Guildhall

Love the atmosphere of this place. Great vibe and outstanding cocktail list.
I’ve been here many times and have always kept it simple, ordering staples like the burger, steak, fish and chips etc.
Last night I ordered the duck, which I will typically order whenever I find it on a menu. This could have been the single worst ordering decision of my life.
The duck is served rare, which I can live with. The flavor is another issue. It was so Gamey! I had everyone at the table try it just to make sure it wasn’t me. My eldest son had to spit it out. Even the bean mixture it was served with had the same Gamey flavor.
The other issue was the trout. Incredibly fishy tasting.
On a positive note, my son ordered the salmon. Delicious!
Service was great! They took back the trout and brought my wife another dish.

Great spot — a lot of the reviews here are dated and Guildhall has made improvements and corrections. Bright décor, sizeable portions and great food. Really great experience and we will be back soon!

Great décor inside and nice (quiet) street-​side seating if the weather is accommodating. As some other diners pointed out, Guildhall has an urban, downtown feeling in the quiet, quaint 2 block downtown of Glencoe. The noise level indoors is moderately high if that’s a concern.
Plenty of variety of menu choices along with a couple specials. Portion sizes were modest but certainly acceptable. We think that we should have ordered a side dish of vegetables to make our meal complete. The Halibut dish was tasty as was the fried fish. Our chicken entrees were good although when we asked about gluten free option, our waiter neglected to tell us that the chicken is certainly gluten free — but it’s served on pasta.
Some interesting dessert choices but we only thought that the lemon bundt cake was exceptional. Prices are like a city restaurant so don’t expect a bargain because Guildhall is in the suburbs. Our only disappointment was the service which was average.
We’d go back but probably reserve this place for special occasions when we don’t feel like driving in to the city.

Really disappointed by this place. I guess it appeals to the more conservative palates of the North Shore crowd: everything felt a little stuffy and dated. The décor was nice, if maybe trying too hard. The wait staff wore uniforms that screamed «look at us, we’re what would have been cool and fancy in the nineties!»
The menu is that kind of California gourmet stuff that would never fly in Chicago proper these days: lots of seafood done up with sauces that kinda taste like salad dressing, sides of crunchy vegetables and microgreens. I had the salmon, which was meh, and it fit the description in the previous sentence; the campanelli which was actually pretty good; and a salad that was puzzling, and not in a good way: it was greens and radishes, with essentially no dressing. I felt like a rabbit eating it.
I’m not familiar with other North Shore dining options past what Evanston has, so maybe this is the best you can do in the area. But to someone who spends a lot of time at hipper Chicago places, the whole thing felt dated.

I held a bridal shower here. The facility is beautiful and they were very helpful with the setup. I had to badger the wait staff just a tad to keep things moving. And when they brought out the fruit trays they seemed quite light, but definitely recommend for a beautiful event.

Went recently for wedding anniversary. Sean was great about remembering both the special occasional and dietary restrictions. Our waiter, Pepe, was knowledgable, attentive and entertaining. There is a very nice «sophisticated comfort» feel in the restaurant. After enjoying some fresh bread, we started with a Butter Lettuce salad and Calamari. Both were well-​portioned and well-​prepared. The calamari arrived hot, crunchy on the outside with al dente bite. The aioli was delicious — bright citrus and creamy. My paella was very good. The sausage had a great spicy kick. and the chicken thigh was rich in flavor. My wife similarly enjoyed the Campanelle. We tried to have dessert but neither of us could finish my deeply chocolate something with sharp sour cherries or the sweet refreshing watermelon sorbetto. We had great experience.

We made reservations for seven at Guildhall after spending a friend’s birthday at the Chicago Botanic Garden. It did not disappoint! The service was splendid, as were the cocktails. The menu had something for everyone. The calamari and burrata appetizers were favorites, and the best entrée seemed to be my friend’s salmon. Desserts were delightful, too. The atmosphere was simple but elegant. It did get crowded by the time we left, but it didn’t seem too tight.

This restaurant offers great, simple food but I think for what it is, it is a bit overpriced. I ordered the tuna tartare and the burger. Both were great however, these are items that can be found at several restaurants and therefore the food items did not do the price justice.

