Value review insights for Illinois, United States, Restaurants

⭐ 1 out of 5 stars Not the Italian experience we expected We were really disappointed with our dinner at La Bella Trattoria. There were fruit flies everywhere—on the food, in our wine—it was honestly hard to enjoy anything. The atmosphere felt chaotic and loud, with club music blasting instead of anything remotely Italian. Our main course came out almost immediately after the first, and there wasn’t even space on the table. It felt rushed from start to finish, and having three different servers made it confusing and impersonal. The restaurant is attached to a hotel, so people are constantly walking in and out, which makes it feel more like a lobby café than a trattoria. To top it off, they were out of the red wine we ordered and pushed us into another bottle that was about 50% more expensive. Between the flies, the noise, and the lack of authentic atmosphere, this was a complete miss for us.

$22 for a cheese burger that was not cooked to medium rare like I asked, over salted and French fries that were the last little bits in the bottom of the frier is ridiculous. If you can't do a simple dish right, why would I trust that a more complicated, and expensive, one? The staff was amazing and the only reason I didn't send the food back.

$40 for 3 mini buttered white bread rolls filled with average lobster, wines are overpriced. nice area of sidewalk tables, very cramped bar area full of noxious sexist white guys.

$4500 for 4 people. I was not wrong for expecting perfection. First, we (and everyone else) arrived 15 minutes early - as requested by their staff. 20 people stuffed into their vestibule for 15 minutes not able to move or talk above a whisper. It was hot, awkward and uncomfortable. We were seated on time and led to the Gallery. There were 4 of us, so for the first part of the experience we were 10 feet away from our dinner companions. More awkwardness. The gentlemen next to me and my husband was the 3rd in a party of three, so here he is 10 feet away from his companions waving at them from across the restaurant. We had a laugh about it, but it's strange and we felt bad for him. Then the hostess arrives and gives a speech about the experience. It was overacted, like an irritating theatre kid trying too hard. The food was meh. Not one time the whole night did anyone say "Oh my god, this is amazing". Yes, they use cool ingredients and interesting combinations, but nothing was truly memorable - except for dessert. I opted for the Alinea wine pairing that was $400 extra per person. Again, I was expecting perfection and was disappointed. It was mostly white wines. Of the 3 reds, we really enjoyed one - the Hirsch Vineyards Block 8 Pinot Noir. It's $90 a bottle online. So yes, it was good but for the $400 up charge per person, serving a $90 bottle is unacceptable. You gave me a used Lexus and I paid for a new Rolls Royce. "The most exquisite and rare wine selections" - it wasn't. After the first service, they take you to the kitchen and give you seasoned popcorn. Again, for $4500 I was disappointed with popcorn. They took us back to the Gallery and the tables were set up normally, which was a nice relief. We could finally converse with our friends. The service is good, the servers are friendly, but they rotate all night - the only consistent server we had was the sommelier. The whole evening was more about the theater and less about the food and wine. Again, they use creative ingredients and diverse presentations. But nothing tasted amazing or was memorable aside from the cool dessert. I waited and thought for 2 months before writing this. Overall, I was disappointed with the whole experience based on the cost. It's maybe a $500 dinner per person, not $1150. Too many details are overlooked for this price. The Gallery @ Alinea x 4 $1,740 Alinea Pairing x4 $1,580 Subtotal $3,320 Service Charge (20%) $664 Taxes $468.12 Order Fee $5 TOTAL $4,457.12

Overpriced and traffic is horrible!

Review rating: 1.0

This was my second visit, the first about three years prior, which was fun, price worthy, zero complaints meaning my daughter’s request to celebrate her birthday there was well received. We did not order dessert. Mercat is located in the Blackstone Hotel, a classic Chicago Hotel on Michigan Avenue. The restaurant is multi-level with fantastic views of Michigan Avenue. It’s a masterpiece of restaurant design with big booths, small romantic tables, almost all spaces have a view of something, and it feels exciting to be there. Mercat is billed as a Spanish restaurant and from my first visit it was. Today we have other influences with some irksome or technically wrong. You do not receive any bread to enjoy your tapas with to slurp up the sauce. The Jamon Serrano Croquettes had no ham in them and the potato stuck to the roof of my mouth being gluey. The croquette must be barrel shaped, so they cook evenly but these were suppository shaped and did not. Empanadas are not Spanish which is fine but the short rib beef inside was dry. It lacked vegetable and had a bland flavor. Chimichurri is Argentinian and my 5 guests thought it was bitter, overpowering, not smooth, multiple comments. Sauce around Patatas Bravas similarly so. The amount of Spinach Salad, about a 7-inch pile for $17 felt like abuse. Good though. I try not to comment about money on places like this because they are expensive, just this seemed excessive. The flat bread was great but very well cooked and burnt around the edges. The beef pinxtos were fine but could not be described as tender. So where have all Chicago great tapas places gone? In today’s market the tapas concept is to deliver profits as costs are astronomical in downtown Chicago. However Tapas are usually found in working class places, yet here we sit in opulence making the whole thing incongruous from the outset but even this would be acceptable if the description, menu and food was not error ridden. You can do what you like price wise, but everything has to be perfect. This was far from it. I could go on.

