The service and people were great! The ambience was amazing. We actually hit this place twice in one night.

Vibe was just what we wanted on our first full day of touristing in Chicago! Great service and our waiter Allen was super attentive

This place was great for our family of varying tastes. My wife and I tried two of their signature G&Ts. They came nicely presented. We started off with the pretzels and fondue. Very soft pretzel sticks served with a relatively thin fondue in a cast iron skillet. For the main course, my wife opted for the classic fish and chips. It included a very large piece of delicately crusted fish and run-of-the-mill fries. One of my kids went for steak frites. He said it was good. Another kid chose Tikka Masala. It had a good flavor and very tender chicken. I went with the fusion lamb keema shepherd's pie. It had some great flavors and was surprisingly spicy. Good service and decent ambiance. The music was good. We could have done without the TV in the dining area. read more

good food, super bloated after The venue is fantastic. Love the tall ceilings, the bar is quite elegant, the fireplace and entire-wall built-in bookshelves create quite the ambiance. The food was good overall but must be filled with butter as I left very very bloated. We started with the carrots which were fine but I wouldn't get again. The Paneer Tikka Masala was quite good and I liked the paneer especially, but it could've really used more sauce. The Lamb Pie was really just a shepeherd's pie but it was very tasty and very well done. The lamb pie in particular was a massive amount of food. Then I had to do the sticky toffee pudding. It wasn't quite as dense as my favorite sticky toffee puddings, but it was still quite good. Would definitely return! read more

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Staff geat food decent. Policies not right. I had the scotch egg at the bar and an order of chicken tikka masala to go w a side of naan. The egg was ok but I didn't get a lot of character out of the taste. The reason for the rating largely is policy of the management. They add ona surcharge rather than be transparent on costs. They masala had no rice as a part of it. That is ridiculous for $26 to not have a portion of rice. Then blame everyone else for your prices? Why not list 1990 pricing to really dray them in and have a 1200% fee to keep them guessing. The menu was QR code so not saving reprints. Change policy and the way you treat your employees and patrons. For now, w recommend the might try this place but also consider going down the road. read more

Monarch & Lion - Menu - British Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Hung out at the bar Thursday night. It was super busy but the bartender was excellent with giving us great service & showing us a good time. Food was fantastic along with the drinks. Looking forward to coming here again. read more

Fabulous!!!!! Thank you Monarch & Lion!!! We love you!!! Great food and service and we love the atmosphere!!!

I came here for lunch on a weekday and got the fish and chips along with the sticky toffee. The fish and chips was larger in serving size than I expected, which was a pleasant surprise. However, I would say the best thing about my meal here was definitely the dessert. The service and ambience were average. read more

Monarch & Lion - British Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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We went here randomly on our anniversary -very old timey and grand interior decor. At the time it took them some time to get us seated but our server was wonderful and gave us some delightful recommendations. We tried their pot pies which were some of the best we've ever had at a restaurant to our surprise. Overall good food and desserts, good decor, and do try their teas! read more

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Cute British pub! They have happy hour every day which is fun! We tried the chili cheese naan and the Hasselback potatoes both of which were flavorful! I also had the monarch and the lion G&T which I really liked! The pornstar martini is also delicious if you like passion fruit! read more

Monarch & Lion - Chili Cheese Naan - British Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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The service was great. Dealt with my wine pickiness with a smile. Food was yummy and the dark paneling wood gave it a cool happening vibe. Absolutely recommend it read more

Monarch and Lion is a new British pub/restaurant in the streeterville area. It opened recently and is difficult to get reservation on a Friday or a Saturday evening but Sunday I was able to walk in and it was pretty empty which surprised me. The ambience is pretty royal and they have a fireplace as well which adds to the charm. The dinner menu doesn't have too many options but I loved the cheese chilli naan. Also ordered a shepherd's pie which was flavorful and satisfied my Indian (Yes, Indian!!) food craving. Also tried Naughty Bird mezcal cocktail and that was refreshing. For the dessert we ordered toffee pudding and that was delicious. It's a nice place to check out in Chicago if you are in the area. read more

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Our server was amazing! Very cute place, has a library vibe a la Trinity College. It was very warm inside, recommend wearing layers so you can take something off. Our appetizer and our lamb shepherds pie were spicy. We were not expecting the shepherds pie to be as spicy as it was. The sticky toffee pudding was delicious. read more

I had the chicken pot pie. Plenty of tender pieces of chicken and the vegetables were still firm not mushy. The béchamel sauce was creamy without being heavy and the pastry top was super buttery and crispy. My friend had the Royal burger with fries. Although it was a mess to eat, he enjoyed it. The staff was friendly Ava very attentive. read more

