Hemmingway's Bistro

Best dinner in Oak Park, love the ambience, the incredible French architecture and decoration. We ordered Beef Wellington and fish for dinner. Absolutely wonderful evening. Staffs are friendly, professional and attentive service. Thank you Mia and everyone. Highly recommend and love to be back 🌸❤️🍀.

Had a great meal here. The soup of the day was a mushroom bisque and it was amazing. Staff were kind. I sat outside and watched the world go by. Great spot.

Great family date night. Perfectly cooked duck and steak. Sides were unparalleled. Dessert was absolutely gourmet. Our waiter was perfectly on time with every move. I can't think of a better place to recommend. Parking was a little unusual. It appears to be a mansion in converted into a restaurant. You may not expect it to be in the neighborhood while driving. Ten out of five stars ⭐✨🤩

Our first time visiting, the food was amazing. Great service as well! The soufflé is a must!! Thank you Lucia for having us!

Staff is amazing, food is delicious, and it has a great ambient. They have several options for Sunday brunch and live music! Definitely stop by when you can

EXCELLENT SERVICE AND AWESOME FOOD!

The atmosphere is only surpassed by the quality of the food. The staff is amazing to boot. We will definitely be making the trek back just to come here

What an absolute delight! Lunch was delicious, the aviation cocktail a sure hit, and service was friendly and professional. Try the herb crusted whitefish, you won't be disappointed.

A truly great culinary experience. Top notch professional. Wonderful people charming. A must for special occasions

Food was fantastic! And the service was just as fantastic. Cannot wait to go back to Chicago so I can visit again. Very reasonable corkage fee

What a wonderful surprise this place! We went to the Hemingways tour and walking down the street we saw a few umbrellas with small tables, very Paris style. We sat and had great drinks and appetizers. Thanks to Juan our waiter who was very attentive! We will be back!!

We went there for brunch.The food was fabulous.The service was wonderful.It's just a little loud

Neighborhood gem! Wonderful experience. Charming location. Loved our choices!

Outstanding!! Thanks to Axel for the fantastic service. This was our first time here based on reccomendations from friends and it did not disappoint. The building and atmosphere are classic, romantic and unique. Food was amazing. We started with the cheese plate where you can choose the types you'd like to try. Whitefish was a good serving size with a wonderful sauce served with spinach and mashed. Desserts were yummy. I would especially recommend the chocolate mousse. Delicious and a generous portion. My favorite. This would be an excellent choice of restaurants for a romantic date, girl or guys night out, friends groups....special occasions. Anytime you want a good meal in a classy joint. Cocktail menu looked very appealing.

What a lovely little french bistro for brunch! My boyfriend and I came in on a lazy Saturday and had a delicious meal. They have some very kind and attentive wait staff. I highly recommend the crepes grantineé. They are very rich. My partner got the lox plate, and said that he wished he'd gotten something else, but it was still very well done. Highly recommend stopping by for some coffee, wine, and good company!

What a wonderful place for brunch! The food, service and atmosphere were fantastic! The singer and guitarist were excellent, and we got to meet and talk with them during their break. Brunch was a delightful experience! Outdoor dining was available, but we wanted indoor seating near the entertainers.

My experience was unique. I went at 5pm (crazy.) I was taken there because another steakhouse was closed. So to be so lucky to have tripped in here to have the entire place to ourselves with a recently cook beef wellington resting in the kitchen...ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!! That was amazing. I wanted to try every fancy cocktail, but fell in live with the lavender martini x3. I feel so naughty. Do it!

We consistently have some of the best lunches and dinners at the bistro. Highly recommend the Hemingway cocktail, oysters, the walleye special or whitefish. However it’s hard to go wrong on any other menu item. The scallops (when on the menu) are some of the best you’ll ever have. Everything is beautiful and the servers are all very attentive, kind, and knowledgeable.

This fine French restaurant is located in a small portion of a city building but here they serve some of the finest food and drink! You will love the food, and it's a comfortable place that's not too exotic for regular Americans to enjoy. You can tell a real French chef is in charge of this place. You will not be disappointed.

