Raw Bar & Grill

Reviews 3

JO

Joyce Harris

I purchased this voucher on January 2nd and look to use it January 4th. I was staying at the McCormick Place Hyatt and it was snowing so it was a 30 minute drive to the establishment. Before we arrived I checked the website there isnt anything that says the hours of operations, so I googled it and google said that they were open at 12 pm. I get to the location at 1pm and we were skeptical if they were open but the door wasnt locked so we went in. We waited for about two minutes for someone to come greet us but that never happened, so we just finally yelled out hello. When the man came out he said were not open, so I immediately look at the door and the hours of operations are posted on the door open from 11:30 am Sunday-Thursday. I asked why were the doors open if they were closed, the guy says he forgot to lock them. So Im now starting to get aggravated seeing how I just drove from one side of town in cold snowy weather to this restaurant but I calm my nerves and ask to speak to a manager. The guy tells me there isnt a manager working right now but he will call him and when I speak to the manager who name was Jullion he explains to me that there "winter hours" on Sundays are different and they dont open until 2 pm and I shouldve called to make a reservation because thats what the groupon says. So Im like well I dont have a groupon, I have a voucher through Amazon local, and it doesnt state that reservations are needed. His answer to that was I dont know anything about the Amazon local deal and that it was nothing he could do for me but to call Lydia tomorrow and she could compensate me for my trouble. So sure enough I call today asking to speak with Lydia and Jullion answers the phone. He now has a bit of an attitude telling me that everyone in this neighborhood knows what time the hours of operation are. Ok so now Im thinking are you trying to tell me that you only serve the people of that neighborhood. So again I explain to him that Im not from that neighborhood and that it should be posted somewhere and not through word of mouth. Jullion is now asking me what do I want him to do, there is nothing he can do and I said I know thats why Im asking to speaking with Lydia. So Jullion places me on hold and Lydia gets on the phone saying how can I help you, I explain to Lydia everything that has happened and she starts to attack me. Lydia is on the phone yelling at me, telling me that I shouldve checked the website, I shouldve read my groupon, and if it were her and she lived on the south side she wouldve called before she drove to the north side. So I explain to her that I have Amazon local it doesnt say anything about reservations, their website doesnt list a time of operation and the door even says they were open. Lydia again yelling that I already have 50% off,to go through Amazon to get my money back and that shes not going to be on the phone arguing with me for 20 minutes. Im outraged at this point because Ive never been treated in such a manner, I explain to her that she shouldnt be on the phone speaking to me in the manner that she was seeing how Im supposed to be the customer and Lydia hung up on me. I immediately gets on the phone Amazon for my refund. I will never ever visit this establishment and I would never ever recommend this place. To treat a potential customer like this when your in the wrong is absolutely atrocious.

A

A Private User

This place rocks and deserves better reviews, so I felt the need to post here after eating there last night. My wife and I bought a Groupon for this place, and while getting directions yesterday, I saw the review done that day by "angebabye" and panicked. I was afraid that because we had a Groupon, our experience would be terrible, as hers was. NOTHING could be further from the truth. Right before we stepped in the door, I braced myself for a bad dining experience, with the plan to leave at the first sign of being snubbed. As soon as we entered, we were warmly greeted by the host (I assume was a manager, he didnt seem to be wearing the all-black uniform of a waiter or busboy) and directed to a table. Without a pause, our server, Nick, introduced himself, asked how we were, and welcomed us to the restaurant. Things were looking up! He describes the restaurant, explains some of the specials and tapas, and left to get us water. Upon his return, he asked if we were going to be having entrees or tapas, and proceeded to describe a few of his favorite tapas: the ostrich and blue crab claws. Both sounded delicious, and it having been a while since we have had them, we went with tapas. He described the ostrich and blue crab claws so well, we got those, as well as a few more, including the alligator. EVERYTHING we had was fresh, flavorful, and delicious. Nick was watchful but never hovering, we never had to look around for him as he seemed to anticipate what we needed at every turn. They didnt mention a Groupon once, and when we told Nick, there was ZERO change in demeanor, nor any sense of "Oh no, a Groupon!" from any of the staff. The prices were par for the course for tapas, and I would go so far to say they were great prices, when you consider the high quality of the food. From what I saw of the menu, and the entrees that people around us got, the prices for main courses looked reasonable as well. In summary: Food: Excellent quality, some more exotic dishes that you might not be used to, but prepared in such a way that you will love! Service: As a former waiter, I can honestly say that this was the best service I have ever received at a restaurant (aside from Everest where you have a seperate person responsible for every single aspect of the meal). If you go, ask for NICK to be your waiter. He was fantastic. Atmosphere: The place is kept relatively dark, but from what I saw, it seemed to fit the restaurant very well. Value: With the Groupon, our bill was only $40, and we left feeling very satisfied. Nothing felt overpriced, nor did I regret ordering anything. All in all, we will be going back without a doubt in the near future. Couldnt recommend the place more.

A

A Private User

I have come here before for family birthdays, but I purchased a groupon for this place because it was tastey before so I thought Id get it again-bad idea. Upon entering, the "manager" of the night immediately asked if we were using a groupon, because if so, we couldnt get the cocktail special. Fine, we didnt, so we moved on.To order drinks, I had to wave some one down, to order appetizers, again I had to wave down, and lastly to order my meal, I waved my waiter down. Instead of attending to other tables (mind you there were only 3 others anyway, wasnt too busy), he was leaning on a back wall texting. Awesome. So we get our drinks, mine was tastey, but my friends was not, the bartender didnt make hers well and didnt include the cherry in hers, I knew it would be downhill from there. From there, we watched other tables get the complimentary bread and oil that comes with meals (we had to ask), upon asking, we were served 2 sticks that were cold, dry, and looked like they might have been left over from the night before, and tasted that way too with no butter, no oil-no anything. Afterward, our food arrives, mine is pretty decent, what I expected, although small for the cost. My friend ordered chicken with linguine and basil cream sauce, what she got was penne with chicken and shrimp in olive oil...quite the mix up. Upon complaining, the waiter just shrugged and said that he wrote down the right order and that the cooks must have messed the order up-he took no responsibility and didnt really put himself out there to help. After letting him know he messed up, he didnt come back to the table once, not to fill our water, not to take my empty martini glass-nothing. Finally, he came by and asked for my groupon (mind you, without offering a dessert menu) and then gave us the check. I approached the manager of the night aka the bar back and when I voiced my concerns he smugly said "Okay..." and "Thats fine..." to most of my statements, I could sense he just didnt really care at all about what I had to say. Is it ageism? Maybe, I do look young, but I came in with the intention of getting a few cocktails, some appetizers, and dinner, but left unsatisfied in a variety of ways and unwilling to give them further business. Maybe it was because they knew I had a groupon, but to be honest, that was their mistake because the money I saved with the groupon would have went in their tip...It was a HORRIBLE dining experience and I will NOT be going back. I recommend the same for many of you due to the lackluster service and only mediocre/decent food that they charge STEEP prices for.