State and Lake Chicago Tavern

Came here before Sunday Funday at the Witt Rooftop. Was only here for about 20 mins, until we headed upstairs. Its a nice looking place. Pretty empty on a early Sunday afternoon. Read that this place gets pretty packed at night so might have to check it out. The moscow mule I had was not that great unfortunately. If this place was not at the Witt, I prb would not come back. Although I tend to stop by the Witt quite often so I’ll give it another shot.

My husband and I have been coming to state and lake tavern past couple years while visiting Chicago, generally we stay across the street at Marriot property. With so many great restaurants in the area I find myself coming back here often. Generally the food is your average gastro pub type food and price, however the service is always great mainly in the morning hours. I have had the pleasure of having some of the same wait staff over multiple visits and are always remembering me. Two names that come to mind and are always giving myself impeccable service as well as me noticing it going to other patrons as well every time I am there. I believe Bartender/​server Luis? Generally in mornings. The manager Mylin that I have seen wipe down tables, bring food to the table, answers phones and all while still walking around making sure everyone is satisfied. Mylin is who keeps bringing myself and husband back every time, because we no if we were not satisfied at any time she would be the one to make us want to still come back! Keep up the great work Mylin and your staff! See you next time.
MD

Really good late night snacks here! Wish they had one in SF so I could have it more often but will definitely be back when I’m in Chicago again!

Amazing food, great service, perfect location. Weekend performers are great. Eat, drink and enjoy.

Great place! I would suggest going here! I got a mango smoothie and it was delicious! For brunch I got egg white omelette and it was perfectly made. I like the hint of chili in it! The food came out pretty quickly, 10 minutes.

I’m from out of town and was pretty much trying to find the most reasonable restaurant I could find on a Saturday night. This place looked pretty good. or so I thought.
First off it was SUPER CROWDED. Which I mean, ok good for them. I waited for a seat at the bar. Turns out I didn’t have to wait too long… one big party was leaving. So yay, didn’t wait very long at all. Sat down at the bar.
The bar was pretty nasty after this party left. Empty drinks, plates… not cleaned up at all. I sat patiently waiting for the bartenders attention. To you know, maybe clean up the plate and RECOGNIZE that someone new was sitting there. I used to work at a restaurant and I was not really in a rush at all, so I was patient. And waited… and waited… and waited… and waited… finally I asked the bartender if I could order a drink. She seemed to be annoyed that I could bother her for a menu.
I ended up ordering the burger… it was ok… and the fries… which cost extra. It was basically a waste of time and money. I come to Chicago 1−2x a year, and won’t plan on coming back to this place…

I really want to like this place more than I do. A group of us usually comes here for dinner for a quick bite before the theater.
For the price point, I expect the service to be better. I cant pinpoint what needs to improve, but no one really goes out of their way; in fact some of the service staff act like your request is a inconvenience. That said, the food is good. I really liked the cobb salad and the burger.
The last two times I’ve visited (last night and in January), one or more of the bathrooms have been a wreck. Considering they are the only bathrooms open to the public in the hotel, this is kind of a problem.

I wouldn’t return to State and Lake for lunch. I didn’t realize it was attached to the Wit, but that makes sense given the prices. I like the Wit and think their drinks and food are worth the money, but the items on the lunch menu at State and Lake (all of which are unremarkable) are just not worth the cost. I got «the wimpy» burger (standard– lettuce, tomato, sauce, pickles) and thought it was okay– certainly nothing special, and far from one of the best burgers in Chicago (I’ve never even heard this until reading the menu). For $ 11 bucks without a side I’d pass on it next time. Plus, the service was sub-​par, especially considering the restaurant wasn’t busy at all. Given price, menu variety, and service, there are many better options within blocks of State and Lake.

Great place for food or drinks if you’re staying at the Wit or catching a show at the Chicago theater. They have wonderful drinks — I had their Cider Sage and Sour and even though it’s winter, it gave me the warm fuzzies of fall. Some of my friends had meals, I just snacked on various appetizers we ordered for the table. Although I wasn’t impressed with the brussel sprouts, I we all LOVED the pimento cheese dip with kettle chips. I very much enjoyed sitting at the bar with a couple nice craft cocktails and listening to live music with my friends.

Stayed at TheWit for the weekend, ate here two different mornings for breakfast. Very good food, however a bit overpriced for what you receive. The breakfast fresh start smoothie was delicious, I would recommend going here if you are staying at the hotel, very good and fast service and convenient.

