Came here on a Saturday just for the high tea service with a friend. This is my first time visiting the Drake hotel in Oakbrook ever as well as the colonial room. What I love is that parking was very easy and very free. The ambience as soon as you walk in of the hotel is very modern with some classical traditional touches. The place overall is very impressive and a great place to host probably have meals as well as even parties. I will say the tea service itself was good and decent, but it wasn't impressive. Meaning I thought that for two people they would mirror all of the food offerings however that was not the case. Also, I felt that the food offering, especially for the savory items was quite limited. There were only nine choices. However, the choices were all loose leaf tees, which was great. The high tea also includes a free glass of champagne, which is always a nice touch. The place are absolutely beautiful and take great photographs. A stand out from the entire experience was definitely the staff which includes the waiter and the support partners that he had. They were super attentive and friendly, which always makes for a good experience. I think for the price and for what you get it was a little short and I will continue to try out high teas to find just the right one. read more

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Made a reservation an entire month before our planned event - a birthday celebration for one of the invitees. We confirmed 1 day prior when the restaurant sent me a text asking I do so Got a call from venue roughly 6hrs before our scheduled dinner, abruptly cancelling our reservation because "a big party" had been booked. Their money must be greener ....(?) So it became MY responsibility, at the last possible moment, to notify our invitees (including a very disappointed birthday guest) that we, in fact, had no reservation for their celebration, which was for me both inconvenient AND embarrassing. Our evening was entirely ruined because by the time we learned we would no longer be seated tonight it was impossible to find another restaurant in the same general proximity that had available tables even close to our preferred time. read more

Colonial Room - Voicemail transcript of reservation cancellation - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Oak Brook, Illinois

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Myself and two other ladies met here to celebrate our upcoming birthdays . I found myself comparing it to the Drake downtown Chicago but the wait staff took great care of us and they played happy birthday on the saxophone. In addition the high tea we were offered champagne and they brought out a birthday slice of cake with candles . They do a good job of making you feel very special. I could have sat there for hours by the fireplace drinking my warm chai tea. Thank you for making our pre- birthday celebration very memorable. read more

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Food is always great as well as the service. Highly recommend the French onion soup, Caesar salad and crab cakes. I wish this place was busier because they do a great job! read more

4th time visiting for Xmas Eve and I must say the quality of the selection of food was below expectations from previous years. Carving station was disappointing for the price per adult. No live music either. read more

I was looking forward to our annual Christmas Eve brunch and had booked the Colonial Room at the beginning of December. When we arrived, I noticed the bar was closed, and there was a long line. Still, I remained optimistic that we'd have a great experience. The family ahead of us was finally greeted and told there would be a 10-minute wait for their reservation, which they understandably found surprising. My reservation was for 11:15 AM, but we stood waiting until 11:45 AM before being seated--with no apology from the host. Once seated, we discovered there was no brunch or breakfast menu, despite the reservation stating a "breakfast all-day" option. When I asked about it, the host simply said, "We don't have it." At that point, we decided to leave. The service was terrible, and the ambiance didn't make up for it. My husband's comment summed it up perfectly: "You should not have booked at the the fake Drake. I will never return to this place. It was a huge disappointment, especially on Christmas Eve. read more

We ordered dinner and breakfast from the Colonial Room while staying at the Drake Oakbrook. Room service was prompt and we received our meals in takeout containers. Not sure if the takeout containers were part of their covid protocol but regardless the food was delicious. Generous portions too. I really enjoyed my bone-in strip steak dinner. My steak was cooked to temperature and the Cognac-Peppercorn cream sauce was perfection. Ben enjoyed his loaded gourmet burger. It was huge and we ended up having leftovers for the next day. We had breakfast in their dining room and the service, food and atmosphere was top notch. Depending on what you get, breakfast/lunch pricing averages around $15-30+ pp and dinner is around $20-125. read more

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I was looking forward to a high tea experience in the suburbs without having to drive downtown and at the end of the day ...it was OK. We didn't get to sit the main room because they had a private event, so we sat in the side room and we were the only ones in the restaurant - which was a bit odd and diminished the experience. The scones were small (seemed more dinner-roll like) and came with no clotted cream (and we had to ask for butter) and the food was ok - but nothing amazing for the $75 per person price. I did like how you got a complimentary glass of champagne. read more

