Glenns Diner

Loved this place! Food was awesome! Make sure you call for reservations 3hr prior to dinner. Staff was very helpful.

Been back in Chicago now for about 5 months. Have been to Glenns now 3 times. Food is fantastic — we’ve sampled just about all the appetizers (calamari is to die for) and thoroughly enjoyed them all. The Lobster w/​Fettuccine, menu says lots of lobster, should say TONS of lobster! Every single dish, Jambalaya (I eat it with rice), Swordfish (blackened), Halibut (special), Scallops have all been consumed and enjoyed! Can’t wait to get back!

This place was very good and let me tell you it’s nothing like the diner food you have in your head! It appears that this place is always packed. I had the seafood Popeye with was very rich and filling and the French onion soup. My boyfriend had the crab cakes which I think I enjoyed more than him and it came with the corn that was sooooo good! He also had the clam chowder that he loved. I definitely plan to come back and try some of their many meals. Oh and for all you can eat crab night.

FIRST TIMER AT GLENNS AND IT WAS THE BOMB! I was craving seafood and I’ve been eyeing Glenn’s for a while now so it was the move. I made a reservation for Saturday night for 8:30 since I figured it was going to be busy. I got seated right away as soon as I got to the restaurant. The menu on the wall is the main dinner one, but the servers also give you a paper menu if you want sandwiches or some smaller entrees. I ended up ordering the jambalaya and it had so much flavor with a kick of spiciness from the sausage! I will totally be back to try the breakfast

First off let me say that the clam chowder is outrageous. I am talking about groan worthy delicious. That alone was worth the trip. If you’re a chowder fan you should go there just for that.
The look is very cozy and the server was great with suggestions and prompt service.
Now…I think we just ordered the wrong thing. In a seafood spot we ordered a crab sandwich and a BLT. Both were just MEH. But I would absolutely give them another shot

Delicious! I wanted to go to a crab place for my birthday dinner and my brother found Glenns. We had a great time! The food here is the star of the show, and the warm, casual, diner atmosphere and chalkboard menus on the walls make you feel right at home. I got the crab legs, which come with cole slaw and corn on the cob. They were just perfect, though I should warn, that you must cut the shells open yourself and the small tool given to cut through could be more efficient (hey crab legs are spiky and sharp on my delicate hands). Other family members ordered the catfish with cornmeal shrimp stuffing which I could eat for days! and the rainbow trout with brown sugar pecans, also mouthwateringly good. Desserts shouldn’t be missed, especially, the key lime pie and bananas foster!
It is important to note that Glenns is BYOB, but they also have a wine and beer list. Their wines are all priced at $ 8/​glass, $ 33/​bottle; very cost effective, but bring your own wine if you consider yourself an oenophile.
We had a great experience and will certainly be going back to try the breakfast menu!

I took my parents here for their anniversary dinner, but I think I was the most excited one. I actually planned an extended weekend home specifically so I would be here for the Tuesday night AYCE Alaskan King Crab legs. The establishment is pretty small, so it’s a good idea to make reservations. I was giddy that they had Delirium Tremens beer! Although it comes with corn on the cob and coleslaw, don’t eat too much of it so you have more room for the crab meat! My parents commented that the legs seemed a bit smaller compare to previous years. They gave us each about 3 or 4 legs each round. In the future, I will ask for only 2 because by the time I got the the 3^rd leg, it was pretty cooled down. I must’ve put away about 3 lbs of legs, I’d call that a success! Such a great deal, I’m sure I will be back.

We went for brunch and we were full the rest of the day lol!
Huge portions!
Potato pancakes were scrumptious.
I had the shrimp and grits… wonderful :)
Coffee was good and frequently refilled… perfect.
The seating is a little tight inside, there are also a few tables outside as well if you like the sunshine.

My fiancé used to frequent this place when he lived in Chicago a few years ago. When I mentioned I didn’t want a big breakfast– he brought me here for their huge assortment of cereals. After perusing the menu, though, I knew I couldn’t settle for just cereal.
I ended up getting the piggies in a blanket (one of my all time favorite food combos) and I was not disappointed! My fiancé got shrimp and grits in addition to a few of their monster bloody Mary’s.
The atmosphere and attentive staff is also a huge plus. I would definitely come here often if I lived in the area!

