Park 52

I had dinner here last night! The food was great but the service was horrible. The hostess acted like she did not want to seat us and the waitress seemed a little over worked, but didn’t come and check on us at all, forgot to bring calamari and as dinner is being served they finally asked did you get your calamari… we said forget foods here. We got no apologie at all! We also had to wait a long time for our meals.

My wife wanted me to try something new so I went to Park52. The grits and shrimp dish was aweful. The grits were a weird shade of egg shell white (most likely instant) and the 4 shrimp were rubbery. But the kicker was the RAW turkey burger. I mean 75% of the turkey burger was completely raw. The fries taste like old and dirty grease. All that and the food cost me $ 43 bucks — sort of expensive for take out. After taking the food home and hoping to unwind from a long long long day, I had to drag the food back up to the restaurant. I ended up buy that nights dinner at Medici.
The reason they got two stars is because they fixed the issue. I received a gift certificate for $ 50 to come back. I will not come back, however, I appreciate the effort.

On the way in we saw a small mouse. Tried not to let that taint my view of the restaurant. I had a Mrs. Forte which is a lemon drop martini and it was quite strong. The boyfriend had the commander in chief which he enjoyed. We also had the spinach dip and we enjoyed it. I also liked the music they played and it has nice décor. I’ll will probably never eat an entrée here based on reviews. Nice place for drinks. — 2 stars for the mouse.

Finally went for date night with the hubs. Honestly, I don’t understand the bad reviews. The food was excellent, the atmosphere was nice, it wasn’t too loud, service was prompt and responsive…
I can see the dining room getting loud, but only because the bar runs the entire length of the dining room. So, if the bar gets super busy/​loud, it will spill into the dining room, potentially interrupting a romantic meal. But, i have no such complaint.
I would say that while the food was good, it wasn’t interesting or creative. don’t get me wrong, the meal was delicious but, nothing exciting. fish and vegetables, pork chops, etc. OH, the crab cakes were awesome! super good.

I visted Park 52 on a Thursday evening. Food was quite tasty and the drinks deelish. I recommend the sea scallops, they were well flavored and the rice was seasoned and not bland.
I will agree with the other reviewers that the band was pretty loud. Which made for an evening of yelling, nodding and hand-​gestures. I think is someone could just turn the volume down on the speakers this place would easily be 4 stars.

came on a weekday for lunch and used a groupon. The restaurant is beautifully decorated with comfortable seating that reminded me much of carnival.
However, the food was too pricey for the portion size and taste. we ordered
ribs — just 5 small ribs for $ 15? really?
steak — ok, could be much juicier
not worth the money without discount!
service was super slow too, we had to flag the waiter down for everything.

I visited Park 52 today for lunch. I ordered a Cesar salad along with the Rock Shrimp. I enjoyed both dishes! My server Michelle was more than courteous! The décor is awesome and I look forward to future visits. Park 52 is a hidden gem within Hyde Park.

Maybe we shouldn’t have had our dinner meeting there. Maybe it was the wrong place for a professional meet and greet. Maybe the jazz band should have played at a peaceful restaurant-​level rather than ALL-OUT-KURT-KOBAIN-LET’S-BOOGIE-BABY-level.
I thought I was at a Miles Davis concert and Miles had the end of his trumpet inches from my left ear — while I was trying to order!!!
Did you know that food doesn’t taste the same when one of your ear drums is temporarily incapacitated? Yea — I didn’t know that either — until my palate followed the suit of my ear drum and basically said to me «I can’t work under these f*ckin heinous condidtions!»
Two of the people in my dinner party, numb to the trumpet mafia, said the BBQ Glazed Atlantic Salmon and Pan Seared Halibut was phenomenal! So I guess if you can weather the storm of chaotic loudness on Wednesdays — you should be in for a treat if you don’t mind paying 5-​star restaurant prices.
Just don’t expect to have an actual conversation — the band thinks their playing at the Cotton Club for Dutch Schultz or something.

