Went with a group of 10. We had a reservation but they wouldn’t seat us until the whole party was present. Understandable but we were crowded with two other large parties in the tiny entry way. Food was decent, happy they have bottomless mimosas. The waitress was rushing us out the door though and refused to give us more mimosas. They also couldn’t split the check into individual people or use more than 3 credit cards. Again, understandable but didn’t accommodate or apologize. Warning to big groups: arrive on time and bring cash.
Shradha A.
Tu valoración: 2 Chicago, IL
We had a 1:30pm reservation and when we got here, the hostess said we’ll need to wait 30m for a table as there are walk-ins ahead of us in line and she didn’t look at OpenTable so she can’t honor the reservation we made. Then what’s the point of a reservation?! We asked if we can get a drink at the bar while waiting and she said we’ll have to pay twice for the bottomless mimosas when we do get a table, so we should just get coffee instead. I’m sorry, you’re not honoring our reservation and then telling us we can’t even get a drink while waiting without being charged extra for it? Oh, their credit card machines were also not working so we had to go withdraw cash at the ATM(and pay extra fees). The food was okay — I had the scramble and my fiancé had the mushroom benedict. The mimosas were surprisingly decent and our server tried, but they were clearly understaffed.
Lauren A.
Tu valoración: 4 Chicago, IL
Not the type of place you can sit and linger for 3 hours while brunching. This spot has a huge cult following for brunch and you will feel like an asshole if you stay at your table to drink and mingle while 40+ strangers wait in the cold for your seat. The mimosas only last for as long as you have food on your plate, so leave a little on your plate to occasionally pick at when servers come around.
Allison J.
Tu valoración: 4 Chicago, IL
Great Sunday brunch deals! I came with a large party of around 12 – 14 people on a Sunday morning. Our server was accommodating for our big group, attentive and polite. I started off with the $ 10 bottomless mimosa special(they also have a $ 10 bottomless Bloody Mary special as well). The mimosas were tasty, although I think it’s hard to screw up a mimosa, but the bloody Mary’s were pretty terrible. The first one to come out was tasty but from then on they had a horrible after taste of horseradish. I love horseradish, but this was just awful, unfortunately. Food-wise everything was awesome! I ordered the Spinach Mushroom Benedict, which tasted so fresh and was served with a side of tasty breakfast potatoes! It was pretty self-explanatory with no additional frills or surprises, but it definitely hit the spot. I basically licked my plate clean. My boyfriend had the Pork belly and eggs, which had perfectly cooked pork belly and light, poached eggs! Mmmm mmmm. One of my other friends got the mussels, which she was hoping to be great, but they were a little overcooked. Maybe not the best option at a restaurant known mainly for brunch. Great brunch food options, delicious mimosas(special) and friendly service!
Joel L.
Tu valoración: 5 Cook, IL
My wife stopped in for a quick bite for lunch and we glad we did. As our first time there we asked the hostess(Christina who is amazing) what she recommends. My wife and I both decided on the Lokal burger and I was so good and BIG. Drinks were amazing and so was the décor. I would definitely go back in a heart beat. Next time I wanna try the Nutella fries
Sherry T.
Tu valoración: 4 Chicago, IL
Came here for Sunday Brunch. Although busy, it wasn’t tough to find a table for four people. Food: I had the smoked salmon eggs benedict and truffle fries. The food was superb and decent sized portion(just enough to get you full but not overly full). The smoked salmon was not the thinly sliced type, but actual thicker pieces of salmon that had a smoky flavor. It was topped with a bed of greens as well as served with thick cubed hash browns and a cherry tomato on the side. Truffle fries were on point, you could actually taste the truffle oil; and best part was that it came with aioli. Everything was delicious. Three other people in my party had bottomless mimosas for only $ 9 per glass and they seemed to enjoy it. Atmosphere: The atmosphere was great; good décor, good vibes, good crowd, good music. Although it was VERY loud with the music that they were playing; it was kind of difficult to talk through the music. The music was as loud as if you were playing it later at night for a normal bar. I thought they could have at least turned the music down a bit because its only brunch time and still early in the afternoon, but I guess this place really lives up to its name as a restaurant AND bar. So if you don’t mind the loud music, come here for the food. Service: Our waitress was attentive and the food came out really fast. I was impressed as the place was almost a full house with only one or two tables empty. Nothing beats food being made out fast and fresh without having to wait so long for a Sunday brunch. All in all, 4 stars! Would give it a 5 but the music was a bit too loud for me and my party.
