On this Saturday night Guildhall was jammed in large part with theater goers attending the sold-out and extended Hedda Gabler production. We bumped our 6PM reservation to 6:15 - our first accommodation for this service-savvy business. Seated immediately but sitting for maybe 1-beat too long before being attended, our server was on us and brightly apologized if we'd been sitting too long and immediately took drink orders which were promptly served. We shared the Trout Lyonnaise salad to start. The smoked and entirely boneless trout together with a light dressing and spring greens was delightful and absolutely large enough to be shared between 2 with plenty of trout slices to go around. We followed this sharing the Ricotta Cavatelli and Great Lakes Whitefish. I thought the Cavatelli disappeared in the oversize pasta bowl but it was plentiful and it was plenty rich. My wife thought it had bacon but turned out to be chopped nuts. I thought a good touch. The whitefish was brought to life with a modest topping of eggplant puree and served with more of those spring vegetables. When asked how things were, I indicated, without complaint, that the accompanying greens on the fish plate were way too salty. The response was that the kitchen would be told immediately. A replacement side of greens appeared immediately and without request. Thank you. The only downside - and loss of one "star"- was the intense volume. With hardwood floors, plaster walls and hard ceiling, this re-purposed hardware store environment absorbs nothing. In this full house, conversation across the table was all but shouted and each of us had to lean in to hear. I'm glad it was only two of us as I wouldn't have been able to follow the conversation of a 4-top. Overall the meal was excellent and the service and accommodations were a strong complement to the food. read more

Wanted to do something different for my wifes birthday. Instead of dinner we did brunch. Guildhall came recommended in some foody article in Chicago magazine. The decor was something out of a restoration hardware\pottery barn catalog. Thats a good thing in case you have to ask. The servers were all on point and very attentive and friendly. We had eggs benedict and spinach crepes. Both very good. I had a side of apple wood smoked bacon. It was possibly the best bacon I'd ever had. And we ended the meal with the cinnamon bun. It took time and I was getting a little annoyed but they were still in the oven cooking. So a hot fresh cinnamon bun served in a cast iron dish is worth the wait. My wife loved it. We'll definitely go back. read more

Judging by all the reviews, the North Shore is desperate for a trendy place to dine. The only thing upscale about this place is the prices (Almost $100 per person). The service was snooty, sloppy and slow; we waited 15 minutes before we were even acknowledged, water glasses were filled haphazardly to overflowing nearly dousing our table, drinks were forgotten and food was spilled on one of us (all with no explanation or apology). Waiter was obviously overburdened, taking no time to explain dishes or preparation and offered nothing in the way of service or personality one would expect from a restaurant charging such ridiculous prices. To be fair, the food was OK; nobody at our table even commented on it as it was just passable. The portions were uniformly small and drastically overpriced (the desserts were the smallest portions I've seen in 25 years.) The decor and ambiance is crowded and noisy to the level of being prohibitive to conversation. All in all, seeing the crowd here made me wonder if they knew how much better they could do in Evanston or downtown. read more

My friend and I came here for late lunch after bridal gown shopping nearby. We were out of towners (from Ann Arbor) and fell in love with the ambience. Our server, Carlos, was exceptional, and the food and drinks were fantastic (bloodys and 'mosas, yes and yes). Management (or someone who thinks they are management) seemed a little stuffy, but I get it. This is a classy establishment, and rowdy Ann Arborites that we are, we stuck out quite a bit. We came back for a night cap after bringing some joy and merriment to the nearby wine bar, and we were kindly given copious amounts of water as we clearly didn't need any more drinks. Carlos made sure we had a safe way back to our airbnb in Lincoln Park (who comes all the way to Chicago to get drunk in the sleepy suburbs when we were staying in an area that could easily accommodate our rowdiness? My friend and me, as it turns out), and I'm sure the stuffier management folks were happy to see us go. Nonetheless, we had a fabulous time. So shout out to Carlos, Luis, and the other bartender whose name I can't recall because wine--you were lovely, kind, and very easy on the eyes. Glencoe is lucky to have you. read more