Ok, let me begin with the good. The ambiance is beautiful. It really is a nice place inside. Last Wednesday I visited the place for a second time, this time sitting upstairs in the private dining area. That is lovely as well.
Ok, so that is it with the good. The bad: everything else! The menu is VERY limited. And what is offered, is bad. Just plain ol’ blah. My first time there, about a year ago, I had the crab cake and corn cake. Blah and blah! I took the food home, but couldn’t convince myself to attempt to warm it up and eat it again, so I just threw it away.
This time, I looked at the menu long and hard before coming, and decided on the shrimp and grits. Again… BORING! The food lacks flavor. I ate the 4 lonely shrimp on top (they were a nice size) and a few spoonfuls of grits before I just gave up.
The service was real suspect. David acted like he had better things to do besides being there. He wasn’t attentive and very nonchalant. We asked him for refills on water and he looked like we asked him for a million dollars. I presented him with a
gift certificate I had and he said «let me see if I can take this.» Oh, yes, David, you can and you will. He added a drink onto the bill that no one ordered, but blamed it on the person who left already, when everyone at my table was pretty sure she didn’t have anything besides water.
And to top it all of we were charged 23% percent gratuity. Excuse me, but WHERE THEY DO THAT AT!!! No wonder he didn’t care how his service was, he was getting 23% off top! I thought a party of 6 or more was 18% or maybe even 20%, but 23%. Yeah, I don’t think I’ll be going back there. I know it’s 1, 2, 3 strikes you’re out, but I’ll just leave it at 2!

We celebrated my brother and sister-in-law’s 5^th year anniversary here and the overall experience was remarkable. The wonderful people at Park 52 coordinated an enjoyable and memorable night for us. I didn’t even know that they hosted private events. But they do and they do it well.
We started off with dinner in the mezzanine. The ambiance was gorgeous and intimate and the food was delectable. My husband had the lamb, which he absolutely loved and I had the samurai steak (delightful although my brother’s ribeye was even better). They make the best cocktails!!! Our waiter was friendly and very attentive the entire night.
After dinner we had a cocktail reception for approx. 150 guest. Park 52 provided everything we needed hors d’oeuvres, cocktails, desserts, and décor. We didn’t have to deal with any additional vendors which made the evening carefree. Dawn and Katie were a great help in making sure the night went perfectly.
Park 52 is a great place to dine and host a party! I will definitely be back for date nights with my hubby. It’s great to have these sorts of establishments right in your own neighborhood!

A solid 5 stars for a great dining experience!
While I was in Chicago I booked the Ramada at Hyde Park because my wife gets a fantastic discount from where she works. I found out this restaurant was nearby and a good choice. Additionally, I had a $ 50 off coupon from
. Additionally, when Obama was in the governors office I heard it was one of his favorite places to eat.
Park 52 did not disappoint, it was fantastic in every sense of the word. Our waitress was a nice puerto rican gal who told us about all the athletes and public figures that ate there regularly (for free I guess, some of them weren’t good tippers as well — I guess some of those people have a sense of entitlement). She was very attentive to our needs and checked on our table regularly. We had a spinach and artichoke dip for an appetizer that was nothing special. However, the main courses were oh so good! The short ribs were to die for! Additionally my friend ordered the catfish and crawfish which was very good as well. We drank A LOT too which made the dining experience even better.
The atmosphere was very cool as they had pictures of movie stars on the walls and the place was well furnished.
Strongly recommended!

Let me just say this place isn’t really that bad. I’ve been wanting to go this place for awhile (President Obama eats here when he is in Chicago) and I went with a group of friends for dinner last night.
Our reservation was for 8:00 pm and when we arrived to be seated I felt like I was rushed because the kitchen closed at 9:00 pm (I mean really on a Saturday!!) The décor gave a it really nice ambiance.
I had the chicken poillard and it was good and seasoned well (grilled chicken breast, mashed potatoes and a side salad). My drink wasn’t that bad either. So as we finished our food, it was about 9:15 and we noticed that they were dimming the lights. One of my friends ask the waitress «Should we leave?» She responded saying no because after 9 the restaurant turns into a lounge and anyone can move to the bar side and have drinks if they chose.
Overall, Park 52 was ok (a little overpriced) but they need to advertise on the website that they stay open later than 10 on the weekend. I think this is good place to come back and have drinks.

