Basil’s Kitchen

I ate here for about 5 weeks or so total in 2015 and I wasn’t disappointed. They’re really courteous and the food is great. Time from order to service is always shorter than advertised. I honestly look forward to my next stay here to utilize their services again.

I have to say, this was the most disgusting hotel food I’ve ever had. I am pretty sure everything is just frozen and they heat it up upon request. I ordered the bruschetta and the ravioli in vodka sauce. The Bruchetta was soggy and flavorless and the ravioli tasted like chef boy ardee. I would not reccomend this to anyone who likes food. Will ruin your appetite. I spent $ 30 on public elementary school lunch food. A complete and total waste.

This was just horrible… I’m pretty sure the «chicken» in my quesadilla was spoiled. I still want to puke.
Was traveling for business, and this one meal ruined the whole trip.

You remember the game where you put on a blindfold and try to pin the tail on the donkey? Well, Basil’s kitchen has the same game where a guy puts on a blindfold and hat and pretends he’s a chef. Hit or miss folks. Hit or miss.
I decided to keep it safe and order the shrimp scampi appetizer and the Northern Bean soup based on the reviews that were positive. It took about 10 minutes to get the waiter’s attention — ‘service’ is such a vague word for Basil’s. He placed a very messed up bowl of soup in front of me (see pict). He warns me that the soup was very hot — I take a small spoonful — ice freaking cold. So back it goes. It didn’t taste bad, the blindfolded ‘chef’ doesn’t know how to work a microwave.
Cold bowl of soup is followed by the oddest shrimp scampi I’ve seen. 4 shrimp and a soggy loaf of something in the center that I think was supposed to be a representation of ‘Bruschetta’. Not even remotely close.
I just spent $ 17 for 4 shrimp and a Coke. Seriously — $ 17…that’s a pretty good stiffin’ by a blindfolded chef — wanna — be. Good one Basil’s! Let’s see how many other unsuspecting hotel guests you can fool after they read this review.

An unplanned one-​day/​night layover in Chicago and booked a room at Embassy Suites where Basils is located. Arrived around 1 pm so lunch was in order. The restaurant was pretty full so I was hoping that was a good sign but one can’t really assume that when it’s a hotel eating venue. I ordered the Sesame Chicken Salad. The portion was decent but the chicken was dry. The greens were good, however. Probably would not order it again. The waiter was friendly as was the rest of the staff. I’d rate it good enough to visit if you did not feel like venturing out of the hotel.

I was quite surprised how much I enjoyed my lunch here.
I mean, it’s a hotel café right off the lobby, must be pretty lame, yes? Actually no, it was very pleasant.
My friend and I had been across the street at the International Quilt Festival (where, yes, I did have a quilt hanging, thanks for asking.)
We had walked over 5,000 steps, yes I was wearing a pedometer. We needed a respite of quiet and we were hungry as well.
We got a nice table, excellent service and a calm restaurant. Plus we had really good food. We both loved the iced tea and the Italian white bean soup, it was delicious. I then had the sliders and my friend had the salad. We ate every bite. (Quilters need to keep their energy up.)
Now would I drive up here expressly to go to this restaurant, well, no. But I would definitely come back if I was ever at the Convention Center again.
See you next year!

Nothing great about the food. I had something that looked like a Greek salad. Kalamari appetizer was somewhat OK. The margarita from bar was, hmm. terrible! If you are staying at Embassy Suites, I suggest to look elsewhere to dine.

Sat for 20 minutes at the bar at 6:30 on a Saturday night and nobody waited on us. It was a party of 7. Lost big bucks!

I’m not sure why this restaurant has received such poor ratings. Maybe I came on a good night. There were only a few patrons in the restaurant section and service was great. My waiter was so attentive it was almost annoying. I had the Caesar salad and filet mignon. The salad was good, not great. The steak was well prepared with a so-​so cut. I loved the presentation and the pairing. However, the reduction used was so strong it distracted a bit from the steak’s flavor. Decent drink selection; a beer list would be a good move.

My lovely wife and I ate at Basil’s Kitchen twice during a recent stay at the Embassy Suites in Rosemont.
The bar/​restaurant is located right off of the lobby of the hotel. We arrived rather late the first evening after a full day, and both the bar and the restaurant were nearly empty. While the rest of our group was heading out to other local restaurants after the manager’s reception, we just wanted a quick bite or two before heading up to our room to rest up for the next day.
We decided on a few appetizers rather than a full meal, which we ate at the bar. Service was relatively quick. We tried the chicken quesadillas, the calamari and the scallops mornay. The scallops were rather tasty, despite my misgivings for pairing seafood and cheese, and the chicken and calamari were fine as well. Nothing fantastic, but fine, reasonably priced, and enough to fill the void.
The next evening, after a day spent in downtown Chicago and a large lunch, we again decided to «eat in» at Basil’s rather than venture out after the manager’s reception. My wife was still somewhat full, so she tried the Northern Bean Soup accompanied by a garden salad, both of which she deemed satisfying. I opted for the Classic Meat Loaf and was very pleasantly surprised by the texture and taste, served with crispy onion shavings on top of potato purée. Service was slower this evening, but not intolerably so after I instructed both our server and the bartender on how to make a proper Negroni.
With all of the other dining options in the immediate area around the Embassy Suites, we might not zero in on Basil’s Kitchen as a dining destination, but as guests of the hotel not wanting to venture out, it fit the bill A-​OK.

