I've golfed at sydney marovitz hundreds of times but last Saturday was the first time I ate a clocktower. The food, atmosphere, and location was great but the wife and I were turned off by the bartender. He frequently disappeared when we needed him. What offended my wife the most was his attitude toward his coworkers and the cart girl. I don't think he realized that I've golfed here 100s of times so I think that their cart girl does a tremendous job especially when the course is busy. I'll come back again but will never sit at the bar again because of his negativity. read more

I wanted to check this place out because of its location near the lake and softball fields. What a mistake. I went in this afternoon with my friend and we planned on ordering some drinks at the bar but it was really busy. Apparently it was so busy that the manager thought it was okay to yell at customers... He was really rude so we decided to just leave and go somewhere else. read more

Love this place especially sitting and watching the golfers finish on the ninth hole green. But today (albeit Memorial Day) the service was atrocious. Mgr. was great and comped our meal but the server still tried to shortchange us. read more

Hidden gem on the east side of Lake Shore Drive. Good food, full bar, 5+ large TVs and great service. Kordell was extra polite and provided excellent service. The location is nice. On one side, you have a nice view of the park, LSD and small view of the skyline. On the other side, you have a nice view of the golf course and lake. Great seating on the outdoor patios, on each side. I will certainly be back. I would like to see them put a little money into the place with better decorations and maybe create more of a modern sports bar/golf club house type of feel. read more

This place is a great find. We have been waiting forever for this to open! Food is great and service VERY friendly Needs music. A fireplace would be great in the fall We will be back. read more

I want to say this was a horrible experience and urge others NOT to go here..!!! But that would only be because I don't want other finding out about this little gem and it becoming over-crowded! My parents were visiting from out of town, and since I am only 2 years I to living in Chicago myself, I was eager to show them unique and interesting things here. Last day we stayed local to my neighborhood- we walked over to see Wrigley Field and then decided to go across the street to have lunch at The Clocktower Cafe on the golf course and water view in the background. We ordered the Patty Melt, Tuna Melt and myself the Club. House made chips (amazing!) and fries (also very good!) We all commented how good our food was. My club was made with fresh turkey breast (not the deli rubber type turkey) with crispy thick bacon, fresh tomato, mayo on wonderful whole grain wheat toast. The fellow diners were quiet but friendly to each other, and the music playing was fun 90s tunes. The one down part, no fault of the restaurant, was having to go across the way to use the "public park bathrooms" which were fairly gross, but useable. In short- I can't wait to go back and have lunch or a drink and this cute little cafe patio space! I hope not to see ANY of you there! LOL! read more

Let me start by saying that this place has one of the best burgers that I and my partner have ever eaten in Chicago. Whether or not they are pre-made (as someone complained about) doesn't really matter because they were cooked perfectly, tasted delicious, and the bun was fantastic. The fries came in a little container shaped like a fryer and were large and pretty good; not the best I've had and not the worst. The service is very friendly. Now, those of you giving this place a bad review, well, I can tell by the way you write your reviews you're the kind that lumps everything together and expect the same service at Byron's that you would get at Alinea. First, what is this place? It's pretty much a bar and grill that is there for the golfers and the people who are walking through the park. It serves good burgers, good salads, good sandwiches, and has a full and complete bar. That's a pretty darn good deal for any golfer or any one in the middle of the park. It's not a destination place; yes, it's small-staffed and you might have to sit around for awhile but you're sitting around in the park!!!! You're supposed to relax in the park!! If you don't want to wait and relax in the nice weather, then don't come here!!! And, for god's sake, don't complain about it. Those of you who want a nice lunch in a relaxed atmosphere, whether on their outdoor back patio under an umbrella, or in the air-conditioned bar area, enjoy, enjoy, enjoy! read more

My wife and I were visiting Chicago and were riding Divvi bikes on the lakefront path when we noticed the golf course and cafe. We stopped for lunch and and are happy that we did. We sat on the outdoor patio with a view overlooking the golf course and lake. The food and drink options were plentiful. Our meals were well above average and a good value. Good beer selection too. Great place to stop when biking along the lakefront. read more

