The Galway Arms — Restaurant in Lake View Township

We scheduled a private event for 15 guests through Art Room Events on Saturday from 6:30 to 10:00 pm. I will acknowledge that I am not a sports person and did not realize that this was during a Final Four game, but no one mentioned that this would be a bad time for a private event when the reservation was made. Otherwise, we could have chosen a different time or a different venue, and certainly would have done so if we knew the service would be so awful.

Five of us arrived at 6:15 to get the room set up for the remaining guests. We went to the small lobby area and stood between two signs that said, "Wait Here to Be Seated." There were two servers feverishly pecking orders into the computer system, a blonde and a brunette. Neither one looked up or acknowledged us for several long minutes. When we finally got the blonde server's attention and said we were there for a private event, she just looked at us like a deer in headlights. She whipped out a calendar, quickly thumbed through and found that we did in fact have a reservation. But the private room we were supposed to have was being used for other customers. She had to find a place to put us. We remained in the designated "Wait Here to Be Seated Area" while she disappeared.

While we were waiting, additional guests for our party arrived, as well as other customers. So the small lobby area was becoming quite crowded. The brunette server, who was passing from the outdoor patio to the bar, very loudly and rudely yelled at us, "YOU CAN'T STAND IN THIS HALLWAY! YOU NEED TO MOVE! YOU NEED TO KEEP THIS AREA CLEAR!" Not once, not twice, but three times. There was never a polite, "Please excuse me, I need to get through" to preface this. She was immediately very aggressive and belligerent. We said we'd love to move if she'd simply tell us where we could go. No response. Again, we were standing precisely where it says, "Wait Here to Be Seated."

Finally, more than a half hour later, and well after our 6:30 reserved time, a small room was cleared for us. It was about a 10' x 12' room, with a few small tables and chairs and a fireplace. For 15 people, it was so cramped and standing room only. And HOT! We could barely move, and there was barely any room to set up the party accessories. The event was interactive and required us to mix, mingle, and move around. Drinks were spilled, glassware was broken, but we literally could not move without bumping into something. My vintage purse and coat were soaked when someone bumped a table and spilled some drinks on a chair.

We intended to order food for the event, but we could barely get the server to stand still long enough to get drink orders, let alone order food. I did manage to order some appetizers about 90 minutes into the event, but there really was no great place to set them up, and no plates, napkins, or flatware were provided. So guests really couldn't eat much. The one mozzarella stick and the small bit of spinach dip I tried were adequate, but not nearly sufficient.

Once our event concluded, we moved to the outdoor patio area (which was being served by the angry brunette server from before), with the intent of ordering more drinks and finally getting some food, but the server refused to come to our table. Nearby tables were ordering food and drinks and being served. Some members of our party went to the bar to fetch drinks, and after waiting for quite some time, a couple of people went across the street and brought back a huge bag of carryout sushi so we could finally eat. I know, I know: it's rude to carry food into a restaurant, but at this point, I was hangry and beyond caring about courtesy. We obviously weren't going to be getting any food here, and we didn't want to leave our drinks to go elsewhere.

Galway Arms could have made much, much more money on our group had the service been even marginally better than it was. This was a missed opportunity for the venue and certainly didn't make a good impression with any...

An old, established spot in Lincoln Park, the Galway Arms has a vibrant bar and also a number of dining areas. The vestiges of the old house that was the basis for this structure is apparent in the architecture which is charming. The rooms can be a bit small for the number of tables, and it sometimes is loud here, but it is, after all, an Irish-style place. The food is good and never disappointing. Service can vary, depending on the size of the crowd in the restaurant. Fish and chips are always good, especially during Lent when it's all you can eat. The sides that come with the fish and chips are never enough, since they ca be quite tasty. The burgers can be very generous, and they are particularly nice when offered as a special. Some of the sides are interesting, with parsnips that are not the usual one-dimensional way some serve this root vegetable. Wines are an option at the Galway, but the emphasis seems to be on beer. It is a busy place, and in warm weather, seating spills onto the patio in the front of the building. The bar is cozy, and some food items are offered late or, rather. later in the evening. It's good to have this place in the neighborhood, but it sometimes is a little raucous at the times you want to have a quiet meal, might even want to hear those with you speak. But that's more due to the crowd that comes here and not the polite and professional wait staff that...

I visited 2x this pass into Chicago I tried a variety of the drafts. The jumbo pretzel is alright. The accompanying sauces need a little work as they are unremarkable. The chicken milanese was a tad salty and dry. The service was exceptional...Quick to check in with me as well as make adjustments to my requests in a prompt manner. The seafood chowder I found to be hardy (flavorful and quite full of ingredients...not at all watered down or thin) and exceptional as well as the cheese plate was well balance with a group of cheeses (mostly soft to medium firm with increasing sharpness) to be balanced out with some fruits, olives, and a honey they paired well with the apples and bread. I paired it all with the smithwick on draft finding a great balance in the flavors. The atmosphere was wonderful with a local group preforming live music for father's days. They ave both indoor and outdoor seating depending on your preference. I tried both and enjoyed them both. The service even took a moment to seat me at a table outside "sheltered" stating "just incase it rained and the wind shifted". He was correct and I appreciated the detail when the rain came down. This restaurant is not very handicap accessible. Stairs into the restaurant and the...