Farm Bar Ravenswood — Restaurant in Lake View Township

I had a terrible experience at Farm Bar tonight. We had a reservation for four and expected to stay for a while and spend a lot. We got our first round of drinks, and we were all pleased. A person I’m assuming was a server (but not our server) approached us and asked us to be quieter. We were shocked but polite and did as requested. We are all self-aware and considerate people, and we were confused because there was a big table across the room from us being much louder than us. The ambience was off as there seemed to be an electrical shortage. The lights were flickering and kept going on and off. We were trying to enjoy ourselves while whispering to each other, as our friend was in from out of town. I got the hamburger, which was mediocre. It was very greasy, and the bottom bun was soggy when it arrived, making it difficult to eat. My friend ordered the steak, which was inedible. It was so chewy he couldn’t even swallow it. When he told the server, she chastised him for not telling her sooner. He said he didn’t want anything else because we were heading out. She did comp the steak, which was very nice and why I’m giving a 2 star rather than 1. She told him that they can’t really control how the steak comes out since all cuts of meat are different. I am not a chef by any means, but that didn’t sound right? It seems that if you are paying $50 for a steak, it isn’t unreasonable to expect it to be good enough.

I have a lot of respect for people in the food service industry. I am always respectful and tip at least 20%. The reason I’m leaving this review is because when we were paying, there were survey questions that the server refused to let us answer. She told us to skip the questions because she didn’t want to stand there all night while we answered. We felt that she said that because she thought we would leave negative feedback after our bad experience. I felt manipulated by that. Our intention was to order several rounds of drinks and to get desserts and stay a while. However, we left after one round and entrees because we were so uncomfortable with the vibes of the place.

Another reason for the 2 star review rather than 1 is the hostess. She was the only professional person we encountered at Farm Bar. She was very sweet and friendly and helped us take a picture.

There are so many great restaurants in the area to choose from, so I won’t be coming back here, which is a shame considering all the 5 star reviews...

We wanted to go somewhere fun for brunch on New Year's Day and made reservations for 3 people. Upon arriving the woman at the front sat us right near the door. There were a few other tables the same size so we immediately asked if we could have a different table and were told no - about 15 min later a walk in came in and was given one of the tables... we were so close to the check in station I heard the exchange - not a nice thing but okay. Next it was obvious that they were not on their game. A long time for anyone to come to take our order, only looked like one waiter and everything just seemed off. When the waiter came to check in he informed us that it was the lunch menu NOT brunch! Hmmm Was brought drinks then waited a very long time to order. Every time the waiter poured my coffee he spilled on me! Didn't notice and when my friend mentioned it to him the response was 'okay' not oh I'm sorry and getting a napkin or anything!! The entire attitude by all the staff could only be considered surly! I was shocked! As they have a good reputation I was so surprised. Everyone around us was pissed off about the brunch/lunch situation...every table was talking about it so it was easy to overhear! should have been posted online that there wouldn't be brunch. About the time we were done it was obvious the owner or manager had come in to help and as he was walking down the aisle focused on something else and almost walked right into me. I get that they were short staffed but that's when you dial UP the nice and good customer service not when you get curt and surly. The only thank you we got was when we paid and we each tipped well (what we normally would) that is the ONLY thank you our waiter said. Between that and the coffee splashed on my clothing twice, the food was fine but not worth going back. Suffice it to say I will not be going back! The customer service with any kind of human kindness or nicety doesn't seem to be a...

I was looking forward to trying brunch here for awhile, and finally did this past weekend. My fiance just wanted scrambled eggs w veggies. The server came back and said the kitchen couldn't accommodate that. So she ordered scrambled eggs and goat cheese, which they had on hand, but that order was turned down by the kitchen as well. If we weren't desperately hungry, we probably would've left at this point. Anyways, she just ordered their farmers breakfast and I ordered the shakshuka, with the eggs cooked medium. The farmers breakfast came out fine, even though it's not what she wanted. My eggs came out runny as heck, and tasted totally raw. It took quite awhile for the waiter to come check in and then sent over the manager to get things rectified. He was fairly nonchalant about it but agreed the food wasn't cooked correctly and said that would remake the dish for me. It came back out, totally overcooked and rubbery, almost an act of hostility, it seemed. I ate it though, because I was so hungry and it had been almost an hour at this point. This was certainly not the experience I had anticipated for a seemingly cool restaurant. Thankfully the manager reduced our bill for the inconvenience and he and the server apologized. We have a few go-to spots in the area for breakfast/brunch including Pastores Brunch, Tre Kronor, and Bryn Mawr breakfast club who have no trouble getting things right. After our experience there, I can't see any reason to go back. Waste of...