The food was terrific and the atmosphere is great for the burbs of Chicago. It's the feel of Chicago but much closer to home. Liz our server was very sweet and made the experience very pleasurable. Try the short ribs - they actually melt in your mouth. Not really sure why I didn't give it a five star review but something wouldn't let me. Very good experience. Give it a try if you haven't already. read more

Guildhall - Dinner at Guildhall. - New American Near Me - Glencoe, Illinois

I was so pleasantly surprised with how wonderful a job Guildhall has done to accommodate patrons during the pandemic. The service is top notch, and their willingness to make everybody as comfortable as possible really shines through. The meal is always great here, but the servers ability to deliver impeccable service really stands out. From individually wrapped blankets straight from the dry cleaner, to space heaters at every table, and the recent addition of greenhouse spaces. A ray of light that will keep us happy throughout the winter! read more

I really don't know what all the fuss is all about, I guess because the "Nowoth Showa" needed something above average which this place definitely delivers. But that's just it, its above average nothing more, nothing less. I had a burger and fries but done a bit fancier, big whoop. The place is so jam packed it's annoying. We had reservations for 7:30, waited 15 minutes and the hostess sat us directly at the entrance door. What a stupid place to put a table...so people can rub their tukas on my cosmo and spill it? I think not! When asked to be moved we had to wait another 20 minutes. not good. Oh did I mention the food was "meh"? read more

This restaurant has the potential to be much better. The food is good to very good, prices are legit and the look is fine. The problem is the service. It ranges from poor to indifferent to sloppy. The pacing is non-existent, there are attempts to grab your plates before you are done and then head scratching times when you cannot find your server to save your soul. Still it is a young restaurant and the hope here is that someone-anyone- will take control of the front room and bring some order to the place. read more

Beautiful deco inside. Food was ok, not great. We ordered the pork loin, grilled tenderloin, and salmon. Overall the proteins were dry. We also had the raw oysters, which were pretty good, except no horseradish! There were so many servers on the floor but service wasn't all that great. read more

See all

Decided to give this place a try after an early show at Writers Theater. It was a warm evening so we asked to be seated outside. We were shown to a table and handed menus but there weren't any place settings. After a while our waiter came by to ask what we would like to drink. I just asked for a glass of water with lime. Hubby echoed that. A bit of time passed and he delivered two lime wedges but we had no water. We waited a while longer and finally someone came by with two glasses that he filled with water. We added the limes ourselves. We decided to split a strawberry salad. I ordered the chicken and hubby the halibut. First they came with some bread and butter but we still had no place settings so we couldn't spread any butter. We had to flag someone down to get two place settings. The strawberry salad arrived in one large bowl. We told the waiter that we planned to split the salad, it would have been nice if they had done that in the kitchen for us. He did bring us two plates so we divide it ourselves. It was a bit difficult to do with only a knife and a fork. The salad though was very good. Not overly sweet and I loved the goat cheese in it. It was difficult to find many of the nuts though. When they cleared the salad plate they removed my only fork, which is normal but usually this is kept track of and replaced. It wasn't here. My chicken arrived and I had no fork. I asked for one and instead of just delivering the fork, they plopped down an entire place setting including the napkin. This all seemed odd and out of place for a restaurant of this kind. My chicken was only okay. Frankly though is was moist, the skin seemed a bit burned. The accompanying carrots were over spiced. Hubby's halibut was extremely small for the price. He speculated that maybe they only had a small amount left and decided to make two portions out of only one. Disappointing overall. The service needs much improvement and the food need tweaking as well. read more

Amazing place their wine unbelievable I like to come with my friends and family all the time feels like home read more

Guildhall - New American Near Me - Glencoe, Illinois

See all

The menu has changed and it's a disappointment. But changes happen and maybe it will work out. Biggest issue during our visit: Two of our four entrees arrived cold (grilled lamb) and had to be sent back. When they came back, the cutlets were overcooked-- not prepared as medium, which is what we originally ordered. This is the opposite of what the manager said would happen. Shoddy. The greenhouses are a great idea, so we'll go back. But with reservations -- in every sense of the word. read more