Best hotel breakfast I’ve ever had. Go for any of the smoked salmon dishes, the bread pudding french toast, or the banana Nutella oatmeal. The parfait is delicious and not too sweet and also enough to fill you up.

We returned, this time for breakfast with two out-​of-​town friends staying at the Wit. It was rather lightly patronized at 9:30 on a Saturday morning; despite this, service was slow.
We tried three dishes:
— Poutine. A fairly elaborate take on the Québécois specialty. Excellent fries, topped with melted white cheddar (rather than individual curds); good sliced andouille; and a spicy gravy with red peppers. A big portion; I ended up taking half of it home.
— Salmon Benedict. Eggs perfectly poached; hollandaise probably house-​made. Accompanied by roast potatoes, and garnished with a surprising amount of watercress.
–Lox and bagels. A well-​executed if pricey rendition of the simple breakfast classic. For some reason, no capers.
Only the coffee fell short. These days, even McDonald’s manages better coffee.

The food was interesting. I really loved the everything pretzels but the atmosphere wasn’t up to par. It felt really odd having breakfast in a place that was so «bar» centric. I would go back but probably for dinner.

The Reuben was dry and over toasted. Barley any kraut on the sand which. Fries were over done crunchy and hard. After reading the reviews I thought it would be better. I had breakfast there on Monday and it was really good so I’m disappointed. And for 2 sandwiches & 2 pepsi’s that cost $ 55 not including tip I expected better. Won’t be back.

Okay! This place has gone through some changes since my last visit and they are all for the good!
First of all the menu. I had the NY strip and while it won’t rival my favorite steak house in the city, it was done to the right temp and pretty okay for a bar. My friend went with the Barley soup that they also will add an egg to so that made a substantial meal. As for a side– check out the «charred broccoli». This was delicious with mustard seed and some really hot peppers which made for a nice accompaniment to the steak.
Oh sure– there are still burgers and sandwiches and salads on the menu too and be sure to ask what beers they are featuring as they seem to change all the time.
But what pushed me up another star is there is LIVE entertainment on Friday and Saturday nights and Sunday afternoons. And on the night I was there, the guy was GREAT! He never stopped playing during the entire visit, played a wide range of songs very well and was just a great entertainer! It was an unexpected surprised and will definitely put State and Lake in my consideration set the next time I am looking for a place to listen to some live music and relax.

Misleading menu makes the establishment look like there name is much different. Mussel in bucket where reasonably priced at $ 12. Sadly most were smaller than a finger nail. Service was slow and they we’re only 80% full. We asked for extra bread to dip in the sauce it never came so the sauce got hard from cooling off. Two beers cashed out would of spent more if it ran better. See photos.

I stopped in for a late lunch with my parents and we were SEVERELY disappointed.
After receiving a raving recommendation from a friend I knew I had to eat here ASAP. However, upon arrival, we were greatly underwhelmed. Now, I take part of the blame because of the time we chose to be there (3p on a Saturday) but certainly not a majority of it. Apparently, at this time, they really do not have a full menu. They have burgers and a few apps and that’s it — they said it’s their «in-​between time when we turn over the kitchen.» I’ll admit that I don’t have the first clue how to run a restaurant, but I’ve never understood the «turn over the kitchen» reasoning… especially when your menu is glorified bar food anyway! My feelings were not alone as I overheard others asking the same questions we were.
Needless to say, we did not stay for a meal as we needed real entrees. So we quietly gathered our things and departed (all we had was water before leaving).
Leaving it here I would certainly return again in the future and give it another shot. But here’s the kicker: they cancelled my reservation on OpenTable so I would not receive points! I couldn’t believe it when I read the email later! How CHILDISH can one get… we upheld our reservation and we arrived on time. The fact that you cannot provide a full menu and therefore we won’t stay is beyond the reservation point. Especially when your staff seems indifferent to our happiness anyway! My father inquired about vegetarian options and was told, «Yea, we really don’t have any of those… maybe the pretzel? I dunno… I don’t really know what to tell you…»
My reviews are always as fair as possible (as you can see, I accept blame for the time WE chose to be there), but I’d STRONGLY recommend NOT eating here if this is how they choose to treat people.

There isn’t much to say about the State and Lake Chicago Tavern.
It’s a restaurant connected to a hotel, so as weird as it sounds, expect hotelly food. The lunch menu offered burgers, sandwiches and wraps along with some sodas and beers. I didn’t see it (or didn’t look hard enough,) but I’m not sure if they offer a separate dinner menu.
There isn’t a whole lot of space, but they do well with what they have. Seating is available at the bar, some small booths and some tables out on the sidewalk /​patio.
I enjoyed my meal and while it was convenient for me at the time, I’m not sure this is a place I will seek out during my next visit to the area.

