Park Grill
Categories:
Catering Companies, Restaurants, Traditional American Restaurants
Details:
$$$, Bar Scene, Breakfast, Business Dining, Group Dining, Lunch Spot, Outdoor Dining, Romantic Dining, Special Occasion Dining, View Dining
Message from Park Grill
Located in the heart of Chicago's world famous Millennium Park, Park Grill is the city?s ultimate room with a view. Led by Executive Chef Bernie Laskowski, Park Grill features Classic American cuisine with an emphasis on local and seasonal ingredients. Park Grill also offers an extensive children?s menu, perfect for family meals and celebrations. During the summer, Park Grill offers the city?s largest alfresco dining venue?The Plaza at Park Grill?with your favorite grilled foods and live music every Thursday. During the winter months, Park Grill offers the perfect spot to warm up after ice skating at The McCormick Tribune Ice Rink. Call (312) 521-PARK today!
Editorial by Citysearch
The SceneLooking out onto Millennium Park's skating rink and Michigan Avenue beyond, this room boasts great views and a welcoming atmosphere. Light floods in through front windows in the dining room, where ladies who lunch rub elbows with a corporate crowd at close tables and cozy booths. Fast, friendly servers keep things flowing.
The Food
Fresh olive tapenade and warm, crusty bread start out meals on a high note, and Chef Bernie Laskowski (Bin 36) serves up contemporary classics like earthy, dark, French onion soup, zesty chili-spiced baby backs, and simple penne pasta with juicy stewed tomatoes. Burger fans will be in heaven: Not only is the thick sirloin patty perfectly cooked, it's nestled on a toasted sesame- and poppy seed-flecked bun and served with a big pile of skin-on fries dotted with parsley. For dessert, decide between warm, dreamy banana bread pudding and all-American miniature apple pie.
Key Points
- Classic American Cuisine
- Kid's Menu
- Online Reservations
The Inside Scoop
- Where to Sit - In winter, windowside seats offer bird's-eye views of the throngs of skaters. Spring and summer, the rink becomes a spacious outdoor eating area, complete with full bar.
- The Extras - The adjacent Park Cafe offers a more casual, grab-and-go option. Choose from wraps and sandwiches, soups and a salad bar. Almost everything is less than $6.
Insider Pages Reviews for Park Grill
We visited the park cafe instead of the grilll. Most people standing in line were buying ice cream and that is what we bought as well.
There are not many varieties to choose from but very good and rich ice cream. I opted for one scoop on a waffle cone since you get more for your money.
It is in an incredible location, Millenium Park. So you can purchase your good and have a nice seat in or walk through the park!
Posted 07/01/08 | Report Abuse
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My friend and I went to lunch here to catch up and relax. We heard it was a little upscale and we were prepared to enjoy it. We ordered a pizza as an appetizer and burgers for our main course. Then they both arrive right on top of one another - that is annoying. Then each topping on the burger costs $1.50 - I would prefer to just know I am overpaying for a burger and not get nickeled and dimed because I want more than lettuce and raw onions on it. Then towards the end the bussers got super rabid about taking away all the plates. I am the type of person to clean my plate and it is annoying to have someone put their hand on your plate and then look at you like - are you going to eat that last bite? Each of us had two beers, an appetizer and a burger and it came out to $35 a piece with tip. The food alone definitely did not justify that price tag for lunch and the service sealed the deal. I would not go back there again - in my opinion it is for suckers.
Posted 04/11/08 | Report Abuse
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Food is pretty average here, and too expensive for what you get. We ate in the outside area, called Park Grill on the Plaza, and the drinks are served in plastic cups, and the food in those annoying plastic trays that are really annoying to eat out of because the sides are too high. And then the paper underneath gets soggy and starts mixing with the food. Knife and fork is plastic too. How cheap can you get? The chips weren't even home made, but the Kettle brand, which is really the only choice (other than cole slaw) since they don't serve fries.
To really rub it in, we had an automatic 18% gratuity added even though we were only 4 people eating. When we enquired about it, they promptly took it off, but it seemed like they were just hoping people wouldn't notice or bother complaining about it.
PROS: Food's not bad
CONS: Shady looking waiters wearing sunglasses while they add their own gratuity
Posted 07/04/06 | Report Abuse
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I have visited Millenium Park with family as well as business associates and have enjoyed several meals in both the inside Park Grill Restaurant and outdoor Park Cafe. The service and food have always been excellent and the menu choices are interesting and varied. It is great for business lunch or dinner and the people watching is great as they ice skate or just enjoy the ambiance of the park atmosphere. I highly recommend it.
PROS: Great food, service and atmosphere; Private room available.
CONS: Lower level parking costly but there are alternatives on the street.
Posted 03/06/06 | Report Abuse
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Latest reviews from Citysearch.
Park Cafe was outstanding!
by maryjatkinson
I ate here with friends during a visit to Chicago, and we chose to eat outside at the more casual "Park Cafe" (the outdoor portion of Park Grill, where the ice skating rink is during winter). The food and cocktails were excellent, and although it started to rain during our lunch, the service was also friendly, efficient, and helpful. They pulled the umbrellas over our table to ensure we wouldn't get wet, and made sure we got our food quickly since we were off to see "Jersey Boys" soon after. Try the mini burgers, fish tacos, or scallops, and the pear martini -- all GREAT!
Pros: Great view of the city (and the "bean"!), great food, and service!
Cons: N/A
Posted 07/26/08
Best Burger in Chicago!!!!
by bertdvm
I think that they serve one of the best burgers in the world!
It was absolutely fabulous!
I very highly recommend this burger ... with cheese of course!
