Flatwater

This is the worst service I've ever gotten!! I've never written a review before, but I felt compelled to warn others. The location is beautiful, so I was very excited to come to this place. Unfortunately, the service was slow and the workers were downright insulting. After asking to speak with the manager, we realized the rudeness goes all the way to the top. I hope that if you want to be treated well, you'll never return to this place!! It is very sad that a beautiful location like this is being managed by such incompetent people. Pros: Location Cons: Everything else more

There are many fine restaurants in Chicago..unfortunately this isn't one of them. This restaurant pretends to be fine dining yet falls short. The only thing going for it is the view which is magnificant. It is a beautiful spot on the river with a sweeping view of the Chicago cityscape. Pros: View Cons: Food, wine and inexperienced staff more

i truly thank the staff for helping pull off the best party ever.............the food is still being raved about, and the location is beautiful. I would highly recommend Flatwater for any occasion. Totally a funky, fun atmosphere. Pros: thumbs up more

Flatwater has got the best locatio for an outdoor restaurant in the city. With the recent warm spell, I had a chance to dine at Flatwater. I could not believe that there are not more restaurants on the River. It is such an amazing feeling to sit in the middle of downtown right on the water. The menu is very inspired. It seems to take you on a world tour without leaving your seat. I truly enjoyed the Spicy Tina Poke Roll. It reminds me of an appetizer I had at Bond Street in NYC. The service was nice, but a little slow. I do not think that they were prepared for the massive amount of people that wanted to take in the unseasonable warm weather (80 degrees in March!!!). I really cannot wait til Summer. I think that I may be a fixture at Flatwater. Now I just need to work on getting a boat, so that I can pull up to Flatwater in style. Pros: Views, Atmosphere, Menu Cons: Slow Service, Small Champagne List, Not Much Street Parking (But $5 Valet!) more

It's amazing how these guys screwed up almost everything from start to finish. My husband and I tried Flatwater on Valentine's Day since they were one of the only restaurants still available (that should've been our first clue.) Upon arriving at the valet, we sat in our car for what seemed like 10 minutes before calling the restaurant to ask why there was no valet outside. We were told it was really busy and the ONE valet was running cars. There were TWO other couples in the entire restaurant!! This is busy to them? We shook it off & hoped for a good meal. We were given a Prix Fixe menu that looked somewhat promising. They did have a good wine, but our TOTALLY incompetent server didn't know how to open, serve, or pour the wine. When he brought out each course it was just slammed in front of us with no description or attention. The courses that were listed on the menu were not exactly what we ate, and the only thing that was slightly enjoyable was the main course of chateaubriand... just ok. Pros: Not many. Clean bathroom, I guess. Cons: Service, food, valet... you name it. more

Flatwater was great from start to finish. The location is absolutely amazing. Right on the Chicago river surrounded by some amazing Chicago architecture. The menu was quite eclectic with no theme that I could detect. It seemed to have a very global influence. Our server was very knowledgeable on the wines and helped us pair some real great wines with our dinner. We were entertaining some of out friends from out of town and I would recommend it to anyone doing the same. Great dining experience in an amazing Chicago location. Pros: Views, Atmosphere, Service Cons: Small Wine List more

My friends and I made reservations to have dinner here on New Years Eve. When I called to make the reservation, the host indicated there was limited seating with the regular menu, but he said they still had space in the section dining with the regular menu that night. When we arrived, at 8:30pm on New Years Eve, our host gave us the prix fix menu. After sitting at our table for 10 minutes, a waiter arrived and we said that we wanted to use the regular menu. He said this was not possible and we told him that we had been told otherwise when we made our reservation. He then sent the manager over who said that he had all of the hosts call the people that had made reservations that night to tell them they couldn?t use the regular menu. Funny I didn?t get a call. This manager was incompetent --not only were his employees taking reservations for a menu that wasn?t even being served, but he also offered us NOTHING to compensate for the fact that he had wasted our time and money to get to his worthless restaurant. And at 9pm on New Years Eve, we had no choice but to pay $95 in his establishment or go hungry. We chose hungry. I'd rather flush my $95 down the toilet than help this place stay in business. I?ll never go back to this horrendous establishment. Based on prior reviews, I see I?m not the only one that feels this way. Cons: Horrible Service more

This restaurant was really a disappointment. We ordered a $9 glass of wine and got about 1/8 of a glass. The entrees were $29 each and were very small portions, probably worth about $15. We did not get any bread with the meal either. We spent $90 including tip and left hungry. I felt really cheated. The prior restaurant in this location was a much better value. What a rip-off! Pros: Location Cons: Everything else more

