The Whale — Restaurant in West Chicago Township

I dine out frequently and have found that the best restaurants are those with the best management.

"The Whale" in Logan Square is a perfect example of how good leadership gathers the right mix of talent, food, beverages and entertainment to make for a great experience.

Manager Alexa R. has compiled a team of experienced talent that excels in their roles and deliver a quality experience.

Now, presentation goes a long way, but one’s taste buds play a big role in what you walk away with. Each time I have left "The Whale", I looked forward to coming back to try something new.

Upon arriving on a Friday eve, I was promptly greeted by maître d’ Mia who escorted me to my requested seat at the bar. As we walked, I shared that I had a thirst for either a gin or bourbon drink. Without missing a beat she recommended the “Whale G&T” as well as the house’s “Old Fashion”. I like it when the staff is familiar with the line of products offered and can make a recommendation. As I took my seat, Mia summoned mixologist Wilson who took my order and got to work on a “Whale G&T” for me. Attractively presented, the drink with its Rosemary hints smelled as good as it tasted. A great start.

As I enjoyed the tunes that filled the air, I took in the festive atmosphere and observed others reveling in the night; eating and sharing food, imbibing, laughing, dancing in their seats. Good times being had.

Time to eat. I started with the “Ahi Tiradito”. The sashimi ahi tuna with avocado, lime, jalapeno, cilantro and sesame was flavorful and a great way to get my appetite going. I cleansed my pallet with a glass of Veuve and ordered the “Dry-Aged Tenderloin”.

The “Dry-Aged Tenderloin” is a well-proportioned sandwich. Tender and served on a steak bun with gruyère cheese, crispy onions, mayo, salsa verde and beautifully presented with my choice of sweet potato fries and mixed greens on the side. It was delicious. I coupled this with an Allagash White – witbier – a perfect combo.

As I was wrapping up my evening with the “Old Fashion” that Mia had recommended, I was greeted from behind the bar by a woman who identified herself as Alexa and asked me how my evening was going. I quickly shared how satisfied I was with the quality of the food, caliber of the service and prompt timing on the delivery of everything on a busy night. She shared, “we all pitch in”. And she was not kidding as I witnessed her with sleeves rolled up and assisting throughout the dining floor.

Upon exiting, I bid good night to Mia who pointed out that Alexa was the Manager. I was pleased that despite all that was going on in the restaurant and everything that she was doing, Alexa took a moment to greet and ask me about my experience. Definitely “top tier” behavior.

I recommend "The Whale" and can’t wait to go back and try...

thank you whale for saving our SAT PM! we walked in an greeted by Joey and 2 smiling hostess. i swear our faces showed the amount of despair and aggravation and theses great humans made sure to change that. seated no issues, and the pic of the table shows the awesome menu hideaway! lots thought about for simple but complete. and with the idea of how a boat works.

sarah our waitress never stopped smiling! great service from all. cant say enuf.

need to highlight oscar & and the entire bus staff, hell every staff. no 1-way trips! its awesome to see proper level of attention to clearing tables and keeping guests engaged in their experience. i do see some ppl are not happy with this. you are not wrong, just a different opinion. i must highlight that. take this point with the grain of salt it easy. different ppl have different experiences/expectations from their years. everyone plz be understanding of whales mgmnt expectations whilst at their establishment.

need to highlight how involved all staff is. ryan (ownership grp noted in other replies) and his floor mgmt staff (3-4) i noticed are serious about everything! it was on display from ryan re-aligning barchairs after vacated, the floor mgmt’r in classes constantly checking water bottle supplies, tallest mgmr (big sequoia dude i freaking swear!) making sure tables, booths and chairs squared and clean! the other mgmr (awesome neck ink btw) has the personal touch with guest managing their wait. calm boat no matter the waters (imagery intended).

floor hostess have ipads with layout to help effective comms to host staff and seating! it awesome to see!

the lobster tacos are a must!! the hardshell helps! lol the shrimp skewers are amazing, both sauces! the burger tasty (i am a red meat guy and the kitchen will not do less than medium. compromising your lifestyle is life lol). crab cakes are different. not wrong not right, different. and they are a good different to me. i enjoyed the dipping sauce but i requested more of the shrimp dipping sauce cuz...cuz i like it lol. make sure you order a cubano! well done.

the dessert, carrot cake is amazing!! cant say enuf about it. fair warning, it’s served warm. some say carrot cake needs to be cold, some say warm. know your preference and work from there.

the old fashions are PERFECT! i had 5...yup that good. have one...or more lol.

the interior work is awesome! the ceiling done correct with the walls/tiles. the floor and its herring bone pattern takes investment to know its importance. please take some time to look. same as the kickboards pattern and booths arch pattern. pretty kewl. mens rooms has decor details i wish i...

So.....our experience here was overall a good one, but I found it's one of those restaurants that's trying to be too clever. A lot of their dishes are ones that are on the surface familiar, but that then have weird ingredients added in, or weird names for existing items. For example, I got the burger. It was good, and a great value at only $12, but it had something called "wahale island" on it. I asked the waitress, and confirmed for myself when it came, that it was basically thousand island. It was Mac Sauce. The burger tasted like a Big Mac, but better. So, just call it thousand island, ya know...? It was a good burger though, right? I mean, they told me it would be medium, and it was ACTUALLY medium, instead of medium well or ...or... what's the level after medium well...? Sacrilege....? Anyway, it was cooked perfectly, so that was a very nice surprise.

The price points of the food vary widely, so there's something tasty here for every budget, and that's a nice surprise.

The service was great, attentive, and fast. The food came quite quickly, and we were thankful for that.

The decor is fascinating. There are many patterns and textures, and it seems to be one of those situations where everything goes together because nothing goes together, ya know? Eclectic, is that what they call it? For example from our booth, I could count at least seven different kinds of light fixtures. The bathroom had one pattern/texture on the floor, and then two different patterns and two different textures on the wall. It's all fascinating to look at.

The place vaguely presents itself as a speakeasy, but the liquor selections don't match; they have "a lot", but it's nowhere near a full bar. They seem to have limited selections of craft or artisanal liquours, and nothing mainstream. Between all their bourbons, rums, tequilas, ryes, and mezcals, I recognized only three names. My point being that if you are in the mood for a specific booze, don't get your hopes up for it; they'll have something you can drink, but it may not be the thing you actually wanted.

Overall, it was a good experience, with good food and great service, but I wouldn't go out of my way to go back. Check it out fer yerself though; maybe you'll appreciate their quirks...