About Last Knife (ALK)
Danielle Gonzalez · 117 Google reviewsAbout Last Knife (ALK) — neighborhood brunch & breakfast in Loop. The look is curated without feeling cold. Ari Nguyen: "The steak was cooked perfectly—tender, juicy, and seasoned just right"
What 361 diners keep saying
What 361 diners keep saying
verbatim, from Google
“I ordered the French Onion Soup, and on a cold day in Chicago it warmed me right up. It was absolutely delicious! Adrian was an absolute delight, friendly, positive, and attentive.”
“A good wall art always intrigues me! We enjoyed a wonderful breakfast here 🍳”
“Yesterday, we visited About Last Knife (ALK) at the Arlo Hotel for their “Lucky Hour.” They have a fun special called the “Chicago Happy Meal”—an Old Fashioned, fries, and fortune cookies—for just $15. Since none of the other Lucky Hour cocktails are whiskey or bourbon-based, I opted for the Happy Meal so I could enjoy a classic Old Fashioned. Cocktail: Bold, boozy, and perfectly balanced. I didn’t catch the bourbon brand, but the drink was strong, flavorful, and expertly made. Fries: Think elevated McDonald’s fries—crispy, piping hot, perfectly salted, and delicious even after they cooled a bit. You can enjoy them with or without ketchup, and either way, they hit the spot. Fortune Cookies: Arlo writes the fortunes themselves, which is a fun and unique twist. A few of us got duplicate fortunes, which was a bit less special, but the idea was still super cute. Service: Our server was friendly, attentive, and checked in throughout the evening. Ambiance: The space was quaint, quiet, and charming. We were seated immediately since it wasn’t crowded. I also loved seeing the open kitchen and noticing a Black female cook at work—it was a beautiful and inspiring touch. Overall, ALK’s Lucky Hour is a fun experience. Highly recommend the Chicago Happy Meal if you love a good Old Fashioned with some playful, elevated snacks! #ImNotAFoodie #ImJustAGirlWhoLovesFood”
“We were pretty excited to check this place out. Visiting for the marathon from NYC so I know good restaurants. This is not one of them. Service was EXTREMELY slow and inattentive. Fried calamari was cold and overcooked. Steak was on par with something you’d find at Walmart, and the burgers were essentially a patty on the shiniest bun I’ve ever seen. Drinks were not great, probably because the bartender was too busy joking around to pay attention. I’d highly recommend skipping this spot for something on the other side of the river.”
“Overall unimpressed. If you're looking for a nice affordable place for a nice breakfast you'll do better at an IHop. The service was slow and the staff seemed to be ageist. As a group of 21 year old visiting Chicago looking for a nice place to eat we didn't receive the same service as the other older people who entered. We arrived around 8:45 so it wasn't crowded or packed as we were sat. I ordered the pancakes, my friends ordered the French toast, smoked salmon, and beignets respectively. We ordered orange juice and got waters and waited. When we got our food about 20 minutes later we were underwhelmed. For the price we paid it was not worth it. No one ever checked on us, we never got a refill of water, not even a simple "how is your meal". We were completely ignored while others tables were being served and tended to. When it came time to get the check we continued to be ignored even when we had our card in clear view ready to go. It wasn't until we asked her to take our check did we get her attention. Overall, if you're in your 20's and looking for a nice breakfast place to eat downtown, you should go to any of the other cafes around where you'll actually get quality food for the price and better customer service.”
“Definitely just a place to satisfy hunger. We were seated immediately. The atmosphere is really nice but the food just doesn’t match. I ordered a mimosa and the steak and eggs. My friend ordered a cappuccino, French toast and the alk breakfast. The food was so bland. As you can see in the video, my steak had a good amount of fat on it. Why not trim the steak before you cook it? I was surprised it was sent out like that. I expect eggs to be bland. The onion and peppers with the potatoes. Under cooked. Why? I’ve included the bill. This was our first restaurant we tried in Chicago and we won’t be back.”
“There’s too much to write about our service that went wrong. Incompetent is the one defining trait. My partner didn’t get her meal at all. Then they tried charging her for it. Terrible experience. Shame there is no zero star option.”
“Limited menu, as it should be. The chef is able to focus on the quality of the food, and they did. ALK is absolutely on my return visit list.”
“My family and I are staying at the hotel so we decided to give ALK a chance and they did not disappoint. My kids loved the french toast and everything was very good! Not to mention, it was a very relaxed setting compared to busy restaurants.”
“100% recommend. Adrian was very attentive and provided excellent service to my table. His service was immaculate.”
“Adrian was our server and did a fantastic job with attentiveness and delivering our food, his great mood really helped expose the great atmosphere in the restaurant!”
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