Reasons I do not like this restaurant: 1. The food is awful - especially for the price. The steak was charred so bad it tasted like I was chewing on charcoal - and I ordered it rare plus! My husband got the pork chop and it was overly salty, while our friends pork chop was so dry it was like swallowing sawdust. 2. The waiter expressed no interest in helping us choose foods to fit our tastes, he just tried to upsell us and was nowhere to be found after we placed our order with him. 3. The place was so loud that it was impossible to have a conversation at our table (and there were only four of us). 4. They pack people in like sardines. read more

I live in Glencoe and always thought that Guildhall was just as good of a dining experience as going downtown. The restaurant is beautiful and has a nice ambience. I invited a friend from a another area to introduce her to this hidden gem only to have a below average experience at best. Poor, inattentive service (it wasn't that busy for that to be the situation). Food was salty , coffee was cold, waitress was rude. I won't be going back. read more

I live a 3 minute walk from Guildhall, have gone probably a total of 3 times out of my 2 years living in the area. 2/3 visits have not been great... first time I went for my birthday just for drinks, and was met with an obvious air of offense and disapproval when disclosing me and my group were just getting drinks. I remembered this a year or so later (about 2 weeks ago now), so me and my friend specifically asked to sit at the bar to avoid offending anyone with our simple order from their cocktail list. The host said there wasn't room at the bar, but they did have a table for 2 available. The same attitude happened this time, too, when we disclosed to the waiter we were just getting drinks, a bit more blatantly even. Would suggest avoiding if you just wanted to enjoy the drink menu, unless you want to offend and get cold shoulder from waiters... even if not getting food is not the expectation when sitting at a table, the attitude is very off putting. read more

Overly-eclectic food, excessively loud environment. Staff seemed disorganized, as they got multiple food orders wrong, or perhaps just didn't care. read more

Gorgeous setting - stylish and full of light. Loved the large frame still life photographs. For brunch, I did not find too many seasonal items, but did enjoy the Mexican chorizo and hominy hash. Perfect amount of food - hearty but not too greasy. Vodka thyme lemonade was mixed exceptional well, I'm so impressed with how pronounced the thyme flavor was - so fresh! Very professional staff who handled a few of our requests gracefully. read more

One of the better restaurants in the north shore area and reminded us a bit of places we used to dine in when living in the city. Food was good, however, many of these restaurants that try to be "different" with their small plates and unique combinations of flavors add way too much SALT to their dishes. I'd like to actually taste the quality of product used, the freshness, rather than masking it with strong salty flavors. Over all, I'd come back, just would ask for "easy sauce" and "less salt" next time. read more

This is such an appreciated addition to Glencoe. The atmosphere is great. The wines by the glass list and cocktails are top notch. Please consider mixing up the menu once in a while. Maybe do a seasonal rotating menu? read more

cucumber martini, fritto misto, Caesar salad & braised short rib. Our dinner was outstanding!!! Not to mention the decor & coziness of the place is phenomenal. Love this restaurant. read more

See all

Service is superb! Excellent burger and nice outdoor patio. Modern and gorgeous interior.

As a Glencoe resident, I feel very lucky to have Guildhall as my local watering hole. The restaurant has terrific ambiance, top notch service, outstanding cocktails, and a constantly evolving seasonal menu. A great place to grab a quick drink early or late, have a special occasion dinner, or anything else in between. The barrel aged Manhattan is among the best I have had, while they also have a strong beer selection (including Saisson DuPont on draft), and exceptional wines. For food options I strongly recommend their burger, tenderloin steak, roast chicken, or any of their fish preparations. Overall, a terrific restaurant that I visit regularly. Highly recommended! read more

Hmm..one of those local institutions where you just shake your head, why. Beautiful interior. limited menu and food just average. Thought it was interesting also when they accidentally brought us someone else's appetizer. It sat on our table and not knowing, someone took a portion yet the server removed it from our table, and took it um where?? Bon appetit! read more