Open 11 – 2 and again at 5pm. Bad info on hours.

I ate here twice while I was staying at the Embassy Suites and it was fairly decent in regards to the food while the diners I was with were less than complimentary about their meals. The first night I ordered the Apricot Glazed Pork Tenderloin, with polenta and veggies. I was really pleased! The pork came as four medallions each a generous size, the polenta was great while the veggies were so so. I didn’t really taste the apricot glaze coming through but it was still tasty. At $ 26 it was well overpriced but that’s hotel prices right?! The espresso I finished with was not good, bordering terrible, although they did fashion some crema.
The second night I ate at Basil’s I had the Scallops Mornay app. This was really really good. I’m usually opposed to the concept of seafood and cheese but the cream sauce had a great balance and the grilled baguette was a nice addition to the texture and presentation.
Service was hit and miss. The first night impeccable and the second not so much. In a pinch this joint will do but with all the spots nearby like Gibson’s, Morton’s, etc. etc. etc., if you want something phenomenal you’ll need to leave the hotel grounds.

This place is a hotel bar trying to act like it’a a full service restaurant. I’m typing as I’m sitting here waiting for my food which was ordered 20 minutes ago, which took 10 minutes to get ordered in since the staff aren’t so attentive.
Food is average, but not worth the three star price that it comes with. I ordered a steak yesterday medium. It came well on the edges, and medium rare near the bone. I wonder if the steak was larger, whether I’d get to the live animal eventually. And what’s with the food being lukewarm within minutes of arrival? Are they not paying their gas bills?
So if you are wondering what I ordered tonight that’s taking 20 minutes? It’s Vodka Ravioli… which again is average but above average in price.
I’m stuck to eat here as there’s nothing else worthwhile close by. So I wash everything down with alcohol. At least they can’t screw that up.
This place isn’t without it’s charms though, the staff is friendly if you engage them, but friendly does not mean great service… Now where is that water I ordered with my food?

I went down for a quick supper after a long day traveling. I had the garden salad for starter and ny strip for the meal. Both were very good. I took both sauces on the side. No potatoes, just lots of vegs. Overall, very satisfied.

After seeing the prices and reading a few Unilocal reviews, I elected not to eat here. My friends ordered the vodka ravioli, and the portions were pretty lean. To his credit, the server was incredibly friendly, and I wish I could say the cuisine proved Unilocalers wrong. But it was just overpriced, bland hotel food.

Back in Chicago again, this time I ordered the Steak Vesuvio… its a strip steak that is flashed seared (read Rare) and then sauteed in olive oil and garlic. ($ 26). Really tender and juicy, but then again its a rare steak. The garlic was an essence so it did not over power the beefiness of the steak. The roasted potatoes was awesome,
Beef Tips (appetizer $ 8); tender bite size portions of beef with mushrooms served with crumbled blue cheese in a rich cabernet sauce… really worth the money, you get a good size portion.

I came here for a quick lunch with my kids before we checked out of the Embassy Suites. We ordered an expensive plate of tasteless spaghetti! An overcook burger and an expensive «turkey panini» that was the farthest thing from a panini I’ve ever had.
If you specialize in Mediterranean fare, then please get it right! A panini is NOT a turkey club with toasted bread oversized vegetables & cheese that isn’t melted.
Service was snail slow even though we were the only customers and came in right when they opened.
Don’t waste your time or money.

Ok so maybe it isn’t as good as the Gibsons that is across the street. However Basil’s kitchen served as a relaxing escape from the awful and overpriced counter service food at the comic con convention. The food here is overpriced as well I must say. But at least for $ 12 I get a good filling burger and not some piece of cat that was sitting under the heat lamp. All in all the service here is stretched. Our waitress was working the bar on top of waiting tables. That is just too much for one person. She was very friendly though and was doing the best she could to refill drinks. The problems here were more staffing issues from management. Over all the food here is good and if your in town for a convention I recommend eating here and skipping the lines and garbage food at the convention center.

Bad expensive food, coupled with bad service. Stay away, there are better restaurants in this area…

This restaurant is at the Embassy Suites Hotel. I’ve been there because it’s within walking distance to my company. They have great soups and salads here. I had the soup of the day Cream of Mushroom soup, which was served in a bread bowl. It was rich and hearty, and perfect for the weather. The sandwiches can be hit or miss. I had the crabcake sandwich, which was not so good. It tasted to fishy to me. The seasoned fries are pretty good. It’s a nice place for lunch with coworkers or a vendor. It can be a little pricey though soups are in the $ 5 range, and the sandwiches and salads are around $ 12. The service is great, and it’s a very quiet and relaxing atmosphere.