the table was clean and ready for us, but I did notice the surfaces on top of the seating cushions and framing had a layer of lingering dust, looking like they hadn't been wiped in a few days. Our server greeted us immediately and was a great help with the menu.

The main drink ordered was the Negroni, and I appreciated that they let me choose the gin. It was well-made with a fragrant orange peel. (Photo attached). For appetizers, we got the Truffle Fries and the Meat & Cheese Board. Both were good, but for a group our size, you'll likely need to order 3-4 items to feed everyone equally. My main course, the Fusilloni, was a surprise. I didn't expect the entire dish to be green, but it was a good, creamy pasta with a proper portion size. (Photo also attached).

The staff were friendly, checking on us occasionally without being intrusive. The whole experience was smooth, from getting in quickly to leaving without any hassle. Most importantly, my cousins were very happy with their meals and felt it was a great example of quality American food. For that reason alone, this is a solid, safe bet for a great meal out, especially if you're...