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    The Dawson

    4.1 (1.1k reviews)
    PriceyAmerican, Bars, Salad
    Closed Closed

    Order The Dawson Takeout or Delivery

    The Dawson Photos

    Business Info

    THE DAWSON ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Trendy
    Moderate noise
    Good for groups
    Dogs allowed

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    Recommended Reviews - The Dawson

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    Reviews With Photos

    Philip N.

    Food was amazing, loved everything they were serving for their menu! Will come back when I come back to Chicago. Our waitress was very welcoming for our big group and we were all very happy! The area was really nice too, inside felt super organized when it comes to the kitchen, dining area and bar area. Would recommend, super delicious!

    Vodka Rigatoni
    Clay G.

    I recently came here with a larger group and we sat out in the back. It's a very cute space that feels a little bit like an escape from the city. For a drink, I got the Some Like It Hot, which is basically a spicy margarita. It's very pretty and comes with a pepper in the cup. For my main, I went with the vodka rigatoni with added sausage. The sausage was definitely the best part, so I highly recommend that everyone add it. The sauce itself was also very good. My girlfriend got the steak frites. They have a dedicated gluten-free fryer so she was able to eat the French fries. Unfortunately, her steak was very well done and they didn't ask her how she wanted it cooked. As to the service, it left a little to be desired. It was pretty slow and maybe it's because they were super busy inside, but outside was not crowded at all.

    Ciara W.

    Went for the drag brunch which was a fun atmosphere. Very lively much and the food was absolutely delicious. We were sat upstairs but love the interior design of the is place. I got the open faced lox sandwich, Mac & cheese, and aside of breakfast potatoes, which was just what I needed after a long night out. It was incredibly delicious and the performers were a fun addition to the meal!

    Medium burger and fries
    Anna T.

    came here for happy hour and I love the vibes! We were on the back patio. Our waitress was really sweet and everything came back in great time. I had some wine, shishito peppers and oysters. The oysters were amazing and the shishito peppers were just the perfect summer app. I will be back for more happy hours!

    Breakfast empanadas
    Ariana G.

    Had brunch with the girls here and had a good time! The moment you walk inside, you are greeted with kind staff and their beautiful interior! I also found out that they host wedding receptions too! They have a decent brunch menu with good variety. Brunch is only served on the weekends. To share, we got the biscuits and empanadas all of which were delish. The chilaquiles rojas came in a big portion! Came with 2 eggs and guac on top. Spice flavor was good so I didn't need extra hot sauce. Overall very good American restaurant. Would love to come back and try their dinner menu!

    Drinks!

    One of the best ambiance in the city. You get the feel of the old school industrial Chicago era with a touch of elegance. The food is amazing too, Alejandro is such a great person and cook. He was working the grill outside and took the time to explain to me the preparation of meats. Our server Taylor is such a cool guy. Everything made for an exceptional experience. Keep uk the great work guys.

    Grilled PQB Sourdough
    Melanie B.

    I really wanted to like this place but it just didn't do it for me. Although service was stellar and the atmosphere nice, I found a huge hair in the topping on the sourdough we ordered. It was good. Just didn't enjoy pulling the long hair out of my mouth. The chicken fried lobster was the family favorite. Worth ordering. Loved my salmon. Cooked and seasoned well. The dessert menu was uninspiring. I got the pumpkin cheesecake and it was fine, I just thought the choices were kinda boring. And maybe I just ordered poorly, but I didn't like either of my drinks Parking was abysmal. They say they have valet but nobody was there. This place was a one and done for me. I'm told the outside seating is great. I guess we missed out since it was winter.

    Tammi J.

    Visited the Dawson 3 month ago and thought the food was amazing. I thought I wrote this review but all of my pics were just sitting waiting for me to write it.

    Drink Menu
    Miranda L.