The last few times I have been here were fabulous. The two servers I had were great! I wish I remembered their names to credit them. What drove me to post on here and leave a bad review was what happened one night while I was in for a drink! I am not sure if it was their shift manager, general manager, or what.. but this late 30's aged very tall looking man was screaming at two of the servers. I overheard some swearing and was rather disappointed this is how the employees are treated. I felt so horribly for anyone working that night. I was not outside but watched him throw one of the tables across the patio because he was so enraged while yelling at these younger girls working. He then stormed around the cafe in a pissy mood and it even made me uncomfortable. At that point I had left, I will not be returning after this experience and I hope the employees that have experienced this consider finding a job where they are treated correct. read more

Our server Melissa was a total sweetheart. Very hospitable. We were on a very long walk and didn't have a lot of money on us and she was really cool about it. Wish we could have given her more but next time we go we're taking care of her! read more

This is a great location and perfect for a summer brunch. The prices are good and I enjoy the food/drinks but my one complaint is that service is always incredibly slow, even when it isn't very busy. I'll definitely go back, just don't go if you're really hungry or thirsty as it will probably be a while read more

I will never try to place an order for food here again. I waited at least 10 minutes for the waitress or bar person to take my order. Then I waited another 20 minutes for a simple chicken sandwich and fries. Well it will not happen again. And then to pay $14.00 for a sandwich that could have been purchased for a lot less at Burger King. read more

Went here after a game for the first time with friends. There was no problem getting outside seating on the front deck. Tables are spaced appropriately so there is enough space between other parties not to hear their conversations, although this does not solve the problem of screaming children and parents doing nothing. I thought the food was great! With the advice of our server I ordered the cheeseburger and I thought it was fabulous. It was juicy, flavorful, and not salty and not fatty at all.It was good quality meat and cooked perfectly throughout without it being dry. And... It's not one those real thick hamburgers. It's perfect! There are only a few places in the city I will eat a burger and now this is one of them. They also carry albacore tuna wraps which someone had and I tasted it, and it was delicious. Any cafe or restaurant that carries albacore tuna is in to quality products. Their homemade chips are really excellent too, some are crispy and some are soft, at least mine were. I found service to be very good. Nice selection of drinks. Overall, one of the better outdoor beach cafés in Chicago. Great people watching and very relaxing. I like that the manager /owner came to the tables to make sure everything was good. Healthy things on the menu also. read more

The food is terrible, I would rather that they charged more and gave you some actual food - I ordered the Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad - it came in a side salad bowl - there were about 5 pieces of lettuce - it was wilted and dry - I definitely do not think that they cook their chicken there, they must order and buy it. If you have golfed or ridden your bike in this 90+ degree weather the last thing I want is a slice of lasagna - I wish they would revamp the menu, hike up the prices and give you some good basic food. They are always running out of stuff and seem to have crazy rules, we asked them to cut our Grilled Chicken Salad Stuffed Pita and they said no, then they returned w/ some chicken salad and four cut pieces of pita, when we asked they said that they had run out of pita???? Great location, good place to grab a beer and enjoy the view, hope they get it together. read more

Great location, everything else is just awful, the food, extremely slow service. Won't be going there again.

Had the chicken burger with fries. Great burger, home made fries were the best I've had, really nice spot and reasonably priced.

Near the lake and outdoor patios. Staff is a bit rushed but friendly. The food is so-so; saw that there were drink specials! Anyplace with TVs gets one less star in my book but overall it's a decent place to grab a bite and chill when you're by the lake! read more

The food here is excellent, especially the bratwurst (with grilled onions, watch out - they sneak in kraut instead), the Cuban sandwich, the chili cheese dog and the hot dog. Altho we need to clue them into hot dogs being a pick-up sandwich, they always break the bun. You can order just one hot dog instead of the two on the menu, but they'll charge you for two. The fries look great, probably cooked just right but are always, always cold. The service can't quite get it right, terminally slow. I am indeed a "woman of a certain age", but I am not your dearie, sweetie or honey! read more

After walking on the lake path so many times and seeing signs for the clock tower cafe we finally decided to check it out. We looked at the menu online and arrived there at about 10:30am. There was a breakfast buffet they were offering $10 all you can eat and they said they had breakfast sandwiches also, or we could see a menu. Expecting it'd be a breakfast menu we said yes. They gave us lunch menus, not that we minded - we're not REALLY breakfast people anyways. However a waitress came over and started telling us that they weren't serving lunch. Our waitress then came over and snapped at her saying that her tables were outside and that the manager didn't tell her they weren't serving lunch.. AWKWARD. About 10 minutes later our waitress comes over complains about being SO short staffed (not our problem) and that lunch will take a lot of extra time. There was no breakfast menu, the breakfast buffet looked disgusting and the ambiance of bickering waitresses was not pleasant. We left - and were charged the $2.25 for our iced tea. We will not be back. read more

