I went here yesterday. A little over crowded and probably too much to handle for the small amount of servers they have. My biggest complaint is the person behind the bar. I ordered a specific drink and I saw her sneak and pour me something else. When she gave me the drink I had her repeat what I ordered and she said what I actually ordered but I told her she did not pour that and she said why are you watching me. I was shocked! None the less the drinks are very overpriced. The drinks I ordered was not even considered top shelf . 2 drinks was $27. Never Again! read more

First of all Willie was amazing! I had the Blackened Catfish with Duck Stuffing, a side salad and Pomegranate martini. Everything exceeded my expectations (which says a lot coming from a picky eater). I would absolutely recommend this spot. Can't wait to come back to try their breakfast! read more

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Nice spot where you can grab a bite to eat or lounge. The front part is a restaurant and the back is a lounge area. The staff are friendly and attentive. There was no hostess when my party arrived so we sat wherever we pleased. The place was clean including the restrooms. The food was good I had salmon but some persons in my party weren't too found of the flavors and taste. I feel like this place has soo much potential. I went on a Friday after work and there was a light crowd surprisingly. Maybe they should do a happy hour to attract more people or have daily drink specials. read more

Norman's Bistro - Magerita - Brazilian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Excellent food and services. Prices very reasonable. Did brunch and ordered from menu several times. Food is slammin.

So, the goal of the evening was to support black business. I'm not familiar with the restaurants on the south side and we ended up at Norm's. The main dining area was oddly quiet and everyone was seated in the corner section adjacent to the door. Looked like there was one waitress who doubled as the hostess. She sat us in an awkward way by waiving us over. My guess is that she was overwhelmed. We happened to see a bar area connected to the main dining room and we heard music so we chose to sit at two small high top tables instead for the sake of ambience. The bartender/waitress , Kim, took great care of us like a pro. She definitely had better customer service skills than the main dining room staff. The food was good and the presentation was too. I had lamb w veggies and duck dressing and greens. Good flavors. I would have it again. I tasted the salmon which was also pleasing to the palette, moist and tender. I don't eat liver but my friend said it was great. The only dish that was making, to me, was the ribs because they were oven baked. Could tell. The bread pudding was the best I've ever tasted and the caramel cake was moist, dense and inviting. I ordered double crust cobbler which was a little disappointing because I thought that meant crust on top and bottom but I guess it meant a thicker square of crust on top. Not bad. When we were leaving around 9, live entertainment was setting up. Since there's a nice outdoor patio, I can only imagine how nice that would be in the summer. We all said that we could see ourselves coming back in the summer for a little bit of everything. Overall, I'd say to check out Norman's. read more

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Very nice restaurant. Eating here with my family for our family reunion. They have a brunch buffet and it was very delicious. The pineapple mimosa is very good along with the cheese grits and salmon patties! Could only do 1 check for our large party (20). It is 2019, there is no reason why restaurants can't split checks. Especially if they were to ask at the start how many bills. I know that POS knows how to split and separate. Smh. And I'm sure had we known that when we made the reservation it would have been made elsewhere. read more

Norman's Bistro - Pineapple & Orange Mimosas - Brazilian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

The food was excellent. I had the lamb chops and worth every penny! The waitress was unique and made our experience memorable. She had away with words and facial expressions. We were celebrating a friend's birthday and each enjoyed the lemon drop martini! For dessert we had both chocolate mouse cake and the salted caramel cake- super tasty but you should share them. I also tasted my friend's ribs (with steamed spinach). All in all I would return and eat all the same dishes. read more

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Omg....The Crab, Shrimp, and Lobster gumbo was seriously the best gumbo that I have probably ever tasted. It was plentiful, with huge shrimp and thick pieces of lobster. Amazing!! If my rating had only depended upon the food, it would have been five stars. However, it is not. I had to take into consideration that the dining area was a bit uninviting. There were no guest in the dining area, and it closed earlier than usual. The one waiter was clearly overworked, yet he was accommodating. The party room was very drafty, well cold. The menu in my opinion is gourmet quality. I think with a little more attention to detail, the popularity of this place would skyrocket. read more

Ordered New Blue Burgers via Grubhub. Salad too. TASTY then after an hour got a headache. Like one of those heavy salt or MSG migraines. Woke up in pain from a deep sleep. Then had "explosivity" in the bathroom... Next, I had to literally get up & lie down under a cool shower to regulate my body. I think it was the burgers and not the salad actually, but that's the run-down. (From February 2020) read more

Clean, friendly environment. Great food and a good time especially in the summer with their Out door eating and music .