Awesome service and great food. Ask for Allan who was our waiter. He is outstanding.Thank you. Awesome Ambiance. read more

Monarch & Lion - Great!! - British Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I thought the food here was kind of mid and overpriced for what it was. The ambience was nice visually, but the music didn't really match the look of it! Service was great. Place wasn't too busy on a Thursday evening. read more

Here's what you need to know: ambiance is terrific. Beautiful restaurant. Food and cocktails are perfectly serviceable but unmemorable. Service was good and attentive, but the restaurant wasn't crowded. Pricing is a bit high for what you get in my opinion (e.g. 1 scotch egg for $16). I'd be happy to pay the prices if the food wowed me more. We ordered cheese naan, daal, chicken tikka masala and scotch eggs along with 3 cocktails between the 2 of us. Daal and curry were enjoyable - naan left a little to be desired as it lacked any char flavor, crunch, and was overwhelmingly buttery. Overall the meal was a solid 4 star experience and our bill was $165 + $14 for parking for a late afternoon lunch for 2. read more

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A friend wanted to come here during Restaurant Week and I had never heard of Monarch & Lion before but glad we did. The inside was cozy and I loved the various couch like seats and there was also a small fireplace inside. We came here for dinner and ordered off the Restaurant Week menu ($42) and I had the following: potato croquette (curry, tarragon, parmesan), fish and chips (IPA battered haddock, tartar sauce), and date sticky toffee cake with vanilla ice cream. The dishes are the same portion sizes as the regular menu and I was able to comfortably eat while sharing with my toddler (I even had leftovers to take home). There were ~7 pieces of potato croquette and they paired well with the sauce that came with it in the side. The fish and chips batter was perfectly crispy while the fish was soft/flakey and cooked to perfection. I am not a fan of super sweet desserts but the rest of my tablemates thoroughly enjoyed the date sticky toffee cake and polished off their desserts. Service was good and our water was frequently refilled (and I drink a lotttt of water). Overall, it was a good experience and can't wait to come back! read more

Had a father daughter dinner there as it's close to her work at NMH. Walked in on a 90 degree day and it was hot inside, they had big fans blowing air. Ok AC's can go down I can live with it being a little warm. Sat down and they bring us water, room temperature no ice. I told my daughter they really are trying to give us an authentic English pub experience. Next the appetizers come, nothing special. Dinner was not good the food was lukewarm and as my daughter said how do you mess up french fries? They managed to. Ordered a coke, it came room temperature and the glass had two ice cubes. To pay over 100.00 for two people for bad English pub food seemed a little excessive. At least I had good company. On a plus, the service was good. Our waiter was attentive, maybe the kitchen was having an off day. Unfortunately I will not find out as I won't be going back. read more

This place has gone through a couple of iterations. We were recently in the area hosting someone for a work dinner and decided to try this recent avatar. We were quite happy with the overall experience. Our server was attentive and friendly. We tried a few of the vegetarian options and enjoyed every item. The asparagus pakoras were really nice and the kaali daal was excellent (same as Rooh). The place is quite large with tall ceilings and spaced out tables so having a conversation is much easier. read more

if you're looking for a cute restaurant that gives the coziest winter vibes, definitely check out this spot. nothing screams "winter" like live music, a fireplace & a cocktail in a teapot!! what we ordered: - chicken tikka masala - charcoal grilled garlic naan - fish & chips - tis' the season cocktail disclaimer: this visit was an Instagram media invite, but all reviews and opinions are my own. read more

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It's a British-Indian restaurant so expect to find progressive Indian dishes with a unique style. Ambience is quite charming and inviting. The interior decor and warm lighting contributes to the overall vibe. They have a live saxophone musician. He was amazing. I was vibing to all of his Adele's songs. Our table was a bit wobbly. I'd rate the food to be above average in terms of taste and creativity in my visit this time. But not gonna lie, I've had better. I'd say it still provided decently prepared British-Indian inspired classics. I got the potato croquette for appetizer. That was a hit for me. Paneer Tikka Masala was delicious at first but could taste the staleness of paneer at the end. It was overpriced and it dint come with rice. The garlic naan was undercooked at the edges. Last time, when I was here I ordered Chicken Tikka Masala; it was top notch. I also got Date Sticky Toffee Cake. The potion of this dessert is HUGE. Between two people, we could barely get to finish half of it. I liked it though, as it wasn't too sugary. Our server was very friendly and chatty and made sure we were taken care of. read more

