Artango Bar & Steakhouse — Restaurant in Lake View Township

The service did take a good minute, but when we arrived, the venue was busy, and there seemed to only be a few servers in the whole restaurant. We were greeted and serviced by the manager, Esteban. He had a cheery attitude and kept us updated on our food wait. He checked in often and made the waiting understandable (I was also in the company of my wonderful boyfriend, so we just talked [or at least tried to -- when the restaurant is busy it gets really loud] and made the best of the experience). So despite the wait, Esteban did his best to make our experience a good one. The food was delicious as well, though not a bang for your buck. The ceviche was $15 dollars for only 3 shrimps cut in half, like 10 leafy greens, 1 incredibly thin slice of cucumber, and very delicious aji sauce. Delicious, no complaints on the taste, but we were expecting a bit more for the price. I suppose you're also paying for the environment. The empanadas are also delicious, but they're on the smaller size, and each is $6. My boyfriend ordered the milanesa and despite the meat itself being well seasoned, the breading around it was overcooked, and the whole thing left a bit of a charcoal aftertaste. He was a champion and ate it because the sauces provided are delicious and helped mask some of the burnt taste. I ordered the beet salad, though I would call it an arugula salad instead. The dressing was delicious -- sweet and flavorful, but there were only 6 slices of beet lol. Not even big chunks, think the size of an average french fry. The beets felt more like a garnish -- maybe going forward add 10 slices? So much arugula and so few slices of beet. Delicious, but I wouldn't call it a beet salad if the main ingredient feels more of a garnish. The desserts were amazing. I recommend the flan over the molten lava cake, though you can't go wrong with either. The live band is super talented. Shout out to them for playing so much cha cha. Very enjoyable listening to them. We stayed closed to closing time, and by then, the restaurant empties out a lot and there's space to dance. Thank you Esteban for your service. Overall great tasting food, though the portions left more to be desired. The atmosphere is loud but it's to be expected, just make the best of...

The TLDR version: This gets 2 stars because the food was merely OK (a couple dishes good, at least one really bad, and the others, they were fine), the drinks were OK (if you can get one), the service was inexcusably bad, and all of it was very expensive.

Longer version. I am starting with service. My one word description of Artango is "indifference." It is my opinion the the owner must not give a hoot about service. The place is full, they are trying to make money, so who gives a hoot about service. At the one hour, forty-five minute mark of us being there, I had been served one drink (the first one took twenty minutes to show up and I had, at that point, ordered the second one twice) and one empanada. It was so bad that, at that time, we tried to cancel the rest of our dinner, so we could go somewhere to eat and drink. Understand, I love nice leisurely dinners with drinks and food and I do not want to be rushed. But, that assumes I can actually receive drinks and food. When we tried to discuss the issues with someone in charge, we got indifference. They did comp us one of our drinks, but with the price of that drink and the third one that I probably would have had, they could have hired another bartender for a couple hours and had better service for the entire place. However, I truly believe they do not care; they are full.

The food: I will start with the good. My Rib Eye was excellent and my wife's Ahi-Tuna Ceviche was, she said, very good. The bad, my wife's grilled prawns were pathetic; either frozen or WAY over-cooked. The "Fine, I have had worse" was everything else. The aforementioned empanada, the chorizo, and fried potatoes were the same quality I have had in a lot of places, no better no worse. Passable? Yes, but nothing near special.

Again, I am not a person who complains about a nice long night out, I actually enjoy that. But, this place, for the meh quality of the food, the exceptionally poor service, and the indifference just isn't worth the price.

If you still are going to go there after reading this, my advice is to bring a snack to eat while you are waiting for your...

DO NOT DINE HERE IF YOU HAVE FOOD ALLERGIES. We dined at Artango on Valentine’s Day, February 14th, 2025, for the 3-course menu. I have a severe peanut and tree nut allergy, and this was the first thing I mentioned to our waiter before ordering any food. For the first course, I ordered the empanadas, which I was excited to try. However, after just one bite, I immediately began to feel a severe allergic reaction.

I quickly flagged down the waiter, who assured me that there were no nuts in the dish. He went to check with the kitchen, and it turns out there were actually pecans in the empanadas. The waiter was deeply sorry and explained that he had worked there for six years and that there had never been nuts in the empanadas before. This, of course, pointed to a serious communication issue between the kitchen and wait staff.

Peanut and tree nut allergies are very common and should always be taken seriously. This mix-up ruined what should have been a special evening for us. While I do appreciate that they comped my meal, they still made my partner pay for their meal and charged us for all of our drinks (4), which felt incredibly inconsiderate given the circumstances.

The situation was incredibly scary for me and allergies are something Artango should take seriously to ensure the safety of all customers, especially those with life-threatening allergies. I do not reccomend dining here. Also, a manager or supervisor on staff never came over to check on me. Clearly showing the restaurant lack of empathy and responsibility for the situation. It was a major oversight on their part, and instead of making us feel supported and valued as customers, it felt as though the restaurant prioritized the financial aspect over our safety and well-being. While they offered to comp the meal, the fact that they still charged for drinks and made my partner pay left us feeling disrespected and dissatisfied. A situation that could have been handled with more care and understanding ultimately left a negative mark on our experience, especially on a day that was meant...