The priority of immediately clearing and cleaning tables is apparently very low here. Food is just ok. Service is ok. Parking is difficult. If you're in the neighborhood, you may want to try. Not worth h a special trip. read more

Honest review (not good) the food is very basic n over priced picture if mcdonalds charged 17 bucks for a burger. The service was horrible she was so un attentive the reason conversing with coworkers. The worst part is we could see them so we literally had to wait for her for everything went like we were at the dmv its a good party spot for older people because in the back the party was poppin. The music was really hip really was good music. I would never come again n i wouldnt recommend this place to my worst enemies Chicken gumbo: it was surprisingly good u could really taste the holy trinity. There were big pieces of chicken. It needed salt though seems like they forgot to put salt. Adding hot sauce or heat would have made it taste better Yams: I thought it was gonna be with pecans and marshmallows and really good sadly its jus plain yams with sugar really a disappointment to plain to basic Corn pudding: this had no flavor at all its like they made a pudding n just added corn in it i was really disappointed thought it was gonna be like county bbq sadly mistaken Caribbean duck: this was really delicous the sauce was to die for really pared perfectly with the duck. The problem was the duck was overcooked so it was really tuff. Then the skin wasnt crispy come on really also could have benefited from a lil salt n heat Pot pie: isnt a pot pie more like biscuits n seafood gravy. The gravy was really cheezy but i didnt like this at all jus for the price was expecting to be wow n its so basic. This was a complete fail. The seafood was cooked good though. The biscuits old n hard read more

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I went here for brunch with high hopes and was disappointed. I'm going to blame part of this on myself. My love of breakfast had me ordering the pancake platter. I was looking forward to having sweet potato pancakes for the first time, but it was nothing special. The potatoes that came on the side were bland, but tasted okay once doused in hot sauce and salt. Eggs were bland as well. My friend ordered the biscuits and gravy platter. It came with steak on top which she said was overcooked and her biscuits were dry. Now...this is classified as a Brazilian restaurant, so I probably should have ordered something else versus going the normal breakfast route. I plan on coming back in the near future to try more of there main entree items. Also note service was fast although when we first got there it wasn't that packed. No complaints about service though. read more

Norman's Bistro - Pancake Platter...meh - Brazilian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

1 server trying to handle 7 tables. Had to go ask for a menu. Then had to go inside to get waters for everyone at the table. Food is good but the service is terrible and very slow. Going to just order takeout for now on. read more

I don't ordinarily do this, but I had lunch with a dear friend yesterday at a truly divine hidden gem on the south side called Norman's Bistro on 43rd & Ellis. Friday in Lent so I had the Lobster Gumbo--yes you heard me correctly. Rita told me the Salmon was perfectly prepared, and the island stir fry bowl seemed delectable. Must try this spot folks--open for breakfast and Sunday Brunch. I can't wait until Easter -- Flame Grilled Lamb with Carrot Cake from Norman's for dessert! http://www.normansbistro.com/ read more

Prior to coming here, I'd read several reviews, watched food critic shows and had referrals from friends. I must say we were beyond disappointed in the service, space and food. We were half greeted by a young hostess that was clearly overwhelmed and did not smile or make us feel welcome. They were obviously short staffed and we were underserved because the wait staff was being stretched beyond what they could handle. The Trolley Tour proved to be overwhelming to this establishment. The desserts ordered were Peach Cobbler and Salted Caramel Cake both of which were returned after 1 bite. The crust on the cobbler was moist and soft and lacked flavor, the cake tasted as if it had been frozen too long and had an old taste. Hopefully....in the near future, things will get better. Customer Service training is definitely a recommendation. read more

Norman's Bistro - The room - Brazilian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

There were quite a few diners in the main area, but still enough seats such that I didn't have to worry about people sitting on top of me. Homemade yeast rolls. Garden salad with raspberry vinaigrette. Seafood chili. Homemade corn muffins. Chicken, shrimp, and lobster gumbo. Salted caramel cake. read more