Guildhall is my new favorite brunch place on the North Shore! Not only was the service exceptional and I was treated to a free cinnamon roll because it was my birthday, but the food is pretty exceptional. The cinnamon rolls are fresh out of oven and are as big as your face. That’s a good thing. They are oozing with cinnamon and sugar icing goodness, and taste heavenly. The applewood smoked bacon was the best bacon my husband and I have ever had. The atmosphere is cozy and stylish. I highly recommend this place! Next time, I’m trying the homemade donuts!

Wanted to do something different for my wifes birthday. Instead of dinner we did brunch. Guildhall came recommended in some foody article in Chicago magazine.
The décor was something out of a restoration hardware\pottery barn catalog. Thats a good thing in case you have to ask. The servers were all on point and very attentive and friendly. We had eggs benedict and spinach crepes. Both very good. I had a side of apple wood smoked bacon. It was possibly the best bacon I’d ever had. And we ended the meal with the cinnamon bun. It took time and I was getting a little annoyed but they were still in the oven cooking. So a hot fresh cinnamon bun served in a cast iron dish is worth the wait. My wife loved it.
We’ll definitely go back.

Giving 3 stars for the noise level, tight seating and dessert.
Went last night for Valentines Day, we live up on the north shore, it’s about a 10 min drive, convenient not to drive into the city on a cold busy night.
I didn’t read reviews on Unilocal,but had a recommendation from a friend who frequents. I was hoping for a cozy romantic dinner with good food. (If you’ve been to Big Jones in Andersonville, I was thinking similar).
We got there and were seated right away, they can check your coat, which is great for the winter, the seating is *very* tight. We sat at a table for two, with one seat on a long banquette, you know the kind, where they need to move the table aside for you to get in, while you’re hoping your ass doesn’t swipe your neighbors wine glass? Yeah.
It is also very very loud. I can tell you in detail our neighbors orders and conversation bc we all had to yell to each other. They did have a packed restaurant though. We actually stopped talking with each other bc it was just too damn hard to hear. (Not romantic) Thank god I can read lips or I wouldn’t know what my waiter was saying at all. Did I mention it’s loud?
The wait staff was friendly, our food arrived promptly, my husband got the pork chop, it was delicious, I was slightly jealous. I got the mushroom cavatelli pasta, with shredded chicken. It was ok. I was expecting a creamy sauce and it was a broth. Eh. We both had a salad as well, I had the beet salad, it had green beans, marcona almonds, and a tasty dressing. Needed a little goat cheese, but that’s a personal preference! Hubby got the equivalent of a house salad, with a Parmesan dressing, also was tasty. I was ok with the serving portions, didn’t find them too small. Although the pork chop didn’t come with a side, that was a la carte.
Went with the special dessert for v day, small doughnut holes rolled in cinnamon sugar with a chocolate sauce on the side for dipping. Waste of money. They were cold doughnuts (why!?), and about ½″ in diameter. There were about 8, so enough, but really really disappointing. I thought they were going to be like beignets, they were more like cold, slightly deflated, wrinkled grocery store/​dunkin donuts. Gross.

Guildhall has always been considered sort of an oasis for people living along the North Shore — a «city» dining experience without having to drive downtown. After last night’s dinner with friends, I would say driving downtown would be a better option. The menu, a minimalist fresh approach to American fare would be ok if the kitchen served great tasting food. Our party of six found the food just uninspired. The swordfish was warm and tough, the lamb chops fatty, and the sides very tired. The starters were much better — the Fritto Misto was hot, albeit a bit greasy which was disappointing. Service was friendly and certainly everything was paced well, but, for about $ 100/​head for our party of 6, I can think of other places that would have provided a better dining experience. Pepe remains a standout server, but he can’t overcome a kitchen that just seems to be less interested in what was being served. Had it not been a special occasion, I would have asked for a menu adjustment. in the meantime, I would urge others to look at other options before committing a chunk of change to the Guildhall based on the price of its menu.

Terrific spot. Food is excellent. Bar is hopping. Some complain dining room too loud but I think it adds to energetic but classy ambiance.

