Think Cafe

This is by far the worst restaurant I have ever had the misfortune of coming in contact with. They charged my credit card though I canceled my reservation and didn?t even have dinner there! All this despite the fact that they never once told me there is a $25 charge per person for a canceled reservation when I was booking a table. To add to the fun experience, the hostess hung up on me twice and yelled insults at me over the phone when I was trying to cancel. I am stunned at the level of unprofessionalism and lack of customer service ability. I wish I had checked the reviews below before considering this restaurant. It appears bad service is a pattern with these people. If you?re in the mood for Italian food, do not consider this restaurant. Nothing is worth putting up with such horrible and reprehensible behavior. If you?re looking for excellent Italian food and impeccable service, try Merlot on Maple or Volare. Pros: Didn't get to find out because of the poor service Cons: Staff, service, policies more

The staff are agreeable and great, I really do feel like being at home with such nice people. I love Omar's food and Rivka companion. The waiters are very snob, (especially that short blond guy who is always gossiping about customers) but the bussers really do a great job for the customers and they really have to do a lot of physical work. If I could work there I definetly would one day when I finish school. more

This place is fabulous! Great service, the staff knows the menu well, the food is phenominal, and it's BYOB!! What else can you ask for? Love it. Pros: Yummy Food, Great Service Cons: sometimes hard to get a table more

We went there on a Friday night for a friend's birthday, where I or my boyfriend had never been there before. We were seated right away (reservations) and waited for the rest of the party. On arrival of the other guests we ordered apps. but the only options are all seafood so I can't comment on the taste because I don't eat anything out of water. I ordered the think salad which was just mixed greens and paper thin slices of pear (good), then I had the duck risotto to split with a friend and it was also good, but very un-appetizing looking. My friend did not like it very much and had only a few bites (it was very earthy tasting). My boyfriend ordered the capellini, and he really liked it but was nothing outstanding. I also tried the lamb (great) and the formaggi pene (very great). Others had the stuffed flounder and some kind of steak. The service was okay. I think the waitress was annoyed with us for some odd reason (we might have been having too much fun), but the BYOB was the best part because the wines I like are not found in most restaurants. Nice dinner, cool atmosphere, I would go back for a dinner with friends but not just for a night out with my boyfriend. Pros: BYOB Cons: Menu Selection more

The food has always been marvelous at Think, but here?s the problem: On a recent visit, we arrived really early and no one seemed ready to serve guests. We ordered and waited 30 minutes for our salads. We waited another 40 minutes for our entrees. One guest found a huge strip of plastic in his food. All of this time, the waitress was not present or attentive. We had to keep asking for bread to keep our hunger at bay. So now everyone?s eating, but one guest has to deal with the plastic. We had to search out the waitress. The waitress says, ?Let me show this to the chef? and walks off with only the plastic and not the entire dish. She returns and asks, ?Do you want us to prepare another entree for you?? Of course, he?s hungry! By the time this dish gets delivered to the table (with no apology from the kitchen) , the rest of us are done eating. And now our guest is uncomfortable eating alone?we?re done?the busboy has taken everything off the table?and one person still trying to eat his dinner. Frustrated, he leaves half his plate so that he can ?catch up? to the rest of us and leave the restaurant. We sat there for over two hours for a simple meal. We had lousy service and a glib waitress who made light of having plastic in the food. The bill arrives with a 20% gratuity already added in because there are five of us dining. To add insult to injury, they still charged for the dinner with plastic. Talking to the owner?s wife produced mixed results. On top of that, the waitress interjected herself in our conversation and defended herself, saying that she wasn?t glib about the plastic in our food and that she gave us great service. She pretty much inferred that I was not being truthful. So I called her on her surly, smarmy attitude and she backed down. No one apologized for the LONG wait for food or the neglectful service. Good food can not compensate for terrible service or a bad attitude. We?ll never return to Think. Pros: Good food Cons: Terrible service; bad attittudes; long waits for food; no place to comfortably wait for a table more