So I popped in for a quick bite before a movie premier & to my surprise, had the bomb fried chicken since Parsons! (Wasn’t expecting that at all!) It was just the appetizer since I had short window to grab dinner but It was flavorful, crispy on the outside & super juicy on the inside! They offer a full chicken dinner on Sunday’s says the server… I’ll most def be checking that out! Delicious little bite!

I stay at the Wit when I’m in town and have breakfast here. The service is wonderful– I am usually immediately greeted by a friendly hostess who seats me promptly. As I get settled in, I’m greeted by someone offering me coffee or juice. There is a separate server who takes orders.
I’m a big fan of their egg white frittata. Goat cheese and mushroom spread in the frittata along with the best, crispy breakfast potatoes are incredible. I usually forgo the toast and substitute a fruit cup (assortment of fresh berries and melons) but I do treat myself every once in a while to their delicious, farmhouse multigrain bread which is perfectly crisp on the outside and soft on the inside.
Where the one star was lost is because I usually have a hard time getting service after I receive my food. It’s infrequent that someone checks on me after I have received by food and it takes a long time to get the check.

My partner and I went to State & Lake twice for breakfast because we were staying in the adjacent hotel, theWit. Normally hotel restaurants are pretty mediocre, but this is a great example of quality food that even outside people go to.
For breakfast, I described the food as upscale casual. I had a corn beef skillet, and the quality of the food was very good. Big hunks of corn beef with poached eggs over them — delicious. Both days, the scrambled eggs were very good.
There’s an entrance from the outside, and a good number of people who weren’t staying at the hotel ate here. I don’t blame them.
I didn’t go here for dinner, but based on breakfast, I could be enticed to eat here. This is also one of theWit’s hotel bars, but it’s the kind of bar you would go to anyway.

Luis the server went above and beyond with a smile to please us. Benedicts were amazing, potatoes fried exceptional, and french toast to die for! Definitely ask for Luis and you will have the best experience!

I went here for the first time last night (Tuesday) for my birthday. I made a reservation about a week in advance for 15 people. Everyone loved the place! Food, staff, ambiance… everything was great!
After dinner we all went up to the roof for a drink. Highly recommend you check that out too if you’re already there!
Also, we had a really great table in the corner that fit 15 comfortably. I didn’t know about it before but if you are reserving for a party that size I recommend you request that table too! :)

What a fantastic find! I enjoyed brunch here yesterday with out of town friends. The space is beautiful. The staff is super friendly and attentive. Love the triangular shaped plates. The salmon eggs benedict was superb. The english muffin underneath was soft. Tasty salmon. Delicious and well seasoned potatoes on the side. One of the best breakfast dishes I have had in recent months. We shared the FANTASTIC bread pudding waffles… yumm. The coffee was strong and hit the spot.
Will be back!

Went here for brunch on a Saturday. They were empty which surprised me. We had awesome service and the food was very good as well. I usually don’t order omelets but when I looked at other Unilocal pictures of it, I was sold. I ordered the egg white omelet and it was a good choice. It had lots of flavor and it came with potatoes and toast on the side. This is a good place to go if you’re in the area for brunch and don’t want to wait to get in.

This restaurant is connected/​inside The Wit hotel. I’m staying here for business and decided to just do the easy and quick thing of eating here. The first thing I noticed was that the place was very aesthetically pleasing. The bar is old fashioned style with a «colorful hip» blended in with neon Seltzer bottles stacked up top. I was there a bit late for dinner at 9 pm, so it was not busy. The service I received was very nice and attentive but again, it wasn’t very busy.
I opted to order 2 appetizers versus an entrée as I was not super excited about the full entrée options. I ordered the Steak Tartare and the Poutine as I am a huge fan of both. They came out at different times, which is fine because I got a chance to eat one first, but seems odd.
The Steak tartare as seen in my picture below was presented very nice (most of the dishes I saw come out of the kitchen were presented very nice) but was served with potato chips versus a crostini. I was a bit disappointed when i saw that, but it worked. It was different and non-​traditional but the chips were homemade and tasty. Unfortunately, the steak portion felt like a burger patty squished down paper thin. Yes, there were shallots and a type of vinegarette in it, but it was lack luster. I’m not one to leave steak tartare on the plate, but in this case I did… I was simply bored of the dish. I think the paper thin presentations was also a turn off.
Next came out the Poutine. Boy do I love Poutine and this one sounded absurd (which in the case of Poutine, is a great thing). It was a bed of fresh cut fries, covered in gravy, covered in baked cheese (they called it cheese curd), half a piece of bacon (disappointing), Green peas, and a sunny side up egg. You can see by the picture, this thing looked glorious. It was about to wow me… I was sure of it! While the bacon, cheese curds and the fries were good, the gravy was weak. It was borderline gross. It tasted like it came out of a can of Campell’s cream of (insert vegetable here). Flavorless and bland… it pretty much ruined the majority of the dish. Once again, over half this dish stayed in the plate for me. I picked the «cheese curd» out of this dish and ate around the gravy.
I’m torn about the rating here as the ambiance and service was great but the food taste was not there. if the food taste can catch up to the food presentation, this place would fire on all cylinders and be a 5 star resturant for sure.