My family has been coming to Hemingway’s for over 10 years. We’ve celebrated so many milestones here. Can’t beat the rack of lamb, the fantastic martinis, and the great service

We went for the Sunday jazz champagne brunch and spent almost $70 per person (with tax and tip). The brunch includes a main dish (we got crab cake, lobster toast, and white fish), a buffet (pastries, cheese, quiche, smoked salmon, raw oyster, crab leg, fruit, and desserts), and a free drink (champagne, tea, coffee, or juice). There was also a guitarist and a singer playing jazz. The main dishes and the smoked salmon were really good. Overall it was a pretty enjoyable brunch, despite it being slightly overpriced.

Hemmingway Bistro is an absolute gem! ✨ I stopped by for dinner and had an incredible experience—great food, strong drinks, and top-tier service. 🍽️ Food & Drinks 🍸 Martini – 5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Delicious & strong—just the way I like it! No watered-down drinks here. 🐌 Escargot w/ Butter & Bread – 5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ It was my first time trying escargot, and I was pleasantly surprised! Perfectly seasoned, buttery, and melt-in-your-mouth good. Definitely highly recommended! 🌟 Service & Experience 🪑 Sat at the bar and had such a great time! The bartender was super kind, welcoming, and knowledgeable—gave me great recommendations, not just for the restaurant but for the area. Made me feel right at home. 💕 🎶 Bonus! It’s right across the street from a museum—after dinner, I walked over and enjoyed a jazz concert. Such a perfect way to end the night! 🚗 Parking & Ambiance 🚗 No parking lot, but street parking available (if you get lucky!). ✨ Clean, cozy, and inviting atmosphere. 💰 Price & Final Thoughts 💰 Reasonably priced—felt like great value for the quality. 💯 Would I go back? Absolutely! The food, service, and overall vibe were all on point. If you’re looking for a chic but laid-back spot with great drinks and escargot that’ll surprise you, this is it! 🍸🐌✨

It was a beautiful afternoon, so lunch at Hemingway's was necessary. The sidewalk seating is wonderful in the shade of umbrellas and the inn. The menu is full of bistro classics. We went for two specials of the day: the foie Gras appetizer with figs and honey, and the halibut with asparagus, potatoes, and mushrooms. Both were delicious. Dessert was profiteroles, also very nice. Summer having lunch outside is perfection.

The shrimp cocktail was delicious. The shrimp were all jumbo. 6 shrimp. If you like escargot, they make it for you there-slight hint of Pernod. Plenty of garlic and herbs. Not the best I've ever had but it was a decent attempt. The burger was definitely dreadful being overdone the bun was dry. The French fries were cold, soggy and tasted like frozen fries heated in an oven left out and then reheated in an attempt to save them. Awful for a restaurant of this caliper. The bartender knows how to make a very dry martini. I'd go back to try an entree. The blackened salmon sandwich was decent. But, alas, the same dreadful fries were served with it. Don't have the fries at lunch.

Let me start with service, because it was the best part! The service is impeccable! Our server was knowledgeable and really nice! No complains at all! Perfect! The restaurant has a good location but no parking. It is ok because you can always find a spot on the street. Food was ok. My dish was average ( chicken salad) but my friend’s dish was awesome! I tried it and it was so savory and tasty! Delicious! She ordered some crepes (even though it doesn’t look like classic crepes, you will see the photo). All in all I think this place needs some renovation, but- maybe it is the goal to keep place like this, a little bit old fashioned, I don’t know🤷‍♀️

Hemingway's Bistro gets my go to rating for fresh seafood with french flair. Located within a mid rise a block from Lake street, their space is cozy and unique. The restaurant and bar scream french bistro while the table setting and menu are elevated. We came here for seafood and standard french cuisine was not disappointing. A daily board menu greet guests upon entering and the staff was gratious to have us. Today's board included mushroom bisque, halibut, well point oysters and a mango souffle...We opted for two of the four specials and they were just the right amount of food. Oysters on the half shell for starters, entrees of Halibut with fingerling potatoes, mushrooms and roasted brussel sprouts and lamb shank with spaetzle and broccolini. Service was impeccable, throughout our meal with a very attentive wait staff. Wine bottles are a bit pricey with an average of $50, but worth the splurge. We'll be back for the souffle and pumpkin donut as we did not make room for dessert. Hemingway's Bistro is family friendly and a most welcoming restaurant.

