Holy Mackerel!

Great restaurant. We come here everything we come to Chicago. Service was wonderful. I had the stuffed lobster and my wife had the swordfish. Crab cakes were excellent. Nice thing about this place is if you want steak or Italian food one can order off the Harry Caray menu. This restaurant is much more quiet than Harry Carays. This is just a matter of taste as Harry Caray’s is excellent also

I had the Kasu Chilean Sea Bass and it was pretty good. The server made sure my glass thoroughly dried between drinks and waited until after my food was almost gone before offering to add lemon or pepper. In all fairness he was quickly distracted by some ladies that wanted his photo while he was serving my dinner. Perhaps I shouldn’t have taken a seat at a bar table and gone to Applebee’s for better service instead.

Booooo. The food was ok. I was treated like poorly. U deserve a 1. Seriously If it wasn’t in the hotel I always stay at in Lombard, I probably would never be back.

The first time we went to this restaurant we went on valentines day! We absolutely loved the ambiance and the setting. We ordered crab cake, fish and chips, the burger, and mac n cheese. Everything wad delicious I am a huge fan of their crab cakes! We went again last week and sat outside. Absolutely loved everything! This time we ordered the filet mignon sliders and chicken alfredo and it was delish! Highly reccomend :) Service is great and locations is awesome.

I stayed at The Westin attached to the restaurant, I came down to eat here on 5 different occasions throughout the week. Both breakfast and dinner were amazing! The seafood is so fresh and delicious. My bartender’s service was also excellent. Two thumbs up!

Took both dads here for Christmas Eve dinner. We always do seafood for Christmas Eve, so we decided to give Holy Mackerel a try.
We all started with a bowl of clam chowder. This had to be the worst clam chowder I ever ate. It was full of grit like I was eating it on the beach. Did they not rinse the clams?
For dinner, I had grouper with collard greens. The fish was good, but the collard greens were also full of grit! Did they not wash the collard greens?!
My husband had the Walleye, and the piece of fish on the plate was large enough to feed the entire table… which was odd because my grouper was a normal one person size. It’s not like all of their portions were so big. The fish was the only thing he liked on his plate. It was served with rice pilaf that was pretty bland.
Both dads had fish and chips and thought it was ok.
The only thing that was really good was the dessert. I had the chocolate cake. It was airy and chocolaty. Not heavy like many chocolate cakes.
Lastly, our service was horrendous. Although our waitress seemed like a nice lady, she was never around. My husband asked for mashed potatoes on the side… she never brought those. My father-​in-​law asked for extra tartar sauce. He had to ask 3 different people before it finally came to the table. She never asked if we wanted more drinks, or how the meal was. Nothing. Keep in mind, the restaurant was dead. We came in early before the dinner rush.
Also, their website said they had a special «Christmas Eve dinner menu» in addition to the regular menu. They did not, at least they didn’t give it to us.
The manager came by to ask how our dinner was. I wanted to tell him «not good», but figured it was Christmas Eve and to just leave it alone.
We love seafood, but this is not the place for us. Nobody in our party enjoyed their meal. Even though we can walk here from our home, we won’t be back.

Love this place. Came upon it during a weekend getaway and have returned several times since. The $ 99 Surf and Turf deal for 2 is the best!!! 2 salads, an appetizer, selection of surf and turf for each diner and 2 desserts. The portions of these selections are remarkable. It is not downsized by any stretch of the imagination.
The food is delicious and has never disappointed. The steaks are cooked perfectly and full of flavor. The crab cakes are to die for. They also serve a crab brie appetizer which is absolutely delicious.
The service is always professional and courteous. Either, this place is a hidden gem or we manage to always come during slow times but the intimacy of the ambience coupled with the lack of congestion makes for a wonderful dining experience.

We came here on a Thursday night without a reservation to celebrate my wife’s birthday with my parents. They accommodated us and had plenty of room. The dining room was very nicely decorated. Our server, Susan, was a delight and catered to our every need with warmth and friendliness. The food was delicious. I had the clam chowder soup and lamb chops. Surprisingly, they were served with both potatoes and a side of pasta. Craziness. But crazy good.
This review is short and sweet, but the experience was wonderful and we’ll absolutely return again and again.

