Gene's Bistro

The food was pretty average. The burgers were pretty good, but nothing really special. Things were a bit expensive, but that is the same with most airport restaurants, The bruschetta was disappointing. It came out on stale bread that did not seem to be toasted and the cherry tomatoes were left as whole tomatoes and were just placed on top of the bread. The service was decently fast, but the waitress was the not the most welcoming. I would recommend trying a different restaurant in the airport before trying this one.

Extremely Rude host !! shocked they are still in business I was there appox 4pm on Dec 17, 2025, so the store manager knows who the host was. I waited 10 sec at the entrance where a bunch of other staff ignored me, so I just assume I can seat myself, picked a table and sat down (plenty of empty table at the time). then the host came back and said this while looking quite unhappy: "you need to go back out there cuz I didn't seat you". Whoa... You could have easily said something more polite with a smile. If you hate your job, quite. if something bad happened to your family and you're sad/pissed, take a day off! to be fair, their wait staff was actually quite friendly and food is average for airport standard.

I stopped at Gene’s Bistro in Chicago Midway Airport on my first visit through this airport, and the experience was mixed. The food was surprisingly good considering some of the other reviews—I really enjoyed the penne pasta—but it definitely wasn’t worth the high price. The service, however, was strange. Our server introduced herself, then immediately walked away without taking our drink order. She eventually returned, but rushed us through ordering and had an overall off-putting demeanor. While the food quality exceeded my expectations, I have to agree with other reviews: it’s overpriced with subpar service.

The majority of the reviews talk about how grumbly or unhappy the staff workers are here. After coming here for a few times on various layovers, it’s unfortunately true. ~ However ~ our recent server Maggie did a phenomenal job and took great care of us! She got us drinks, ordered food for us promptly after. She took note of our drinks running low and immediately had them refilled before I could even request a refill. She was very kind and welcoming and we had a fun chat. She deserves a raise for doing an incredible job at an airport restaurant that currently has a 1.7 star review at the time of writing this. Thank you so much Maggie!!

$24 for a Cobb salad and they skimped on lettuce. Let that sink in. I stood at the host stand for a full six minutes while four staff members loitered behind the counter, chatting and ignoring me completely. No greeting, no acknowledgment, just indifference. Eventually seated, I ordered the most affordable item on the menu: a $24 Cobb salad. When it arrived, I was stunned. It was absurdly light on lettuce—the cheapest and most basic ingredient in the dish. I mentioned this to the waitress, who shrugged and started to walk off. Only after I pressed her did she bring a small bowl of extra lettuce. The salad itself tasted fine, but also included a few wilted greens. At this price point, that’s inexcusable. The marginal cost of more lettuce is asymptotically insignificant—effectively zero—but here it was rationed like caviar. Had I read the reviews beforehand, I’d never have walked in. Now you have: don’t make the same mistake.

Not the best burger. Not the worst. It was okay. Service was very friendly and efficient. Biggest complaint I have is that they forgot the bacon to my bacon cheeseburger… I was too hungry and didn’t realize until I finished it. The meat was also overcooked and dry. For being airport food, it was decently priced.

I order a waffle approx 15 prior to the stop of breakfast service. The hostess told me to order at the bar since I wanted to go. It seemed like a crime that I ordered there. I was told to wait and went out of the way to wait. A lady came up and said are you waiting for the waffle. I said yes she said you need to stand here they probably thought you left. Ok finally got the waffle in a bag but now the bag is from another restaurant here in the concourse how weird is that??? I ordered from genes bistro the bag is tall boy taco

I've never been verbally berated by a server quite like today. We ordered food for our family of three, and when the food arrived, I noticed a long black hair in my burger. Obviously, I'm not going to eat that, and because of how slow the service was, I wasn't going to ask for another item. I figured it would be easier to feed my toddler and just ask for it taken off the bill before we leave. Instead, the server, Pamela yelled at me in front of everyone in our section, including my two-year-old. I explained I didn't want another item and I'd like not to make a big production of it. I just want to leave. She responded with “you're not getting another burger anyway. You should have said something sooner”. Horrible customer service today. Judging by the other reviews, I'm not the only one.