I’ve gone to Park 52 to a few times on lunch during the week. I am a fan of the garden salad and I usually add grill shrimp. The shrimp and grits have never failed me.
I think what I enjoy the most is the décor. The light fixtures, the photos and the chairs makes it bright, funky and hot.

Worst dining experience ever. I hate all Jerry Kleiner restaurants, but this is the worst of the lot.
I went with my two roommates for an early dinner. The hostess said she could seat us in 15 minutes. An hour and 2 reminders to the hostess later, we were finally seated without an apology.
Our waiter then proceeded to ignore us for 45 minutes despite many attempts to flag him down and asking other servers to call him over. When he finally did come, he had a nasty attitude and even made fun of my order. At this point I was so angry, I was visibly shaking. We requested a new waiter, who admittedly was very friendly and were promised a free round of drinks. The manager then backtracked AFTER we ordered drinks and said they would give us free dessert instead.
The food was forgettable and over priced. The service was inexcusable.

Not sure what to make of Park 52. I had one delightful, delish weekend lunch here in January, and would have been happy to write a 4-​star review for it (I forgot, Winter Quarter happened). But after calling Park 52 Friday and letting them know we would be in for brunch today, we arrived on time only to find a locked door.
When we finally got in, we were seated at the (abandoned) bar and told we would be seated «shortly,» and for the next half-​hour we watched about a dozen people be seated as I pondered how long I had been awake without coffee. Ultimately we went to Mello Yellow, which was actually able to achieve the restaurant telos of serving food.
I really, really want to like Park 52, because I will be in Hyde Park for a year or two and I really want a nice restaurant around the corner from my house where I can take guests or otherwise have a tasty meal in a pretty environment. But liking the restaurant sort of depends on actually eating food in the restaurant, and that has been far from a sure thing lately. My January meal was great – I hope I have a March meal here sooner or later.

I’m really surprised by all of the negative reviews! I did not read the reviews before coming here, and I think I was better off that way.
We came for a celebration dinner last night, and had a great time. The meal was a bit pricey, but I wasn’t paying so it was okay.
The décor is lovely. This is a bright vibrant space, and it has a warm happy feeling to it.
The staff was great. Our server was friendly and attentive but not over bearing. There were a couple of times that our water glasses were slow to be refilled, but we did go through a lot of water so we may have just been drinking fast.
I had a chocolate martini, and it was delicious.
We started with spinach artichoke dip, and I wasn’t that crazy about it but my dinning companions loved it.
For dinner I went with the waitress’s suggestion of the sea bass. It was wonderful. I could eat that again right now. I wasn’t crazy about the spinach cooked with mushrooms and red peppers. I tried the regular spinach side and it was delicious.
I also ordered a side of mashed potatoes which were great. However I think my sea bass should have come with a starchy side without me having to order it separately.
For desert I had flourless chocolate cake. It was delicious, but I ended up being uncomfortably full after dinner so I should not have ordered it.
All in all it was a great meal.

I’ve been to Park 52 twice and my last (and FINAL) experience here was horrible to say the least.
My first experience here was ok at best. Food was fine — nothing to write home about. The only thing I can recall about the food from my first experience was that the creamed corn, grits and risotto all looked and tasted similar. I didn’t hate it and was willing to give them a second try.
Now on to the second experience. We came with friends for a Friday night dinner with 8pm reservations. As soon as we arrived, we were told to order quickly because the kitchen was closing… that’s right the kitchen was closing at 8pm on a Friday night! There was still a decent amount of people having dinner so we didn’t question it right away. As the night went on, we enjoyed our dinner. We all enjoyed our food to varying degrees. My short rib was decent but my creamed corn was very sweet. Basically it was syrup with corn on the side.
So I’m sure I’ve driven the point home that the food is mediocre but what truly ruined our second experience was the management. At 10pm sharp, the lights went off and the speakers started blasting. Yes the place turned into club central and we hadn’t even received desert yet! Our biggest issue with the situation was that no one had brought this to our party’s attention during our meal. Instead of complaining, we decided to tell the management that for future guests on Fridays and Saturdays, they should inform them of the restaurants change to night club. The manager that night was extremely rude to us stating that it’s on their website (it’s not by the way… nothing states what Lounge 52 is or when it starts) and that she called to inform us of this as well. Our friend who made the reservation promptly whipped out his phone to show that he had no record of the call.
I could go on but overall this place gets a zero in my book. I have nothing against night clubs but you’ll never see me frequent Park 52 or Lounge 52 again.

