Veranda Inn

Cozy, friendly environment, good food. First time here on eve of new year since most restaurants have reservations, hubby and I went to La Pena first but we were turned down only accepts with reservations anyways we drove around our hood portage/​Jefferson area and decided to check out Veranda. We were both glad we ended up here not only no reservations needed but the hostess was very nice and friendly. Got seated right away the server came right away took out order and our food came out pretty fast. The server was very attentive and made sure we got everything we needed. Great service! And the food wow me and my hubby enjoyed it! I had the bbq ribs and he had lamb chops. The grilled octopus appetizer it was really really good — cooked to perfection!!! Will definitely coming back soon to try the other food in the menu :)

I always wanted to try this place because I pass it all the time. So finally less then a month ago I went with my friend. I must say I absolutely love their patio but I wasn’t too impressed with their service. Our server was really nice but there were constant mess ups the entire night which I don’t think was completely her fault, it was also the kitchens fault. I ordered a chicken wrap sandwich and I asked if i could get it with no tomatoes, add cheese and avocado. I also ordered saganaki. Well first off our drinks took so long to come to our table, our server didn’t even routinely check to see if we needed refills. My friend and I ordered saganaki, it never arrived, when our entrees came out we were wondering what happened to our appetizer (which was meant to eat prior to our meal to hold us off) our server completely forgot, said she put it in with the kitchen and blamed them… even though I do think its her responsibility to make sure we get what we ordered since we were her table and she did take the order. Next our entrée took about 40 minutes to arrive, mind you we ordered a wrap and my other friend ordered the chicken Philly sandwich. All the things i asked for on my sandwich (add cheese and avocado, and no tomato) which prior she said she would have to ask the kitchen if it were possible (i don’t know why she would need permission… considering its only a slight adjustment to the wrap), she then told me the kitchen would do it for me. After waiting 40 minutes for a wrap, it still had tomatoes, there was no avocado and there was no cheese. Our server then blamed the kitchen again and went to go get me a side of avocados. Our server was apologetic but she really didn’t double check on us, she didn’t notice when things were not right with our order, or when things were taking way to long to arrive, she was a very nice lady but her server abilities were really not up to par. This place has decent food but the price is really not worth it, its a bit overpriced for the lack of service you receive.

The Veranda seems to have a lot going for it at first. The restaurant has great décor and the rooftop is beautiful. Unfortunately, the food is just decent, and the service is not good.
I’ve been here twice hoping the service the first time was not typical. Both times we arrived there was no one in the restaurant, including staff members. The first time, we needed to seek out someone just to sit down. Our first visit was over two hours. The waitress was very apologetic, saying they were short staffed. The second visit was improved, but as soon as other people came in to eat, we had to wait 15 minutes each time we asked the waitress for something (a drink to arrive, ordering food, boxes/​check).
The food was decent. I had the chicken kabobs, and the chicken and vegetables were good, the rice was oily. The other people I was with got tilapia and the stuffed chicken, and they both enjoyed the food.
We also went once just to get a drink on the rooftop, and although the service was also not great, it was much faster and the drink prices are very reasonable.
I would only go in the future to grab a drink on the rooftop. If the Veranda improved their service it would be a much better restaurant.

The atmosphere was decent was happy to see a rooftop restaurant in my neighborhood. Unfortunately that’s the only thing this place has going for it.
My husband ordered the gyro wrap special, being at a Greek restaurant we had high expectations. The gyro meat totally tasted frozen.
I got the tricolor pasta with tomato basil sauce and chicken for $ 13. And a $ 2 pork kabob. The pasta sauce had to come from a jar. The chicken was okay. My pork kabob didn’t come out with the rest of my food and when I flagged my server down to inform him he told me it’s on it’s way and pork takes 25 – 30 minutes to cook. When it finally came out it was burnt and way to chewy to swallow I spit it in my napkin.
Save your time and your money.

Beautiful roof top garden and restaurant. Nice late night food menu. Great service and nice mixed drinks. I really feel like I left the northwestern side of Chicago and went somewhere special.

The reviews were so mixed I had to find out for myself. Well I wasted 2 hours and $ 40.
1. The service was incredibly slow.
–appetizer came at the same time as my sisters food.
–My food came about 10 minutes later.
–put down food that wasn’t ours. We told her and she picked it up and took it to the correct table.
–waited for ketchup for about 10 minutes.
2. Food sucked
— sisters fries were cold. Mine were well cooked.
–asked for my burger well and it was so pink.
–gave us a cup of ice and warm soda so that was nice and flat.
There was also a lady smoking. It’s outside but don’t think it should be allowed. It kept blowing right at me. Thankfully the food took so long she was gone by the time I ate.
The only way I’d recommend this place is if you have plenty of time to waste and aren’t hungry. We didn’t try any alcoholic beverages so can’t comment on how those are.
The most annoying thing is that roof is awesome but there is nothing else to match. Went on 7÷23÷15

For a wedding reception (my only time here), I was a little upset. Service was not great.
For the entire cocktail hour, no water was placed on the tables. Water, in fact did not come until dinner was served… maybe an hour and 30 into the reception. I was really confused by this. Then, the staff did not care to help the wedding party move the wedding cakes or cupcakes.
The food was ok. No real taste to anything other than the roast beef. Standard catering overall. It was good space if you are looking to have a small reception here. I would recommend a food tasting of the catering serving.