Yaaaasss Glenn’s!
I’m in town visiting a friend and she suggests we go to this neighborhood spot for the Thursday night all you can eat shrimp. We get in there and abandon that plan because a million other things are calling our names. We decide to split and order of the crab cake burger and the honey mustard salmon with potatoes and asparagus… we’re geniuses! It was all sooo good, large portions and friendly waitstaff, we were stuffed and so happy it hurt. I’ll be back before I leave!

Oh, yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yessss.
After learning that Glenn’s Diner is related in some way to the best new restaurant in my hood, Fahlstrom’s Fresh Fish, I knew I had to make the trip. And, of course, I insisted on doing so on a Tuesday for all-​you-​can-​eat king crab legs.
For market price – $ 60 on this particular night – Glenns loaded me up with eight crab legs and two ears of corn rolled in parmesan cheese. Extra helpings came two crab legs at a time. But, unlike most «all you can eat» offering, Glenns doesn’t stall between servings. Rounds of additional legs come out hot and quick. More corn and cole slaw, too, if you’d like.
The crab was delicious perfection. Seriously, after unzipping some of these shells, the meat inside was bigger than a ball park hot dog. And much tastier.
This is not a big place, so reservations would be a good idea if you want a table. As a walk-​in, I bellied up to the counter with no problem and no rez.
Easy access – about 20 yards from the Brown Line’s Montrose station.

Do not let the name fool you. When I hear diner, I think cheap and grill which is great but that is not what this place is. It is not cheap and the food is definitely not diner food. We went there for lunch. It is a small place. I have probably passed it hundreds of times but never noticed it. We started with an amazing bowl of clam chowder. It was so good! There was nothing about that bowl of soup that I didn’t like. We also got mac and cheese. I was disappointed in the mac and cheese. First, it needed a ton of salt and after the salt it was still just okay. With the choices for appetizers, we should not have picked mac and cheese in the first place. For my entrée, it was a game time decision between the crabby burger and the cobb salad. I ended up with the crabby burger and it was great. Imagine a crab cake on soft bread with sauce and tomatoes. Yes please! I want to eat here again because they had a lot of yummy looking things on the menu. They did have a kids menu but weren’t over friendly to my son which is fine but we aren’t used to that.

TIP:
If you order the Bloody Mary be sure and tell them to go easy on the ice, at Glenns they tend to go a little overboard with the cubes. At $ 10 a pop you want your money’s worth!
This was my first time going to Glenns, a place I must’ve passed by a million times before. The reason I never went there was because it’s a seafood restaurant and my own bias here, it’s located on Montrose Avenue. And as everybody knows, this neighborhood isn’t known for their seafood restaurants!
Ordered the corvina, which Kyle the waiter suggested, he likened it to sea bass. It’s mild and has a somewhat sweet taste to it, mine was a little drier than expected and didn’t have as much flavor, or is as juicy as the plumper sea bass. Decent, but not great. Next time I’ll order the rainbow trout.
Clam chowder had plenty of clams, roux was a little too thick for my taste, but all-​in-​all it was fresh tasting with a lot of flavor.
Service: Could’ve been better, Kyle the server was absent most of time. Had to stand up at the end of my meal in order to get his attention so he’d bring over the bill.
Rihanna look-​a-​like greeter: Told me I couldn’t sit at a bigger table because I was sitting by myself? Really? There were only two other tables occupied in the entire restaurant when I was there so what’s the big deal?

Came here with a girl friend on Tuesday night. Ooops… didn’t know it was AYCE Crab legs night. IT was PACKED! $ 59 a person for all you can eat isn’t bad, but I didn’t feel like I had room to put away $ 59 worth of crabs. So we opted for the menu on the wall by way of sharing small plates. Yes yes, I have a small plate disease when it comes to dining. I like to try a little of everything! Needless to say, we ate more than a little bit and I almost had to be rolled out of there.
We started with some mussels, had the garlic bread with gorgonzola, coconut shrimp, oysters rockefeller and tuna tartare.
I’d probably pass next time on the coconut shrimp and tuna tartare. It was average fare at best and not worth my time.
The beers were good and we really enjoyed dessert. The bartender who was taking care of us was good, but he mixed up our orders twice. I felt like if you aren’t going to write things down, then at least get them correct so that we don’t have the wrong orders come out.
Needless to say, I wanted to try the clam chowder but knew we weren’t going to have enough room. None the less, we enjoyed our meal and will definitely have to try it out again.