Jenn T.
Tu valoración: 1 Los Angeles, CA
The food is fine. The mimosas are subpar/borderline disgusting. They aren’t made with legit orange juice so after a couple sips it feels like you’re drinking tang. The ambience is horrific. It’s SO loud in there. The music is obnoxious. It’s SO packed. Finally, service is slow and the waiters are not attentive at all. Essentially, just save yourself the headache and don’t come here.
Sarah B.
Tu valoración: 5 Chicago, IL
Food was delicious, I had the steak and eggs and my friend had the duck confi bendict. We went for the bottomless mimosas. Our tab was 50 before tip and we were full and warm bellied. The only catch is the mimosas stop when you stop eating. Which totally makes sense because they have a small wait.
Rachel O.
Tu valoración: 4 Madison, WI
Great for Sunday brunch. Bottomless mimosas and bloody mary’s. Food and drinks have always been great. I love the build your own omelet. Service hasn’t always been great. More than once, we’ve had servers barely check on us, which is the worst when you’re drinking bottomless mimosas! On the other hand, we’ve had fantastic service there too, where the server or bartender made sure we were really enjoying ourselves. It gets busy on weekends. Get there early if you can.
Tracy J.
Tu valoración: 5 Canoga Park, Los Angeles, CA
Another review for the books… I came with my usual trio(well one of the three plus a boyfriend, and a mother) for Sunday brunch and this place did not disappoint! I was easily able to make a last minute reservation through open-table, which I would recommend as this place is small and was rather packed. Although we arrived early we were seated by the bar and enjoyed a mimosa from Christina behind the bar while we waited for the rest of our party to arrive. Christina is an excellent asset to this establishment; she’s not only a super friendly server but a fantastic wing woman who knows how to play the game– and by game I’m inferring she has a mean interception. Speaking of game, this place is perfect if you’re feeling down and looking for a confidence boost, or maybe just looking for a little entertainment, as the mother of the group collected more numbers than the 7 mimosa limit noted on the menu. Food wise, I thoroughly enjoyed the 5lb bacon pepper-jack cheese burger as this perfectly complimented the $ 9 bottomless mimosa package. Overall, I’d come back with an extra pen for the boozey dranks and free digits.
Phillip H.
Tu valoración: 3 Chicago, IL
I visited Lokal yesterday for brunch with a group of friends. It was a fine experience, but this is by no means my new go-to spot. Lokal offers an ample brunch menu — bagels and lochs, French toast, bottomless mimosas — at a reasonable price. I had the smoked salmon eggs benedict, which was pretty good(the eggs were actually poached very well). I also got an order of truffle fries, which were flavored very well but slightly undercooked. The service was ample. Our server was friendly relatively attentive, and good about keeping up with coffee refills. Unfortunately, the environment at Lokal left a lot to be desired. The décor and seating were perfectly fine, but the terrible acoustics and loud music made for much louder setting than I care for at brunch. I don’t like having to shout over my eggs to talk to someone at the other side of the table. On the whole, Lokal isn’t a bad a brunch option. But personally, I think that there are other spots that offer this type of fare in a better environment.
Sangita S.
Tu valoración: 4 Philadelphia, PA
LOVED this place. They were so accommodating. We had a group of 20+ and they were able to handle our party without an issue. The service was awesome. The mimosa refills were out before we even had to ask. And the food was delicious. They let us stick around as they were closing between lunch and dinner so our party could take their time finishing up and paying. Definitely a great spot for big boozy brunch crews.
