Hemingway's Bistrot has been the go to place in Oak Park for my girlfriend and I whenever we're looking for dining in OP. The food, service and French Bistrot feel never disappoints! Whether having the hamburger, quiche of the day, salad nicoise or whitefish with spinach, the menu selections are consistently excellent! Bon apetite!
Tom
My wife had the whitefish which was fantastic. She really enjoyed it. I had the chicken dish which was not very good. The chicken was dry and very tough.
Regina
Excellent service for our dinner on the patio. Entrees were beautifully prepared and delicious - the lamb and fish almondine.
ruth
Onion soup was very watery no depth to it needed to have more beef stock or consommé. The duck breast had been thawed days before, and consisted of one quarter of a breast (ie, had been cut in half) was medium to medium well instead of the rare to medium rare, rare ordered. The parsnips were course and poorly flavored. The duck breast was supposed to have five spices, which were non-existent. The fois gras was excellent, and properly cooked. All in all, a restaurant we have gone to many times over the many years has significantly declined and Not Worth It.
Edward
I've been to Hemingways Bistro at least a half a dozen times. 3X for brunch and 3x for dinner. It seems to be an OP favorite, But while I really, really, really want to like this place it has proven to be simply "delightfully mediocre". Brunches have been kind of a disaster. There really is nothing special about the cheese and pastry table. And I do NOT believe that the pastries are made in-house, they are more on par with something one would get at Starbucks. Last time my son and I had brunch there my meal was cold. The waitstaff DID try to fix it, but service responsiveness was really poor this day. We waited for over 45 minutes to receive our breakfast – AND it wasn't really that crowded. I just recently had dinner there last week. The bread was excellent and the baked brie was fantastic. But the lyonnaise frisbee salad was just meh. The salad lacked flavor and the lardons were really tiny. I also ordered the Shrimp de jonghe and is was swimming in oil – and I am guessing the shrimp were frozen, as they were hard and overcooked. I'm glad that others enjoy Hemingways, but I have given it my last go.
Hinesh
Good food. Wait staff may have been short staffed. Took a long time to place order, get food, clear table, pay, etc.
Carol
Great spot for a special occasion. The atmosphere is very reminiscent of a Paris bistro. Start with a cocktail. We enjoyed a French 77 along with a baked brie appetizer. Blue point oysters on the half shell had just the right touch of briny to go with a spicy sauce. Try the fish special of the day. The pike was delicious and came with a mix of asparagus and fingerling potatoes. The beef wellington was cooked to perfection and came with au gratin potatoes and green beans. Raspberry souffle to finish along with chocolate mousse. An excellent evening where dinner was the star. Thank you Juan for taking such good care of us.
DAWN
We had brunch at Hemmingway's Bistro, and from the moment we stepped in, we were treated like royalty. The service was warm and attentive, and the entire experience felt elevated and thoughtful. The atmosphere is elegant and inviting—our cozy dining nook felt perfectly private, which made the meal even more enjoyable. We started with the scallop special as an appetizer, and it was absolutely outstanding. Every dish we ordered was beautifully prepared and full of flavor. Highly recommend for anyone looking for an exceptional dining experience!
Ann
Lovely restaurant with very good food. Not crowded yet new parties were seated right next to us. Would have liked a bit more privacy. Window leading to sidewalk was open at our table, the booth and table had a layer of dirt on them.
Lisa
This is such a lovely place to have lunch (or dinner or weekend brunch). The crab cake with apple-endive salad is worth the trip alone. My husband loved the ham-Gruyere-egg sandwich. The space is beautiful and the service is attentive without being smothering. I only wish they still served early breakfast, they were the best in town.
Been coming to Hemingway for lots of years. Always fantastic food and wine. Bonus on Wednesday's is Petra singing and Andy strumming along with them making beautiful music together. Well worth the visit.
Cheryl
We had a wonderful dining experience at Hemmingway's Bistro. The ambiance, service, and food were impeccable. I recommend this restaurant to everyone.
Opentable Diner
We took my Mom to brunch for her birthday and it was delightful. The staff was cordial and attentive and the food was top notch. They helped make the day very special!
Anita
Sunday Brunch at Hemmingway's Bistro is such a fun experience! My husband, myself, a friend and her husband went to Hemmingway's recently and was pleasantly surprised with everything! Such a cute little gem- you walk into the restaurant and feel like you're enjoying Sunday Brunch in a French restaurant! The Brunch menu is a fixed price, which actually felt worthwhile with the options and quality given! Brunch includes an entree, a glass of champagne and access to the buffet. The buffet options were so delicious too! I had oysters and crab as part of the buffet options. The pastries were beyond yummy too! I especially loved the muffins. I got the Crabcake Benedict which was plated beautifully and tasted the part. Service was also really lovely with someone always checking in and taking care of us! Oh and if you're into live music, there's live jazz too!
PAULA
THIS WAS MY FIRST TIME AT HEMINGWAYS AND IT WONT BE MY LAST!! MY OTHER TWO GUESTS WERE EXPERIENCING IT FOR THE FIRST TIME AND WE ALL WERE SO PLEASED!!! OUR FOOD WAS ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS PORTIONS WERE JUST RIGHT. THE STAFF WAS ALL GREAT TOM ARE SERVER WAS TERRIFIC TOO I CANNOT WAIT TO RETURN AND HEAR THE LIVE MUSIC ON WEDNESDAYS!! THANK YOU!