I’m not sure what all of the hype is all about. After my 3^rd visit to Guildhall, I felt compelled to write this review. I met 3 friends last night for dinner and drinks. First of all, we started at the bar by which the bartender was rude and rushed. She was annoyed that we were taking our time decisions big what to drink.
Once seated, the waitress recited the specials and kept pressuring us into ordering ASAP. (Our reservation was for 7 pm). Don’t know what all the hurry was about. We decided to share multiple salads, appetizers and entrees amongst the 4 of us. It was comical how small the portions were. One of the entrees that we split a ravioli dish that had only 4 small pieces. The salads were devoured in 3 bites. What a waste of money. We all left feeling hungry.
The only reason that I gave guildhall one star is for the décor.
Too bad. Don’t judge a book by it’s cover. We won’t be back!

Guildhall in Glencoe Falls Short of Expectations, Twice.
First Time Around:
After reading a review in Make it Better a while ago, our family went out to brunch at Guildhall after thinking about where to go. We wanted it to be delicious because we didn’t dine out as a family as often as we’d like.
When the food arrived, my parents were unimpressed. The breakfast sausage links dad ordered were overcooked and dad was not a fan. Mom and I had eggs Benedict. Compared to the eggs Benedict at Bijan’s in Chicago and at Walker’s Bros in Wilmette, the Guidhall eggs Benedict was surprisingly, well, disappointing. An egg with asparagus and prosciutto, however, was on point: a tastefully structured, and elegantly textured experience.
After a long time, I returned to Guildhall:
I walked in to an empty restaurant on a weekday 40 minutes before the lunch hour began. I asked for a secluded seat so I could carry on a conversation. I asked for a mimosa, which they did not have, and so I opted for a glass of sparking wine.
I also ordered a Beet Salad, which looked amazing. As I bit into a forkful, I was met with an intense bitter taste. The manager walked over and asked if I was alright after seeing the rather displeased expression on my face [think: baby eats lemon for the first time]. I replied that the Marcona almonds were simply too bitter. However, I didn’t see anything wrong with the salad to send it back, so I simply picked off the bitter almonds.
While Marcona almonds certainly «sound» impressive and exotic, their high levels of benzaldehyde make it an unnatural choice for a beet salad. Its strong taste profile is really something to consider when pairing ingredients. The small portion was more than enough and I was left with an impression that Guildhall certainly tries to a good job, but possibly fails somewhere between ingredient choice and preparation. Beyond the almonds, the beet salad was just like any other with simple crème and properly prepared beets that were neither too crunchy nor too soft.
Certainly, the North Shore desperately needs high quality fine dining venues, and Guildhall seems promising. However, the menu remains with the caliber of something I might expect a neighborhood café, and it certainly does not measure up to its price point. Hence, I have to say Guildhall’s relative success is more about the atmosphere than the menu, and being without competition in downtown Glencoe, it certainly doesn’t have to try harder.

Do you live on the North Shore, don’t have time to go into the city for a nice dinner that isn’t a Lettuce Entertain You restaurant… you have a choice and there’s plenty of free parking too. Once you walk in, you’ll feel like you’re in an establishment downtown with the nice décor and neighborhood vibe going on.
Been to Guildhall four times now. First time I was working with a client who hosted a function here. The next three times have been with friends and family. Each time we’ve had great service, great food and a great experience. Believe their menu changes here and there, but looks like my next visit needs to be for brunch!

I hate bringing up that old joke, but… The food here just wasn’t that good, and the portions were so small! Seriously, though, the food here tastes pretty good, but the portions really were teeny, and every dish felt like it was missing something (usually a starch).
We met another couple here for dinner, and were all just pretty underwhelmed with our experience. First, it’s VERY loud, and dark, but also full of kids, which is a weird combination. Second, we wanted to share an app, which the waitress assured us would be fine, but then when it arrived, it was teeny. Teeny! one bite per person. I’m fine with not-​sharing apps, but the waitstaff should be clear that they are single portions. Third, the whole meal just FLEW. everything was TEENY, and we wanted to sit around and hang out, but literally ordering to clearing our (4 bite) dessert took under an hour. I think many people were drinking a lot more than us, and better able to linger, but being with child, that wasn’t in the cards for us.
The food– what there is of it– does taste good! but I think for what we spent, I could taste much better food at plenty of other places. Sorry, Guildhall, I don’t think I’ll be coming back.