My wife and I dined at Guilhall for our anniversary. We were given a friendly greeting upon arrival and attentiveness remained throughout our meal. The restaurant was very clean, stylish, and comfortable. All staff were extremely knowledgeable and professional. There were nice size portions of creatively presented food. Really enjoyed the fun cocktail menu. We'll be back soon. read more

Amazing food, amazing ambience. I knew it would be a good experience but was not expecting such a great one. I have not had the caliber of food anywhere but award winning restaurants in the city. We will definitely be returning & sharing with friends! The drink menu was strong & classic with a few twists. We ordered old fashioneds, house drink specials (Tito's with peach & ginger), a pear infused martini, & an amazing house made limoncello- the best & most fresh lemon tasting I've had. Food items shared were the torte flambé, strawberry salad, the duck, & skirt steak. Everything was fresh, flavorful, & beautifully arranged. Aside from the amazing food the ambience was a modern glam infused with old world charm. Fresh & airy. Gorgeous lights, vibrant vibes. read more

The restaurant was nearly empty when I arrived at 6.30p - the hostess (dressed quite unprofessionally) escorted us to one of two tables next to the entry way and windows. Being -3 degrees outside - I wasn't enthused about sitting next to the freezing cold. Our waiter was very friendly and somewhat over attentive in constantly checking. Then when we asked for the check - it took much longer.... I ordered the Brussels sprouts and chicken, my friend the guildhall burger - they were scrumptious (to say the least). The food made up for a rocky start! read more

See all

We used to love happy hour at the bar pre-COVID. Always experienced great service and full dinner in the bar area. I did not eat in the main dining room. Recently returned to have a family dinner in their greenhouse and the service, food and ambiance was nothing short of spectacular. Very satisfied and happy to say I'd return. read more

This is the best restaurant in the North Shore. Consistently delicious food, drinks. Great service. Atmosphere is perfect - light, airy, cosmopolitan. We started off coming here because they had Sunday brunch - why is that so hard to find in suburbs??? - and LOVED it. Delicious food options, lighter if you prefer it, heavier if not! Kids are very welcome and treated respectfully. Have now been many, many times for all meals and loved them all. Also great for a drink at the bar. So glad this is here! Our Go-To for all occasions. read more

Great place! Food was terrific, try the short ribs! The cocktails are to die for. Ask Aaron or Miguel for their suggestions. A "table for one review". read more

Love the decor and people watching! Nice variety on the menu and service was good! Main attraction was carrot salad and flat iron steak for me! Have gone back three times already! I recommend but loud! read more

Guildhall - Girls night out - New American Near Me - Glencoe, Illinois

Cinnamon roll. Get the cinnamon roll. You can also get it Togo, the donuts too but it's always better hot! We went for Mother's Day-made a reservation so we didn't have to wait or anything. the restaurant is very cool, much like summerhouse Santa Monica in Chicago but more quaint with an antique yet modern feel... Does that even make sense? The bar is very cool-look retro but has top of the line cocktails. I got a ginger margarita which was pretty tasty! The chorizo hash was good but a little Lukewarm like it was sitting there waiting to be order but the flavor was great-wish the eggs weren't over hard and were over easy and there was a lack of salsa verde sauce. My mom loved her lobster eggs Benedict though-ate it all and she never eats everything on the plate! Oh and our service was excellent -greeted and chatted with as well as our server was very attentive but not annoying or pressuring. I'll be sure to recommend this place read more

