North Pond

Birthday dining it was perfect and they let me bring my 2 yr old grandson -we want it to be his birthday treat!

This place has always been a favorite of mine when I visit Chicago. Can’t believe I haven’t been in three years. In 2014 and 2015, these were best brunches I’d ever had. Something has changed. Different sous chef or something? Everything wasn’t delicate. The shrimp first course had soggy over cooked broccoli. The beef and kale was bitter with a soggy, heavy gratin. My dessert, a white chocolate grapefruit creation was served in a way that literally looked like a poo emoji—a brown swirl. This made me sad. Next time I’m in the city I’ll try again, hoping this was an off experience. I hope next time will be the perfection I remembered since this wasn’t it.

Delightful experience: a warm welcome (back) to this unique architectural treasure in the heart of Chicago's Lincoln Park. Delightful server: attentive, knowledgeable, friendly but not obtrusive. Delicious cuisine: seasonal, intriguing, but not "fussy." They even made up a menu with "HAPPY BIRTHDAY" and my name on it: a very nice and elegant touch.

This place was amazing! The view of North pond and the city was great. The service was spectacular. I went for sunday brunch which (keep in mind they have a set three course menu and you choose which three items you want for the course) and each course tasted heavenly. Thank you North Pond!

Perfect night in every way. Every dish was superb—flavors were

Always a great experience at North Pond! From the ambience to the service, to the presentation and taste of the food, it just can't be beat. Highly recommend for a special night or Sunday brunch!

Birthday ndjdjdjd

The room was beautiful. The service was outstanding. The food, however, was trying too hard. Simple, beautiful ingredients don’t need to be overly “dressed”. In each course the individual ingredients were well prepared & very high quality but the flavors on the plate didn’t combine well. Overall, everything was perfect but the food, which missed the mark.

Sturgeon with cauliflower was really dissapointing. The fish tasted like mud.
Pheasant was cooked perfetly but there was just too many flavors on the plate wich in my opinion don’t really fit together.
Maybe it’s just a matter of taste but me and my friend honesly didn’t really like the food.
Staff was really proffesional and polite.

Extremely disappointed with our experience. The setting, and overall ambiance was beautiful. Outside of that, it was not worthwhile. In general, all the fancy preparations for each course were just not enjoyable. Limited entree selections as well. Both the Tile fish and sea bass were not not good. The tile fish in particular was fishy, and the texture was rubbery. The crab salad was small, ok but nothing outstanding.
It seemed like the chef tried way too hard to make everything so distinctive, and different that the preparation itself became the theme, and not the taste of the food itself. The emphasis on organic, and sustainability was also just "over the top". Couldn't even order my favorite vodka or bourbon....as nothing mainstream is carried here. For the money....there are hundreds of outstanding restaurants in the Chicago area to try before I would recommend this one. Sorry...but this really missed the mark.

Beautiful location but disappointing experience. The waitress was not particularly helpful with menu explanations. The first courses were too heavy and not memorable. The main course of tilefish had a disappointing fishy smell. Additionally, the price of 8.00 for a cup of decaf coffee was a bit over the top.

Perfect place for an anniversary! Food was terrific. Had some amazing wines with the pairing. Service was impeccable- everyone was so friendly and knowledgeable and happy!

We enjoyed our meal and the view immensely

Daughter moving to Chicago

Very fun and unique menu! Every part of the meal was thought out with no plate fillers. Would absolutely return!

The food is excellent. Creative pairings like pumpkin with foie gras and perch coated in cornbread crust fill the menu. The service is good if not a bit perfunctory. The most bothersome aspect to me is the layout of the restaurant. The entry way is not adequately separated from all the tables. I was seated very close to the host’s desk and felt as if i was sitting in the entry way. At a restaurant of this caliber i expect to feel comfortable at my table and not exposed to everybody walking in the door.

Novel food combinations. - sophisticated and tasty, may challenge some palates with unique combinations like steak and bologna.

North Pond never disappoints... outstanding food, great wine list, great bartender. Wait at the bar as long as it takes to get a table in the smaller front room near the pond.

Food, Service, and Venue are all perfect for our anniversary tradition (as we got married in Café Brauer in Lincoln Park). We look forward to continuing for many years to come. Only bummer is that they’re not open on Monday-Tuesday for dinner, so in the case of this year we had to celebrate a day early!

Great service.Brilliant food!!

Brunch was an absolutely wonderful combination of creative and delicious flavors.

Our food was very good, and the ambiance was lovely. Despite letting them know ahead of time when reservations were made, about 2 important celebrations, they were not acknowledged. We to talk to front desk, and they acknowledged they forgot one and ignored the other, I explained to them again, and still nothing was done. We paid our bill and were leaving when I went up and spoke to them again. They finally brought a packet for one celebration..as we were leaving and totally ignored the other. VERY disappointed for both people celebrating. Really ruined the evening. Very disappointed in the staff.