I’ve eaten here before, the food is ok given it is an extremely expensive menu.
Went in at 9:01 p. m Sunday ⁸⁄₉. And was rudely refused a drink at the bar when my date and I had walked across town for a quick night cap. He had just taken an order for a 6 top table, there is no way we would have been there longer than them. :(the tall European server clearly doesn’t have a passion for hospitality. It’s always nice having a neighborhood restaurant that cares so little about its locals. I do like the bartender though, nice guy.

Good menu and more like a restaurant in Chicago’s River North or Gold Coast. We just moved from River North to the North Shore and felt right at home at Guild Hall.

Prepare yourself that it will be very loud and you’ll be sitting very close to other parties. Not really a place to sit back and relax. The army of staff are over attentive — refilling water constantly, hovering while you look at the menu, walking around in constant droves. Too much of a good thing!
I had the carrot fennel soup which was really good. Cashew milk gave it a yummy nutty taste. Drinks are pricey. $ 14 for a tiny «carafe» of wine that was about 1 glass. Also had the Farm to Bowl Salad. Good combo of green beans, chick peas and a tasty Parmesan cheese. Needed a little more zip to the dressing though.
Very busy place so must be popular.

The cocktail menu is phenomenal! And the drinks are delicious! Sadly, that is where it ends for me. They crammed as many seats in as possible, making it very tight and loud (and in my case extremely uncomfortable as I sat on the «seam» between two couches). The food is mediocre and overpriced. For example… ordered the carpaccio… I would be shocked if there was more than ½ oz of beef on the plate covered in frisée. Also had the rabbit sausage which was very good, but was literally ¼ of a sausage with some salad. For entrees I had the fish special, which was gray in color and extremely boring. We were there at 6:45 on a Saturday and they were already out of the vegetable side leaving us with the option of potatoes or potatoes.
Go for the bar, not the food.

Cinnamon roll. Get the cinnamon roll. You can also get it Togo, the donuts too but it’s always better hot!
We went for Mother’s Day-​made a reservation so we didn’t have to wait or anything. the restaurant is very cool, much like summerhouse Santa Monica in Chicago but more quaint with an antique yet modern feel… Does that even make sense? The bar is very cool-​look retro but has top of the line cocktails. I got a ginger margarita which was pretty tasty! The chorizo hash was good but a little Lukewarm like it was sitting there waiting to be order but the flavor was great-​wish the eggs weren’t over hard and were over easy and there was a lack of salsa verde sauce. My mom loved her lobster eggs Benedict though-​ate it all and she never eats everything on the plate! Oh and our service was excellent –greeted and chatted with as well as our server was very attentive but not annoying or pressuring. I’ll be sure to recommend this place

This is such an appreciated addition to Glencoe. The atmosphere is great. The wines by the glass list and cocktails are top notch. Please consider mixing up the menu once in a while. Maybe do a seasonal rotating menu?

Dinner for 8 please!
Why not try a place called, «Guildhall» up on the Northshore?!? I made reservations for New Years Eve and for a party of 8. Upon arrival we were greeted and seated promptly. The atmosphere of this place had an updated Old Chicago feel with a hint of colonial styling. I loved the tin ceiling. It reminded me of a lot of the bars I use to frequent in the city. Needless to say the décor was awesome.
We really liked the atmosphere, and it was loud (in a good way). Being New Years Eve patrons were lively. There was also a live Jazz band. What a bonus. To say the least the food we tried was awesome as well. I had the SLOW ROASTED SUCKLING PIG. This melted in my mouth. It was tender and cooked to perfection. This alone earned 5 stars for me.
On to the drinks. The cocktails were what I would expect from any fine establishment. There were made just right. The wine selection was OK.
We were happy customers. We’ll be back again. Next time we’ll try Brunch.