Pros: Cheeseburgers!!!!
Cons: very noisy, service could be improved
Posted 02/25/08
Solid upscale casual
by fitz_skeets
Excellent burgers, great salads, decent wine list for an upscale casual restaurant. Opted for the cheese plate over a sweet dessert - very good. Wished more local product were evident. Would go there again - love the park location.
Pros: service
Posted 02/10/08
Great atmosphere
by neskwik
After researching many places in Chicago, I took my wife to the Park Grill. It was a Saturday evening and the restaurant was not full so we were seated right away. The atmosphere was awesome! The music not too loud and the temperature very comfortable. Our waitress was very attending and made excellent recommendations. We ordered the farmer's cheese platter as an appetizer. If you are a cheese lover, they are excellent. My wife ordered the ricotta ravioli because she wanted a light meal and I ordered the braised beef cheek with mushroom risotto. Both were excellent and well prepared. For dessert, I ordered the peanut butter tart and my wife ordered the cranberry tart. My wife did not really enjoy her dessert and the waitress was kind enough not to charge us for the dessert.
Overall, I really liked the environment, the food was well prepared and I felt very well attended by the staff.
Posted 02/10/08
Great Patio Dining
by sugarywitch
I've been to the park grill for lunch a number of times now. The service can range from just ok to quite bad, with some servers bordering on snooty and others being reasonably gracious but just not totally competent. They are almost always busy as well, so catching someone's attention is difficult, and the waiters are not very good about stopping by to inquire about needs. Understandably this is also a huge tourist draw which might be the reason the service is sometimes not great, I've noticed that mentioning you're a local is pretty helpful. That said, while the food isn't super creative it is usually well prepared and fresh. If you want to sit outside and watch the crowds in Millennium Park while enjoying a nice salad or burger (which they have so far managed never to overcook!) and glass of wine this is the place for you. Also if they have them, try the squash blossoms which were served with a very nice goat cheese sauce. If you don't have reservations and want outdoor seating show up a little early because the tables are in high demand.
Pros: Great Patio Dining during the summer
Cons: Lazy service and Tourists abound
Posted 06/09/07
a really BAD service and BAD food ever..!!
by ihomiyanti
this restaurant really makes me feel disappointed.i ate here on new year eve with my sis..i ordered kobe burger and it's really BAD .even McDonald tastes much more better.Really !! The kobe beef was really bitter.it's the most terrible food i have eaten..My sis ordered a steak..and it's also terrible..she's a culinary student and she really knows what kind of food that is bad..finally, we just ate less than half of the plate..we said to the waiter that the beef are bitter..and my sis know for sure that it is because of the griller are dirty (..i know maybe they are busy),.but the waiter said it's because of the balsamic?!?! come on, we all know the taste of it .It tastes quite sweet and tasty, not bitter!! it's really ridiculuous..and the way the waiter serves us really bad.i better go to self service resaturant, her service is even not worth it for a penny.Really bad !!I feel very disappointed and it ruined my new year eve...BAD RESTAURANT EVER !!!!
Pros: view
Cons: service, food
Posted 01/14/07
Good food in Millenium Park, questionable service
by carlson_b
If you're downtown and want a good meal, you can generally get it at the Park Grill. Some menu items are better than others (unfortunately most of the servers are no help) but it's generally a good meal which is a bit overpriced due to the location but not too bad. Be prepared for bad service though - from wine and food recommendations to basic service protocol, they usually miss the boat compared to similar restaurants with upscale food selections like the Park Grill. Oh well, just try it and you'll likely be impressed with the food.
Pros: Top location in Millenium Park, generally good American food
Cons: Bad service, a bit overpriced
Posted 11/20/06
If you're hungry in Millenium Park
by marge715
Food is ok. Service is ok. It's just so nice to be right in the midst of Millenium Park. A very basic American menu and service isn't that great. Definately worth going over the summer when you can sit out on the huge patio.
Posted 11/13/06
Salty!
by littlegene
Don't waste your time and money on this restaurant. It seems that the chefs believe that extra salt is necessary on all their entrees. I had to send my first pork tenderloin back due to its excessive saltiness and the 2nd one wasn't that much better. My wife also found her Kobe burger to be salty and its bun to be largely inedible. Also, if you (males and females) must use the restroom be prepared to stand in line - there are only 2 unisex bathrooms. Conversely, the service was great.
Pros: Service
Cons: Food
Posted 08/04/06
Sorry, there are much better choices.
by drmemory1
Ate there 1-24-06. I had the Steake & Fries, my date had the Sole. Total weight of the Sole was about 3 oz. If you're hungry, get something else! I ordered my steak with the Dijon Sauce on the side. Too bad they drenced a supurb piece of meat with a sub-par tasting sauce There was so much of this Dijon Sauce that most of my fries (excellent tasting by the way) were coated with this crud. Too bad they ruined such a quality piece of beef! They did offer to replace my meal because they failed to give me the sauce on the side. I took a couple of free drinks instead. One other complaint. If I'm going to pay premium prices for a meal, they should at least warm the bread!
Look elsewhere and you will find much better for the $.
Service=10 Ambiance=10 Drinks=10 Food=3
Pros: Service, Ambiance, Drinks
Cons: Food, Food, Food
Posted 01/24/06
Bravo!
by chicagofun
A genuine Chicago gem. What a nice suprise to find a park Restaurant that exceeded our expectations; and from the looks of it, a lot of other people; the place was packed, and the feel was awesome. Food was tasty and the service friendly and professional. My only complaint is that the place needs more bathrooms.
Pros: Food, Service, great feel
Posted 09/30/04