Review rating: 2.0

⭐ 1 out of 5 stars Not the Italian experience we expected We were really disappointed with our dinner at La Bella Trattoria. There were fruit flies everywhere—on the food, in our wine—it was honestly hard to enjoy anything. The atmosphere felt chaotic and loud, with club music blasting instead of anything remotely Italian. Our main course came out almost immediately after the first, and there wasn’t even space on the table. It felt rushed from start to finish, and having three different servers made it confusing and impersonal. The restaurant is attached to a hotel, so people are constantly walking in and out, which makes it feel more like a lobby café than a trattoria. To top it off, they were out of the red wine we ordered and pushed us into another bottle that was about 50% more expensive. Between the flies, the noise, and the lack of authentic atmosphere, this was a complete miss for us.

Signal: 0.0%

$22 for a cheese burger that was not cooked to medium rare like I asked, over salted and French fries that were the last little bits in the bottom of the frier is ridiculous. If you can't do a simple dish right, why would I trust that a more complicated, and expensive, one? The staff was amazing and the only reason I didn't send the food back.

Signal: 0.0%

$40 for 3 mini buttered white bread rolls filled with average lobster, wines are overpriced. nice area of sidewalk tables, very cramped bar area full of noxious sexist white guys.

Signal: 0.0%

$4500 for 4 people. I was not wrong for expecting perfection. First, we (and everyone else) arrived 15 minutes early - as requested by their staff. 20 people stuffed into their vestibule for 15 minutes not able to move or talk above a whisper. It was hot, awkward and uncomfortable. We were seated on time and led to the Gallery. There were 4 of us, so for the first part of the experience we were 10 feet away from our dinner companions. More awkwardness. The gentlemen next to me and my husband was the 3rd in a party of three, so here he is 10 feet away from his companions waving at them from across the restaurant. We had a laugh about it, but it's strange and we felt bad for him. Then the hostess arrives and gives a speech about the experience. It was overacted, like an irritating theatre kid trying too hard. The food was meh. Not one time the whole night did anyone say "Oh my god, this is amazing". Yes, they use cool ingredients and interesting combinations, but nothing was truly memorable - except for dessert. I opted for the Alinea wine pairing that was $400 extra per person. Again, I was expecting perfection and was disappointed. It was mostly white wines. Of the 3 reds, we really enjoyed one - the Hirsch Vineyards Block 8 Pinot Noir. It's $90 a bottle online. So yes, it was good but for the $400 up charge per person, serving a $90 bottle is unacceptable. You gave me a used Lexus and I paid for a new Rolls Royce. "The most exquisite and rare wine selections" - it wasn't. After the first service, they take you to the kitchen and give you seasoned popcorn. Again, for $4500 I was disappointed with popcorn. They took us back to the Gallery and the tables were set up normally, which was a nice relief. We could finally converse with our friends. The service is good, the servers are friendly, but they rotate all night - the only consistent server we had was the sommelier. The whole evening was more about the theater and less about the food and wine. Again, they use creative ingredients and diverse presentations. But nothing tasted amazing or was memorable aside from the cool dessert. I waited and thought for 2 months before writing this. Overall, I was disappointed with the whole experience based on the cost. It's maybe a $500 dinner per person, not $1150. Too many details are overlooked for this price. The Gallery @ Alinea x 4 $1,740 Alinea Pairing x4 $1,580 Subtotal $3,320 Service Charge (20%) $664 Taxes $468.12 Order Fee $5 TOTAL $4,457.12

Signal: 0.0%