The Hard Rock Cafe Chicago can't be missed owing to the giant illuminated guitar on the corner of West Ontario Street.
We visited on a Monday evening and sadly missed the Happy Hour (4pm-7pm) as we had had a busy day exploring Chicago but as we arrived for our 7:45pm table reservation we found the restaurant to be fairly quiet - better safe than sorry! We were given a very warm welcome and were led to a window table with a good view of the illuminated guitar.
Our server was very friendly, interested in our story and gave us all the attention we needed. She had worked all around the USA including Honolulu, a place she clearly loved.
To get us started we ordered a pint of draft Budweiser and two pints of draft Bud Light ($5.25 each) and these were served with complimentary glasses of iced water. The drinks menu was pretty comprehensive.
Having over indulged at a Hard Rock Cafe before, we hesitated on what food to order and decided to have an appetizer to share between our party of three. We went for the Jumbo Combo and it arrived swiftly with a selection of onions rings, spring rolls, battered chicken goujons, sticky BBQ buffalo wings, bruschetta topped with diced tomato and parmesan cheese and a range of dips ($20.95). The portion was adequate for us and didn't overly fill us - at least that is what we thought until the entree arrived!
For our main course we chose:
Twisted mac and cheese ($18.50), served with grilled chicken and garlic bread;
Beef fajitas ($20.95), served sizzling to the table with a sliced steak, warm wraps, fillings including guacamole. Oddly, we had noticed that the guacamole came with an additional charge if ordered with nachos for an appetizer, but not for this entree dish; and
The Local Legend Burger ($16.95). This had a very vague description in the menu as each burger is personalised to each Hard Rock Cafe. I asked for the "lo-cal" burger and the server thought I was asking for a low calorie burger (British accent must have thrown her). Once she knew what I meant, she said she would surprise me with it and hinted "It is very Chicago!" The burger arrived open topped, with both halves made up to be like a pizza. A pizza and burger in one! Flavours were intense and the portion size was hefty. The customary fries were tasty, crispy but sadly too salty.
We should have known we couldn't finish the portions and ended up taking our leftover food back to the hotel. Clearly our eyes are bigger than our bellies!
The check duly arrived and was as follows:
Food and drink $93.10
Tax $10.71
Total $103.81
The recommended gratuities were 20% ($18.62) or 18% ($16.76) and we had no issues with paying the higher amount.
Our two hour visit was over before we knew it and we perused the musical artifacts and memorabilia around the restaurant before we left. A highlight for us was the 19th century music box owned by Elvis Presley. Incidentally our next visit to Hard Rock Cafe is in Memphis, Tennessee, next week!