Hub 51

I hosted a group dinner for about 25 people on Wednesday night at HUB 51, and our experience was terrific. We were seated in a semi-​private room overlooking the dining room, and this worked out great as we had our own space but didn’t feel isolated from the rest of the restaurant. The food was very good (as usual), but I really wanted to post a review to highlight the service we received. Our primary server, Rachel, was one of the best I’ve ever had in a group setting. We had her running back and forth to the bar all night long, but we never had to wait long for anything. She was very pleasant and everyone in the group really liked her. Dan, the manager, assisted Rachel and was also very good. The catering manager, Allie, was very responsive and easy to work with in setting up the dinner in the days prior to the event.
I’ve hosted many large group dinners, and while the food always tends to be similar, what separates restaurants from one another is the service. Based on this experience (and especially Rachel) I will definitely be returning to Hub 51.

A group of us went to enjoy brunch last weekend. When our entrees came out, three orders of hash browns accompanied as well. None of us ordered them. We were extremely irritated when the waiter proceeded to charge us $ 3.50 a pop!
I understand the concept of up charging… However, when it arrives when no one even asked for the items… Beware and go over your bill. Extremely deceitful.

So disappointed in my 4÷29÷16 visit to hub51 (I posted this the next day *insert blonde moment, I posted to the wrong hub 51, epic fail on my behalf) I came in ready to order (I was starving and in no mood for a bad experience), I ordered a spicy tuna and a spicy hamachi roll without rice (side note: it was Passover so I was passing on rice, this is not my first rodeo and I have ordered rice-​less sushi at hub51 specifically multiple times). The waitress looked at me like I was nuts and said that she’s never heard of anyone ordering it like that. I responded letting her know I’ve eaten it plenty of times before specifically at this establishment. When my rolls came out there were 4 of each. I immediately made a comment. For starters I’m paying 13 – 14 $ essentially for a basic roll that I can get anywhere for 8 $ (that’s not the problem bc I specifically chose to dine at this establishment and knew what I was getting into). But 4 pieces of each when typically it comes with 8 pieces (I have picture from last time I was there and ordered riceless sushi). I made a comment and she fought me on it immediately saying that no one has ever ordered it that way and this roll has more fish (still confused what the amount of fish has to do with rice). To be clear rice is not a binding ingredient, the rice is on the outside of the roll not the Inside. I also, did not come to a restaurant to get in an altercation with a waitress and I already went back and forth with her long enough. I said whatever at that point and ate the order I was given. Pretty disappointed in myself for not taking a picture but I’m horrified that a lettuce entertain you restaurant had such an inconsistency with their service and experience.
*side note: I’m totally a frequent diner as in at least once a week, and I have not been back since last month

After having a bad experience earlier this week, I thought I’d give Hub 51 another try this week… ordered the same burger from their website. Easy enough… per the receipt, I will be receiving an email with confirmation which I did. Then I will be receiving an alert to tell me my food was ready to be picked up. After waiting about 30 minutes, I decided to walk to the restaurant on my lunch time to follow up… I found out, it was sitting there for 20 — 25 minutes. Really… Per the MOD, it’s a new app this restaurant has just started to use and they are still working the kinks out. My question… if you have food sitting on a shelf for this long, wouldn’t you follow up the the guest or the «app» company? You would think a like company LEYE would make sure all of the apps would be working properly before going live???
Again, this is the second this week, this restaurant failed me. The MOD offered to make a new burger and walk it over to me, however, I’m at work and I only have 30 minutes for lunch. I can’t eat and work at the same time since I work as a Concierge /​Front Desk Agent.
The MOD did stated he is aware they messed up earlier this week per my earlier reviews on Unilocal and on Open Table. No follow up from this restaurant.
Currently, it’s about three (3) hours after the order was taken via this «app» and no emails or a phone call from this «app» company. The company has charged my credit card. I’m sure Hub 51 will be more than happy to assist me to retrieve my funds back or at least give me the points that I’d be due. I would suggest, LEYE stop using this app system.
Granted I’m only one hotel employee and a Silver member of LEYE, I would accept better service.

This place literally has something for everyone.
A large wine list and lots of beer options makes it really easy to get started with your experience. Sushi, salads, burgers, tacos, other kinds of wraps/​sandwiches, too. The ambiance is great and very trendy, caters to all kinds of clientele.
I’d also love to give a shout-​out to our amazing server, Brittney. My friend somehow caught his napkin on fire from the candle on the table. Her quick thinking extinguished that flame with our water bottle with minimal drama. She’s a gem.

We went to happy hour here prior to a monthly work dinner that was near by. My coworkers seemed to enjoy the place but I wasn’t very impressed. They do not have a happy hour drink special and the bar is very small. The place itself looks like a standard slightly nicer chain restaurant. Overall, I do not suggest this place for drinks but might consider it for dinner or lunch.

We had an amazing dinner! Nachos are the best I’ve ever had and my wife’s surprise birthday carrot cake was great. Definitely miss the rice crisp in the poke.
We shall return.

