WHISK

Reviews 4

AN

Andres I

I based my value based off a metric; please read the end of this review to understand why Whisk got the review it got. Food: 4/5. Their product is pretty decent. I like the "Gobbler burger," for its ability to take a lot of healthy ingredients (sans the chipotle mayonnaise) and create a delicious meal. The food is usually well cooked to your liking. Service: 0/5. No redeeming trait about their service. It normally takes the servers a long time to actually get to your table, even when the restaurant isnt busy. They get the queue wrong (delivering orders to people who came in after you before delivering your order, despite ordering similar meals) and my God, do they take FOREVER!!!!!!!!!!! I have dined at hundreds of different restaurants in the Wicker Park-Ukrainian Village-Logan Square area alone, and no one takes even HALF as long to prepare a burger as much as these people do! Dont get me wrong- I understand when busy restaurants are running behind and the wait gets busy. But these people take forever even if youre the only one sitting at the restaurant!!! In my 7 attempts at eating here, I have NEVER eaten at this restaurant within 30 minutes of placing my order! DMK, Umami, and other really good burger spots in the area deliver well ahead of this place. Take out is even worse; I once placed an order ahead of time on the phone for pick-up. My friend was sitting in the car, and he had to be home in time to take care of his cancer-striken mother, as her caretaker was leaving for the evening at home. On the phone, they told me it would take 15 minutes. I showed up not a minute earlier than 15 minutes, and they said "itd take just a few more minutes." 10 extra minutes later, and the burger wasnt even cooking yet. When I asked for my money back, the servers disappeared into the kitchen for 5 additional minutes, and finally came out saying, "Oh, thats OK, you can have your money back," as if they were doing ME the favor. I am normally a patient person, which is why I waited, but this kind of bait-and-switch lying is just simply unacceptable. Oh, and again, this would have been a LOT more understandable if the place was busy. It wasnt. There was one other person at the restaurant. Half hour later, I walked out with nothing. I could go on and on, but Ill spare you further details. The service here used to be good when the place opened, but ever since this one manager left, it has gone south- and I dont mean Alabama. Find out for yourself if you dont believe me! Site: 0.5/5. They get a "0.5" and not "0" because the place looks friendly for the first 0.09 seconds youre inside. However, your olfactory (nasal) senses quickly pick up a scent that not only spoils the setting, but the food and any appetite you may have: urine. Yes, human piss. This place has smelled like human piss for (at least) the past several months, and I suspect its plumbing damage in the bathroom. Inside the bathroom, theres a weak attempt to mask the smell with soap/detergent; somehow, the two mixed miraculously create an even worse smell. If you ever DO decide to visit this place, be sure they dont seat you in the booths near to the bathroom: its worst there. Price: 3/5. They *do* provide a substantial amount food for the price, but nothing competitive. Seeing that the prices are the same at other burger joints, where literally every other factor is simply BETTER beyond compare, Id say the place is a wee bit overpriced. Each factor is weighted at 20%, with the exception of "food," which is weighted at 40%. Thus, Id give the establishment 2.3 stars, rounding down to 2 stars, since the experience is just miserable.

KR

Kristina Castro

I have only had an experience with them through postmates. I ordered whisk through postmates. My clients ordered 2 burgers, steak and eggs, orange juice, and a chai latte. My gracious postmate delivery gal arrived with just steak and eggs, an orange juice, and a tiny chai latte. She stated she was told by the restaurant that I was aware and that the burgers were cancelled. I had ordered for a couple of clients who were leaving for the airport after they ate. I called the restaurant because the charge was not taken off my account( and still isnt because postmates stated they were not informed of the cancellation either) and because they did not have the decency to have the driver call me and inform me of the cancellation. I understand they do not make burgers before 4 or 5, even though that was not stated on the Postmates order form for their restaurant. I was told, rudely by the gentlemen i spoke to(the manager), that there is a notation on postmates that says if the restaurant does not have it , the item will be cancelled. That is all fine and well. The points that upset me is 1. you did not try to contact me so I could inform my clients nor gave us the chance to order something else(which would have made you more money and repeat patrons), 2. you stated to the driver that I knew the order was cancelled, and 3. I was spoken to like I was an imbecile instead of trying to resolve the situation and gain my renewed faith as a possible returning patron. Now Myself and my clients will not be returning or telling others about this place or area and whenever your restaurant name is spoken this stale memory will linger. Thank you.

MI

Mike Holm

The food and service were ok, nothing stellar. We waited 45 mins for our table of 6 across the street at the Atomix Café which has amazing coffee, much better than whats available at WHISK. The drink menus were hidden in the table caddy against the wall so we werent prepared for her when the waitress came around to take our order. They did have excellent fresh squeezed orange and grapefruit juices though! They had a crab Benedict and a crab cake with eggs entre option. I really wanted the combination of the two. Poached eggs on top of crab cakes smothered in Hollandaise without any English muffins getting in the way and a little avocado to round it all out sounded delicious to me. Its never a good sign when the food runner beats the waiter to the table and has to ask the guests who ordered what. Thats a sign of mediocre service. My order came without the avocado and the eggs and Hollandaise on the side with breakfast potatoes. After asking for my avocado and finally combining all the ingredients, I was pleased to find that my creation tasted as good as expected. The red pepper sauce they put on the crab cakes was also delicious and added to my enjoyment. My guess is that the hype around this place is caused mostly by the pictures of Nick Offerman covering nearly every inch of the walls because the food and the service are not noteworthy on their own.

KE

Kevin Berry

Decided to check out this spot after hearing good things. Was a little disappointed in how small the place was which led to our 30 min wait. But then I heard the 4 magic letters that made everything better... BYOB!!!!! I almost feel like brunch without BYOB is sacrilegious. Maybe because Ive gotten spoiled by places like this and Batter & Berries. And whats even better, there is a Marianos right across the street. So I was able to run over and grab some cheap champagne while waiting on a table to come free. Ordered the crab cakes and eggs platter which was delicious. The crab cakes and sauce may have been the best Ive had in a restaurant, period. For my sides I had cheese grits and toast. The cheese grits were just okay (a little too cheesy for my liking). But if you are cheese grits person, its probably perfect for you. Staff was courteous. It was packed and apparently a party going on, so it was a little chaotic. But besides that, everything was great.