Felix: Modern American Dining — Restaurant in Lake View Township

I wanted to love Felix. I really did. I live a block away. I came here for brunch on a glowing recommendation from the bartender during a happy hour the week before (which, to be fair, was solid — shoutout to a decent Old Fashioned and a good burger and Caesar ). I was told, “We’re gonna start doing DJ sets, drag brunches — it’s gonna be a whole Sunday Funday vibe!”

Say less. I rounded up 8 friends and rolled in with high hopes (it was my birthday weekend). I’m also a huge fan of their sister spot, Bites — EXCELLENT RAMEN.

Anyway, the vibes at Felix Brunch? Not exactly giving.

We were seated in the dining room (aka the Brunch Abyss™️) and waited… and waited… and waited. Our server was in training, which I totally get — we’ve all been new. What I don’t get is why his “trainer” decided to support him from across the room with the energy of a houseplant. I asked if they had iced tea, and he almost left to “go ask” without taking drink orders. I had to be like, “Hey, how about we do literally anything useful first?” 15 minutes later, he returned to ask what drunk three of us had ordered — which was bold considering. And still no answer o whether they had iced tea.

We hit the 30-minute mark, drinks still a myth, and I noticed our server talking to his “trainer” while my friends hated me for suggesting this place. I asked if the bar had even started the drinks. “Nope.”

That was our cue. We Irish exited brunch before anyone started crying.

And here’s the kicker — the owner was sitting right there at the bar. I was visibly frustrated. Eight people left without eating (or drinking). And… nothing. Not even a “Sorry, rough day.” Just vibes. Cold, empty brunch vibes.

So, will I return? • To sit in the dining room: LOL no. • For a drink at the bar when I want a mid-tier burger and to reminisce about what could’ve been? Probably.

Felix, I’m rooting for you. But if you don’t fix brunch service and add some urgency to your team, this place is gonna be another “coming soon” sign...

3rd edit: Got a nice reply and gift card from the team after previous experience. Went back and burger and apple hand pies were great. A few minor order snafus but bartender was very friendly. Crossing my fingers that things keep going in the right direction

Edit: Went for a second visit on a late Sunday afternoon and was ignored after being seated. Left without ordering after ~25 min. Saw reports of similar experiences here in the reviews, so seems to be a recurring problem. When I arrived, it was very slow—there were only two other tables occupied and both parties had their food—so the lapse in service felt particularly inexplicable and unacceptable.

Original review:

I wasn’t a big fan of Hutch, so I was excited to see a new restaurant open here. Really nice design refresh and atmosphere and friendly service. Had the meatballs and mac and cheese, which were both tasty. Looking forward to trying the entrees another time.

My one suggestion is that this restaurant feels like it should have a much more interesting dessert menu. It’s clear that a lot of deliberation went into crafting a thoughtful menu overall, but I feel like the dessert didn’t get the same attention. They can do better than a generic brownie with ice cream or a cheesecake. But overall, good...

Came here for brunch with a large group this morning. It was pretty hot in the restaurant and I saw they had several large fans placed around the dining room that weren’t really helping. We were asked if the temperature was comfortable when we were done with our meal. Our waiter was fine but struggled to keep our waters full/get us a carafe for the table. I ordered the Goat Cheese egg scramble and was told there was no gluten free bread option or substitute. When my food arrived the plate looked sparse with maybe 5 pieces of potato, a little salad and a small serving of eggs. I doubt there were even two eggs there. However, my friend sitting across from me got the Chilaquiles and her portion was huge. I was super underwhelmed and thought it was pricey for the amount of...