Cite Restaurant

Doesn't Recommend

Annabella2

Joined 4 years ago

chicag's Biggest Failure. Furgettaboutit. Spectacular view and wretched everything else. Undistinguished food spoiled by untrained waiters who wanted to know what "you guys" want to drink. Us guys were an 80 year old guy and a 73 year old non guy. The red wine (which should be served at the temperature of an unheated room in Europe i.e. about 60 degrees, came at about 80. The music was too loud. The waiter told us what he was going to do before he did anything. Intrusive, inelegant, all in all cheap trying to be pretentious and failing miserably. Where they seated us before we moved, the music was much too loud and that too was far too intrusive for what Cite tries to bill itself as. Save your Groupon money for something else.

Recommends

mendoza969

Joined 7 years ago

Wonderful!!!!!!. I was skeptical to try this place since I read so many reviews here about poor service and bad food. But I had a GREAT experience. I went on a Sunday evening. We were greeted at the door right away and shown to our table. Our server was Lydia who was excellent. I had fois gras with strawberry and pistachio as an appetizer, filet mignon oscar, and chocolate fondue for dessert. And a glass of champagne. (it was my birthday) Everything was great!!! I even have leftover filet mignon so I'm having it for my lunch today.

Doesn't Recommend

littlepip

Joined 4 years ago

Ridiculously horrible. Obviously the views are the only thing keeping this restaurant open....and given the number of people we saw, can't imagine that is even going to save this place for much longer.

The food was cold & boring. Seafood was clearly not fresh. The service was horrible. We constantly had to flag people down, and then we were just made to feel we were putting them out for asking for a drink of water or wine. There were more staff than guests and it still took a lot of effort to get anyone to help us.

Honestly, the venue is a great restaurant waiting to happen. We'd heard it wasn't great, but figured since we lived in the building we should at least try it. Needless to say our expectations were low, but they still managed to surprise us with how bad it could be. Everything is overpriced, even for good quality (which this wasn't).

Please heed the warnings. Never ever go to this restaurant. Save yourself the small fortune you'd spend making yourself miserable.

Doesn't Recommend

Jmio

Joined 4 years ago

Go to the Sears Tower for the View, Stay Away from Cite. The view was great..........ok that was the only good thing I can say about this place. The service was horrible. Our waiter knew nothing about the wine or food on the menu. The kitchen sent out our meal before apps arrived. Worst of all the food was horrible. We went on a night they were only 1/4 full. They had no excuse for stealing our money that night. Do not ever go to this restraunt.

Recommends

Paul2019

Joined 5 years ago

Great food, great service and excellent views. I dined here last week with my wife and daughter; let me tell you this is one of those places you don?t hear about but once you go it feels like you?re in a different world. The views were first class, the food was excellent (I had Filet Oscar, my wife had the sea bass and my Daughter had the seafood tortellini). The service was even better than the views; we had a gentleman serving us, explained the menu and were making sure our every need was attended to. This restaurant is not as expensive as everyone believes unless you get a pricy bottle of wine; my daughter already wants to come back. The most wonderful part of our dining experience other than the food, view, and service was that Tom Cruise, Oprah, Katie Holmes and a few other people walked by our table with their security and that you don?t see everyday??.

Recommends

gorgeousg

Joined 5 years ago

Romantic & Awesome view. My boyfriend planned this weekend Downtown Chicago getaway for my birthday.... we went to Cite friday evening -03/28/08.... the view was spectacular.... really romantic place.... customer service though sucked.... after we got seated, we waited for about 10-15mins before we got our wine list and menu... *roll eyes* ...... food is OK, i dont think its worth the price... our bill was like $220 ( not including tip ), but we got a good bottle of pinot noir, appetizer, salad, filet mignon for my boyfriend, and NY Strip for me, and creme brulle for dessert... and that's it.... i love the way, they serve some appetizer that they just want you to try out, and some sorbet to cleanse your pallette.....over all, I think we would be back just because at night the view is just magical.... but customer service must be improved, and food should be at least tasty and not bland.....

Recommends

rashad83

Joined 7 years ago

Heavenly food but ok service!!. The place is awesome #1 for it's view of the city then it's food and lastly the service. Cite is really elegant for a romantic dinner, the appetizers, main course and desserts were all awesome but our server was a lil snotty and felt like he was doing us a favor by serving us.Overall i recommend the food and experience but they need to shape up thier service.

Doesn't Recommend

JohnDoe2

Joined 5 years ago

Overpriced with two-star food and service. Just finished Easter Brunch at Cite. The food is about as good as I would expect for a $25 buffet. We were asked if we wanted a Bellini to start. We learned later it was not included. For a $68 brunch (per person) I would expect at least one glass of cheap champaign. So another $28 was added to the bill for two drinks. The Bellini's were not very good either. The place was overheated at about 80 degrees (due to the sun) but, come on ... this must not be the first time brunch has been served on a sunny Chicago day. The hosts and wait staff was about a 2-star quality. 'How is it guys?' is not a sign of fine dining. Then to top it off ... a 20% gratuity was included. At a buffet? With only two people at the table? And I had to take the silverware at the next table as they did not replenish mine after taking my plate. The view was nice ... but no better than the Hancock or Sears Tower. The 'no jeans' policy did not apply ... seems they will let anyone in.

Doesn't Recommend

margolis

Joined 6 years ago

Going downhill with no recovery in sight.. If you are considering dining at Cite, note the MOST RECENT reviews. This once good place has degraded into a dump with about as much going for it as your local greasy spoon.

Awesome view.

Crappy food. Lame service. Over-priced.

Really, really, really, awful.

Saturday night experience summary:

Sat us at the worst table when there were only two other tables occupied.

Brought me the wrong drink.

Soup was so bad we couldn't manage to eat it. Trust me, we tried, but it tasted like it had gone bad.

Cheapest bread serving ever. Can they spare the one piece of silver dollar sized bread they give you?

Under-cooked food. Really bad.

Go somewhere else. So,ething happened to this place along the way that took it from a Chicago institution to a Chicago shame.

Doesn't Recommend

khunter1

Joined 8 years ago

Only leave the bar to dine somewhere else. The reviewer on 9/07 hits all the pluses and MINUSES of Cite. While the views are world class, the dining experience is noticeably missing a step. Our order included the cheese plate, crab cakes, and surf and turf. Everything tasted fine however the service was awkward. It lacked personalization and attentiveness that you come to expect from a high end restaurant. Heck, the attendant at the Taco Bell drive through window felt more personal at 2am. As for the cuisine, it was billed as French however the choices did little to exemplify that and further more the choices did nothing to differentiate it from other "American" fare restaurants.