I am an avid fan of Think. I have had one mind blowing meal after another. The service has always been friendly, informative and very educated. I find every aspect of Think to be composed with care and love. I'd also like to say, every visit to Think has made me happy and has made me want to come back for more. One almost every visit to this restaurant I have seen other diners raving about everything. I recommend their pastas (Zuppa), all of their meats ( lamb) and ALL of their desserts. To the people that want corporate, say with corporate. I'll keep going back to Think! Pros: Creative mind blowing cusine Cons: Customers that think it's a place to drink cheaply (2 buck chuck) not dine civilized. more

Bad Bad idea going to this restaurant. We went here for our friend's farewell dinner and was hoping our experience would be special. We ordered the gazpacho, the filet mignon special and caprese salad. There were 6 of us in our party. All our meals came at different times (about half hour intervals) and even the wait for our food wasn't worth it. The gazpacho was very average. Our $37 filet's were not cooked to the desired temperature and the flavor wasn't up to par. You're better off buying a good piece of filet mignon from Fox and Obel. The caprese salad arrived last. THE APPETIZER arrived last!! I mean, really, how long does it take to slice tomatoes, mozzarella and basil? The food was mediocre at best, but what was really unappetizing was the attitude we received from the hostess (I hear she is the wife of the owner). I have written more about our experience on the yelp website where you will also find similar reviews of this place. Needless to say, I will definitely not be recommending nor returning to this restaurant. Pity, because we had heard good things before going here. Pros: We didn't have any that night. Cons: Slow service, rude hostess, mediocre food. more

I had always wanted to check this place out - Think is a great place for a date! It's cute but not overly... more

I had always wanted to check this place out - Think is a great place for a date! It's cute but not overly pretentious, plus its BYOB. They do cha... more

I had always wanted to check this place out - Think is a great place for a date! It's cute but not overly pretentious, plus its BYOB. They do cha... more

We had the most memorable evening at Think. Begining from the fantastic food to the calming soft space, to servers and owners that really care, it was outstanding. I had sweet potato duck chowder, smoked salmon, a seafood pasta, an espresso custard dessert and it was all way above average. My friends had as many choices as I, and all loved them. Why can't we have more amazing options like Think in such a big city? Pros: I found this restaurant. Cons: Nothing! more

What can i say, going out for a romantic Valentine dinner and end up cold, hungry and disappointed. We start off the evening standing in front of the door with 2 other couples freezing with no where else to wait. When we do get seated, its right next to a cold vent. Then comes the wait, it took 45 min to be served our overcooked scallops and a salad. I sent the scallops back, which the waiter was very apologetic about. But then he gets yelled at, by what i can only assume is the owner. Now i know this is a small place, but im sure there was somewhere more appropriate to have this discussion. We finally received our veal chop and pork chop HOUR later. For what they were charging I thought for sure i was in for a treat. Again i was dissappointed. Food was luke warm and bland. When you pay $32 for a veal chop you want it do be hot, juicy and full of flavor. Think managed to go 0 for 3. This experience took 2 hours, needless to say we won't be going back. more

I can't imagine how anyone could write anything bad about this gem of a restaurant. I've read ALL the critics great reviews and can't agree more. This chic home like spot serves amazing food, from beginning to end. I recently saw a review on channel 5 saying there is not one miss on the menu, and sofar I agree. My hat off to restaurants like Think. Pros: Everything Cons: Western Avenue more

We arrived 20 minutes late (we called to say we were going to be late)on a Saturday night and waited 10 minutes in a very crowed entryway, there is no where to wait so be wary. In addition to the crowded entry way the restaurant was very cold. On to the meal, our server was good but clearly frustrated, the restaurant was understaffed and there were very long periods of time without service. We had the scallops and crab cakes for an appetizers, both were room temperture, not very good. We all had different salads that were adequate, nothing special. The entrees ranged from great to bad. The veal chop was good (not very hot), the tri -colored pasta was great, the duck risotto was bad and the Creole paperdelle was average. The banana dessert was very good and if you go , which I do not recommend, get this dessert. The best part of our dinning experience was the wine we brought, Turnbull Cabernet 2001 it was spectacular. In Short , we were disappointed. However there are many people we know who love the place. Although after reading some of the reviews in city search there seems to be two consistent themes. Inconsistency and overpriced Cons: no cabs more