Hemingway's Bistrot has been the go to place in Oak Park for my girlfriend and I whenever we're looking for dining in OP. The food, service and French Bistrot feel never disappoints! Whether having the hamburger, quiche of the day, salad nicoise or whitefish with spinach, the menu selections are consistently excellent! Bon apetite!
My wife had the whitefish which was fantastic. She really enjoyed it. I had the chicken dish which was not very good. The chicken was dry and very tough.
Excellent service for our dinner on the patio. Entrees were beautifully prepared and delicious - the lamb and fish almondine.
Onion soup was very watery no depth to it needed to have more beef stock or consommé. The duck breast had been thawed days before, and consisted of one quarter of a breast (ie, had been cut in half) was medium to medium well instead of the rare to medium rare, rare ordered. The parsnips were course and poorly flavored. The duck breast was supposed to have five spices, which were non-existent. The fois gras was excellent, and properly cooked. All in all, a restaurant we have gone to many times over the many years has significantly declined and Not Worth It.
I've been to Hemingways Bistro at least a half a dozen times. 3X for brunch and 3x for dinner. It seems to be an OP favorite, But while I really, really, really want to like this place it has proven to be simply "delightfully mediocre". Brunches have been kind of a disaster. There really is nothing special about the cheese and pastry table. And I do NOT believe that the pastries are made in-house, they are more on par with something one would get at Starbucks. Last time my son and I had brunch there my meal was cold. The waitstaff DID try to fix it, but service responsiveness was really poor this day. We waited for over 45 minutes to receive our breakfast – AND it wasn't really that crowded. I just recently had dinner there last week. The bread was excellent and the baked brie was fantastic. But the lyonnaise frisbee salad was just meh. The salad lacked flavor and the lardons were really tiny. I also ordered the Shrimp de jonghe and is was swimming in oil – and I am guessing the shrimp were frozen, as they were hard and overcooked. I'm glad that others enjoy Hemingways, but I have given it my last go.
Good food. Wait staff may have been short staffed. Took a long time to place order, get food, clear table, pay, etc.
Great spot for a special occasion. The atmosphere is very reminiscent of a Paris bistro. Start with a cocktail. We enjoyed a French 77 along with a baked brie appetizer. Blue point oysters on the half shell had just the right touch of briny to go with a spicy sauce. Try the fish special of the day. The pike was delicious and came with a mix of asparagus and fingerling potatoes. The beef wellington was cooked to perfection and came with au gratin potatoes and green beans. Raspberry souffle to finish along with chocolate mousse. An excellent evening where dinner was the star. Thank you Juan for taking such good care of us.
We had brunch at Hemmingway's Bistro, and from the moment we stepped in, we were treated like royalty. The service was warm and attentive, and the entire experience felt elevated and thoughtful. The atmosphere is elegant and inviting—our cozy dining nook felt perfectly private, which made the meal even more enjoyable. We started with the scallop special as an appetizer, and it was absolutely outstanding. Every dish we ordered was beautifully prepared and full of flavor. Highly recommend for anyone looking for an exceptional dining experience!
Lovely restaurant with very good food. Not crowded yet new parties were seated right next to us. Would have liked a bit more privacy. Window leading to sidewalk was open at our table, the booth and table had a layer of dirt on them.
This is such a lovely place to have lunch (or dinner or weekend brunch). The crab cake with apple-endive salad is worth the trip alone. My husband loved the ham-Gruyere-egg sandwich. The space is beautiful and the service is attentive without being smothering. I only wish they still served early breakfast, they were the best in town.
Restaurantji Recommends
Been coming to Hemingway for lots of years. Always fantastic food and wine. Bonus on Wednesday's is Petra singing and Andy strumming along with them making beautiful music together. Well worth the visit.
We had a wonderful dining experience at Hemmingway's Bistro. The ambiance, service, and food were impeccable. I recommend this restaurant to everyone.
We took my Mom to brunch for her birthday and it was delightful. The staff was cordial and attentive and the food was top notch. They helped make the day very special!
Sunday Brunch at Hemmingway's Bistro is such a fun experience! My husband, myself, a friend and her husband went to Hemmingway's recently and was pleasantly surprised with everything! Such a cute little gem- you walk into the restaurant and feel like you're enjoying Sunday Brunch in a French restaurant! The Brunch menu is a fixed price, which actually felt worthwhile with the options and quality given! Brunch includes an entree, a glass of champagne and access to the buffet. The buffet options were so delicious too! I had oysters and crab as part of the buffet options. The pastries were beyond yummy too! I especially loved the muffins. I got the Crabcake Benedict which was plated beautifully and tasted the part. Service was also really lovely with someone always checking in and taking care of us! Oh and if you're into live music, there's live jazz too!
THIS WAS MY FIRST TIME AT HEMINGWAYS AND IT WONT BE MY LAST!! MY OTHER TWO GUESTS WERE EXPERIENCING IT FOR THE FIRST TIME AND WE ALL WERE SO PLEASED!!! OUR FOOD WAS ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS PORTIONS WERE JUST RIGHT. THE STAFF WAS ALL GREAT TOM ARE SERVER WAS TERRIFIC TOO I CANNOT WAIT TO RETURN AND HEAR THE LIVE MUSIC ON WEDNESDAYS!! THANK YOU!
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