Norman's Bistro - Brazilian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

But am I going to come back? Came in on a Saturday a little before 5. Live band playing for private party in the front. Had to sit in the back bar area. Seafood Chili - It was a great taste to me and this is coming from someone that don't like soup/stew kind of dishes. Food was warm but we had a few bites, when waiter came out and after my aunt complained about it the waiter sorry" was all we got instead of a warm dish. When you think of chili you think pepper and beans. Not in this dish. It wasn't a big problem for me as it was good just not what I thought I'll be getting. Shrimp , Chicken and Lobster Gumbo - After telling my waiter I would like to see some steam coming from my dish. It was delivered as promise. Being that this was the more expensive dish. I honestly liked my "warm" seafood chili more. I will say it was the right amount of protein as it was plenty to choose from. It was good quality food overall The Great Duck Burger - Not my dish only had one bite...my thoughts "that's a good $16 gyro burger" ( topped with a Greek cucumber sauce.) I'm so struggling with this rating... the food 5 stars the decor 5 stars service 3.5 stars...yet I'm giving it 3 stars...Math wasn't my favorite subject in school. Reading the reviews based on price, is kinda of funny and interesting but these two quotes from Mary S. & Brianna A. sums up what I think of this place based on price alone. "I don't think gumbo should be $26 though I don't even spend that much for steak lol," & "At first, I was put off by the menu prices,...I can truly say that Norman's menu is worth the prices" My gumbo was $27 (and on the website it currently says $25 ) but I don't feel like I'm dropping the review down 3 stars because of the price. It's just not a food experience I feel like I need to re-live over and over again. If I lived closer I would come hear, but don't want to go through the 45min drive to get hear. but I'm willing to drive 4 hours to St Louis for ribs because THAT was a five star experience to me. read more

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If I could give this place less than one star then I most certainly would. My friend booked this place for a graduation luncheon from the University of Chicago. We were a party of 16 individuals coming together to celebrate the work and accomplishments of our dear from from U of C. They had called and confirmed our reservations. There were so many things that went wrong with this place and I will be generous in my review but do know that I highly recommend that you go somewhere with better customer service and food for the cost. We had a reservation for noon and they gave us the worst place to sit at - right night to a massive table also celebrating a graduation. Fine but not the best given we wanted a more intimate experience. We were moved to another location and that literally took forever. Everyone was there and ready by noon and we were sat by 12:30 or so. People were moving soo slowly to make this happen. Our waitress was new and we believe it might have been their first day. However, they should NOT have given a new waitress a party of 16 on one of the busiest days in the restaurant. Here's the short of the long: - It took us two hours to get served - Our reservation was at 12 pm we got bread service at 1:45 pm - There was no public apology to the group for the poor service and might we add very untimely service - We didn't get drinks until 2:15 pm - Our food came out at 2:30 pm and when they brought it out they were calling out the orders and it was a hot mess. You mean to tell me the people didn't know who ordered what and you needed to call out our food orders in such a disorganized way? Ridiculous. The only slightly redeeming thing was that the bartender brought over mimosas for the table. Nice, right? However, that too was too little too late and came with no apology to my dear friend who at this point was in tears and incredibly embarrassed at what they had hoped would be a relaxing celebratory time with family and friends over a meal. Literally, no one at this restaurant seemed apologetic and did not publicly acknowledge how many errors they made with our party. We of course sat and ate here because we didn't want to ruin our friend's day. However, do yourself a favor and go to another neighborhood establishment that prides itself on taking care of ALL of it's customers. If they couldn't treat a party of 16 with respect and dignity they certainly won't do it for you. We will not ever go back to this restaurant and will gladly go somewhere else in Bronzeville that can be more dependable and worth spending our hard earned money at. read more

One of my worst dining experiences I've had in a very long time. Me and my Friends made reservations (three groups of 6, but was changed to two groups of 6 and one group of 3 upon arrival) to support this business on Juneteenth. We left a march downtown in separate cars so our entire party was not present but minutes away. We were told that we could not be seated until our entire party arrived and our spaces would be given to other people who had their entire party present. So we waited an additional 30 minutes to be seated. Our first group of six were seated first then the second group of six then the last group of three was made to wait another 10 minutes before being seated. After being seated we waited another 45mins to an hour to be served. When our meals finally arrived to the table they were not in their entirety. Most of the table did not received their sides which according to the menu comes with every entree. We could hear our server Darryl advocating for us to receive the rest of our order but in response the cook was very verbally abusive to him which we heard every word of. After finishing our meals, the gumbo was great but the other meals were a huge waste of money, we still did not receiving the sides. We spoke to the OWNER who was very rude, dismissive and unprofessional and refused to compensate us for the remaining parts of our meal. I will never give that man another COPPER COIN out of my wallet. I feel extremely bad that my server even had to be associated with this restaurant because he was awesome and attentive. Save your time and money this place just ain't it. read more

