Oak Tree

Great huevos rancheros for breakfast! Definitely have the fresh squeezed OJ and request a window seat!

I’ve been coming to the Oak Tree with my family for years, to the point where I can honestly say I had only eaten breakfast here until I actually moved to the city. It’s a great spot and convenient when we stayed at the Four Seasons. If you get the right tables, you can also have one of the best views of the Mag Mile in the entire city.
You can’t go wrong with their menu of solid breakfast options. The breads are freshly baked and absolutely delicious, served with every meal. I’m a huge fan of the waffles or the french scrambled eggs, with bacon on the side of course. The fresh squeezed OJ is delicious as well.

Really excellent breakfast section — a menu filled with classy and creative options. I got the smoked salmon eggs Benedict and my grandmother got the pecan waffles. The Benedict was good — perfectly toasty English muffin and one of the best hollandaise sauces I’ve ever had + a perfectly poached egg. However, the addition of caviar to already-​fishy smoked salmon pushed the dish over the edge from good fishy to too fishy and I ended up scraping my caviar off. It also came with a side of hash browns which alternated between deliciously crispy potatoes and undercooked potato chunks. The pecan waffles were a bit boring and I thought could have been better, but they weren’t bad. I knocked it down from four to three stars for the seriously awful cappuccino. It was very watery and the foam was in this gross blob.
Service is good. Nothing exceptional to speak of but nothing bad, either. The food came out quickly, which is nice. Additionally, sitting by the windows means an awesome view and beautiful light in this charming restaurant.

Stay away from this restaurant, worst food and service in Chicago. The owner Hale was seating a sweet elderly couple, who were moving alittle to slow for the owners liking. My wife and myself heard him say under his breath, hurry sit down so I can take your money. Unbelievable!!! He also reeked of cigarette smoke.
The breakfast was over priced, tasteless and luke warm.
When we were leaving I confronted the owner about what he said to the elderly couple, his response was mine my own business. We told him we will never be back, his response was I don’t care.

A fellow diner and I got violently ill after eating here. Classic food poisoning. It can happen to the best of them, right? I sent them an email. No response. I guess they really don’t care about maintaining safe food preparation standards. Eat here at your own peril.

Came for lunch while running errands last week. I’ve haven’t been here yet, so i figured I’d try it out.
Had a nice table off of the street, would like to have seen the hustle and bustle, but was seated in the middle section.
Wanted something quick and easy, so I opted for the chicken sandwich. It comes with fries and only a piece of lettuce — no other condiments or add-​one. Bummer! Though I should have asked for at least some mustard.
It was nice to people watch while enjoying lunch.

Where’s the zero star option when you need it?
I ordered a soup today and they didn’t give me bread. When I asked, the woman gave me major attitude saying «you can just eat the crackers»… The menu says the soup comes with bread,… I don’t think I was so wrong to ask for it.
Her attitude was unnecessary.
But there’s more! After someone handed me bread and I went to sit back down, they ran after me saying they gave me two slices of bread instead of one, in the package, and the guy literally took one of my slices of bread from my hands.
… Will never go again! Don’t waste your time.

Thought I would try this place out as it is good location off Michigan avenue. From the moment I walked in the hostess was very unfriendly and unwelcoming which wasn’t a great way to start. The menu is ok nothing special. I tried the sautéed banana cakes and it took quite a long time for them to come. When I finally got them they were cold and to make matters worse not very tasty and very mediocre. I would not recommend and not return here

Don’t come here. The hostess and owner are just complete jerks. We’re less than 24 hours from the loss of one of our best friends, staying in his apartment in the same building and not only did the hostess give us the most unbelievable attitude when we told her three more in addition to us three were coming down shortly, the owner, Hale, pretty much told us to scram. This all because we just wanted to sit down and order some food, and hopefully be joined in just a few minutes by the remaining three.
The behavior was reprehensible. Sure, were totally reeling by what just happened, and that perhaps is tinting my view of what happened, but my goodness, the person who owns this place and his staff couldn’t have shown any less understanding. They were simply awful.
Our best friend lived in this building — we came here often, mostly because it was convenient. We will never set foot there again.