I an not a picky person when it comes to restaurants but this one pretty much takes the cake for the worst food and service I have ever encountered. Not only was all four of our dishes awful, but the fish and meat were undercooked and made me and my boyfriend ill the very next day. To make matters worse, when I tried to tell the staff that my food didn't taste cooked they told me that everyone else was enjoying it around me and that it was fine, all just in my head. I seriously couldn't beleive my ears. After I tried to send my food back the waitress was extremely rude to us and took over 45 minutes with the bill, charging us fully for the meals we barely touched and tried to take back. I do not reccommend this restaurant at all, I never send food back, nor do I complain to managers, both of which i did at this place. To top it off, the manager told me to basically "shut up" and was the most unprofessional and crass person I have ever met. To sum this review up, this place was absolutely the worst restaurant i have ever been to in the city of Chicago. Cons: service, food, staff, management, interior, seated on top of eachother more

I have been going here since the beginning BEFORE it was on "Check Please". Since then the food remains great however, I feel like the owner Omar has no time to stop and say hi to the people who have supported him for years back when he did brunch and they always had open tables. Being an owner of a small business, your first client love being remembered and appreciated. I feel like he is soo slammed he cant go around and schmooze the clients which i think is important you always see with the lettuce entertain you restaurants.......even Leonas. And another thing that turned me off was that he yells at his staff in front of his clients. I cant do it without my staff! I am sure he cant do it without his! He should appreciate them more. I give it a 7. It just doenst move me anymore. Id be shoked if he ever sat down at my table again to see how we were. Rvyka his wife is truely great! Pros: Great variety of food, byob Cons: Bad parking, long wait. more

Great food, nice atmosphere, friendly place. Plus, it's BYOB. It's tough to get in these days after some very positive press but well worth the effort. Pros: Very good food, BYOB Cons: Tough to get a reservation more

We have been dining at Think for well over two years. I was reminded last night how very satisfying and comfortable this restaurant is. The food has always been generous, delicious, and beautifully presented. Always welcomed warmly by Ryvkah Goodman (co-owner with her husband and chef, Omar Rodriguez) each evening begins with a presentation of the creative menu which often changes with the seasons and each night's special dishes. It is always difficult to make a choice. I especially love the mussels, the innovative soups, and the perfectly grilled pork chop. Though often very full (reservations are promptly honored) we have always felt relaxed and cozy with nary an action, look, or word to encourage us to leave. One extra bonus feature is the BYOB policy which allows us to bring a favorite wine to drink with our meal. We have been so impressed we had our 40th anniversary party here with 40 friends! It certainly is our favorite Chicago restaurant and could be yours too. Pros: Wonderful food, comfortable surroundings and welcoming atmosphere Cons: Street parking can be a challenge at times more

Have tried this place a few times based on reviews I have tried different things on the menu ranging from their mussels appetizer which were UNBELIEVABLE!!!! to their arugala salad which I think I expected dried apples not rubber. The key to the pastas is really the sauces used for I dont think they have on fresh pasta made in house on their menu. In a "Fine DIning" restaurant you would expcet fresh not frozen pastas. I was there back to back days curious about the daily specials and was quite dissapointed to hear the server rattle off the same specials I had heard the day before with all the same prepartions. Again would hope for a little more creativity for the price charged. Finally the desserts, again nothing seemed to be made in house, I had the bananna carmello which came to my table in a great long dish but was dripping ice cream off the sides, already melted down before I could enjoy it. All in all it is a cute place but the weekends were to loud and to crammed. There is no waiting room and just hope they seat you on time otherwise get ready to stand. The BYOB is nice but would rather they get a license and use that extra money to improve the menu and try being a Fine DIning restaurant not just dress like one. Pros: BYOB Cons: frozen food more

The only possible way this place could get a good review is if written by the smug owner or his wife.(saw her eating food of the plate i sent back to see if really was bad!) Rude, expensive joke of a place. Eat from a dumpster before you go to the trashheap! Pros: none Cons: the fact it is open more