The food was great but the service, not so much! We enjoyed everything we had. My husband and son both had burgers and fries and finished everything. My daughter and I split the 1/2 Caribbean Duck along with the duck dressing, red beans & rice and I stole my husband's coleslaw. We ate almost all of it. My son even ate some of the duck and enjoyed it even though he had a burger. I also ordered a cucumber martini and boy was it strong, but it was one of the best martini's I had ever had. I had to personally thank the bartender and asked the server to kiss the chef (of course she refused LOL)! Now, the service is a little strange. Our server, although a sweet young woman, for some reason or another was very unfamiliar with the ingredients in the dishes or drinks. I promise you, she had to go back to the chef or the bartender no less than 5-6 times to ask how something was made. It became so frustrating that I asked my family to stop asking questions so that we could place our order! I will say however, that the food didn't take long and didn't come too fast. Everything was fresh! We'll definitely be back again. read more

Good, not great. Went on a Thursday at 7:00 pm and we were the only people in the dining room. Excellent service from beginning to end. I ordered the shrimp, chicken and lobster gumbo which was delicious, and a side of collard greens which were equally tasty. My guest ordered salmon cakes which fell short. Not flavorful, nor crispy at all. The gumbo was served with corn muffins, which tasted like they were old and had just come from the refrigerator. They were crumbly, sandy and cool. The dinner salad was good and had fresh salad veggies. The peach cobbler did not disappoint and the caramel cake was very good. The slightly higher prices would have been acceptable if everything had been spot on. Would I give it another try? The jury is still out. With so many delicious eateries in Chicago, it may be awhile. read more

Everything was above the top excellent. Mr. Norman delivered top notch customer service and offered wonderful recommendations that were delicious *try a Mai Tai*. Loved the atmosphere and patio. A great black owned restaurant with great vibes. I recommend a million times. read more

I have been coming to this establishment for a few years now and to date the last 2 times I have been here the service has been lacking at best. The staff has become the poster children for negative attitudes and work ethic. I didn't even get to order because the service was so bad. I see my business isn't want here anymore. read more

We kept hearing about their seafood gumbo so we stopped in today. While our running errands. Wow really delicious food . We split an appetizer of two small hamburgers loved that it had a pepper on it and bowl of chicken shrimp gumbo. DELICIOUS ! Our server Tiffany was friendly and helpful . We can't wait to grab some friends and return . read more

I did a pickup order for Mother's Day. The first sign I knew something was off with service is I emailed them my order per the instructions on their flyer and received no reply back. I called two days later, successfully placed my order and committed to a noon pickup. I arrived at 12:10p and ended up waiting on my order until 1p! It was me plus at least 15 other individuals experiencing the same thing which caused us all to be highly frustrated. The staff seemed genuinely apologetic however it's no excuse to keep me waiting 50 min for an order that should've been completed an hour earlier. The meals were for 4 people, I ordered the catfish in which they literally gave one piece per person and it was soggy. On top of that the red beans and rice portion was enough for 2 people maximum, surely not 4 people. I really specially chose to support a small biz and this unfortunately was very disappointing. read more

This place is awesome! The food is so good and fresh, home cooked and professional. The service is excellent and they have outdoor seating. I wish I lived closer so I can go more oftenOther black owned businesses need to take a page from their book. This is how it's done read more

The house gumbo was delicious. I visited on a Friday evening and they had a DJ and move tables to make a small dance floor. It was a busy night but our server did his best to serve us. They could've used one or two more servers for the crowd. Overall I would go back again I would like to try their brunch menu. read more

I have contacted this restaurant 5 times for a private party. I have called twice, emailed twice and stopped in. Are they kidding? How could you let thousands of dollars go out the window. Apparently they dont want my money. Total disappointment. Sounds like Norman needs better staff and perhaps needs to work on communication. After reading these reviews sounds like the place could use some help. read more

Out running errands, decided to try some place new, some place on the Southside. Took out my trusty phone and read about Norman's. Sounded interesting enough. Went in, not many people there, no hostess, we waited a couple of seconds only before we were seated. Creole and Cajun the menu said. Cool. She ordered the salmon, I ordered the shrimp, lobster and chicken gumbo. Our server didn't seem enthused to be at work on a Saturday night. The food was okay. I thought her salmon was under cooked, and I thought my gumbo was mediocre at best. Roux was thin, there was no okra in gumbo. Wow. It wasn't really bad, I would try it again. read more

Norman's Bistro - Brazilian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Great sandwiches, ambiance, and service. And can't forget the drinks! Look forward to returning soon!