    WOW! Stopped by The Dawson for Saturday night dinner for a special occasion and they know how to make a couple feel special. When checking in for our reservation, both hostesses said congrats. They made sure to seat us in an intimate and comfortable section of the restaurant so we could enjoy each other's company. Our server came over to welcome us and brought complimentary glasses of champagne to also say congrats. How nice! We started with a Cosmo and GTO drink. The Cosmo was well balanced and GTO had earthy and floral notes but was also sweet and fruity. We decided to share a bunch of food options to try more. We started with the Wagyu Meatballs and Grilled PQB Sourdough. The Wagyu Meatballs were phenomenal! It came with three dense meatballs paired with creamy polenta and red sauce with a slight heat to it. The Grilled PQB Sourdough felt like a half flatbread, half salad. It was piled hight with shaved brussel sprouts, apple slices, and nuts. It's a bit hard to eat politely but the flavors were fresh. For the main, we shared the Rigatoni with crumbled sausage as well as the Everything Bagel Focaccia. The bread came with light seasoning, was warm, and had lots of butter to share. The Rigatoni was wonderful being creamy, savory, and had a slight heat from the calabrian. We loved our experience and the atmosphere of the restaurant. I would highly recommend trying out the Dawson and I will certainly be back to enjoy their summer patio!

    Autumn B.

    Brunch is so slept on here- particularly in the fall and winter. Yall the patio is closed but the food is divine! It's also so nice to have a good quality, dependable restaurant in the neighborhood that you don't have to hassle over a reservation for. I just love it here plain and simple. Long distance bestie and me always come here when she's in town. This past week we got our usual order of the breakfast empanadas (comes with sausage gravy dipping sauce. Enough said) and the omelette which is fabulous and this time had a delicious charred veggie accoutrement. We got the fruit plate and the bacon to share and they were just the perfect addition to the meal. The fruit plate is well plated with candied ginger and mint on top. Pto tip order a lime wedge with your water and squeeze it over! The bacon is so substantial and extremely smokey and sweet. I crave it! Side note: skip the salad. I always have to get a yummy salad to eat with my meal but for $16 this one is a big disappointment. Try something else!

    Sarah P.

    Beautiful outdoor space and lots of seating! I got the burger with egg which was delicious and the cookie skillet was divineeee. Super sweet but tasty. The ricotta toast was a stand out for me but other apps were good as well. We got the Brussels sprouts and the cucumber/watermelon salad. The service was also pretty good as well. Nothing crazy but our waitress stopped by often. Would go again and recommend.

    Munsanje M.

    The chicken fried lobster!!! That's it, that's the post. Lol seriously you have to get it and the cheese curds are incredible. Not a fan of the cocktails, we tried a few but the food is definitely worth it! We went for dinner a few weeks prior to brunch and the dinner menu is incredible and so underrate. Our server was super sweet and very accommodating to our party.

    Pull Apart Brioche
    Shon S.

    We've driven past The Dawson so many times on our way to the West Loop and were always curious to check it out--so we finally did! The ambiance was warm and inviting, making it a great date-night spot. While the menu leans on the pricier side, especially the drinks, the experience was worth it. We started with the Jason Samoa cocktail, but it wasn't quite our taste, so we quickly switched to an Old Fashioned, which was excellent. For food, we ordered the pull-apart brioche, and wow--hands down the best bread we've ever had. It was so good that we immediately ordered another plate. We also tried the duck wings, which were solid as well. Service was friendly and attentive, rounding out an overall great experience. Definitely a spot worth visiting, especially for that brioche

    Mac & Cheese

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    2 years ago

    Great service, great vibes, the patio is very nice, I'll definitely come back, not for a Bloody Mary tho!

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    Page 3 of 28

    The Dawson Reviews in Other Languages

    Ask the Community - The Dawson

    Valet or parking area?

    They have valet for $15. It's going to take about 15-20 minutes to actually get the valet out there. I would suggest finding street parking.

    Do they have a covered patio if it rains?