Holy Mackerel! for the win! We had a less than savory experience at a restaurant around the way from here for Father’s Day, where we needed to find a new brunch reservation as quickly as possible. Holy Mackerel! popped up on Unilocal and we decided to give it a try.
We were greeted by their friendly staff and were seated right away. The dining room was comfortable and classy. There were other families around us but the acoustics in the place must be just right because it was easy to hear everyone at our table without too many distractions.
My dad loved the Chicago Deep Dish omelet — it literally looks like an egg deep dish pizza with italian sausage, mozzarella, tomatoes, mushrooms, onions, and peppers. He also had a tasty bloody mary with some great garnishes.
Other menu items we enjoyed were the sunrise skillet, eggs benedict, and the egg white omelet. All were delicious!
Thanks for saving my dad’s Father’s Day brunch Holy Mackerel! My husband and I are definitely looking forward to trying this place for dinner in the near future.

I came here for an interview. The front desk girl @ holy m is rude and is sitting here playing on her phone. She directed me to where the interview was and didnt even check to see if the interview before me was done. I walked right into an on going interview. Wow that doesn’t make me look stupid. Thanks.

This is a weird restaurant setup, with two restaurants ‘sharing’ a single kitchen in the same physical space. Ask to sit at Holy Mackerel –or– Harry Cary and you’ll be seated at the same table, given a menu for each and asked to choose. It’s like they couldn’t make up their minds what they’re good at, so they picked both.
Our dinners were decent, though a bit overpriced for the quality. My colleague had the tilapia which was reasonably good, though dusted in a coating that could more accurately be referred to as ‘buried’ in it. My risotto was decent, but the big chunks of lobster they put in it had seen better days. Many better days. It had a fishy smell. It was probably ok to eat, but I didn’t want to take the chance and it certainly didn’t taste all that good. I notified the waitress who seemed concerned, but didn’t call over the hostess or manager or adjust the bill or offer any sort of recompense.
In hindsight we should have gone to Capital Grille which is (1) nearby, (2) priced similarly and (3) consistently good.

A sure fire classy restaurant with good service, food, menu, appetizers, dessert, & location. A solid 4 stars. Oh you can order food from Harry Carry’s which is connected next door! «Hey, Everybody»

A «could be better» experience for breakfast.
I thought I would write in this since although I have been going here for the last 2 weeks (daily) and generally had good food and service, I had a not such a good experience this morning for break fast. Note the night crew and especially those at the bar are REALLY GOOD. Its only this morning’s experience that has prompted me to write.
I went down for breakfast (staying at the Westin). All was good; got taken to my seat, presented a menu as usual. Ordered from the menu a scrambled egg sandwich on dark rye, a fresh squeezed orange juice (as written in menu) and a plain yoghurt.
What I got in return was the following.
Omelette (not scrambled) Sandwich; Orange juice from a bottle; Vanilla flavoured yoghurt.
I then spoke to the waitress and her boss and here is the flow of conversation.
Scrambled egg sandwich:
Me: I’m sorry I ordered a scrambled egg sandwich. This is an omelette.
Waitress: Sorry this is how its served.
Me: Ok but what is a scrambled egg then?
Waitress: A scrambled egg.
Me: Does this look like a scrambled egg?
Waitress: No…
Fresh Orange juice:
Waitress’ boss clearly thinking I’m an annoying customer: It IS fresh squeezed.
Me: no its not it tastes like its from the bottle.
Waitress boss comes back with bottle: yes you see it says fresh squeezed on the bottle.(!!!)
Pause I’m a little surprised.
Me: Ok but when you write fresh squeezed on the menu one expects that you have freshly squeezed the oranges.
Waitress’ boss: No, it IS fresh squeezed. They (the maker/​factory) squeeze it.
Me: yes but when you write fresh squeeze I would expect something freshly done.
Waitress’ boss: I don’t think any restaurant does that…(!)
Vanilla yoghurt by this time I am fed up and waited until the end:
Me: sorry the yoghurt is not plain
Waitress as she is taking the bowl away: this is a bad restaurant for you then…
Since this is writing a review, I thought that the best way to show the review is through the conversation. I have tried to be as accurate as possible. In the end I ate the omelette sandwich since it is such a waste to throw food away. The waitress at the end did ask if I wanted to pay the full price, and they did take off the orange juice, yoghurt and latte (I got this for free). I don’t also think it was the waitress’ fault although she could have not really argued with me and the comment at the end was not one that encourages me to return. I am sure it reflects the discussions they were having behind the doors about me.