I reserved a table at the restaurant, because it was within walking distance from the place, where we were going to the show. judging by the name and location, I was sure that this will be just another tourist place... we were pleasantly surprised! the restaurant exceeded all our expectations This is truly French cuisine everything ( we ordered from menu) was delicious nice service waiter was very helpful

Cute Bistro with amazing ambiance! Had a few drinks and apps all was good.

Magnificent setting and a nice group of people that staff the restaurant. I really enjoy the smoke salmon and some of their Seafood specials. It is also an excellent setting for a cocktail

A little noisy due to couple of patrons. Was there on Wednesday guitar and live singer ambiance was great addition.

I hadnt been here in years ...I had the Gruyere ham & eggs on brioche with fruit ..coffee ..nice outdoor patio .. nice place ..i sat outside .the issue was they were busy inside and it seemed they didn't have enough help because the folks on the patio were getting ignored ..the servers a Were very nice .. the service was slow ... OQ

Cute place the food was yummy & service, was great 👍🏼 French restaurant.

First time last time. Dinner reservations at 745 after a show. Seated on time outside on a beautiful summer evening. Waitress poor at best. Shrimp cocktail delicious. Warm goat cheese salad amazing! Herb crusted whitefish & steak very good. Service very poor. When a waitress comes to your table two & three times to ask us if we got our appetizer & did you get your salads? Isn’t that her job? We got our appetizer in a very timely manner. Big time gap between appetizer & salad. Salad arrives & then dinner came about three minutes later. We did not get asked how our meals were or if we wanted more to drink. She had a heavy accent & at times was difficult to understand. We had to ask for our check. $175.00 later & not worth it.

First things first - the food is good for sure. I got the NY Strip and it was tasty, the sides were really good, and the blueberry lemon tart was delicious. I also got the baked brie and it was really good. If that's what you're after, it's a good place. I went for my 30th birthday, I wanted to treat my family to a good meal. The vibe was pretty unfriendly, honestly. My server Lupe was really inattentive. He could barely find time to come and take care of us. It wasn't all his fault, probably, he was juggling serving and bartending, so they might have been understaffed. He spoke Spanish, but seemed ashamed to speak it to my mom and grandma, especially my grandma who barely speaks English. It would have been fine, but come check time suddenly he was fluent and joking and asking where they were from. It felt like he was begging for a tip. I had to wave down people to ask for things, which was pretty awkward, it felt like I was treating them as servants or something. The wait times were pretty long. I think that was meant to be the experience, casual, long, no one interrupting you and your group, but it came off as my family just sitting there isolated. In the end, the food was good, but we didn't really enjoy ourselves. I'd get food to go from here, but I don't think I'm going to sit down there again.

Pre-covid we went here a few times for Sunday Brunch and loved it. We tried to go back yesterday only to find out the price is now $52. Pretty steep for one person. What's really annoying is that the price is not on their menu, and a deep search of the internet reveals quite old pricing.