Jessalyn B.
Tu valoración: 3 Chicago, IL
Lokal — would be a 5 if not for the horrible wait times I have had whenever I’ve gone. The food is great. I have only been there for brunch, but enjoyed my meal each time. However, I went there with two friends for a birthday and we had reservations for 11. We weren’t seated until 11:45, with no apology.
Aditi M.
Tu valoración: 3 Chicago, IL
Came here for brunch on a Saturday morning after reading a few rave reviews and was underwhelmed. Although we had a reservation, we had to wait for some time, but they did allow us to add two people to our table which was nice. It was a hot day and it was equally as hot, if not hotter, in the restaurant. We did the«Mimosa Brunch» and the service was decent, but I did need to flag down the waiter from time to time for refills. Our food came fairly quickly, and I ordered the Potato Pancakes while my friends had the Smoked Salmon Benedict and the Pork Belly and Eggs. The potato pancakes were good, but nothing extraordinary, the pork belly was apparently dry, and my friend wasn’t crazy about her smoked salmon. The Bloody Mary was not particularly good, but it is somewhat unique that they even have a «Bottomless Bloody Mary» option. We also found that one of our napkins had a large stain on it, which was slightly unsettling. The atmosphere was loud, which I personally don’t mind, and they did play«loud rap music» as is mentioned in many of the other reviews, which I also did not mind. Overall, $ 9 bottomless mimosas is a great deal and the waiters did not usher us out despite how small of a place it is and how busy they were. I can definitely see myself returning considering its convenient location near the blue line.
Zorin D.
Tu valoración: 2 Romeoville, IL
It was a random stop here for Saturday Brunch before a music festival. Thing is the music festival would start early for us by dining here. The place has a really loud club vibe which is no problem for me as long as you keep the food and mimosas coming out of the kitchen quickly. That was not the case in our visit. I was seconds from walking out the door on them. It’s really kind of a shame because otherwise it would be a good place. Listen if you don’t like loud rap music, this is not the place for you. I don’t mind keeping the party going on a Saturday morning so it’s not a big deal. Waiting sucks though. I don’t know if someone callled in or something but it seemed as if noone wanted to claim our table as their own. Our water glasses remained unfilled. The mimosas went empty, halfway through eating the food. It was close to thirty minutes before we were even acknowledged as being there. On the bright side the kitchen was blazing fast. Our food came out within minutes of ordering. Was the food spectacular? Not really. It was satisfying and I’d probably give this place four stars if my experience with service wasn’t so abysmal.
Sallyann Z.
Tu valoración: 2 Chicago, IL
Made reservations at Lokal through Open Table for Saturday brunch. When we showed up, we still had to wait an absurd amount of time as if we just showed up without reservations! The place was super crowded and there was barely standing room to wait. When we finally got seated, of course, the first thing we did was order the bottomless mimosas. You could tell the waiters were all crazy busy. He even had to stand up on the bar to get around. But, when bottomless mimosas are at stake, I can’t forgive when they fail to come by our table so we can ask for refills. The actual drink was decent. Unfortunately, the table next to us clearly had way too much to drink, because they were extremely loud and obnoxious, ruining the classy vibe of the place. As for the food, we ordered the truffle fries, which were tasty, but they came with a rather thick aioli. I was going to pass and opt for the ketchup, but their housemade ketchup was way too tangy and not sweet enough for my liking. I ordered the salmon benedict(classic brunch move), It was good, but the salmon was kinda choppy and made me rethink my usual theory that salmon benedicts never disappoint. This place is good, but for this price, I’ve definitely had better and with a less cramped atmosphere. I won’t be back, not even for bottomless mimosas :(
Aklilu A.