Colonial Room - Tea service - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Oak Brook, Illinois

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Great ambience and fabulous meal! Love this place. We absolutely love their château for two. Does not disappoint! read more

Colonial Room - Château, Breanne - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Oak Brook, Illinois

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The place is very small and the walls are nicely decorated. The service was mediocre. The drinks were over priced for what you got and also took 10 minutes to get to the table even though there was nobody there. The food was really good though. French onion soup was good, steaks were great & the lobster tail was delicious. Unfortunately we will not come back though because theres nothing special about this restaurant. The hotel is beautiful though! read more

ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING! In order to avoid the Christmas Crowd, three friends and my wife and I scheduled a lunch at the Colonial Room at the Drake Oak Brook. IT WAS A NIGHTMARE!!! I will never go back there again! Our reservation was for 12:45. We couldn't order a drink a drink because the bartender didn't arrive until 1:00 pm. We have never had such a poor waitress. She spoke very pour English, eventhough she had been in the country 40 years. What's more she didn't know the menu. We thought she may have been brought from housekeeping to fill in for the day. She wasn't familiar with the drinks and didn't know which one to serve to the person who had ordered. We all ordered soup as a starter. It came out too cool to eat and had to be sent back. In the process, she collected all the soup bowls, without regard to which bowl had been served to which person. She came back with the individual bowls and served without regard. One of the folks ordered a Negroni. She was clueless as to what it was or how to spell it. I helped her When it came time for the check, she finally got everyone their correct bill after four attempts. I felt sorry for her as she was evidently untrained and didn't have a clue about the restaurant. It wasn't her fault but it was the fault of the restaurant. Therefore, I'll never go back. It was a miserable experience and took away all the joy from a Christmas lunch with friends. read more

Did afternoon tea for xmas with grands.Everything about it was awful.7 of us 3 children .Bill was over 500 $ and no one drank anything.The service was beyond slow.The hot choc for kids came ice cold no marshmellow,whip cream,Made from a pckg with water not milk.Bad.The mini sands were on stale,I mean stale bread.The desserts were like from jewel and lacked any flavor or unique choices!!! It was such a huge disappointment. Stay away and save! There are many others that care.Downtown may be different.ZERO STARS!!! read more

This review is specifically for the witches afternoon tea. My mother and I go for afternoon tea at various hotels at least a few times a year, usually Mother's Day, Halloween, and Christmas, at the very least. My mother often tells people that her favorite afternoon tea experience was the Halloween Spook Tea at the Drake Hotel in downtown Chicago. So we were very excited to experience a Halloween-themed tea at a Drake hotel that's closer to home. I'll start this review with the good: upon arriving, you could tell there was a lot of effort put into the Halloween decor, which was awesome. Whoever decorated the room did an awesome job. At the end of the tea, we were also given a gift of jars of honey, which was a nice touch. Unfortunately, that's where the positive part of this review ends. The food at this tea was the second worst we have ever experienced (the worst being at a tea room where we were served sandwiches with actual soap in them... so, you know, low bar.) I appreciated that the finger sandwiches and desserts were created with a "spooky" theme; however as much attention should have been put into the taste of the food. For a price of $75 per person (before tax and tip), we expected the food to be good. The first course consisted of a white chocolate covered strawberry that was mushy inside and an apple slice with candy corn. The savory course featured three tasteless sandwiches. Cucumber sandwiches are one of my favorite things and are very hard to ruin; however, this place managed to completely obliterate it, serving a cuke sando that was watery and bitter. The worst offense, however, was a "spooky" deviled egg that looked like poop (photo included), and was decorated with candy eyeballs. While I appreciate the attempt to "spook" it up, it seems very odd to put candy on a deviled egg and the same effect could have been achieved with olives or something unsweetened? I was so off-put by the appearance of the egg that I didn't try it, but my Mom tried hers and said it was absolutely disgusting. The sweets course was also a huge miss. Mini cupcakes were clearly store bought. Every single bite, from the macaron to the truffles were coated in a thick layer of candy melt, which completely obliterated any taste from the treats themselves. Waxy, overly sweet candy melt was all you could taste. It was quite sickening. Again, I really do appreciate that there was effort put into decorating the room and the food for the theme and I was almost tempted to add a star our of appreciation for that effort. But the food was so abysmal and the price so expensive that I can't in good conscience rate this anything more than 1 star. Even 1 star seems generous. The food quality was embarrassing and I'd encourage the staff here to go and experience a tea at another hotel in the same price point (such as the four seasons or london house) and ask themselves if they really think the tea they served was worth the price they charged. read more