At first glance this place appears to be a fairly ordinary tavern likely to have a sports bar menu, but the food and ambience are both better than that. The stylish surroundings and pleasant lighting create a relaxed dining environment, and the menu offers some interesting and healthful items.
Yes, they’re known for their hamburgers and pretzels, but I had something completely different. I started with the charred broccoli, a generous serving that’s lightly seasoned and nicely cooked, although I could have done with a bit more char.
As a main course I had the Cobb salad. I like it when a Cobb is served un-​tossed, as was the case here, allowing me to pick and combine ingredients at will. The perfectly seasoned avocado, bacon, cubes of Parmesan cheese and house-​made ranch dressing were standouts.
Service was friendly and attentive. Altogether the meal was a very pleasant surprise.

We chose here due to a central location in meeting some people.
Attached to the Wit hotel, this restaurant is pretty glam with its upholstered leather walls, lighting, and fancy bar– OMG and they have the cutest bathroom ever, with the cutest sink I’ve ever seen! (This is what girls are impressed by) The chairs looked nice, but were pretty hard by the end of the meal, so those could use a little more luxury.
I really enjoyed reading their drink list. My guy and I were the only «locals», so we definitely were able to show our local pride and make recommendations from places like Goose Island, Revolution, Three Floyds (Chicagoans LOVE their Munster neighbors!), and even learn a few we hadn’t heard of too. They had a cup, 22oz and Growler size option too, which is a nice touch. Beer prices seemed on point from wherever else I go, maybe $ 1 more for some.
The cocktails, although super fancy and delicious sounding, were all VERY Chicago priced. Most were over $ 12 and most came in tiny glasses, which I felt was typical Chicago/​tourist trap, so I stuck with beer.
The highlight with the food we ordered was the poutine and crispy chicken thigh. The poutine was in all of its artery-​clogging glory with a heap of fries, white gravy, melty cheese curds hidden in the gravy, peas, bacon and a fried egg on top. It was pretty great! The chicken was nice and juicy, and super crispy, with a sweet coleslaw on top. YUM.
We also ordered main dishes– I got their brisket burger with cheese on top, served with dressed greens. This was a big disappointment. The dressed greens were lackluster and pretty sour with the dressing. The burger was super dry, and the bun was too big for the burger, but also dry. I chugged down my beer faster than expected to compensate! I would not recommend it.
Our service was pretty good overall, and the waitress graciously split the bill in between 3 couples– and got it right on the first try. It was an a-​ok night, but I’d try some place else over coming back, if in the area.

I’ve been here once for drinks and once for dinner, they have a lot of good beers to choose from, tho a lot of them were out when I tried to order, I got the chorizo Mac and cheese to eat which was really good and a good portion, also tried the poutine and wings apps, both were really good, the only downside was the service was kinda slow, tho admittedly it was pretty busy, still I’d recommend and go back for sure

If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a hundred times: I really love this place. Mornings, afternoons, evenings, nights — I always have a good experience. Being a Hilton Diamond, I’ve been to my share of hotel restaurants. I’ll safely say this is my favorite. It doesn’t feel like a hotel bar/​restaurant.
Today — New Years Day 2015 — Brunch.
By pure luck, Paige is our server. She’s waited on us before and I may just I like her as much as the Root Beer Beer ;). Seriously, she has to be one of the best. I’ll request her from now on and will happily wait for a table in her section (she works mornings).
Today’s eats: Fried chicken and waffles — yum.
Thanks Paige. See you next time!
Ps — the Salted Caramel Old Fashion was good at the bar last night too. And I’m not even a whiskey drinker. Or am I???