I would literally kill for the Chicken Chop Salad here. It’s the greatest salad ever. The rest of this place is just okay. I guess I would say it’s a well run, slightly upscale place with very good wait staff and good food. It tends to be lame on the atmosphere side in my opinion. Lack luster form that stand point.

Holy Mackerel! shares a kitchen and menu with Harry Caray’s. The atmosphere is much more elegant at Holy Mackerel! I especially love the soothing water wall. The food is high quality and presented quite nicely. However, the wait staff here is nowhere near as professional or prompt as the Harry Caray’s staff. In one visit, we were seated in a far away corner and forgotten about for a considerable amount of time. Perhaps it was just bad luck. Overall, I do recommend Holy Mackerel! for its food, cocktails, and atmosphere.

Holy Mackerel and Harry Caray’s are combined restaurant located at the Westin Lombard Hotel (first floor). Holy Mac is more upscale, may be a bit rigid for some, while the Harry Caray’s is more of a relaxed setting.
— Ambiance and service = 4 stars. Because of the upscale setting, I thought they would not be so happy to accommodate us because 1.) we did not have a reservation and 2.) I have a toddler with me. But I was pleasantly surprise. Our server was friendly and toddler friendly. I find it really heart warming when servers take time to talk to my 20 month old son or at least attempt to. Often times, servers ignore children in restaurants. Not here, our server really made my lil man special.
— Food = 5 stars. I enjoyed the Bonesless Chicken Vesuvio. The presentation was simple but elegant. The chicken, peas and potatoes was cooked perfectly; juicy and full of flavor. I love the caper sauce. My son had french fries (of course). He loved their apple potato butternut squash bisque and crackers. I must say, it was really delicious. Creamy and very tasty. I ordered another cup for him — to go. Portions was just right.
— Price = 4 stars. It’s a bit on the expensive side but well worth it.
If I had more time in the area, I would definitely be back to try more on their menu.

Holy Cow! I have eaten at the Harry Carey chain in Chicago and it was good bar food so I was not expecting the outstanding food we enjoyed at Holy Mackerel.
Service was professional and impeccable at both restaraunts.
My sister had the raspberry martini and my boyfriend enjoyed the mojitos — perfected concocted by Walter on Holy Mackerel’s side.
We started with clam chowder and the shrimp cocktail. The shrimp was meaty and perfect :) The clam chowder has a beautiful undertone of bacon.
We had the scallops, pecan encrusted tilapia and crab and goganzola stuffed flounder. All the dished were cooked to perfection.
You can also order any of the fresh seafood with just butter and lemon for those who aren’t into «fooffie» food :)
I will return and cannot wait to enjoy more of the wonderful items on the menu!

Seafood in Chicago?
Sure!!!
A seafood cobb salad for dinner for me after a heavy lunch.
It was delicious… my colleagues made fun of me for so thoroughly cleaning the plate.
The antipasto of olives, cheeses, etc we passed around before dineer was absolutely superb.
The wine list was also top notch… price ranges to satisfy all budgets… and a good regional/​varietal range.

Came here with my Fiancé for his birthday. The ambiance is very nice, not too ritzy, not too casual. Service was attentive, although we did eat early and the restaurant was pretty empty. My fiancé ordered the Chilean sea bass, which he said was fantastic. I ordered the 1 ½ pound king crab legs. they were fresh and tasted like heaven.
since it’s a spin off of harry carrys, we were able to order from their dessert menu. We got the vanilla crème brûlée. I like the top to be really hard and crunchy, and it wasn’t, but the custard was fantastic, very smooth and thick. I would come here again for special occasions :)

Went for breakfast but they stopped serving at 11am, this always infuriates me. You can’t crack a freaking egg after 11am really? Luckily, the burger I got for lunch was so good I quickly forgot about the missed opportunity for a delicious brunch :)
Service was very attentive, friendly and honest. He suggested which burger options (because there were a LOT of them) were the most flavorful, healthiest, and what was worth the extra costs. It was like a gourmet build-​your-​own burger bar. I had bacon, blue cheese, and BBQ on angus. WOW!
Definitely going back to try brunch, and hoping this time I make it before the cutoff :)