Colonial Room - This is what $75 gets you. - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Oak Brook, Illinois

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*** Review in the times of Covid*** I went here for my birthday and it was a great time. They have four igloos outside that only have those radiant heat dishes that you can buy at Costco. Two inside my igloo. Was it warm enough inside to take your coat off? Sure. Could it have been warmer? Yes, definitely. Overall, it was a good dining experience. I had the French onion soup which was very very good. I would come back here just for the soup. I also had the polenta stacks. The sautéed veggies were tasty, the polenta was kind of bland. My hubby had the chicken wings and the Chilean sea bass and he said it all tasted good. We had the flourless chocolate cake and it was very good! Service was decent. The servers could have come around more often to check if you needed anything, but overall did a good job. My one big disappointment was that on open table I marked that were there to celebrate a birthday.. my birthday. Anytime I've marked any special occasion, the restaurant has always acknowledged that fact. They did nothing of the sort and it was honestly a real let down. There is a minimum you have to meet to get an igloo. $200 after 5pm Sunday - Thursday and $300 after 5, Friday and Saturday. read more

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Afternoon tea was a good experience and would do again- the bread on the sandwiches was stale & hard, the scones were hard. The tea was delicious and hot water was offered numerous times and the dessert was yummy- especially the pumpkin cheesecake, carrot cake, and the macaroons. The service was great and the people working were so sweet! read more

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Unbelievable! 4 hours before our Birthday lunch reservation for 10 family members, I get a call from the restaurant that they are are cancelling our reservation because they have a luncheon booked that day. I had this reservation for weeks and even spoke with the restaurant earlier this week to adjust the number of people and confirmed the reservation. They made no mention of a conflict at that time. We had to scramble that morning to modify our plans because we had family coming in from all areas of the City for a Birthday celebration. If you decide to eat hear, better call and confirm your reservation within 4 hour of arriving and keep your fingers crossed. read more

The great Bart Simpson was fond of saying "underachiever, and proud of it man". That is a fitting motto of this place. Probably the best patio in the western suburbs but they manage to tank it with poor service and just general lack of care. We were there on a beautiful Friday, weather couldn't be better, yet we were the only couple seated on the patio. That tells you something. No host at table. No waitress came. Finally we were served by an amazing bus boy. Surprisingly the food wasn't bad. I had a burger and fries and it was fine. My wife's meal okay too. Not going to win any awards for food but good enough. They simply need to get it together and this would be a gold mine. Oh and plant some trees. Looking at roads is not the best sight. Great yard but no tree line blocking the traffic. read more

My best friend and I went on a girl date to celebrate her upcoming marriage. The afternoon tea at the Drake Oak Brook exceeded expectations! We were welcomed with warm scones with spreads. All tasting homemade. There were plenty of tea selections including decaf options. Then it was followed with three tears of finger foods including sandwiches, macaroons, cakes, and fruit. David our waiter continuously refilled out teapots and finger foods. The attention we were provided made us feel special. The chef prepared a surprise desert once hearing of the celebrations. Truly thankful and will be returning. read more

Pretty room that is neat and nice for a gathering. The overall hotel is very luxurious and well-kept.

My husband and I went for dinner. David, the waiter, went out of his way to make it an enjoyable experience. He began with drinks and even though I wasn't planning on drinking, he brought some wine to taste. The prisoner was excellent!!. Dinner was very beautiful and tasted wonderful. My husband had salmon and they did not skimp on the portion size. My burratta salad was very tasty and filling. The entire experience was wonderful. We will definitely go again!! read more

Absurd to call yourself an upscale restaurant and charge prices like these when you can't present wine properly or serve dinner with guests waiting 2 hours!! The waiter was totally out of it. He couldn't even ask how I wanted my steak prepared on a $75 surf/ turf! He never brought bread after being asked 3 times. We had to pour our champagne as he was never around. A manager finally brought our dinners but cold risotto and no melted butter for lobster! I can spend a lot less $ at a restaurant that is attentive and we don't wait 2 hours for our meal. This place should be ashamed of themselves read more

Food was very good. Service not so good. Got our checks without being asked if we wanted coffee, dessert, or anything else.