The finest seafood I know of in Chicago.
A colleague brought me here for lunch with the bold claim that they have the best clam chowder «in the world».
«No,» is said, «you sir, are LYING. No-​one has clam chowder that good.»
Oh god, forgive me, for I did not know…
Next thing I remember, I’m swearing up a curse factory in the restaurant, drawing attention to the table, my colleagues desperate and mortified to get me calmed, and I hadn’t even been drinking. «Fuck! What the fuck? Why, how? How is it this fucking good? This is BULLLLSHIIIIIIT…»
How do they take me anywhere?
Clam chowder so good, it made our Muslim colleague break his holy vows and eat bacon and shellfish! He had to pray for forgiveness afterward, but he does it every time!
Don’t bother with the table menu, there’s nothing on it you want besides the clam chowder. Everything you want is on the chalk boards; there’s two on either end, and they’re both the same. You get what you’re paying for, and they don’t disappoint.
Notable menu items include the lobster linguine. More lobster than linguine, the CEO of Red Lobster should be dragged out into the street before you and shot in celebration of this delight.
Tuesday’s, they have all you can eat crab legs at market price, so prepare to spend ~$ 50, and call ahead to reserve a seat about a month in advance, though, I’ve gotten lucky as a walk-​in for two. If you like gnawing on crab legs as thick as a baseball bat handle, then you’re gonna have a good time. I didn’t even know crab had a flavor before this. I don’t even like crab, and I had a good time.

Came here for brunch. May need to check out their Tuesday AYCE King crab legs’ night in the future.
Omelette w/​cheddar, sausage, ham ($ 9.99, comes with potato pancake, upgraded from toast to short stack pancakes for $ 1.50) — 4 stars omelette & short stack, pass on potato pancake.
Biscuits & gravy w/​eggs ($ 8.99) — bf disappointed by this
Side of fruit — bf v disappointed by the tiny serving

I like Glenns Diner, they have a nice business and a great neighborhood staple. The seafood has always been fresh in my experience, and the staff is always friendly. The only reason I did not give it 5 stars is because the last two times I was there for brunch, service was ridiculously slow. Not the food preparation, they are on top of things, but the actual table service. Maybe there was a meeting or something in the kitchen, I don’t know, but our server disappeared on us halfway through brunch for a good half hour while our coffee sat empty and my friend was awaiting his juice, and it happened again when I gave it a second shot. Also I wish their brunch menu had a couple more options, but I’m not knocking them for that.
For dinner though– food, service, and atmosphere are always on point!

When I think of diners, what comes to mind are burgers, fries, and milk shakes. And then you go to a neighbourhood like Ravenswood and find that the local diner is a seafood restaurant. You smile. Well, I smiled.
Let me start by saying that I had an aggressive appetite. CrossFit and kickboxing early in the morning had already worn me out, but in a good way. However, such intense workouts crank my appetite and I obey.
Love the waffles. Loved the scramble eggs with cheddar cheese. Waited about 20 minutes, got my second wind, and then had the halibut with potatoes and asparagus. Talk about flaky fish and everything being seasoned without being overdone. The jambalaya with cornbread was out of this world, although it didn’t come with rice. It was closer to the jambalaya that I’ve had in New Orleans than the attempts I’ve had at other New Orleans style restaurants in Chicago.
There is a constant flow of patrons coming and going. During midday the crowd was light. Given the breakfast was good, I imagine the morning crowd fills the restaurant. The food is certain worthy, so I can understand if the restaurant stays crowded. I’ll be a part of the constant crowd from now on.

AYCA crab legs Tuesdays– big, hot, tender.
They have a gynormous selection of fish.
You order off of a chalkboard
AYCE shrimp on Thursdays.
Well worth the price.
Small venue. They do take reservations so make sure you make some or else you are going to be standing next to someone’s table waiting for something to open up. Staff all extremely helpful and aim to please.
It looks like they will have patio seating for the summer.
I will definitely be back. YUM.

I don’t think I’ve ever given anything… ever…five stars. My sister and I could not agree on the type of food we wanted. I wanted fish, her burgers. We had never been to Glenn’s and only picked it because it was close to the worlds best cream place Margies.
I had the Lobster Fetticine and it was amazing! For $ 21.95 it came with garlic bread and enough meat from 2 lobsters! The flavor was on point.
My sister got the ribs. $ 23.95 and it was a full slab with Mac n cheese and corn. The ribs were UNREAL!
We had a hard time deciding because they had so many awesome dishes to choose from.
It was pretty crowded. The servers were super cute hipster dudes, so I might go back just for them ;)