Tu valoración: 5 Columbus, OH
Damn where do I start, Lokal is literally the first thing I think of when I think of brunch in Chicago. If you’ve never been, you should go right now! Service is great, everyone is happy and eager to help. There’s always a great special going on everyday, I’m a big fan of the weekends and their unlimited mimosas. The atmosphere is laid back, artsy, they have a cool wall filled with vinyl records. As for the food, I’ve been here a couple times and like to surprise myself but I’ve pretty much tried everything. The last time I was there I had the Duck Benedict and the nutella french toast. Shared the nutella toast with friends and had the duck benedict to myself. The duck was delicious, savory and tender. The nutella french toast was a nice little dessert to end the whole experience. Downed it all with some great mimosas. I always go home completely filled and end up in a food coma for a little bit, but it’s always worth it. Like I previously said, you should go right now!
Danielle W.
Tu valoración: 1 Indianapolis, IN
Pretty disappointed in this«brunch» place. The Bloody Mary bar is less than impressing. They put a couple olives and a lemon as a garnish… I had the lokal sandwich by the recommendation of our waiter with a side of bacon. Thank god I ordered the bacon because the polish sausage in the sandwich was disgusting and overcooked. At 11:30 they put on rap music, which in my mind isn’t an ideal ambience for a casual brunch with friends. I love exploring new brunch places but I would steer clear from this place unless you want to go to a club with sub-par food in the morning.
Nava N.
Tu valoración: 3 Santa Monica, CA
Just an Ok experience. I came here for brunch with my boyfriend today. The restaurant was packed and people who were waiting for tables were cluttered around the bar and door. Luckily we had made a reservation on Open Table, but when we got inside, we couldn’t locate the hostess and no one was there to greeting anyone. We asked one of the girls behind the bar for assistance and she rudely shot back that she wasn’t the hostess and pointed to another girl in the crowd who apparently was the hostess. The hostess did seat us promptly and we ordered the bottomless mimosas for $ 9. The mimosa gets 5 stars because they were super potent! We could see the bartenders pouring half a bottle of champagne into each mimosa carafe. My boyfriend ordered the french toast. He thought it was good, but it was a little soft. I had the duck confit benedict which was good as well. I didn’t really have any problems with the food, but it was nothing to write home about either. In general, I think the portions were actually a bit smaller than most other brunch spots I have visited in the past. I definitely was full by the end, but that may have also had to do with all the mimosas I was drinking. The atmosphere is VERY noisy and it’s difficult to have a conversation so be aware of that before you come. It’s quite a casual environment, but I think the wait staff may have taken that casual atmosphere a bit too far. First of all, the entire staff was dressed incredibly sloppily, as if they had all just rolled straight out of bed. One waitress was wearing sweatpants and a tank top, and also clearly not wearing a bra. Her clothes were dark colored so you could also see stains all over them from what was likely food. At one point her sweatpants had water splattered all over the front. It was just very off-putting that this person was handling the food I was consuming. I don’t expect them to be wearing uniforms, but I do expect restaurant staff to be dressed a bit better than dirty pajamas. Overall, brunch for 2 with mimosas comes out to about $ 50. There are just too many great brunch spots in this city. I don’t see myself coming back here.
Raj D.
Tu valoración: 2 Villa Park, IL
Disappointing experience! Recently visited for Brunch on a Sunday due to the intriguing bottomless mimosa special pricing of only $ 7(until your’e done eating). The mimosas were made to perfection and the only reason I rated this restaurant a 2 star. Truffle fries were absolutely on point and delightful. Restaurant was clean but a bit small. They do have a few TV’s which is nice if you want to catch a game. Waiting area is quite small and pictures on the wall are a bit hipster but fits the vibe. The downside was that we were very rushed throughout our meal and the waitress told us that she needed to «turn our table in the next 10 minutes so we could pack up our food if we would like.» I found this very rude and displeasing. Check was brought before 50% of our meals were finished. I ordered my burger medium well and ended up with a perfectly pink piece of meat. Overall I do not plan on going back and am disappointing because I walked in thinking this would become my new brunch spot and a cheap mimosa deal for my wife. I do not plan on going back and I do not recommend this restaurant due to the inconsiderate treatment.