This place looked really promising online, but when we got there, we were disappointed. Food was just OK, average quality, nothing to remember. Service was very slow and we didn't really feel welcome there. The hotel itself is very nice, but this cafe looks like it doesn't belong there. Overall, there are much better places in the area, so I'd recommend skipping this one. read more

We arrived after a long drive, for dining and dancing, and were very disappointed there was no longer a dance floor, due to Covid rules. It was tempting to turn around and go home. But we were seated by Cesar, who worked his magic and turned our evening around. The food there is magic. (We have done a whole bunch of reviews on the Colonial, but they seem to have disappeared.) They have always turned simple foods like sandwiches into masterpieces. I had a terrific Chicken Sandwich. The meat was a whole chicken breast, with various goodies to crown it, in an oversized bun. We also had the Tenderloin Sliders again, a simple treat we have often enjoyed before. You can get a variety of seafood or chops, from simple sandwiches or flat-breads, all the way up to a Chateaubriand. Prices start below $15, but they are all chef-grade creations. Our server Cesar kept his eye on us, and was a big reason we were glad we stayed. We have gone there for years, and have always enjoyed the food, the service and the entertainment. read more

I've stayed at this hotel many times and finally had dinner in the bar. You can get the bar menu or the Colonial Room menu. The staff is great! I ordered the Salmon with a Honey bourbon sauce over Parmesan risotto and it was honestly one of the best meals I've ever had. It was so good I had it again the next night. I travel a lot and rarely do I enjoy hotel food so that's why I was hesitant to try it, but this was outstanding!! read more

We went on Mother's Day. We ordered the prime rib and the tomahawk. Both had to be sent back because the Tomahawk ($125 piece of meat) came out purple and the prime rib was way overdone. My daughter's spaghetti off the kids menu was inedible. We had higher expectations. It was disappointing. read more

Unfortunately, the owner of this hotel allows his inebriated friends to abuse his restaurant staff (calling them names, directing racial slurs at them) to the point that they are terrified to take action when such friends direct their aggression to other customers. Last night, I was dining with a few female friends, when 2 extremely drunk men approached our table (unprovoked, not wearing masks) and proceeded to harass us, threaten us and call us names (c***, b******, dogs, hogs) when we asked them to leave. The situation escalated to the point that the table next to us asked the staff to call the police. The staff informed us that they were afraid to do so, bc these men were friends of the owner. After 40 minutes, the owner finally visited our table and informed us he asked the men to leave. While this was appreciated, his proceeding actions were not. While speaking with us, he denied that their behavior was anything more than a simple annoyance, denied that they were his friends and he allows then to regularly act this way, continued to make excuses for the men, and even had the audacity to suggest that we instigated their threats. His response was so appalling that, once again, the table next to us intervened and informed him that they will never patronize his establishment again. It goes without saying, that we will also never be back. I would expect that a hotel owner would pride themselves on ensuring that their hotel is safe for both their customers and staff, but clearly, this is not the case with Jim Nagel. Based on his behavior and words, it is clear that Jim Nagel has no issue with women and staff being harassed in his hotel at the hands of his friends. Please do not patronize this establishment. read more

Went here for dinner with some customers. We were their only customer for the first half but it picked up a little. The bar tender was amazing, she got us a great table outside after drinks where we had a delicious meal and enjoyed cigars and after dinner drinks. She even went out of her way to find a special bottle of wine for us to enjoy. Very unsuspecting and underrated! Tell your friends! read more

Had dinner from here several weeks ago and am just getting around to reviewing. I will say that since that time I can't stop thinking about their Berkshire pork shank. I'm not really a pork person but it's one of their specialties and O-M-G this was one of the best meals I've ever had and especially since Covid started. It was made with love. I was able to speak to the chef to tell him how much I enjoyed it. He was so humble. Typically hotel restaurants are mediocre at best. THIS WAS NOT THE CASE. This is a restaurant that I will continue going to and probably sooner rather than later as my hubby is tired of me talking about how much I want that pork shank again! Additionally the service staff couldn't be nicer, Anna and Davia are the best and Davia makes really good drinks too! read more