They have big drinks

Great rooftop joint in the area. Feel like you’re somewhere else and not in the city. Drinks are also good up there. Try the Mojitos which are tasty and freshly made. Service is also good… friendly and attentive.
Food however was hit or miss. Pita bread, pork and chicken on a skewer, Greek fries with feta where a huge hit. We should of just ordered that. Then we had the lovers plate with steak, chicken, and veggies. Just ok and meat was honestly too dry. Really wanted to love it. But we also had the Greek salad and that was better.
They have a ton of drink options and fun space to hang for a while. If it’s nice outside, I’m racing over here.

Bad news, food so so. Service very
is very dirty especially the bathroom. Over priced and a very small menu. The on line menu is not correct.$ 8.00 cocktails, Did not have many greek dishes more like taco bowls and
gyro on the
wine
said flaming cheese, we received melted bitter cheese that was obviously put in the broiler, so why do thy put opa on the menu?

nice comfy atmosphere, great ambience.
Great food n cold beers.
Please try for yourself, then judge.

This is a charming, little Greek restaurant with lots of potential. I came in with a party of 5 at 2pm and we caught the swing shift. This means that there was only one waitress so service was slightly slow. Also we were disappointed that the rooftop patio was not open, but with one waitress, what can you do. Even with the rooftop bar closed, the windows open up to give the seating by the windows a very alfresca feeling.
The drinks there are reasonably priced, and the mojito’s were excellent. They were served in a mason jar and had a nice flavor, not too sweet, and not weak either. I then had a chicken cheese steak wrap which was very tasty. I also sampled some of the shrimp from another dish and they were also very good. The Kabob looked excellent, it was make up of very large cuts of meats and veggies, they pre took the skewer out for you as well.

My husband and I have passed this place a few times already and we decided to come here for our belated Valentine’s Day dinner. We went on a Monday (our schedules are very different) and I was surprised by the interior and the customer service. It’s a Greek restaurant, it’s bigger on the inside (Dr. Who joke!), with beautiful paintings of Greece on the walls. There is plenty of parking (it’s not a busy area but they do have street parking and also a lot in the back). I ordered a gyro plate, my husband ordered the mediterranean plate, with a glass of Greek white wine for myself and a cuba libre for my husband. The wine was not to sweet; it had a slight mint aftertaste (which was lovely!) and my husband’s cuba libre didn’t have Coke; instead, they used a soda water which made it less sweet, which was a nice touch to it (so it wasn’t overwhelming). Both the entrees were delicious — fresh and tasty. They were pretty big portions too; we brought home leftovers. The ambience was quiet; there was only one other patron there, and the tv was on the news/​sports, but it wasn’t too terribly loud. It’s nice for a date night. They also have a rooftop, and it’s probably busier in the summers. The only drawback was that their credit card machine wasn’t working but they don’t have an ATM, which didn’t make sense because they should have told us before we sat down. Regardless, they ended up being able to run the card afterward. Just be weary of that! Otherwise, overall, the customer service, food, the pricing was reasonable, and ambience was quiet but not so quiet where it was awkward. We’re definitely coming back!

The place was almost empty when I went there. The lamb chops were pretty average and actually lacked in flavor! More effort needs to be made with the preparation of lamb and its seasoning.

We have lived in the area and driven past Veranda countless times, but hadn’t tried it until now. Of course, we had to eat on the roof top and weren’t disappointed by the atmosphere and décor. The service was good and I liked that they had a Greek beer, but my entrée was really lacking. The saganaki was really good and so were the Greek fries appetizer, but the lamb chops not only lacked flavor, but looked bizarre. Each chop was a different size and the portions really varied.
I’ll assume the bad lamb chops were an isolated issue, and come back to try something else on the menu.