One of my favorite easy spots in Chicago. The food is delicious and the drinks are the best. I’m a huge fan of the chicken tacos, the basil tuna sushi roll and the chili hamachi sushi roll. I started with the nachos before and they are definitely for sharing. I think I group of 8 of us shared one order and there were leftovers. Be sure to ask them to evenly distribute the layers and not just put all the ingredients on top. The layers on the bottom get soggy quick and aren’t nearly as enjoyable. Highly recommend the hub 51 punch as well. It goes with everything.
Along with dinner, hub 51 has a great brunch menu. Make sure to make a reservation any time you go to avoid long waiting times!

Hub 51 has an identity crisis. Its menu is all over the place. Sushi. Burgers. Steak. Fish. Tacos. Theres’s seemingly no rhyme or reason to its menu.
That said, most of their food is quite good.
* Pulled Chicken Nachos — $ 14.95. Those are some expensive nachos. Though its not on the menu, you can get a half-​order of these and it was still a significant stack. The chicken is tasty, the chips are warm and the little carafe of semi-​spicy salsa is a nice touch. I wish the lower nachos got the chicken/​cheese/​salsa love their upstairs brothers got, but sometimes you’re the bottom chip in a big stack and you just have to deal with it.
* Big City Cornbread — $ 8.50. Again, crazy expensive for cornbread. That said, the cornbread was great. Very moist and the butter melted into its surface as soon as it made contact. I was a fan, but it should cost $ 6, tops.
* El Segundo Sol Burger — $ 13.50. A real winner. The burger was cooked perfectly. All the toppings came together for a slightly spicy symphony. This was the best thing I ate here. I wish the fries themselves were tastier, but the spice rub on them really saved the day.
* Filet Mignon Steak Tacos — $ 19.95. Not even close to worth it. The steak was tender but flavorless. It’s also one of these deals where you have to assemble it yourself. For $ 20 dollars, I could get three Chipotle burritos assembled to my liking. This is an unacceptable price for a bland set of tacos.
If I were to return to Hub 51, I’d just get the burger and skip all the other stuff. The prices are goofy-​high for what you get.
Service was excellent, but we were also there scoping out the place as a possible wedding rehearsal venue, so we might have gotten more love than the average customer.

Had dinner here as a party of 8 during a Bachelorette party and was blown away by the experience and how well our table was treated by the staff. We were a lot to handle but they did not skip a beat.
I would definitely recommend making reservations since they offer them and it seems to be a popular spot.
Everything I tried was delicious. I can recommend any of the following without hesitation:
Hub Punch
Three Green Bites
Chickpea Hummus
Guacamole
Shaki-​Shaki Tuna
Chipotle Grilled Chicken Salad
Chicken Tacos
All dishes are very good for sharing. The food came out fast and the punch kept pouring.
Would definitely recommend Hub 51 for a great meal and good Chicago atmosphere. I would return.

Hub51 is a random cluster of food choices, I’ve been here at least 4 times, and never walked away thinking Damn, that was good. Rather, just — Okay, I’m no longer hungry. In fact, with the exception of a burger, I can’t even recall what I ordered here in the past — and no, the burger wasn’t remarkable, except for the fact that the fries tasted horrible.
For its location, the pricing is on par with everything else in the area, and the food, for the most part, is good portioned, as to prep you for the festivities that likely lie ahead in your night.
Because of its location, however, this place is popular. So popular that on weekends, there is almost always a wait (so put in that open table reso).
It is a lettuce entertain you restaurant, which is probably why I keep dropping by (gotta rack those points up). Oh, and they serve beer by the pitcher.
The bathroom is on the lower floor and you need to go down a staircase to get there.

Nice ambiance for Sunday brunch. There were young people, couples, families with young children — all are welcome. The drinks were nice and the seafood salad was good — crab and shrimp meat atop the salad. The steak and eggs was delicious but was only kind of warm when it got to the table. Great service, everyone was quite friendly.

Came thru here for dinner last Friday night. Decent experience overall, but here we go…
The good:
~ Roasted Chicken French Dip ~ think traditional French dip but with chicken! Thinly sliced chicken, provolone, & green peppers served with a side of au jus for dippin’ and giardiniera
~ Decent draft beer selection ~ probably almost 20 different beers on tap! Whoop whoop!
~ Service was overall good. Waitress was quick and attentive. No complaints here.
The bad:
~ Side of fries served with Chicken French Dip ~ kind of funny how our waitress was raving about them but I found them to be over seasoned, stale, and soggy. Yuck! Needless to say, I didn’t come close to finishing them.
Final Notes:
Make sure to put in a reservation if you’re coming in for dinner. This is a prime location in River North area so it does get crowded on weekends! Late nights there’s a small club downstairs called «Sub 51» if you fancy getting yo’ groove on. Wish I could give more details on Sub 51, but the one time I checked it out I was seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.
‘Til next time, cheers!