Okay so I was super excited to try Guildhall since a few of my friends who live in Glencoe go here all the time so I figured why not. I heard Abigails being thrown around a lot in comparison to this place so I figured I would love it since Abigails is like my favorite northshore restaurant. Well, this wasn’t exactly like Abigails. I made a reservation for a party of four like a month in advance to get that perfect 7pm Saturday slot and they were nice enough to call and confirm that for me. Upon arrival, I was in love, I absolutely love the décor here, it’s classy yet trendy and very city like for being in the suburbs. I especially loved the large chandelier in the back room, it’s definitely an eye candy kind of restaurant as I just sat and enjoyed myself there.
Now onto the important stuff. First of all they brought out fresh bread but it was cold. Big mistake in my opinion as bread needs to be warm and toasty with chilled butter. Oh well, no biggie. The drinks were fabulous, from the cucumber martini to the mademoiselle which is what I got, those were probably the highlights of the evening. Everything else was pretty much eh. The one appetizer we did get and really did enjoy was the frito mixto which had fried calamari, shrimp and veggies, but I felt like the portion could have been a tad bigger. Also, no biggie. My friend got her crab bisque soup and it was served on the cold side so she had to ask for them to warm it up forh er. Kind of annoying in my opinion. The caesar salad she ordered looked a little messy and nothing special so maybe go with the apple endive salad next time. My husband got their steak with fingerling potatoes and he didn’t really enjoy it. He felt like it was super chewy and I tried a piece and would have to agree. I was really craving a burger and since Abigails has my favorite burger of all time I figured this place might as well. Well, it was very average, it so needed some kind of aoli sauce or something since ketchup just wasn’t doing it justice. Plus, it was extremely salty and I woke up many times needing some major hydration.
We were stuffed for dessert by that point and nothing really stood out to me that I wanted to spend the extra money on. So overall, the place has awesome décor, pretty good service, yummy drinks but the food needs some lift me up. I wouldn’t be dying to go back here anytime soon but I’m glad that I tried it out as we had a nice time.

The first thing that I will say is that my wife and I would probably have not come here had we not received a gift card to have dinner here. We are not cheap, we just have pre-​teenagers at home that need constant nourishment and the price of our dinner here could provide a few meals at home. With that being said, we will dine here again and I would not think twice about the price because the food was phenomenal.
For starters we had the Frito Misso (Calamari). Best I have ever had. Light, crispy and flavor-​able with what I believe was a lemon aioli as a dipping sauce. My wife had the homemade spaghetti as her entrée and when you have fresh made pasta you always wonder why you can’t make it at home. We all know why, because it easier to buy it in a box. I had the short-​rib entrée which was so tender that it fell apart with the fork. Nice roasted potato’s and leeks that were excellent. Wish I could tell you what we had for dessert (not on the regular menu) but my wife had a beautiful chocolate dessert and I had Polenta pound cake with frozen greek yogurt. Not as sweet as my wife but nice.
Other reviewers stated that the place is loud and people are stuffy and typical North Shore. Didn’t see that. People were really nice and seemed to be involved in their own conversations and not to worried about being SEEN. Staff was very welcoming and our server Pepe was the best.
I think that this is a great restaurant (beautiful inside) in a nice little Northern suburb. I think people come here with the notion that because it is Glencoe and people have a little bit more coin than others that it means that the area is snobbish. Not so. Will you see cars that are $ 90,000-yes, million dollar homes-​yes but there are nice people here.
This is coming from a guy who was born and raised Chicago Southside. I felt very comfortable.
Might be surprised if you come here.

I was excited to try out this new hip joint on the North Shore with a friend and colleague. We decided to grab a drink before a quick evening work shift down the road. I thought it would be busy on a Saturday night, so decided to make a reservation on OpenTable. In the reservation notes, I made clear that we were looking to grab a couple of seats at the bar to enjoy a quick drink.
My friend arrived shortly before me and informed the host that we had a reservation for two at the bar, to which she was invited to «enjoy herself.» I arrived a few minutes later and was dismayed to find that there was no space for us to sit at the bar. Upon consulting with the host stand, we were gruffly informed that the dining room was at capacity. I then inquired as to the purpose of our reservation, if we could apparently not be accommodated whatsoever.
After this rather unpleasant encounter, we were at last seated at a small table for two. The waiter was very friendly, the drinks were superb, and the ambiance was equivalent to that of Chicago’s finest modern eateries. We did not have time to enjoy any food, but I would be eager to sample the menu.
It is truly a shame that an otherwise outstanding culinary gem of Glencoe is hampered by a rude and presumptuous host staff. Also, I wouldn’t recommend Guildhall for anyone who might consider themself a millennial. Surely, it’s no surprise that a restaurant in Glencoe would be frequented by successful, middle-​age couples, but as a pair of 20-​something friends who grew up on the North Shore, we received countless unfriendly stares that further negatively impacted our dining experience.
I hope that the management of Guildhall will address these concerns relating to the host staff and reach out to me for a resolution to this unpleasant experience.