My bud and I had dinner at Veranda Inn last Friday. I have a feeling he has passed this place many a time, and was drawn by the possibility of al fresco dining on their rooftop garden. I’ve never heard of this place anywhere other than having heard about it from my friend, but what the heck I went along with it. Veranda Inn has a small parking lot behind the restaurant, though my bud chose not to park there but on the adjacent side street. We walked into the main dining room and it looked pretty quiet, so we decided to climb the long stairway to the rooftop garden which was reasonably busy though not full. It was a perfect summer evening, not too hot or cool, not rainy nor buggy. The garden atmosphere of the rooftop was very pleasant and took your mind away from the traffic zooming down Irving Park Road. We have dined on rooftop patios in Athens in the past, so we remarked that all this place needs is a view of the Acropolis.
I opened the menu and was underwhelmed at the listing of diner style specialties. However since I thought this was a Greek establishment, I was looking for Greek specialties. Indeed many of the Greek dishes were not on the regular menu other than the flaming saganaki ordered by folks at an adjacent table — OPAA! Our cheery and charming server read to us the day’s Greek specialties (some were also posted on a chalkboard), and described them when she was unable to pronounce the long Greek names of the dishes. The beer list was actually a cutesy handwritten list, and I went Greek and ordered a Mythos. The slices of bread were decent with some olive oil. We each ordered the soutzoukakia (Greek meatballs) as the main course. The dish came with either spaghetti or rice, a side of veggies, and soup of the day. I went with the egg lemon soup, which was thicker and chunkier than any version I have ever had, and my bud’s navy bean had a stew-​like quality to it as well. The meatballs and rice in tomato sauce were fine with a small cup of parmesan cheese. The Greek potato wedges added to the heartiness of my dish, while my bud went with baked potato. Probably the highlight was the Greek dessert specials, as we again passed on the «regular» dessert menu selections such as cheesecake. Although I imagine the baklava was good, my ekmek and my bud’s galaktoboureko were both lavishly rich dessert choices. Both were large servings with generous amounts of whipped cream and drizzled with caramel sauce. I have had galaktoboureko before (sort of a custard pie with phyllo dough), but I have never heard of ekmek. This was an impressive pile with a bed of sweet and stringy kataifi dough (I think that is what this stuff is) topped by custard and then whipped cream. What a delicious way to end a very satisfying meal atop the Veranda Inn. The final tab was very reasonable as well considering all that we ate. I’d say «go Greek» with your menu choices and you should do well here.

Went to Veranda the other night with a group of friends. We got a great seat on their beautiful patio. Great.
The service was OK, not great, but we weren’t in a hurry. The drinks are reasonably priced but it’s a bummer they don’t have any draft beer or a better selection of bottled beer.
The saganaki was pretty good. The «onion blossom» (onion rings) was cold. The menu is pretty lackluster and the food is just OK. I felt it was pretty overpriced. There were NO vegetarian options except a veggie pasta which was not tasty. My friends who ordered the chicken kabobs liked them pretty well though.
One thing that was pretty much a dealbreaker was that the whole restaurant smelled like cigarette smoke. The bathroom, the bar, even the patio was pretty bad because many of the guests were smoking.
I might go back for a glass of wine and some saganaki on the roof, but wouldn’t choose it for dinner.

The patio on this place is great– only downside is that it isn’t open earlier in the day. When the weather is this great, people want to get out and enjoy the sunshine with their meals, not sit in a stuffy restaurant when there is a beautiful patio waiting.
Food was decent. Nothing spectacular. Just basic home-​cooked food.
Service was a little slow, given how few people were there, but it’s a home style neighborhood joint, so impeccable service is not to be expected.
Willing to give it another chance simply to enjoy the patio.

One of the few terraced restaurant options in Chicago. This little gem features a beautiful rooftop terrace with comfortable plush couches and green vegetation for a bit of that «Dinner in the garden» feel. Its great for get together’s with groups of friends, with a healthy menu that offers delicious mediterranean cuisine and Greek beverages. I personally would not recommend the Greek beers — although the wines are excellent. The appetizers are delicious.
I’m giving it five stars for the wonderful customer service that I’ve always received every time I came here, the waitresses have always been courteous, friendly and attentive.
Its a beautiful place, and a great summer/​spring/​fall option.

After sooo many years of passing by this place I finally had it and what’s funny is I thought it was Italian and to my surprise it was GREEK! lol
Well I came here the other night with a very dear friend of mine as she treated me for my Birthday and we sat upstairs in the patio the weather was perfect for it too! Came around 830ish and it was a bit slow but none the less the place is beautifully set up!!.
For our appetizers we orderded Saganacki and it was Pretty good a lil on the burnt side but it was actually really good and I enjoyed it and so did she as we both finished it! lol
They had some kind of martini specials going so of course we had to have one or 3 lol The Watermelon Martini is tooooo DIEEEE for! once you finish it the pieces of watermelon are still in the glass and boy do those suckers soak up all the liquor pure bliss I tell you!
Now for our main dish I ordered a Greek Chicken breast Plate that had 3 large pieces of chicken, rice, a roasted potatoe and some veggies. I wasn’t completely WOW’d but it was pretty good the rice needed to be cooked a lil longer and the Chicken was a little dry but still had some good flavor to it. And I think the potatoe was by far my favorite and that’s only me being biased cuz I love POTATOES!!! lol…
My friend had a vegeterian pasta with shrimp and boy those shrimp were nice and big and she seemed to love every bit of it!
Our waitress was extremely friendly and was also being shadowed by a girl who was training who was also really nice. The General manager constantly floated around to ensure everything was good.
So overall for my first time here I really enjoyed myself food was great and drinks and ambiance are wonderful!