Simply amazing, and I eat out at fine restaurants around the world.

Disappointing. The restaurant boasts beautiful city views and a great place for a special occasion. I called three times requesting a nice table with a view indicating this was a special birthday celebration. Each time the restaurant said they would do their best to accommodate us. I called the day of the reservation one last time to let them know this was important.
We arrived and were escorted to a small table for four in the back room. No view and no windows in the room. When we asked to move to the main room to a table with a view the hostess said nothing was available and would not be for an hour. We explained our situation that this was a special night and I called several times to confirm our request and she could have cared less. We decided we would leave and head to another restaurant when she told us she would be retaining our $100 reservation deposit if we left.
Food was decent but there are so many better choices in the city especially if you are stuck in the back room. Would definitely not recommend North Pond. We should have gone to one of our favorite “special” places and avoided the disappointment.

Wonderful touches - we loved it for our anniversary. Total perfection and perfect for a special occasion like this. Thank you for a wonderful night!

Arrived 10 min early for 5:30 pm res. Had all of us stand outside in the cold, wind next to overflowing trash cans in front. Herded us in and waited in cramped bar area. First seated next to kitchen under music speakers. Our new table was close to kitchen as it a small space. Heard chef barking orders all night. The restaurant is beautiful and cozy. Service was excellent. The food was James Beard worthy. All effort is placed on the food rather than gracious hospitality. There is no valet or attendant to assistant hailing a taxi. Had to walk thru a dark park and find our own taxi. We were not dressed for trudging down the street. We will not return especially at this price point.

As always the food and service were impeccable. I had the roast squab, as did my friend, with fig, foie gras and vegetables. My husband had the fluke and beet salad and our other guest had the tile fish and the grilled octopus. All perfectly prepared and delicious. The restaurant serves an amuse bouche to begin the meal and chocolate truffles and gelees to end the meal. The restaurant is quiet and beautifully decorated and the view of downtown skyline over North Pond cannot be equaled

This restaurant was one of the unexpected high points of our trip to Chicago. Great food, terrific atmosphere, excellent service, unbelievable interior and exterior setting combined in an unforgettable experience.

Absolutely Amazing!!!
Celebrated my wife's 50th birthday, everything was beyond expectations.
We had the 5 course seasonal tasting that turned out to be 7 courses with the 2 additions compliments of the chef.
The personalized birthday wish on the menu was the icing on the cake.

Excellent experience all the way around.
Very good service, and exceptional food.

I love the ambience of the restaurant, it is a great place to spend a meal with friends. The Sunday brunch is an awesome deal. I thought the food was so-so: presentation is nice, use of local produce is an amazing thing, but each plate comes with so many “unmatched” elements which distract the diner of the actual taste of the food. I wish more thoughts are put into the recipes, rather than just bringing ingredients together. Nevertheless, I would recommend this place. It is not bad but just can be better.

Great food, great service; however our table felt squeezed in between two other tables, which made it a little noisy and awkward hearing the conversations going on to our left and right. There were plenty of empty larger tables, so I’m not sure why they bunched us together with other customers. Overall though, great food and service. Would’ve enjoyed a quieter, more private table though.

Service was very good. But; so damn cold.

My wife and I went for our anniversary. The hostess sat us right next to the kitchen, which meant we heard kitchen staff yelling orders, speaking amongst themselves, and the rest of the noise associated with kitchen operations. If the restaurant was full, I could understand, but it was nearly empty.

Overall, the service was very good and the food was tasty; we did not opt for the tasting menu. The restaurant also printed a special menu with our names and congratulating us on the occasion; food choices were the same.

All things considered, the experience wasn’t worth the expense.

It was great! The food was incredible and the drinks were great too! We thought about the tasting menu but opted for a la carte instead. We each had a first course, salad and main then split the dessert. It all was amazing! I couldn't recommend it more. They custom print the menu's for special occasions too!

The dining room's Arts and Crafts design is beautiful. Try the basil whiskey cocktail and the foie gras, with elderberries- amazing. The pheasant was outstanding.

North pond is a lovely owasis close to the city with great ambiance, wonderful skyline views & beautifully plated esoteric cuisine.

North Pond was one of the highlights of our Chicago vacation. Everything there was just great. One of the best meals ever. Service was above excellent. We will certainly return on our next trip.

Wonderful and unforgettable moment! Absolutely fabulous and we’ll come back soon! Delightful brunch and delicious food. We loved it! Bravo

I wrote in my OpenTable reservation that we were celebrating a wedding and requested a window table. I also called to explain the situation and, again, requested a window table. The woman on the phone said no problem. We go there and we’re seated in the middle of the restaurant. I asked for the manager and explained the situation and he blew us off. He did not care. It was one of the WORST displays of customer service I have ever experienced. The food ended up being good but the service at a restaurant of that level was quite disappointing. The staff was not attentive. I would never go back nor recommend the restaurant/ certainly not for a special occasion. Disappointing!