    Yes! The entire outdoor space is not covered, but a portion is

    Did they add a heated patio for outdoor seating in the colder months?

    Yes! The Dawson has heated tent dining :)

    Do they do bottomless mimosas here? On Saturday mornings?

    No they do not. If that's what your looking for- Mad Social, 80 proof, lokal, etc do

    Do I need to make a reservation?

    Mostly yes. However you can just walk up for a drink

    On a Sunday afternoon is it kid friendly?

    Yes, I would say so. As kid friendly as most restaurants are...

    View All 8 Questions

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    Au Cheval

    Au Cheval

    4.4
    (9.5k reviews)
    0.5 mi
    $$

    Arrived just as they opened at 10AM on a Friday and were the first customers in the door, but by…read morethe time we left at 11:30 there was a good sized line. Vibes inside are excellent and drinks are (very) boozy with a variety of booths, tables, and bar seating available. Burger with Egg and Bacon (4.25/5): Look, this is a great burger. Bacon is melt in your mouth and the egg adds a bit of creamy richness on top of the fatty, salty beef and cheese combo. The bread bun is pillowy, but I wouldn't wait in a line for hours for this. Bone Marrow (10/5): Now I would wait in line for hours for this bone marrow dish that absolutely changed my life. This comes with 4 HUGE pieces of bone marrow that you spread over fluffy, perfectly toasted Texas toast and pair with a beef cheek marmalade that exactly rides the line between sweet and savory. If you come here without ordering this, you're missing out big time. Green Salad (4/5): Nice, fresh and I needed some fiber. Nothing mind blowing, but a good change of pace. Crispy Fries (4/5): Very lightly crispy fries (reminiscent of light well for the west coasters), but the sauces are where this shines. Garlic aioli and mornay sauce (think white gravy) were rich, thick, and excellent! Key Lime Pie (4.25/5): Whipped cream on this INCREDIBLE, wish you could just order a bowl of that. I think they serve it slightly warmer than fridge temp (cool not cold) and it just melts on the tongue with really strong vanilla flavor. Pie itself is also good; nice strong tartness with the buttery and salty crust. Mille-Feuille (4.5/5): Chocolate sauce has a nice depth of flavor with the shattering crisp of the pastry. Pastry cream was a lot thicker than I expected, but super rich and delicious. Definitely a dessert to share.

    The greeter was not very welcoming, and the experience got off to a rough start. I didn't realize…read morethey now take reservations. We put our name in and were told the wait would be about an hour. When I checked back after an hour, the greeter couldn't tell me how much longer it would be, only that they were trying to squeeze us in between reservations. Had we known that from the beginning, we would have chosen to eat somewhere else. When we were finally seated, we were placed outside at a table that was noticeably slanted. Even our waitress apologized for the uneven table. To make matters worse, the table was in direct sunlight, making it an uncomfortable dining experience.

    Photos
    The cooks were very attentive!
    The cooks were very attentive!
    Crispy Fries & Potato Hash
    Crispy Fries & Potato Hash
    Wings (very sticky so they come with hot towels)

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    Wings (very sticky so they come with hot towels)
    HIDE+SEEK

    HIDE+SEEK

    4.0
    (385 reviews)
    0.5 mi

    Hide+Seek was pretty good! Came here for dinner on a work trip and had the Parisian Gnocchi ($27)…read morewhich has lobster in it. The portion size isn't huge but there's a LOT of fat in this so it will make you feel full! I had had a drink beforehand too so I wasn't "starving," and I left pretty comfortably full. I was seated upstairs at the bar (there's an up and a downstairs bar) and the bartender was very nice, they served me pretty quick. I didn't hang about long but there were several couples clearly on dates, and I would say it's a nice spot for that -- not the fanciest, but certainly more upscale than casual. Bathrooms were immaculate too! Of note, I didn't have a car but saw metered parking directly out front and along the whole street there in shopping area. It was VERY packed but there was a lot of turnover so I imagine if you drove you wouldn't have to circle too long before finding a spot.

