The Dawson - Chicago

My husband and I had dinner at The Dawson for Valentine’s Day. The space is beautiful. Service was outstanding and food delicious. They only offered a Valentine... read more My husband and I had dinner at The Dawson for Valentine’s Day. The space is beautiful. Service was outstanding and food delicious. They only offered a Valentines Day pre fixe menu however there was a nice amount of dishes to choose from within the 4 courses. Our waiter suggested the Short Rib and Polenta which I ordered and the Halibut which my husband ordered. Both were great choices. Wood fired oysters good, Lobster DeJonge was outstanding. Wedge Salad a little too dressed for me but was still good. Service and ambiance great. My only concern is that I later saw that I was charged $10 additional for the sorbet and berries which was on the pre fixe menu as a dessert option. I don’t remember seeing anything indicating there would be an additional charge. Food: 5 Service: 5 Atmosphere: 5

Ambiance and music were nice but I would not recommend for food or service. I expected much more for a $95 Valentine’s pre-fixe dinner. We came for dinner and o... read more Ambiance and music were nice but I would not recommend for food or service. I expected much more for a $95 Valentine’s pre-fixe dinner. We came for dinner and ordered the 4-course Valentine’s menu, which sounded great on paper but was disappointing across the board. The meatballs were overcooked and tough, the lobster was stuck to the shell and difficult to remove, and both the halibut and Filet Oscar were bland and lacked seasoning. Dessert is where the experience really went downhill. We ordered the sorbet with berries and the chocolate lover’s mess. When the dessert arrived, it was clearly the strawberry mousse. We asked the server if this was the chocolate molten cake we ordered, and he confidently said yes—adding that it’s “not the first time it’s been mistaken.” That didn’t sit right, so we checked the menu ourselves and confirmed it did not match at all (no chocolate cake, no chocolate ice cream). When we asked him again to verify, he came back with a smirky comment saying, “That’s one way to get a free dessert.” Excuse me? That comment was extremely rude and unprofessional. There was no apology, no accountability, and no proper send-off at the end of the meal. For the price point and the occasion, the food and especially the service were unacceptable. Meal type: Dinner Price per person: $100+ Food: 2 Service: 2 Atmosphere: 5

Beautiful outdoor space and lots of seating! I got the burger with egg which was delicious and the cookie skillet was divineeee. Super sweet but tasty. The rico... read more Beautiful outdoor space and lots of seating! I got the burger with egg which was delicious and the cookie skillet was divineeee. Super sweet but tasty. The ricotta toast was a stand out for me but other apps were good as well. We got the Brussels sprouts and the cucumber/watermelon salad. The service was also pretty good as well. Nothing crazy but our waitress stopped by often. Would go again and recommend.

The Dawson is a go-to brunch spot of mine with one of the prettiest patios in the city! This time around, I ordered the burger with an egg on top which was so g... read more The Dawson is a go-to brunch spot of mine with one of the prettiest patios in the city! This time around, I ordered the burger with an egg on top which was so good. The burger came with jam and brie and the fries were amazing too. We also ordered the brunch empanada which tasted kind of like funnel cake! The servers are always super attentive and friendly as well :

Ambiance, ambiance, ambiance! That was the theme of The Dawson. The patio was lovely and as the sun set behind the skyscrapers of Chicago, it became all the mor... read more Ambiance, ambiance, ambiance! That was the theme of The Dawson. The patio was lovely and as the sun set behind the skyscrapers of Chicago, it became all the more wonderful. The twinkling lights, beautiful vegetation, and the centerpiece: the show-stopping, quaint fireplace sitting at the back of the patio. This up scale, but not quite high end, restaurant hosted a wide range of parties the night I was there. From birthday parties, old friends catching up, girls night out, and romantic date nights, The Dawson can accommodate all. While the food at The Dawson was very good, it came up just a bit short for my party and I. Each dish we ordered had a minor issue that stopped it from being elite level new-American cuisine. The green goddess salad was a bit too tart, mac and cheese too peppery, lobster roll had a few pieces of shell, and the twice fried potatoes not quite as crispy as we thought they were going to be. The appetizers we ordered were very good. We had the Brussel sprouts and mussels and they were the highlights of the meal. I really struggled giving The Dawson 3 stars, but I also didn't think it deserved 4 stars. A more just review would be 3.5/5 stars. Overall, I'd return to The Dawson for the patio, but not sure I would come back for the food.