Went back to Clocktower Café on Saturday night because The Dock was packed and we wanted to sit outside to enjoy the beautiful evening. Only a couple of customers inside, with a few tables occupied on the front deck and a handful occupied on the back deck overlooking the golf course. Two servers working. Our server took our order -- calamari appetizer and burgers. As usual, the wait was longer than it should have been, but that was ok. However, the first thing served were the burgers, followed a few minutes later by the calamari. Some mumbling by the server about "the kitchen." The food was fine, but when are they going to get the service issue fixed? read more

The cafe is awesome. I've been there 3 times in the past 2 weeks. It seems like it's under new management. GREAT food -- recommend the hummus. Cool kinds of beer on tap including something dark. Just had the ice tea -- it's the real deal. Highly recommend! read more

Rough visit. Food was surprisingly good - those were my server's words as she hadn't tried the food - I really liked it. Service was fine. Price reasonable. My problem is that it was a 90+ degree day and I ordered a soda and was asked if I wanted another, sure, waved her over for a third. Menu did not say that there were no refills. Waitress did not either and I think she should have as it is customary in restaurants now and I think it was obvious that I was under the impression that refills were included. Bad business, bad server. I considered giving her a reduced tip and a note but it was too passive aggressive and didn't want to end up shamed on Facebook. Ho hum. read more

As a golfer, I enjoy playing golf at convenient Marovitz Golf Course. It is such a pleasure and delight to have the Clock Tower Cafe operational and serving such satisfying food overlooking the ninth hole, softball fields and Lake Michigan. The menu has improved considerably since last year and the service has radically improved too. Based on its proximity to our house, friendly staff and nice setting, I recently had my husband's birthday party there. They let me string up lights. They volunteered their tiki torches. They individualized the buffet menu and found octopus to transform into delicious calamari fritti. The staff was attentive. The drinks flowed. The birthday cake was cut and served right on time without monitoring. The food was delicious. The venue was a TOTAL hit with the guests on an ideal Friday summer night. I worked with manager Jim Tourloukis who was very responsive, committed and professional. Chet, the assistant manager was an energetic, but tireless go-to guy during the event, allowing all the details to unfold without a hitch. The pricing was also reasonable and negotiable. My husband was thrilled with the evening. I would recommend this venue for any private party: birthdays, showers, business gatherings. Would LOVE to use them again. FYI: Their Black and Blue burger with blue cheese is fantastic. read more

Terrible customer service at this place! Just awful. We tried to have lunch at this place today and we're essentially refused service because of sheer incompetence on the part of the staff. I walk in with my two children and am told that we can't sit on back patio because there is a golf group coming in. I say that's no problem because it's much cooler inside anyway and ask if they'd like me to lock my stroller up outside so that it's not in the way. The woman says that would be good if I can. So I leave my son at the table and my purse and go outside with my infant daughter to lock the stroller. A man then comes out and asks if we are sitting outside. I tell him no that I was just locking up the stroller and he says we can't sit inside because we'll be in the way of the buffet. Mind you there are two rows of tables and the "buffet" is currently an empty long table that has not even been set up yet. I explain that I had just been told to sit inside and was just being helpful by locking up my stroller out of the way. I also point out that it's far too hot for me to sit our front in 80+ degree full sun heat with two small children. I say if we can't sit inside as we'd been instructed to then we'll just have to go. He basically just shrugs. So I then have to go back inside and scoop up my son and tell him we can no longer eat there because they won't let us sit on the back patio or inside the cafe. He of course is now crying because I'd promised him lunch there. I will never return. And it's a shame because we are at those fields every week during the summer and this could have been a nice spot to stop in at. I am just shocked at the lack of common sense or customer service exhibited here. If you are that strapped for space because of the event you are going to be hosting then close it for a private event. Don't give me the runaround while I'm juggling two children. I can't speak for the food since I wasn't given the opportunity to even order any. Though I can say that what I saw looked mediocre at best. So maybe they did me a favor. read more