    Great night! John sat us at a great table on the main level. We were 7 people, but sat in curved…read morebooth which was perfect because the conversation was great. Gigi was an our server and she was attentive and informative. For food we ordered a variety, cucumber salad, the burrata, fried artichoke, French onion bread, octopus, hamachi, rib eye, filet and ravioli. Everything was amazing!!!! It is a small menu, but so many amazing options, you can't go wrong. We then went to the night club. Gina was our server and she was amazing also. Everyone had a blast Venue is beautiful, food is great, staff and vibe made the whole night!

    Photos
    Immaculate bathrooms!
    Immaculate bathrooms!
    HIDE+SEEK
    The Dutchess

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    The Dutchess
    Girl & The Goat

    Girl & The Goat

    4.4
    (10.7k reviews)
    0.5 mi
    $$$

    Recently, my husband and I celebrated the anniversary of the day we met. We don't always mark the…read moreoccasion, but this year it was a milestone worth celebrating. We chose to dine at Girl & the Goat in Chicago, a restaurant we had never visited before. The acclaimed restaurant by renowned chef Stephanie Izard truly lived up to its stellar reputation! One of the first things we appreciated was the convenience of the restaurant's valet parking, located right by the front patio. At $22 for up to four hours and $26 for four to eight hours, the rates were quite reasonable for the area. As soon as the three of us stepped inside Girl & the Goat (we had made a reservation for 6:30 pm on a Friday), we were warmly greeted by one of the two friendly hostesses, and were promptly led to a comfortable four-top table with a banquette and two chairs along the wall. We felt fortunate to have one of the better tables in the dining room, as some of the others were positioned very close together. The nearby two-top tables, in particular, were quite small and placed only a short distance from ours. The restaurant's rustic-industrial décor was dark but trendy and stylish, the lively and vibrant vibe was warm and welcoming. However, I have to mention that it was really loud in the dining room, as guests seemed to be enjoying themselves and talked loudly.  It was hard to hear our server and the staff who delivered and explained the dishes to us.  Our server, Yazmin, was extremely friendly and attentive.  It was very sweet of her to wish us a happy anniversary both in the beginning  and at the end of the meal.  She also checked in on us several times during the evening.  Now, on to the food and drinks. I started with a glass of the NA Sparkling Rosé ($17), which was light, crisp, and quite refreshing. My husband ordered a glass of Le Colture Prosecco ($18), while our daughter chose the Sun Kid ($18). She enjoyed her drink, although she felt the portion was a bit small, as the glass was filled with a lot of ice that took up much of the space. Since the restaurant offers small to medium plates which are shareable, Yazmin advised us to get 5 to 6 dishes for 3 people to share.  We decided to get 5 savory dishes and 3 desserts to share: Savory dishes: Chickpea Fritters ($20), goat yogurt, green chutney, sev spice crunch, pickled rhubarb. Pan Roasted Halibut ($37), miso-Marcona almond butter, spring onion blueberry nuoc cham. Roasted Pig Face ($28), sunny side egg, tamarind, cilantro, red wine-maple, potato stix. Goat Empanadas ($24), smoked tomato-corn salsa, roasted poblano crema queso fresco. Confit Goat Belly ($38), strawberry goat braise, smoked yogurt drizzle, pickled strawberries. Desserts: Vacation, Please! ($16), toasted coconut crunch, lemon passion fruit sorbet, rum-soaked pineapple cake. Berry Yummy Par-tea ($16), earl grey soaked sponge cake, yuzu curd, spiced blackberries. Chocolate Basil Brownie Bash ($16), olive oil semifreddo, chocolate fennel crunch, basil granita. The meal was just phenomenal!  All the savory dishes were cooked perfectly with bold flavors; the meats were tender and full of flavors.  There were dishes that we normally would not have ordered if we saw them on menus of other restaurants.  Here, we tried them and were delighted that we did!  Our consensus is that Roasted Pig Face is our most favorite! It is everything we love in a comfort dish -- crispy on the outside, meltingly tender inside, and packed with rich, balanced flavor.  We will definitely order this again!  The Confit Goat Belly is a close second, with buttery, fall-apart meat and just the right balance of richness, acidity, and crunch. For dessert, "Vacation, Please!" is the one that we will always come back for. The toasted coconut crunch adds texture, the lemon passion fruit sorbet brings a refreshing tang, and the rum-soaked pineapple cake ties it all together with just the right amount of sweetness.  The other two desserts that we ordered were also very good.  The staff even brought out a scoop of Chocolate Ice Cream on the house, with two lit candles to celebrate our anniversary - a thoughtful touch that made the evening even more memorable.  This dessert spread was the perfect ending to an incredible meal. I'd like to mention that the restaurant added a 4% surcharge to the bill, which the customer may request to have the surcharge remove if you choose.  We let them keep it. We spent about two hours at the restaurant. The savory dishes came out very quickly, the pace probably was even a tad too fast, but the desserts made up for it by taking a longer time.  We did not mind as we were still full, and had time to enjoy the ambiance more.  I would say it is a restaurant great for group gathering and celebratory functions, but not so much for intimate romantic date night.  All in all, it was a wonderful dinner, we look forward to returning again.