Monarch & Lion - Paneer Tikka Masala, Charcoal Grilled Garlic Naan, Basmati Rice - British Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Beautiful bar with great drinks and good food!! Service is excellent and they pour the perfect Guinness pint!! Their lunch specials are great and includes ice cream... I love this place and it's definitely a neighborhood favorite!!! read more

I would describe this as an elevated British-Indian fusion restaurant. The ambiance is classy, clean, pleasing, and romantic. The music was a bit more upbeat contemporary dance which was fine with us and not too loud that we couldn't hear each other talk. The lights were dimmed perfectly too. The pornstar martini with prosecco chaser was absolutely delicious and tasty sweet. All of the dishes that we shared were rich & full of *pow* flavor. Everything was absolutely DELICIOUS! Did I mention it was delicious??? Lol. We started with the 1000 layers potatoes. It was super creamy, decadent, & full truffle flavor. The lamb keema shepherd's pie was rich, comforting, & had a decent spicy kick. The lamb shank rogan josh was rich, warm, fall-off-the-bone tender, intensely flavored, and lightly spicy. The added plain bismati rice was perfectly cooked. The raita was thick & herby with dill & mint. We also shared a dessert, bread pudding. It was rich, soft, sweet, and the caramel/butterscotch sauce was perfect. It also helped absorb some of the spiciness we ate earlier and a perfect way to end our meal. If licking the plate clean was acceptable, we may have actually done it. Lol. Our server Jane, was awesome. She was very attentive, but not annoying. And she was personable and seemed to really care about your experience. Everyone at the restaurant who we encountered was polite, attentive, and on-point. If you are expecting to take a "doggy bag" of leftovers, you might be disappointed. However, you do get decent portions and we were definitely not hungry. This is the perfect place for a business meeting or romantic date. It was one of the best restaurant experiences that we've had in a LONG time. The only nit-picky issue that we had was that they had a votive candle holder on all of their the tables, but no candles or LED lights to illuminate them. Otherwise, it was perfect everything! read more

Monarch & Lion - Pornstar Martini - British Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

We can't say enough good things about this unexpected gem that never showed on Google Maps! The roasted carrots salad was a taste bud delight! The black lentil dal was full of flavor. Of course fish and chips, but the haddock was big and perfectly cooked. Bangers and mash, yes. The onion gravy on the mash was a flavor bomb. Desserts: bread pudding and sticky toffee pudding were wonderfully prepared but we were too full by then to finish. Finally, our waiter, Joey, was patient as we fired question after question and served us with a star! Deserves to be full all the time!!! read more

We went to the UK on vacation this summer, so I was very excited to find this pub and have some of the same things we had in the UK. The decor is very upscale and clean. Our waiter was great as well. The food, was lacking in flavor. I found it bland and in desperate need of salt. The ordered the coconut confit tea and it was amazing! Also, the sticky toffee pudding was better than any of the ones we had in the UK. I would definitely come back to try something else. read more

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A unique place for which a similarity doesn't exist in Los Angeles... my son and I were being tourists for a day in the city before flying back. 12/29. It was a cold night and we were in the area looking for dinner after some bowling at Pinstripes. We stumbled into Monarch & Lion, a British-Indian establishment. Really great atmosphere. Very comforting and warm. Service was great. A menu with something for everyone. My son had (and loved) their truffle Mac and cheese. I loved what I had too, a Shepherd's Pie. Unusual for me to order something like that, but I'm glad I did. T'was awesome. *My 1,000th review* read more

The food was great, place was clean, service was very nice. The bathrooms confused me though... But it's a nice place. I recommend.

We had a wonderful dinner at Monarch and Lion. The service was fantastic and we absolutely loved the atmosphere. I also thought the food was fantastic. Everything came out hot, fresh and flavorful. I have been thinking about their food since we left the restaurant. Highly recommend their desserts too!! read more

Monarch & Lion - Date Sticky Toffee Cake - British Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Oooh this was fun! I've been seeing this place on IG (thanks to Morgan Raphael) and wanted to try it. The restaurant is very modern and beautiful. The food was delish. We had the artichoke pakora for an appetizer and I was hooked from the start. I loved the accompanying aioli. For an entree, I had the fish and chips- and these were some of the best fries I've ever had. Crispy on the outside, soft on the inside. The fish was a singular large plank of a white fish. My friend had the chicken Tikka with rice and naan. I had a pimms cup for a cocktail and these will get you into trouble because you can't even taste alcohol. I will definitely be back. Monarch and Lion will be an easy top recco from me for 2023. read more

