Brownstone — Restaurant in Lake View Township

A serious decline overall over the past few months. We've been visiting Brownstone for over a year (as we live within 2 blocks), and recently they've made numerous changes to their regular & brunch menu items. The quality of the items has definitely suffered as a result. The chilaquiles for example lost avocado, cilantro, and radish -- yet the price stayed the same. It's an entirely different, much less expensive dish and now has much fewer ingredients...at the same price point.

Additionally, the service has severely suffered. We visited today for Brunch and were the only table occupied inside of the restaurant. There were only 2 tables occupied outside, for a total of 6-8 customers in the entire place during peak brunch hours on a Saturday. Our waitress seemed annoyed from the minute we declined drinks, and it showed through her poor attitude and horrendous service throughout our meal. By horrendous, I do mean she had to be reminded on 2 separate occasions by 2 co-workers that we needed our order taken, food removed, and our check...what a joke!

On our most recent visit, there were 4 workers in the place and we still waited 10+ minutes to have our order taken, went 10+ minutes without refills on water, the cook finally came to clear the 2 dirty plates (only at which point did our waitress realize we needed refills), and we had to track down the waitress (who was busy joking around with the other 3 workers) to receive our check AND again to pay it (we ultimately settled with a bartender). A meal that should have taken about 30-45 minutes took well over an hour, coupled with poor food and awful service.

Due to the sharp declines in both food quality and service, we've taken Brownstone off our brunch rotation and will instead focus on North Center's many premiere brunch spots...to name a few: Via Lima, ROCKS, Mrs. Murphy & Son's, and...

I’ve been here two times to watch Seahawks games, and where the staff at large and fellow patrons have been cool, whoever the owner or manager is has been disrespectful barring on prejudice to me both occasions.

The guy made me stand up from my table to essentially scold me for bypassing the “wait for seating sign” (honest mistake), but to be kinda embarrassed in front of the place was kinda weird.

The second time, seats were taken and I was simply willing to wait for a spot, but he kept repeating to me “I have no tables,” basically dropping the hint to leave.

added comment in response to the owner

Thanks for getting back to me!

I fully understand why, and what you were doing. I fully understand, what goes on as I run watch parties at McGees for Ohio State Alumni, and fully get the rowdy environment those games bring.

However, I’m not from Chicago, just moved here in Feb and this has really been the first community of hawks fans I can really be around. If you’re busy that’s fine, however the demeanor in which you speak can come off a bit harsher than perhaps you intend it to be. I’ve been to Premier league watch parties, I’ve been to a Browns bar for a game, and of course Buckeye Bar in places much more hectic and never has someone spoken condescending or sarcastic to me.

I work with people everyday, who make simple mistakes that I manage… I don’t make them feel stupid or want them to feel any form of disrespect when I speak with them. I want people to work with me in the future.

If you’re full that’s fine, but at least grab a number to let a patron know when a table is ready, or email to get in a mailing list or something for the next game. I’m not used to being around this many Hawks fans to where that would be a risk… since I’ve typically been the only one...

My husband and I order from here very often, usually through a delivery service. I haven’t been going out much due to my horrible anxiety attacks and my high blood sugar. Due to this I have a service dog. So yesterday I decided to come in with my husband and service dog for the first time because we wanted to get out and check the actual restaurant out and I had the worst customer service from a manager ever. I also just had a procedure done on my leg and you can clearly see that I had bandages on my leg. I think the manager name is Adam, he is a bald guy. Before I even got to the front door, the manager didn’t even want us there because I had my small 13 pound service dog with me. He was very rude, he sat us at the smallest table with horrible chairs that I couldn’t even sit on because they were too high and I was sliding off of them because they were so slippery. Plus I couldn’t sit on them because my leg was hurting from keeping it extended for so long so I wouldn’t fall off the chair. He then said you’re going to keep your dog on the floor right? I said yes, of course. Then he had the nerve to ask me what service does my dog perform. I of course told him right away. Then it looked like he was looking up the services of a service dog. He was the only person ever to ask me this out of the 4 years that I had him. Then he acted like he didn’t even believe me. He kept staring at me and my dog. His attitude was so horrible and he made our time there just miserable. At least the waitress was very nice and friendly. I just couldn’t believe this and he just made my anxiety and blood sugar go through the roof. Omg!!!! This place has the worst management ever!!! If your in the service and hospitality industry, don’t you think you should be nice and...