Mitchel Lounge

We made Easter Brunch reservations and I am so sorry that we made here to eat! I wish I could not only get my money back, but also get back my time and my appetite! It was just my husband, daughter and myself for a 1pm reservation. When we arrived the Easter Bunny was in the Hotel/​Restaurant Lobby greeting the children, I thought that this was great-​I loved seeing the smiling faces and hearing the excitement in their voices.
We gave our name to the Hostess and she had a young girl show us to our table, as we walked through the lounge/​bar to get to the banquet room the girl apologized and explained that this was her first time working an Easter Brunch and didn’t expect it to be so bus (most of the tables were empty). As we entered the dining area, we walked past the buffet and were shown to our table. Actually, the girl pointed at our table and said there you go.
We sat down and realized that the chair I sat it was up against some sort of support wall, so we had to pull the table out in order for me to use my right arm to eat! Within a few minutes, our server came over and took our drink order, 1 Bloody Mary and 2 Mimosas, 3 waters and informed us that we could go to the buffet at any time.
We should have looked at the buffet before we started, We started with a salad, since that was the first Buffet section/​table, we had to guess at what type of salad dressing since the three they had were not labeled. There were also no salad toppings such as; Bacon Bits, Cheese, Sunflower Seeds, Croutons, etc., There was a pasta salad, potato salad and cut fruit. I stopped along the way at the bread table, 3 types of bread (2 Sweet breads & 1 dinner type) and a plate of butter. We returned to our table, started to eat and finally our drinks arrived. The Mimosas were okay, no fruit garnish. My husband’s Bloody Mary was barely even red and no garnish!
We went back to the Buffet line and then noticed the Breakfast selection; Scrambled eggs, potatoes, NO breakfast meat, tiny (Silver Dollar size) pancakes, undercooked (we didn’t take any-​they actually looked frozen). So we took our scoop of scrambled eggs and small helping of potatoes back to our table. The three of us really tried to eat them, none of us could finish the eggs because they were so watery! They were absolutely terrible!
Now, on our third trip to the Buffet line, we were really hoping that the lunch portion of the Easter Buffet would be better-​NOT! The mostaccioli was so dried out that it was clumped on the spoon, I had to tap the serving spoon pretty hard on the side of the buffet pan to knock it off, just so I could scoop some onto my plate. Next was the Red Potato Mashed Potatoes, Green Beans with Carrot shavings, Kernel Corn, choices of Baked bone in Chicken, Pot Roast, and Carved Ham. By the time I was getting my serving of ham, a woman came out and talked to the Carver, I assume she was a manager because of what she said and how she was dressed. She asked the Carving person, «Why did you let the ham get this low? It’ll be a little bit before another one is brought out». I saw the ham bone and scraps sitting there while I was served ham bits, it looked as if it was diced as he scooped it up and put it on my plate.
I made my way back to my table and started to eat-​Big Mistake! The server came over to see if we needed anything, my husband asked for more water. The potatoes were warm and tasted okay as well as the vegetables, very bland though, definitely had to had to add salt. I had a piece of the chicken and the scoop of ham bits. The chicken was soggy and flavorless and the ham besides being the end scraps was very cold. My daughter had the chicken, she didn’t like it and my husband has the Pot Roast and said it was t eh only warm thing he had.
At this point, my daughter said that she didn’t think the server was bringing my husband’s water. As I apologized to my family for taking them here for Easter Brunch instead of cooking, I said at least the salad was okay, they both laughed and said that it is hard to screw up a salad. Now, the server comes from behind us with the water for my husband, my daughter who sat facing us said that the waitress took the water carafe off the table behind us (note: the table was only partially cleaned) and poured it into his glass. There was no ice and my husband did take a sip because he was so thirsty and said it was warm. I personally find this disgusting and unsanitary! He couldn’t even get a cold glass of water. The server came over and asked if we wanted to get dessert-​we declined. She brought our check and we waited quite a while for her to return so we could pay. Our total bill was $ 87.00, we did leave a tip even though the service was just as bad as the food. We just wanted to get out of there!
As we walked out, we saw the Desserts, cookies, brownies, etc.-nothing too special
I will NEVER eat here again and will strongly discourage anyone else from eating here!

They used to have an excellent brunch here but «discontinued» it over the winter but we were told it would be back soon when we called a month or two ago.
When we called today, they said they were serving and had a wide array of dishes, including eggs, bacon, assorted fruits and biscuits and gravy.”. We asked if we needed reservations and we’re told no. We asked how much and we’re told $ 9.95 if we were a guest of hotel. When I asked how much, she said she didn’t know and a voice in the background interrupted her and said they were doing that price for everyone.
We assumed it was a reopening special since it used to be $ 17.95. Boy, were we surprised and wrong. When we arrived, there were three serving dishes set up. ALL they have are eggs, bacon, B & G and a very small fruit tray. No carved meets, egg/​meat selection or assorted breads and desserts like they used to have and most still do.
The staff is friendly and the atmosphere still quiet so the 2 stars. We however, turned and left and drove up to Granite City. At least for the time being, we just have to accept if we’re doing brunch, we will have a bit of a drive.