Oak Tree is a great option for families looking to have a delicious, reasonably priced meal in a comfortable setting just off the Mag Mile. Located inside the 900 North Michigan Shops on one of the upper floors, the restaurant is spacious and nicely decorated, with gorgeous views down onto Michigan Avenue. I lived in Chicago for a while and can’t believe I never made it to this place until now, while visiting again as a tourist. I’d say it’s definitely one of the best places to eat on North Michigan if you’re looking for something comfortable, tasty, and classy but not stuffy!
My parents and I stopped in for lunch while doing some holiday shopping. After checking out the awesome views, I started to look over the expansive menu, which featured everything from sweet and savory breakfast options (served all day!) to delicious-​sounding salads, soups, and sandwiches and paninis. It was a tough decision with so many right-​sounding choices, but I went with a classic chicken caesar salad, which was fantastic. My my mom was happy that she could get several a la carte breakfast options, and ended up ordering a single egg, some grits with shrimp, and a pastry. The only weird thing was that rather than having 1 server, which we expected at first, different servers brought our water and bread, took our orders, delivered our food, and checked in to make sure everything was tasting good. It was fine, but a little odd to deal with so many different people throughout.
Oak Tree also has a takeout and bakery counter right as you walk inside, but if you go past it, you’ll find the hostess’s podium where you can ask to be seated for table service. The restaurant space itself is quite large. Even though it was pretty crowded when we were there, we had plenty of room to set down our shopping bags and big winter coats. The crowd also looked like many locals were there — always a good sign!

Very disappointing. First, on Christmas Sunday, the host in the afternoon was the rudest person I have ever met. She treated us, a family of 7, in a very unwelcome manner. The waiter was kind but felt forced. Food was OK. I will surely not be back and would never recommend this place to anyone because of the host.

Dark hair twice in my corned beef hash! My breakfast arrived with a black hair, sent it back and received my replacement. Ate most of it and then discovered another hair! Yuck, let server know and they didn’t charge me but still…

I wanted some breakfast and decided to have it at Oak Tree. We were lucky enough to get a table with an amazing view of N Michigan Ave. and Water Tower Place. The great window views add appeal to the otherwise drab and boring ambience.
Our breakfast experience can be described as mediocre. It consisted of scrambled egg whites with spinach and cheese. It was so-​so. I had better. The hash browns were over cooked with little flavor. The orange juice was freshly squeezed but full of pulp. I’m definitely not a fan of pulpy O.J. The bacon was the highlight of the meal. It was perfectly cooked and very savory.
The cost of this average breakfast? Pricey!
Definitely not worth it. I had tastier and cheaper breakfasts at IHOP. The service was nothing to brag about. Our server didn’t put much effort into making sure the dining experience was enjoyable.
The bottom line: This restaurant didn’t live up to the hype. I gave Oak Tree three stars. The third star is for the nice window view. Sorry! We won’t be back!

I often went here because of it being so close to where I work, despite it having a reputation amongst co-​workers for having terrible service. The sandwiches are alright, the bread here is good but it doesn’t make up for how awful the service is in the to-​go spot. The cashier never makes eye contact and rushes customers whether it’s busy or not and the «chefs» are unwilling to make anything that isn’t already pre-​made despite it being on their to-​go menu.
I don’t like recommending a chain over some something locally but seriously, just go to Potbelly’s downstairs. It’s less expensive, more flavorful, and the staff there is friendly even during a (busier than Oak Tree) lunch rush.

Just had breakfast here. Really good omelette. Had the spinach tomato and mushroom. The hash browns were perfect too. Service was good but we also were there at an off time. But everyone was kind and it was clean. It is located on the 6^th floor so take the elevator because the escalators are weird.

A hidden gem! If you’re in Chicago and don’t want to pay lots to eat and get good quality service and food with a view– come here, especially for Brunch! And If you are always looking for ways to save money– I prefer Brunch over Dinner! When you get to the hostess stand, please request to sit all the way in the back by the windows. They will assume you’re a regular if you do say that and you will be seated with the daylight sun shining through and a view of MI ave. I can never afford to shop at the 900 N Michigan Shops but to visit Oak Tree is a must.
Not sure about the not so good reviews! It’s quite sad. I love the brunch menu. I came here with my husband and cousin. I got the hungry jack and eggs, my husband got the french scrambled eggs (he’s not a salmon fan but the waiter was stressing we try it!) and my cousin got a grilled chicken. Everything came out in perfect timing, temperature, and wonderful presentation. We all had coffee and a good Saturday afternoon brunch. I will definately visit again!