I enjoy Hub 51!
The mood is fun and the atmosphere is hip; slightly business casual.
The menu is diverse. It’s a great place for groups and guests, because there is something for everybody. The sushi rolls are not that great, so I would recommend going to a specialty place for that.
I absolutely love the filet mignon tacos! They are amazing! Savory, sweet, not too salty.
I’ve had them multiple times, it’s my go to dish. On one occasion they arrived fatty and gristly, and well, quite frankly, it was nasty. I didn’t complain, but the waitress took just one look at it, and she voluntarily took it back! I was happy.
What was the chef thinking? It’s a fairly expensive dish too.
At any rate, he made me a new plate and it was perfect! So aces to the waitress for her customer service!
I also love their Chips and Guacamole! They use roasted corn in the dip and fresh chips. It’s a great starter dish, served right in the molcajete.
Negative Spot: One thing I really dislike at Hub 51 are the couples seating, back-​to-​back high top tables/​chairs. I avoid this section altogether and will refuse to sit there any longer. This is because whatever stranger, who gets seated behind you, has his or her tall chair-​back against yours. Every time that person moves, you move too, getting bumped throughout your meal, and probably vise versa whenever you move or adjust in your seat. All the other seats are normal and not touching.
Get there early. Make a reservation. Don’t just walk-​in and expect a seat, it gets busy (that’s a good thing). The tables are reserved. It’s not just a bar.
I will be back!

I’m from Michigan so I came here for a weekend getaway. This restaurant had good reviews so I tried it. Overall, good was great and service was awesome. If you listen to fetty wap, drake, big Sean and all those other types of rap/​hip-​hop you will like it here because that’s the kind of music you listen to while eating. It kinda pulps you up to go dancing later on.
Appetizers:
French fries — were so good, they had a kick of bbq seasoning to them
Guacamole & chips– the guac was great, could use some more lime, it had corn at the bottom of the dish, the salsa was spicy but wasn’t all that.
Dinner:
I had the seasoned fish which was at the very bottom of the menu. I believe it was black bass? But overall it was very good, it came with cooked broccoli and red pepper that all had a seasoned kick to it.
For 4 people we all shared the appetizers and had our own dinner entrée and the bill came out to $ 103. Not bad!
Others:
There were two ladies that came up to my group of friends and handed us business cards which were free passes to go down to their SUB51 bar which is in the basement below. The bar was small but ok. The bathrooms in this place are very private and clean.

Went here on a whim with a girlfriend after hearing good thing about it.
1. Fast, friendly service.
2. Ok cocktail selection. I figured there’d be more of a list to choose from, but I highly recommend the punch!
3. Vegan options. My friend got a kale and avocado salad topped with tofu.
4. I’m still mourning the end of my fish sandwich. Perfectly fried fish with spicy mayo and coleslaw alongside seasoned fries. Yum!
Oh, and be sure to end your night with a chocolate shot. Delicious!

Hub 51 is a great place to get some good food in a casual setting. This place is great for after work gatherings or dinner with friends. The location is in River North and so parking will be at a premium. One can valet or park in one of the various garages or surface lots.
Upon entering one is greeted by one of the hostesses at the stand. One can make reservations on OpenTable, and they do not seat the party until everyone is there. 5:30 pm was about the perfect time to get here as it was right before the rush at 6:00 pm.
Service was good. Our server came back several times to get our drink orders, appetizers and dinner orders. She also came back frequently to make sure our drinks were filled.
We ordered the chicken nachos and that was probably enough for the 6 of us for dinner. It was good! We have had their sushi rolls before, and so we got the rainbow roll to share. The sushi is good by Japanese restaurant standards. I got the seared ahi tuna as my entrée. Others had the salmon, chicken, tacos, etc. I had had the tacos a while ago and remember them being very good.
Overall it was a very nice dining experience.

Good food. Server was excellent. I really liked their sushi; it was a surprise how good it was. We had a rainbow and a California Crab (both were stuffed with crab) and they were good. No complaints.
The dinners were three star quality. We split fish tacos and short-​rib tacos and, maybe because the sushi was so good, I expected too much. Not a fan of their soft corn shells, the meat was a bit over cooked, and the toppings heavy. It wasn’t bad but it wasn’t great.
I would come again but I would order something different than the tacos.

Stopped in on a Wednesday night while waiting for a show to start at the HOB. No problem finding a few seats at the bar. Friendly staff, and a laid back, modern atmosphere.
Tried the Ceviche and Prime Rib French Dip. Both were decent enough, having their ups and downs. Shrimp was a little fishier than the norm, but not repulsive by any means. Avocado and jicama married well, but the dish lacked salt and spice. The accompanying chips were bland and mostly from the bottom of the bag.
From what I remember, the French Dip was first-​rate. Quality sliced prime rib, fresh roll, au jus, and horseradish sauce all paired well. Not sure about the price tag ($ 19.99), but it’s the city so it’s to be expected. Competitive food and drink on a pretty competitive block. Probably won’t be my first choice on a future Dearborn visit, but it left a decent enough impression for a return visit somewhere down the line.

Breakfast nachos anyone? They were excellent! And massive. So massive that BF and I shared it and there was still a ton we left. Paired with Bloody Mary’s and Grey Goose greyhounds, we left very satisfied.
Good service even though they did not check me in on Open Table. I’ll get over it.