Very very slow getting food out and we were the only ones there. Food was mediocre and not worth the price. The hotel still looks old and run down. It’s a shame as this is a historical landmark.

I took my girlfriend here for Valentine’s Day. I’m surprised she didn’t break up with me after eating here. We ordered Salmon and Seafood pasta. Salmon was not fresh and overcooked and the pasta had imitation crab meat in it. Overall, you could tell the the food was prepackaged frozen food. The champaign was a cheap bottle of Korbel. Needless to say, I would have been better off saving $ 55 and cooking at home. The best thing about this place is the atmosphere… That’s all

We had our Valentine Day dinner at Mitchel Lounge. The food was quite good; prime rib and steak served exactly as ordered. The meat was well cooked and excellent quality. However, the beans on my plate were cool. Service needs work at the restaurant. The wrong appetizer was served; returned for the correct one. However, it took quite a while to make the crab cakes (which were good) and no one bothered to bring us bread or crackers to munch on while drinking our wine. The bread did come with the salad (which came before the appetizer, but it was quite a wait) The waitress knew nothing about the special citrus dessert that was featured. Chef and kitchen should explain foods to wait staff. We also had to wait quite a while for the waitress to pick up out bill. No offer for additional coffee was made either. Good food, but service needs work.

I was looking for a nice place in Dekalb for a girl’s night out on a Friday. I read the reviews on Unilocal and decided to give Mitchel Lounge a try. The atmosphere is nice, «swanky», as other reviewers have said. That’s the only reason they got two stars from me. Where do I start… Our waitress came to the table to bring us the drink menu and then didn’t come back for 15 minutes. We ordered mojitos off the menu, «sorry we’re out of mint». My friend with a food allergy asked for simple oil and vinegar on her salad, «sorry we’re out of olive oil» (!!! what are they cooking with if they don’t have olive oil?). My soup was cold. They didn’t have napkins or silverware on the table. When I asked for some, she came back 5 minutes later and said they didn’t have any more forks and had to look in a different part of the building. The food itself was decent. I had the chicken mole and it was a little too spicy. The green beans were mushy like they started off canned. The garlic mashed potatoes were really good. For $ 15 a plate and $ 7 for a drink I expected more.

Wow. Just read the other 2 reviews. Can’t believe it’s the same place they’re talking about.
We were only there once for the Father’s Day Brunch this year. The place was empty at 11:30 a.m. (bad indication — everyone must’ve been at Eggsclusive for breakfast), small selection of food on the buffet table was cold and questionable (as in — whattha heck is this?), waitress totally inattentive — I found the coffee station myself and refilled our cups. Very expensive for what was offered in terms of food and service so. .. we’ll never go back for sure. Too bad. Would be nice to have a good Chicago style buffet in Dekalb/​Sycamore.

I didn’t realize how much I missed the swanky and yet comfortably casual wine and martini bars common in big cities until I spent an evening listening to Sinatra and sipping wine at Mitchel Lounge. This 1920s/​1940s bar (depends on the music playing) is gorgeously designed and is a delightful blend of white tablecloth dining (i.e. good for second dates) and spacious and friendly bar for those seeking a drink alone. They have a good wine list that offers glasses, quartinos and bottles. They also have a full bar, although they do need to make a martini list to showcase their variety. But whatever you want, I’m sure they will make it for you.
Besides the drinks, the food was delicious. I have only had a chance to eat here once but the prime rib sandwich was a perfect mix of juicy meat and toasty bread. I would make the suggestion that they increase their appetizer options for those who want something to go with their Manhattans and martinis but don’t want to commit to a large meal, as their salads, sandwiches and entrees are rather substantial.
As a new drinking presence in town Mitchel Lounge is trying to draw a crowd based on their specials. Tuesday is $ 1.00 off all drinks, Wednesday is half-​priced bottles of wine [I made sure to make note of that one!], Thursday is half — priced appetizers and Friday is ladies night out — $ 3.00 rail drinks & $ 5.00 martini’s. Fridays also features Fish Fry. Lastly, make note that on Mondays the kitchen is closed so they only serve homemade frozen pizzas.
Definitely a place to frequent. This is now my place to go when craving a good glass of wine or mixed drink.
[Later edit: sadly my two favorite dishes were taken off in their menu transformation. And the artichoke dip is decent, but not worth it if they’re out of crostini. I got it once with homemade crostini and it was wonderful. I got it a second time and got basically toasted white bread as a substitute… NOT the same. Bummer. So now I go for drinks but not for food.]