Since there's no 3.5 star, I'm settling for a 4. Several great things happening for this place. It's right down the movie theater so a great spot to grab dinner before or after a movie if you still go that movie theater. AMAZING interior. Actually fell in LOVE with the interior. The seats, chairs, sofas, etc. All give this regal feeling. We ordered a couple different things. The artichoke bhaji, mushroom pot pie, ground lamb shephard's pie, chili cheese naan, fried calamari, black lentil dal and white rice. The Mushroom Pot Pie was EPIC. Absolutely fantastic. It was a tad sweeter than I'd like but that was my opinion as everyone else on the table LOVED it. The ground lamb shephard's pie was epic too. There was a good kick to it and the meat was not dried out at all. There was a fantastic crust on the potato on top. Hmmmmmmm The chili cheese naan was probably our favorite appetizer. Yes. Spice kicked our butt however it was full of flavor. The black lentil dal was SUPER HEAVENLY. Rich but did seem a tad undercooked. I left the least favorite for last. The artichoke bhaji was nowhere crispy like bhaji should be. It almost seemed like they got soaked in oil. Flavor was ok. Same with the calamari. Both of these were disappointing. My only other thing I'd say is the prices here for what they provide are at least 25% higher than they should be. Maybe even 30% higher. Would definitely come again but more for an occassion and not for a casual night out. read more

Monarch & Lion has become a regular spot for me not only because of the happy hour deals, classy yet chill ambiance, or the delicious food (order the fries aka chips, the chicken tikka, the sticky toffee!), but also because of the service from the entire team there. I love sitting at the bar when Mike is working because no matter how busy it gets, he makes you feel comfortable and taken care of, makes great recommendations, and keeps you laughing the whole time. I've introduced coworkers to "my spot" and my new friends at M&L, and we love stopping by after work for a cold beer, an order of fries, and to catch up with Mike and his awesome crew! read more

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UPDATED (receipt reviewed) Want to start with how disappointing it was to be charged 24% more for 5 people and they seated us at a 4 person booth. Especially, with paying roughly the same for the restaurant sales tax. The only other negative was the service was waitress and host were inattentive and unhelpful (but the water guy and bus boy were TOP tier). We called to see about getting a reservation and the hostess could not help us get one, and then told us we MIGHT be able to walk in... the restaurant was all but empty and when we walked in and remained that way for quite some time. Plus, the waitress walked a martini we had ordered to 3 different tables and tried to put it down until remembering it was ours. Not like it was another worker, it was the waitress for our table. However, I don't want to be blinded by how we got burnt. The decor was fun yet comforting, and we had plenty of space to not feel like we were on top of another table. Plus, the food was absolutely great, our whole table loved their meal and the spice levels were perfect. It's rare to find a restaurant where the back of house is better than the front of house. I hope for those hard workers they have, they can figure everything else out. read more

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The attitude of the thin Indian server was the rudest I have ever seen in my life. Disrespectful as I have ever seen

While staying at the adjacent Embassy Suites, we ate at Monarch & lion three times. The service was attentive. The ambiance was classy and cozy. Each time, the food was superb and the cocktails were exceptional. My favorite was the dessert port wine. I highly recommend! read more

The best fish and chips!!! We sat at the bar and Mike was a great bartender! Will definitely go back when we return to Chicago! read more

Monarch & Lion - Fish and chips - British Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Monarch & Lion is off to a great start. With a brand-new look, the shuttered restaurant space, is now attractive and full of personality. Big windows and high tray ceiling, allows the decor to dazzle. The unique blend of books, wallpaper and paneling, mixes perfectly with the black & white tile, soft wood tones, pretty lighting and pale blue furniture. Think British gentlemen's library. We went for the soft opening. It was crazy busy to the point where the bartenders could not keep up. It was exciting and perfect for people watching. We tried the bites that came by our table. The fish & chips bites were fantastic. My Kensington Gardens cocktail was perfection. I am looking forward to returning on a regular evening where the staff can shine and do what they do best. read more

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The cheesy chili naan and the bangers and mash were hearty and flavorful. And the cocktails were refreshing. Beautiful setting. read more

Monarch & Lion - Turmeric G&T - British Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Where do I start, service was nonexistent, except for the person filling out water glasses. I think there was only one person waiting tables, and he would disappear from the dining room regularly for long periods of time. All the waiting translated to over 3 hours for appetizers, 1 beer, Diet Coke and a mixed drink. Way over priced and nothing special food. read more

Great Indian food! Just the right amount of spice. Service was great. A charming pub. read more

Monarch & Lion - Chicken Tikka Masala bowl. Lunch prices until 4 pm. Happy hour starts at 3 pm. - British Near Me - Chicago, Illinois