I've lived in the general area of Oak Park for 20 years, and this place has been on my radar for a bit. Why didn't I go before? I understood that it was a bit fancy, and I'm not a fancy guy. However, I was curious, so when I looked up "Easter brunch " and found this place was offering, I decided to give it a shot It was $46 for a single entrée and a buffet, plus a complimentary drink. Sounded a tad pricey, but I assumed that the buffet would be impressive. How wrong I was... I arrived on time with my party of three. We were seated promptly and offered drinks. I opted for a mimosa and went to the buffet while I waited for my "main meal" When I got to the buffet, I looked for the rest of it. The buffet was absolutely pathetic. I've literally had more impressive FREE buffets offered at hotels I've stayed at. Three types of cheese (unsliced), an unimpressive selection of bagels, a single type of salad, and a selection store bought desserts When my meal arrived, (gruyere sandwich) it was good, but nothing special. When I got the bill, I was shocked. Almost $200 for three people, and a good part of that was for the additional drinks. I knew that only the first drink was complementary, but I thought that the additional ones would be $8-10 tops, but they were $16!!! For cheap champagne and juice! I could have gotten a proper cocktail for that price. Yes, it's mostly my fault for assuming, but still All in all, if I paid $25 at my local corner Cafe, I'd be satisfied. As it is, I was incredibly disappointed and even a little angry If you want a proper brunch, go to Fogo de Chao. The price for brunch is the same ($46) and you have a MUCH larger selection at the buffet, MUCH higher quality food, and a MUCH nicer atmosphere, and much better atmosphere

Waited 45 minutes to put in the food order. Came tor a birthday dinner and was thoroughly bummed. Drinks were tasty (except for the Mai Tai). We also got the cheese platter appetizer and the cheese came uncut and with literally 3 crackers for me and 3 crackers for my partner. I got the steak frites, cooked medium, and it was juicy and tasty. The NY Strip, however, was totally dry and chewy even though it was also ordered medium. Oh aaand the food came a full hour after we sat down

Very disappointed! We were so excited to finally eat here and the food was terrible. In a time when eating at home is very inexpensive, it's expected that restaurants (especially high-priced places) NEED to have a top-notch menu. Even the menu didn't look appetizing. I knew right away that the food was going to be awful because the Manhattan cocktail I ordered was the worst cocktail I've ever had in my life. I ALWAYS predict the food based on a Manhattan or an Old Fashioned-- and well, my theory held true. The bread I had tasted like chewing gum. The duck I had tasted like a Costco rotisserie chicken leg and my wife's steak frites tasted like week old liver. The fries were okay. The salad on both of our plates looked and tasted like the salad that's at the bottom of an Aldi mixed salad container (look at the picture provided). I ended up eating everything on my plate because I was very hungry! At no point did our server ask us how the food was because I'm quite certain that even he knew it was trash. Save your hard earned money and eat somewhere else. I will never eat here again, even if someone paid me. Seriously, the chef needs to be evaluated. The servers were nice tho.

In summary: Hemingway will roll over in his grave for his name being used like this. - We waited 30 mins after we finished our appetizers (45 mins after we ordered) for our overcooked, yet cold fries, cold fish, untoasted bun that became soggy with wet lettuce. And tiny lobster toast which came at the same time was burnt on the bottom. Versus, a mid-aged couple who came AFTER us got a good service from the same server, got their food in timely manner, and most importantly, got their food hot. By the time they were done with their food, and was ready for their check, we got our cold, soggy, burnt food. When we asked to speak to the manager to address this issue, conveniently, all the managers were gone for the day.

I made a reservation for the Champagne jazz Sunday brunch . My father was visiting from out of town celebrating his wedding anniversary . We arrived a bit early . The bistro was not crowded. The brunch consist of a buffet, glass champagne or champagne mix drink , an entree from menu . The shrimp on the buffet were quite rubbery tough texture poor taste . The quiche was not flavorful as well . My choice of entree was the poached egg on crab cake . The crab cake was really over cooked on outside and missing the fresh crab taste completely no crab taste detected . My father said his French toast was good . And his wife said the whitening fish was good as well. The jazz band was pleasing . When I made the reservation I discussed with the contact person that it was my dad’s wedding anniversary and he was from out of town . They indicated they would acknowledge and do a little something special . But no mention towards the end of the meal I mentioned it to the waiter which he replied happy anniversary . There so many places around I should have taken them to for same price with most fresh & top of the line with flavor and great customer service . I would not recommend their brunch . The food the fresh ingredients is just lacking .