It's been at least five years since patroning this establishment, and I was pleased. The guest DJ was phenomenal; I couldn't stay still in my seat. The bartender mixed a helluva rum punch. I needed a DD so that I could have enjoyed a couple more. The friend green beans were way better than expected, and even the Asian chicken wonders appetizer was tasty. I decided on the Tropic Sensation Salad for my entree, and it was a big hit. Two thumbs up!! And I also nibbled one sweet potato fries. Yumalish! I'd definitely come back, but I'm not a fan of crowds, so I'd choose the day I visit carefully. There is outdoor seating, so I can imagine when the weather is nicer, this is the IT place on 43rd. read more

Upon entering, there was no hostess so a person (not sure who she was) approached us and asked if we were going to the bar area or dining in. When we said dining in, she seemed irritated. Most of the tables had not been cleaned and had dirty dishes on them. Once seated, it was clear that other patrons had been waiting for some time to order. We waited about 20 minutes before a server came over. Meanwhile the lady who seated us started bussing down the table, clearly irritated. My date ordered the stir fry, I ordered the salmon cakes with greens and we both ordered rum punches. Our food came out about 30 minutes later. During our meal, no one checked on us. Our water cups were empty. My date started that his food was ok but the chicken lacked seasoning. He described it as tasting like boiled chicken. I was surprised to find my greens with corn in them. What was even more disturbing was all the stems in my greens. My cakes were ok but needed aiola. The food was subpar, service was horrible. After finishing our meal, still no water, drinks or check to see if we needed anything. I would not go here or recommend this restaurant. read more

Norman's Bistro - Greens with a lot of stems and corn - Brazilian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Everything here was just okay overall. I appreciate the black owned and operated operation, and service was really good. The quality of the fruit and the bacon at the buffet wasn't great. The pancakes, grits, and jambalaya type dish were good. Overall, not really that impressive of a spot especially in Chicago. read more

This place is totally slept on. The food is so good. My party of 4 had the Smoked cranberry salmon, the cajun catfish and two orders of the grilled lamb. The lamb was so good that my husband ordered a second entree!! The sides were delicious, no complaints. Cons: The waiter, Stephon, a fellow with a British accent, was the WORST!!!! He took our drink orders and came back to the table 10-15 minutes later to take our food orders but didn't have any of our drinks. He didn't check on us for at least 15 minutes after our food had arrived. He was nice but seemed inexperienced. They don't have shareable appetizers--your options are salad or gumbo. I'll be back. read more

Norman's is a great place for lunch. Had a lunch meeting on a Sat and there was plenty of street parking and the restaurant wasn't packed. Staff was friendly and helpful with menu selections. Our waiter let me sample the seafood chili which I recommend but didn't order as my entree I went the seafood gumbo route. I was pleased with my selection however the lobster was a little rubbery overall I enjoyed. read more

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they need to have more waitstaff especially for the busiest day of the week. Horrible service

Shocked! It's a open space with no decor and a few tables & chairsLoud music from the back, people entering via the front and patio doors to go to the back room. Groups of people In & out, back & forth, talking while you and your group are dining. Awful! Am I in the right place The waiter was doing his best to function as server, busboy, etc. How do you make Caesar Salad ? Terrible Norm ..Dance Hall or Restaurant what's it going to be? read more

Kudos to the menu writter. All the food is described so well that it sounds delicious. However, this is a true testament of over promising and under delivering. I live in the area, and would like to visit more often. Also, they're in a neighborhood of families, mostly, single family homes and condo's however, I can't understand why there is no kids menu. The service is good and it's like two venue's in one. The back, bar and dance area is nice and the bartenders pour decent drinks. This is the saving grace for Norms. read more

Ehhh, I hesitated reviewing this because I SO wanted to give it 5 stars (you know, upscale restaurant in North Kenwood and all), but alas, all I can muster is 3. I've been here several times for dinner and it's been... alright. The wait staff is very friendly, but the service time seems quite slow. Also, the menu is a bit limited and I feel like they're always out of an entree item each time I've been there--but at least are apologetic about the inconvenience. I did have the Blue Burger the last time I was there and it was yummy. The only other thing I would note is that it's a bit pricey for what you're getting. I went there for a group dinner, had 1 entree and two drinks--my bill came to almost $40, without tax or tip. However, I will more than likely be back because I like to support community businesses. read more