    I was there the other week (I've been here at least five times before), and a busser--not our…read morewaiter--started clearing both of our plates before we were finished eating. We each only had a couple of bites left, but it definitely gave off an "okay, you're done now" vibe. Then he went to take the green beans (arguably the cult classic on the menu), and we still had more than half of them left. I had to stop him and say, "Yeah, we're not done with those. We paid for them. Can you put them in a to-go box instead?" For context, it was about 20 minutes before closing, but we ordered with plenty of time and were already eating with a "get in, eat, and get out" mindset. I've just never had someone at a restaurant start clearing plates while we were still actively eating--without asking, "Are you finished?" "Can I clear this?" or "Would you like a to-go box?" It was just... "You're done, these are leaving now." We were there for less than 45 minutes, left about 15 minutes before closing, and spent over $200 (not including the tip). With so many options in Chicago, I don't see myself coming back here.

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    Girl & The Goat
    Girl & The Goat
    Girl & The Goat

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    The Oakville Grill & Cellar

    The Oakville Grill & Cellar

    4.1
    (263 reviews)
    0.4 mi
    $$$

    I have never written a Yelp review before today, but I had to leave my first one because of how…read morepleasant my experience was here. I came here over the weekend with my family to celebrate my graduation, and the server named Cat was AMAZING! She made me feel so special at my graduation brunch through her hospitality, witty remarks, easy-going humor, and attentiveness to her clients. If I were her manager, I would give Cat a raise because of how much she elevated the experience and excels at what she does. Additionally, the food was fantastic! The pull-apart bread was so delicious and something I would 100% come back for, as well as the short rib hash, which was flavorful and tender. The ambiance was perfect for a sunny day with a mild temperature, making it the perfect brunch spot. Once again, I cannot emphasize enough how much Cat made our time at Oakville so special. Thank you, Cat, for being so wonderful at your job and going above and beyond to make my special day even more special. 10/10 would definitely come back!!!

    Came for another team lunch. We had a chance to dine outside but in the shade. Food came not too…read morelong after ordering. My tuna sandwhich was perfection - seasoned and not dry. It looked like my coworkers enjoyed their burgers. Drinks were refilled in a timely manner. Definitively a consistent place for our team to come back to.

    Photos
    The entrance. She's GORGEOUS.
    The entrance. She's GORGEOUS.
    Dry Aged Steakburger
    Dry Aged Steakburger
    Bar from above

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    Bar from above

    The Dawson - tradamerican - Updated July 2026

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