It is very northshore, but hey, it’s on the northsore so it’s fitting. We dined at 8:15 on a Saturday night and the place was lively and packed. Loved the vibe though I didn’t love being squeezed by the bar as we waited for our table since there was no where else to wait. My extremely pregnant sister hardly fit, but fortunately our wait wasn’t too long. We had an 8pm reservation for 6, which they screwed up (they had 9pm down) but guidhall fixed it immediately and found us a table within 10 minutes.
Our waiter was attentive and directed us to two great bottles of wine. Lately I’ve found waitstaff completely ignorant about wine so this was welcomed. On to the food. I loved the roasted carrot salad snd the crudo was amazing. I wasn’t terribly hungry so I didn’t order an entrée but sampled the ones my family ordered. I was underwhelmed by the whitefish but the asparagus and broccolii sides were delicious.
It’s a great option on the Northshore and I do hope it is here to stay. (Given the crowds i think others feel the same)

Can’t say I’m a big fan of pretentious people and suburbs that make you feel odd to not pull up in a Range Rover, but unfortunately, I do greatly appreciate the restaurants and retail that they attract.
Enter Guildhall, a French-​themed bistro type of restaurant in the cozy and upscale (I guess) Glencoe neighborhood. The reason for my visit was a Sunday brunch with a large group of friends. I loved the design, I loved the seating, I loved the old waiters who enthusiastically said the words «Madame», «Merci» and Magnifique” more times than I could count. I also loved the white tea, cherry soda and Croque Monsieur that I ordered. Loved it all!
Others at the table ordered the homemade cinnamon roll, hotcakes, and omelets — and the waiter brought us a small selection of homemade donuts as well that I had one delicious bite of. All of it was truly beautiful and tasty. Oh, and the side salad was also really, really lovely.
I would definitely go back to Guildhall for dinner, and can imagine that it would be romantic and fun. I’ll just have to put my blinders on to all the stuffies when that happens.

I would like to like Guildhall more than I do. I’ve been there twice now, under two very different sets of circumstances. The first time I went I was part of a group of eight women, and we were celebrating someone’s birthday. The second time I went I was part of a group of four, and we had made a reservation to coincide with the attendance of an art gallery show.
My thoughts are applicable to each evening:
1. This place is unbearably loud. It’s a big space, and when it’s at capacity, it is deafening.
2. The prices are at the upper end.
3. The portions are the smallest end.
4. The food is good, but at no time did anyone I was with rave over their food.
5. The service was off both times. The first time it was hard to get service, and the second time I wanted to slap our server upside the head because he simply could not be near our table without trying to up-​sell us. He visibly frowned and shook his head when I said, for the second time, that NO, I did not want to start with a salad.
6. We had to wait longer than usual for our reserved table. The first time we waited for about 20 minutes. The second time we waited for a half an hour.
In summary, Guildhall could be FABULOUS. But it’s not.

We were in town visiting friends for the weekend, so we hired a babysitter for Sat evening to go out to an adult only dinner. Our friends had been wanting to try this place out.
We started with Frito Misto, and the Lyonaisse Salad. The Misto was so crisp, and lightly battered… it was great. And the salad was wonderful too. It’s hard to go wrong with a sunny side up egg on a salad.
For dinner, we all had a different entrée, so we got to try all of them. We had the Striped Sea Bass, the Short Ribs, the Pork Chop, and the pasta entrée. The pasta was a little bland for my taste, but the other three were all very good. I would have ordered any of those three again on a future visit.
We wrapped up with a cappuccino, a coffee with Bailey’s, and the off menu dessert for the night, and they were all excellent. Especially the dessert… if you’re a chocolate lover.
Would certainly come back again when in town.