The Little Gem Restaurant

The Little Gem Restaurant reviews from people who’ve dined at this restaurant. Based on recent rating.

Review summary

1. G

   Geri VIP

   Chicago20 reviews

   5.0

   Dined 1 day ago

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   The Little Gem is truly a hidden gem of a restaurant. We ate in the restaurant side where it's romantic, elegant & quieter. But there is also the Encore bar lounge side where they also serve the same menu, and where they have nightly music. We love that side too. Their "date night" special menu is a great value where you can try various Little Gem menu options with a bottle of wine for a fixed price.
   

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2. A

   Anne VIP

   Chicago25 reviews

   3.0

   Dined 3 days ago

   1. Overall 3
   2. Food 3
   3. Service 4
   4. Ambience 5

   Lovely restaurant. I wish tea and coffee were of better quality. I expect more from such a charming place. There are so many better and local choices!
   

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3. J

   Judith VIP

   Chicago10 reviews

   5.0

   Dined 4 days ago

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Food and service were excellent as always. The staff / owner was very accommodating to a particular need of someone in our group and this was much appreciated. The food is delicious and the menu, while not huge, has interesting items. We will be back again and again.
   

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4. P

   Paul VIP

   Chicago33 reviews

   5.0

   Dined on April 24, 2025

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   We went to Encore, their adjacent Jazz room. Food was good, music was great!
   

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5. D

   Donna VIP

   Chicago1 review

   3.0

   Dined on April 22, 2025

   1. Overall 3
   2. Food 3
   3. Service 3
   4. Ambience 3

   We like the place! A bit loud for us and would like an updated menu
   

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6. T

   Theresa

   Chicago3 reviews

   3.0

   Dined on April 18, 2025

   1. Overall 3
   2. Food 1
   3. Service 2
   4. Ambience 4

   We have dined here many times and have always had an enjoyable meal, good service and delicious food served in a timely fashion. Friday was a whole different experience as if we were at a completely new restaurant. We were only the second table to be seated so the place was almost empty. The server was nice but he cannot control the kitchen or the bar. We could not get drinks or food. We have never experienced a lack of service with three employees standing around. When the entrees arrived 65 minutes after ordering, and the Sea Bass was rubber and the scampi was cold. I had to ask if the chef had left or perhaps on vacation because it was so out of character for The Little Gem. I’m not sure if there is new ownership or just a really bad Friday. We will try it one more time as it was our very favorite go to locally; but only one more chance as it is too expensive to be horrible.
   

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7. S

   Shelea VIP

   Chicago18 reviews

   5.0

   Dined on April 12, 2025

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Excellent restaurant with great service. The food was seasoned well.  The food did not disappoint.
   

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8. M

   Miguel

   Chicago17 reviews

   5.0

   Dined on March 30, 2025

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   We haven't been disappointed in our visit to Little Gem. Great food, excellent service and great atmosphere
   

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9. G

   Gus VIP

   Chicago2 reviews

   3.0

   Dined on March 29, 2025

   1. Overall 3
   2. Food 3
   3. Service 2
   4. Ambience 3

   I made a reservation online for yesterday and received a confirmation. It was confusing with how it was listed on Open Table. It was listed with The Little Gem at the top, and I could see that "Encore" was listed further below in the confirmation. I called Encore just to be sure and confirm and they said they had our reservation, When I arrived at 4:35, our reservation was at 4:45, the guy there at the bar told me they don't open until 5:00. We had limited time because we were attending a theatre event in town. I explained what I did in making the reservation. The other two people hadn't arrived yet so he said I could grab a table anywhere. Our waiter was polite, but when asked which salad he would recommend between the Chopped Salad and Eggplant stack, he recommended the Eggplant stack. There were three of us who were going to share dishes. The stack literally had 3 SMALL slices of eggplant with a skimpy slice of cheese on top and a drizzle of dressing on the plate. I order that lots of times in restaurants and have never seen that dish so small. The roasted boneless half chicken was great though. We enjoyed that. I have been to this restaurant once before for a retirement party and it was a good experience. This time I was somewhat disappointed, and it was confusing with making the reservation.
   

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10. D

    Diane VIP

    Chicago4 reviews

    2.0

    Dined on March 22, 2025

    1. Overall 2
    2. Food 1
    3. Service 3
    4. Ambience 3

    Dinner was our second unpleasant dining experience at The Little Gem. We ordered prime rib which we were looking forward to and both dinners had a horrible piece of meat nothing like prime rib and the vegetables were overly salty. The calamari appetizer was not freshly made. The food was inedible. There was no manager on site. Our server did offer a discount and we left. The first time we had brunch there which was equally unenjoyable. We cannot recommend The Little Gem. It is over priced and has subpar food. We like to support local businesses but we will not give it another try.
    

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