I visited Oak Tree for breakfast a few weekends ago on a Sunday while on a girls trip in Chicago. We found the closest place to our hotel that served breakfast and this was it. The restaurant itself is nice and the views are relaxing if you get a window seat. Other than that, there isn’t anything else too wonderful.
Service was fine but the food was mediocre. I had the Two Eggs Breakfast and my girlfriends and I shared an order of the Royal (Brioche) French Toast. The food was fine, however, everything was just mediocre and wasn’t a delicious, satisfying breakfast I hoped for. Prices were not too bad for breakfast.

I live around the corner and «was» a regular.
Am meeting my wife for lunch. Got here ten minutes early. Place is half empty.
Was told by the snooty hostess they don’t seat partial parties and I can’t sit down to have a drink while waiting for my wife.
No biggie… I left, walked down one story in the mall to Frankie’s Scaloppine where I’m comfortably seated, having a drink while waiting for my wife and writing this.

Caveat: This merchant imposes a ten-​dollar minimum on all card transactions without distinguishing between debit or credit.
(see page 698). Rest assured they have been alerted to the proper authorities who are now investigating.
A ten-​dollar minimum purchase is within the law on credit cards but there may be no minimum imposed on debit cards.

Let’s return to 1990. I am 4y, on the cusp of 4.5y. We have just moved to Chicago and although it’s mid-​winter, I’m rebelling the parental uprooting of my life from LA and have decided to wear my best neon bike shorts and a half-​shirt with a whale on it.
It is in this finery that I first became acquainted with the Oak Tree, as my late grandfather lived right down the street — and throughout my childhood, it served as the place he met us for brunch while we were still too unruly to be treated to tea at the Four Seasons. Thus, it will always hold a special place in my heart — though I miss their mediocre bread baskets with the standard variety of deli carbs (onion rolls, rye bread, some crackery things) and the ever slightly sticky tables and black and white checkerboard floor — in the last 7 years, it’s nice to see that the Oak Tree has attempted to grow up.
Gone are the vestiges of my childhood brunches (except my neon bike shorts. Those I still own. Duh.), replaced with sleeker booths, more of which overlook Michigan Ave, airier décor, and an overall increased swank-​factor — or, they are trying.
What’s great — the omelettes (large, fluffy, accompanied by perfectly browned toast and heavenly whipped butter), banana pancakes, and their hashbrowns — if you’re going for lunch, I’ve witnessed a fair number of the massive club sandos being taken down, and most of the salads are pretty servicable, with a slight tinge of «basic bitch» flavoring (endive/​roquefort/​pear or cashew chicken or a grilled veggie fiber-​fest, etc).
Menu totally caters to ladies who lunch — but despite this, portions are large enough that I actually wasn’t hungry for like 4h afterwards, which for me, is like going on a mini hunger strike — but if you want to get indulgent, they have passable burgers and seven types of grilled cheese.
Coffee is fine. Fresh OJ is pulpy and nice. Lunch for dos is abt $ 30 — eggs, coffees, fruit plate — at these prices and with the bougie-​lite ingredients they throw on the menu, it’s not quite a greasy spoon, but IRL, it is — just the 900 N. Michigan Ave version of it — and given our history, I will always look forward to a quick nosh here — oh, but don’t really expect anything more than perfunctory service. It’s usually a mad house and the waitstaff isn’t really known for getting down eye level and talking abt flavor profiles and holding hands while you make menu selections. Travesty.

Service joviale mais expéditif. Déco classique et moderne sur fond de couleur pastel. Ambiance calme. On entend la vaisselle de la cuisine alors qu’il y a une ambiance sonore de fond. Belle vue sur l’avenue Michigan.
Menu exhaustif. 10 $ pour du french toast. 2,5 $ pour L’Espresso 3,5 $ la limonade.
Le repas fut copieux mais un peu moyen au goût. J’ai mangé de meilleur french toast chez Yolk et pour un peu moins cher.
Le report qualité prix est donc très moyen.