02/01/09

Don't Go For Dinner

by scarlettjean

I have been to Ina's for breakfast and lunch. I have never had any issues with the service or the food. I do take issue with the single dollar sign denoting a price point for this restaurant. I went for dinner last week to find that the average entree price for this "diner-like" restaurant was between $18-$20 dollars; I believe we had a grand total of 8 items to choose from on the menu The entree came with nothing, and there was no option for a less expensive sandwich--those were $16-$17 as well. Totally ridiculous. The food was no better than what I could have purchased at the prepared food section at Jewel.

11/12/08

Sweet Breakfast Spot

by scurvyratt

As a server in a very busy restaurant in Chicago, I whole-heartedly agree with Ina's cross attitude toward wandering children. Servers carry heavy plates and hot coffee. They do not need the extra obstacle of a small child wandering around the restaurant. It is for the safety of your children, people!!! And also the safety of the staff. Parents have a tendancy to become deaf toward their children. When a child cries and whines, no one wants to hear that while they're eating breakfast. TAKE YOUR CHILD OUT OF THE RESTAURANT! Parents! Be considerate of other diners! Sitting next to a table with a child ruins my meal. The mess on the floor, the high pitched cries, the large stroller next to your chair.

It is also nerve-racking as a server to have someone come into a restaurant and sit for hours on end. I can imagine people sitting there at the height of breakfast or lunch oblivious to the long line of people waiting to enjoy their meal. If you're done eating, get up and leave! Go to the coffee shop down the block or your home or a mall or anywhere. A server makes money (not much) by waiting on people. When you sit for a long time, you cheat that server out of money and the owner out of sales.

My boyfriend and I will definitely be back to Ina's. The fresh squeezed OJ was refreshing. The oatmeal pancakes with bananas was like banana bread - no syrup required. And our service was great. Ina, we don't have children and we don't like to sit too long. We will be back.

• Pros: Fresh OJ, cute decor, good parking, inexpensive

06/12/08

Terrible glutten free meal

by joseph52

The restaurant was hotter than heck. Stuffy beyond imaginable. Buy a fan!!!The gluted free fried chicken batter was inedible. The server forgot to bring BBQ sauce with brisket order. When mentioning this to Ina when leaving the restaurant, she said you should have said something. i did not think it was my place to get up and look for my server who never once asked how our meal was. She is not a nice woman. The mashed potatoes were worse than KFC!!!!!!Ina's is a no no.

07/23/07

A Ruler Across The Knuckles

by lincolnsquare

Rated R. Not kid or parent friendly at all. We had a similar experience to the reviewer who talked about Ina's requirements for child behavior (and by the date of that review we were just a few days apart.) A manager cited us for sitting at the bar with our 15 month old (apparently against the law which is understandable.) But this was only when we were being seated and after we had sat there for 15 minutes without comment from the bartender or anyone else. We would have been happy to wait elsewhere. As we finished our ok but nothing special breakfast, we let our child walk about a little. Big mistake; a different staffer scolded us again and when we had the nerve to say something to Ina herself, she jumped out of her seat and began shouting at us, following us back to our table while lecturing us about child safety. When we said we'd tell others about our experience she said "GOOD! If they're like you I don't want them here!" So there you have it. From the owners mouth.

• Pros: The food was ok.
• Cons: They really don't want kids there. Seriously.

07/14/07

Worst experience ever

by jflag

Ina's is definitely not a child friendly restaurant. From the moment we entered, Ina herself had the nerve to tell our child to sit down and behave himself without any cause. If that was not bad enough, periodically, Ina, or someone else on her staff, would come to our table to make sure that both of my children were behaving themselves, even the 19 month old who was just waiting for his milk to arrive. If you are looking for someone to discipline your child when there is no cause, Ina will be more than happy to do it for the cost of a meal.

05/21/07

Very good day starter

by mjmorgan

Friendly staff quick to get the coffee flowing. Tasty, imaginative meal (e.g., vegetable hash, and I ordered a generous side of chorizo). The coffee cake was very, very good. The only drawback was the bacon--for some reason, both of the bacon eaters commented they were let down by the thin taste. I splurge on Boar's Head once in a while and thought the bacon would be great, but was not. Will encourage others to take the hike over the river to Ina's.

• Pros: Service, varied menue, ambience
• Cons: Bacon (and I'm really stretching to find a con here....)

06/01/06

Wonderful!

by paulamd

Despite the negative reviews, my husband and I decided to give Inas a try. We went there for breakfast on Memorial Day. Upon entering the restaurant, we were warmly greeted by Ina herself and then promptly seated. The food was outstanding and the wait staff was very friendly and attentive. We will definitely be back!

03/13/06

Absolutely Fabulous

by penael2002

We have been there several times and have never had a problem with service. If anything I thought they were very friendly, including Ina herself. Everything is fresh here, and I love the free parking.

• Pros: Ambiance, Parking, Fresh Food

02/25/06

Rude is an understatement

by trumpett

I and a friend eagerly anticipated our first visit to Ina's based on rave reviews about the food. Perhaps the food is good. The experience however was seriously tarnished by the unnecessarily unpleasant and arrogant attitude of the inept hostess. I was aware that there would be a wait, especially on a weekend morning. However, when I asked how long the wait would be, the hostess rolled her eyes as if my question were inpertinent. Her tone of voice conveyed exasperation. In the most curt manner, she told me that we would be seated as soon as possible, and it should be clear to me that there were many other guest ahead of me and I would simply have to wait my turn. I should have left. It was not possible for me to enjoy the food due to the hostess' nasty demeanor.

09/19/05

overated and rude

by paruldesai

my 5 friends and one baby went for brunch and was surprised at the disappointing experience at ina's. the service ranged from indifferent to outright rude and that was from ina herself! as we were finishing up our meal, 20 minutes before close, the chef/owner ina came to our table and asked us to finish up because they wanted to seat more people. Unbelievable, especially since there were other tables available and nobody was waiting at the front door as we left. the food was not worth the rude service.