I visited the Colonial Room at the Drake Oak Brook for the first time for Easter Brunch (2021). I was unimpressed with the immediate body block at the front door from a gentleman (poorly dressed and unidentifiable as an employee,) that ran up to our party of four to aggressively ask if we had a reservation. Covind-19 protocol aside, it was rude and surprising. He was very, and unnecessarily, imperative in his instructions to wait in line to check in. Once inside and placed into a que for the hostess pedestal, we were immediately informed that we were to pay in advance. I had to ask what the price was, as it was not itemized on the check. After inquiring, I was then told that tax and gratuity were included. I received no itemized check, just a bottom- line receipt to sign. All of the above was enough to turn around and leave, but due to having had to pay a $50/person non-refundable deposit at the time of reservation two weeks ago, (which I now clearly understand is a shake down and an excuse to act like a discount warehouse checkout and store exit policy when you walk into the restaurant, and also a license to provide substandard food and service.)* NOTE: I would not have provided a nickel in gratuity for the sub-standard quality of the venue, service and food. The food stations were plentiful, and all had velvet rope barriers with attending servers plating food from the various platters and warming vessels for each person in line. Again, notwithstanding the Covid-19 precautions, this prevented a close inspection of the specific morsels of food that I would have wanted to pick and consume. (from what was actually placed on my plate, the fish was dry, the chicken was dry, the miniature eggs benedict/Florentine was served on a cardboard-like crouton of some sort of bread-like facsimile.). Also, one of the reasons I chose this restaurant and brunch for my guests was the cold "Seafood and Raw Bar" with oysters on the half shell featured. When I arrived at the station, there were no oysters on the half shell left. I inquired to the young man attending the area, who seemed challenged to understand what I was saying (ie., doesn't speak English.) He then went through a nearby door, I assume to a kitchen, and came back to motion me to wait, implying the oysters would be there (this was communicated to me with some sort of head nod and finger-point toward the door.) I waited 5 minutes while standing there with my plate in my hand until another gentleman came out of the kitchen and went over to the first young man and shook his head "no". I went up to the gentleman and asked if there were oysters and he responded by shaking his head "no", again I suspect a language barrier. Then, no more than 10 minutes later, another guest at my table, who subsequently went to replenish his plate, represented that he went to the same oyster bar and returned with 4 oysters, [and that the oyster "display was full."] It was frustrating and disrespectful to have the staff with such a low level of competency and such an obvious inability to communicate effectively and with integrity. Additionally, the "all you can drink" "Champagne" and mimosas were a huge draw to this brunc. However, the "American" Champagne was poured out of a screw-off-cap bottle of literally the least expensive brand of swill you could buy and serve, (and have the nerve to charge money for.) It should have been represented as "sparkling wine" instead of "Champagne" on the menu and website. I consider this a substantial misrepresentation. Since the sparkling wine was undrinkable, we ordered a bottle of authentic French Champagne, which cost us an additional $125+. The French Champagne was served to us with accompanying proprietary promotional [plastic] vessels which were not washed prior to our using them and seemingly were unwrapped and used for guests immediately "out-of-the box" prior to being placed on our table. Once filled with the French Champagne, the first sip was like placing a water hose in your mouth with the toxic petroleum plastic essence of the colorful non-glass plastic-ish vessels leaking into the precious champagne. My instinct was to spit it out of my mouth, but I reluctantly swallowed it. This taste left a lasting impression on me. I plan to report the incident to the Champagne maker since it is one of my favorite brands and now is a bad memory and diminishes my opinion of the particular Champagne house. I WILL NEVER GO TO THIS VENUE AGAIN FOR ANYTHING EVER. I was surprised to see this as a Marriott Autograph Collection and will now reconsider how much I trust I Marriott in the future. This restaurant is objectionable and an embarrassment and I completely regret spending my hard-earned money here, and had to apologize to my family and guests for bringing them there. * NOTE: I would not have provided a nickel in gratuity for the sub-standard quality of the venue, service and food. read more