Beatnik On The River
180 N Wacker Dr, Chicago
(312) 526-3345
Recent Reviews
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Nice place. Way too overpriced. Felt like we were getting nickled and dimed ie w/ the additonal fees on drinks. 7 dollars for kids coke is unacceptable. Best friend is friends with the owner. They knew we were coming in for daughters bday…Maybe throwing in a desert after a 300 tab would been a nice gesture. All good..wont be back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Beautiful restaurant with great decor!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 4
The view and decor are amazing and the specialty cocktail Negroni was amazing. Our server was very attentive. Thanks for the welcome to the city!
The ambience was good and food was almost ok. The view was good as we sat on the Chicago River as the bouquets of flowers surrounded me and as the sunlight danced on the reflection of the river...very cool vibe and great music.
Reminds of the spots on New Orleans on Bourbon Street, the seating, carpet and flooring all look well used. Definitely could use a splash of paint and a regular monthly stream cleaning amd please clean the pillows and cases. The food was not so cool, I eat Mediterranean food regularly and this was not what I expected, not well seasoned for any of the entrées. Probably would come back for drinks but not for the food. This was not for me.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 2
Service: 4
Enjoyed a beautiful dinner date on the river. Great atmosphere
Didn’t want to give them a good review because we waited and waited to the point of almost leaving before the food came. But the manager took care of us and let us know they were having trouble with staffing for the night. They gave us our food to go and comped a good portion of the bill. We brought the food home and were very pleased with how good it was.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 3
Went in Aug 31st and had a great time. The mustached bartender down by the river was amazing. He really elevated our experience and made sure we were taken care of and comfortable. We will definitely be going back! 🥸
Service: 5
Exceptional Meal and Service, Especially for an Allergy!
We stopped in for lunch without a reservation and were happily seated at the bar. The atmosphere was great and our bartender provided wonderful service.
I have a serious turmeric allergy, and I was so impressed with how carefully they handled it. The bartender wrote up a detailed allergy slip for the kitchen, and I truly appreciated their dedication to preventing cross-contamination. It allowed me to relax and enjoy my meal completely.And what a meal it was!
The Chicken Musakhan: was an absolute delight—perfectly balanced with citrus, savory, and herbaceous notes.
The Za'atar Fries: were wonderfully seasoned and came with a delicious sauce.
The Tuna Steak Sandwich: was a standout. The tuna was cooked to perfection (not tough at all) and it was a filling, flavorful dish.
A truly fantastic experience from start to finish. We will definitely be back!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Cute place. Liked the ambience and was nice to sit on the river. Server was decent. Our food on the other hand was awful. We both got the burger. I ate mine because I was hungry but it had a weird taste to it. My wife didn’t even eat hers. The burgers came out in about 5 minutes which tells me they weren’t fresh. The patties were thin and perfectly shaped which tells me they were likely from Costco. The sauce was over powering. I honestly have had a better burger at Burger King. They did remove my wife’s burger which was nice but we won’t ever go back. They charge a premium because they are on the river. 9.00 beers, 19.00 Bloody Mary, 18.00 burgers.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 1
Service: 4
Beautiful location and very good food
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
Bad service!!!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 1
Had a very nice brunch here with my pals!
Food: 5
We loved the food and ambience. Amber our server was great. She helped us when we arrived at the brunch time and wanted to order lunch or dinner menu. The food was amazing from appetizers to main course.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The food was fine - a bit overpriced, but worth it given the great view/beautiful interior. I wouldn’t recommend the brunch menu - it’s incredibly limited and niche, our group didn’t particularly like any of the dishes on there, although the mezze boards / cheese platters were great, as well as items from their catering menu.
Unfortunately, our celebration was overshadowed by the communications with the event planning team, particularly Meghan and Alyssa, who made the process incredibly unpleasant - not something we’d go through again, despite the venue’s convenient location.
Coordination was poor from the outset. They were initially unresponsive, strangely refusing contact over phone call (Meghan). They also kept nickel and diming us over every detail. The most “reasonable” example is a 6% transaction fee on credit cards.
On the more unreasonable end, was their troubling handling of a guest with severe food allergies. Despite the guest explaining that because of cross-contamination he would not be able to eat anything prepared by the restaurant, Alyssa told us that she did not believe him and would charge a $48 fee that could not count towards the minimum. The craziest part? They requested a tip on the $48 charge for allowing him to eat his own food, even though it wasn’t served or prepared by the restaurant and he even ate it directly out of his own container using his own cutlery!
If you’re stopping in for a casual brunch with a view, this spot is fine. But if you’re planning a special celebration, I strongly recommend looking elsewhere. We will not be returning, unless there’s a full turnover of that team and their approach to event planning.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 1
Amazing!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
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