This new restaurant has got an awesome menu. We had a party of 6 and everyone in our party now has a new favorite dish. All of the appetizers and entrees had such amazing detail to the flavors. What I liked most was the variety of options on the menu. The wine list leaves a little to be desired; however there are a lot of very reasonably priced bottles. I just did not see a lot of big names on the list. Our service was also great. Very attentive and knowledgeable about the food. Not so knowledgeable about the wines, but he did bring over the manager who was able to help us select a nice wine. I can?t wait to go back and try more items on the menu. I would recommend trying to snag a section in the lounge near the fireplace for appetizers and drinks before dinner. Pros: Great Cuisine, Warm Atmosphere, Outstanding Views Cons: Small Wine List more

Food is medicore and the service is horrible. I have been here for lunch and dinner and both were bad. During the summer it is really nice outside to sit on the river though. more

What a weird setup. It was recommended by the concierge at the W hotel, so I presumed it would be at least half-decent. Wrong! And rather annoyed that I wasted my only night in Chicago at this strange place. Plus points: Food quite good, although the salmon smelt far too fishy to be fresh, nice washrooms! Minus points: Unprofessional staff (felt like I was intruding on their private party!), bizarre wine list (written on a scrap of paper, no house wines, no bottles of white wine, choice of 3 reds starting at $70!), seated away from the window despite tables with a good view being free, mains took forever to arrive, check brought before we'd finished eating, asked them to call a cab and was told just to hail one on the street (it was late, dark, rainy, and cold), no atmosphere. You'd expect this in a bar, not a restaurant charging $70 a head! Perhaps okay for a company function but definitely not if you're looking for a pleasant meal out with friends in somewhere with a good atmosphere. Perhaps that's why it was practically empty, apart from the numerous staff standing around smoking, chatting, and drinking! more

I first want to thank all of the staff at Flatwater for helping me host such a wonderful corporate event. I planned our Company's Annual Dinner here and could not have been more pleased. After the twentieth positive comment I received in feedback after the event, I decided that I should post this review. Not only is the view amazing, but our service was prompt and the food was great. The event coordinator was extremely helpful and made sure that every last detail was attended to. I will definitely recommend Flatwater to anyone looking for a new and unique venue for an event. Pros: Great Staff, Unique Venue, Nice Decor Cons: N/A more

The ambience at Flatwater is really relaxing. The food is average. The service is ""TERRIBLE"". They have a lot of people working there and walking around, but not serving the customers. There is no reason to wait 20 minutes for a drink when it's not crowded. Ask for water during your meal and you'll die of thirst. Bartenders always seem to be setting up. Maybe the ignoring of the customers is the ""In"" thing to do. Pros: Ambience, Location Cons: SERVICE, SERVICE, SERVICE more

My boyfriend and I dined at Flatwater last Saturday night. I must say set up is phenomenal and the view from the patio is amazing. However, nothing else was remotely on par. The tomato mozzarella salad was awful, I could find fresher tomoatoes at Jewel. After waiting 30 minutes for a drink my waiter took my wine away when it was half full. The boats that pull up had people hanging around - leaning on our table and the staff didn't seem to care if it interfered with our meal. As our final sign-off our waiter asked us to ""hurry up and sign our bill"" when my boyfriend and I were having a relaxing dinner and didn't want to be rushed out of anywhere. more

Too bad the service here is so horrible because it's a great space. Three bartenders all loading beer into the fridge and I sat there for five minutes before any of them even bothered to look up and see people waiting for drinks - and it wasn't even busy. We then decided to sit at a table where we were immediately kicked out of because the host told us they were setting up for reservations - 45 mins later there's still 7 tables open and no one sitting in them. Hugely disappointed and I will not be back. Pros: Good location Cons: Horrendous service- a lot of attitude more

I work in the ABA building just above this place. I really looked forward to a new restaurant finally opening up nearby, but was unfortunately disappointed with this place. The service was slow, the food not well cooked, and the overall scene a little boring. There are a few other places on the water, Japonais, various steakhouses, and the W off Michigan that deliver in a much bigger way. Pros: Could have been a great place Cons: Service, food, environment more

This place has the coolest bar I have seen. It has an indoor/outdoor bar that opens up to the river and you can see boats going by as you are sitting at the bar. The whole vibe is very European. The food was very tasty. The mini burgers are a must. We were there for after work drinks and the place was pretty busy. I think next time I might try having a full dinner on the patio. Pros: Bar, Atmosphere, European Vibe Cons: Intimate Space Inside more