Upscale & Hyde Park, don’t always match, but this is still one of my favorites.
So if you live in the South Loop, Park 52 might feel right up your alley and while I can’t say it fits Hyde Park, I can say I’m glad it here.
I’m some what of a regular to Park 52 (at least considering how often I go out) and I’m always glad to see an ever changing specials menu as I love some of the regular menu items a little to much and need a nudging to not get the short ribs every time I go there.
I’ve never had an issue with the service from valet to waiters, but I will say I do get randomly frustrated by alcohol selections, wine being out of stock, or varieties of beer/​liquor not living up to the high end look I feel they are going for. I can’t help but feeling that this is an effect, caused by patrons I often overhear while dinning at Park 52, complaining about prices and portion sizes. Which goes back to my opening remarks about Hyde Park & Upscale not always matching. So I often feel that my selection or the quality of some items is lessened to help draw in a wider local patronage than possibily making this location a destination for dinners from outside the Hyde Park area.
The long and short of it is, if you live on the Near South Side/​Hyde Park area and want to have a classy dinner this is one of maybe 2 – 3 places you can go. Most nights it’s a 4 Star place, but sometimes their selection or lack of dips them to a 3 star evening.

I have never been to a Jerry Kleiner restaurant, but after visiting Park 52, I’ll always be able to recognize one from the fabulous décor. Extra sized fixtures make this place seem what an adult Alice in Wonderland would patronize had they ever wrote a sequel.
Seriously, this was a «visit Obama’s part of town» night and I had heard this place was quite the establishment.
After eating Chicken and Waffels near by, this was going to be a drinks only stop… mainly because I was so full almost nothing else could fit inside me. The bartender was a bit overwhelmed, though the restaurant was not full by any means. She was more focused on getting out servers drinks than servicing the bar… perhaps they need a smaller server bar and hire another bartender so the bar patrons don’t suffer. And we all did as the bar was full. Drink orders with my friend were simple, though I requested my drink with a lime which took 3 requests to get… just totally unacceptable for such a nice place… I mean it is a drink order. If you cannot get that right, I’d be a bit scared about more complex dinner orders.
The menu is simple, yet has a nice mixture of food, both comfort and otherwise. I would still like to eat here, though my first impression on a non busy night makes me think otherwise.

You can certainly tell that this is a Jerry Kleiner restaurant from the décor– but his signature good service was missing during my recent visit to Park 52.
We stopped in for a drink on a snowy, Saturday night as I had been wanting to try Park 52 since it opened. As I pushed my way through the revolving door, my first thought was «Gee…I could have saved myself a trip and gone to Room 21», so close are the design elements between the two.
The signature Kleiner light fixtures, oversized and artistic mirrors, the chairs upholstered in artsy fabric, the heavy velvet drapes and the black and white tile floors all reminded me of the sister restaurant in the South Loop. Even the layout was similar with the large oak bar along the side backed my mirrors and bottles of alcohol. All in all a beautiful restaurant but then I like the look of most of Kleiner’s places.
The service was a bit off, in my opinion. We sat at the bar, but there was no bartender. And then– when she does show up– it takes two requests for a glass of water and three to get a lime in the drink. Very strange as it wasn’t that busy. And certainly not up to the service standards one expects from this grouping of restaurants.
We looked at the menu and while I recognized some of the entrees, I think they may have a new chef as gone are some of the more casual items on the menu that I had heard about (the burger and onion rings to mention a couple) but there are steaks, short ribs, chicken and salmon all which are also at Room 21.
Since we had only come for drinks– our sampling of the dinner menu had to wait for another time. But in taking a glance around– the food was presented beautifully and smelled delicious!
Valet parking is available out front or you can park in the public lot behind the restaurant for about a third of the price.
Since there are other Kleiner restaurants that offer up a similar dining experience much closer to my house, I doubt that Park 52 could do anything to stand out that would make me come down this way as a destination. But if I lived in Hyde Park– it would go on my list as a solid place to grab a drink and some dinner. That is, if you can find the bartender.