I made my reservation online for earlier this evening. Once my husband and I arrived at the restaurant we met with our two other family members joining us. I told the host my first and last name. He told us he didn't have a reservation under my name. .. then he walked away to help someone else. I quickly pulled up my email confirmation and showed him my name, time of res and confirmation number. He then goes we have a "Michael Johnson" ... I said you mean "Michelle Johnson" he goes "Sure, yes"... He didn't even apologize! I thought that was rude for him mixing that up and ignoring us. Then this other man took us to our table. He put us at the very last table of the restaurant (high top table with metal uncomfortable chairs). I'm currently pregnant and so was my cousin who joined us.. we told them this was uncomfortable for us considering we are pregnant. They told us there was nothing they could do... (BS in my opinion). Honestly the food was mediocre. Nothing to write home about. Definitely not returning. Just shitty attitudes from the front of the restaurant to the back. Definitely way better places out there than this. read more

Delicious dinner which was a treat for our family! Their roast chicken is always delicious & it was tonight! My daughter devoured her burger & shared a little with us. The burgers are excellent-great flavor & quality. We ordered lots of appys which were good and enjoyed by all and for dessert my daughter loved the ice cream bar & we thought the chocolate bread pudding was delicious. The service was friendly & efficient & they managed to make everything look good even for takeout! It was such a treat during these times to have such a high quality restaurant dinner at home! On top of everything we had a question on the order & the restaurant was SO gracious about it - really they stand behind their food & restaurant experience-5 stars from us! read more

My last 2 meals at Guild were fantastic. For a suburban restaurant GH shines. A. The service is always excellent B. The place is gorgeous inside C. It's managed very well - Jerry does an outstanding job watching over the place. D. The food is consistently well presented and tasty Recently I had eggs benedict for brunch and it was perfect. While having drinks the other night I ordered the smoke salmon app and it was outstanding. Plated beautifully, great flavors, good acidity. Can't wait to order it again. GH has survived because of 3 things I stated above. Solid food, good management, good service. Highly recommend. read more

We loved it! The drinks were great, the service was great. it was loud but not over the top and i could easily talk to my dinner companion. Food was great. we loved the crab app, the fritto misto was good as well. We split the caeser and the portion was huge. i had the steak frites which was great and my husband thought the pork chop was the best he ever had. The atmosphere was lively and fun, we can't wait to return! read more

This place is really loud during dinner time. Bring a megaphone. I had to yell to be heard across the table. Terrible acoustics. Food is fine, not fantastic, but on par with the other north shore alternatives. Bar is a good place to hang out, and you can eat at the bar. Also, watch your credit card balance. I was charged 4 times for the same meal, every Thursday for 4 weeks after I visited. It was a hassle to get this reversed. Something wrong with their system, or a rouge employee was scamming me. Overall, I won't rush back, but glad to have a place in Glencoe pre-theater. read more

I really wanted it to be great, but it just didn't exceed my expectations. We found this place on a whim, and walked in and got seated outside quickly. We asked both our hostess AND the waiter if they could serve us in time for a 7:30pm show (it was 6:35pm) and they both assured us that we had plenty of time, and that they could serve us quickly before the show. Great wine for me and a martini for my boyfriend, we ordered the caesar salad, burrata and spaghetti altogether right when the drinks arrived. The salad and burrata came out quickly and both were DELICIOUS. We asked for our check to be delivered with the pasta so we could get things wrapped up quickly. At 7:20, the pasta and the check still weren't there, so we had to cancel the pasta and I had to run over to the theatre to grab our seats. It was disappointing to spend so much on apps and two drinks, and not have the entree after we had asked two separate people if we had enough time. Just managing our expectations would be fine--plus, they weren't very apologetic. read more

Had a wonderful Christmas Eve lunch at Guildhall today. So impressed with their safety protocols, service and special amenities in this Pandemic, Our family of 6 had our own heated tent, blankets and a delicious meal. read more

Very disappointing....atmosphere is fun and the restaurant is beautiful and that is all this place has going for it. Yuk.

We live in Glencoe and have eaten here before. Not bad, but never great. Tonight was our anniversary. My husband made reservations and asked for an outside table, mentioning it was our anniversary. We got there early.No outside tables, Were offered a small 2 top inside and asked about a table in the window. Nope. Too big. So we went across the street and had a really wonderful dinner at Valor. A table outside, perfect Bronzino and lobster fettuccini. Plus our favorite waiter, James. read more