Norman's Bistro

Took my baby sister out to eat. The atmosphere was nice and friendly. The service as on point by Noah the server. He was very friendly helpful and knowledgeable of the menu. Food was good my catfish po boy could of been season a little bit more but all and all it was good. My sister food good as well and fried green tomatoes was excellent. I definitely will becoming back next time to see the live jazz since we left. It started at 8pm. Which meant we would have to stay a few more hours but definitely will wait next time to hear them play.

Wow! Everything in this place is amazing. Perfect, delicious food, kind service. Highly recommended.

A friend and I visited it. It was my first time. As soon as we entered the musicians were playing. It was so great to hear live music. I miss that a lot. The wait staff was very friendly and the service was quick. I would love to come back to enjoy the outside patio in warmer months.

The food here is delicious! Omg never knew that tomato can be cooked the way they are here you must try them while visiting here! The are crispy and delicious! Cooked to perfection and yes try the wings are also good I really enjoying coming in to eat but some of the staff can be a bit rude. Not sure if it's just a Chicago thing but definitely rude other than that the place is well put together from the tables to the chairs and decor. The food a must try maybe next time I come visit I will try the fish it seems to be a good seller. Other than the staff not been friendly I really enjoy it here while visiting and will have to come back to eat the tomatoes 🍅🍅🍅..and the rice with the gumbo lol

Ok...I'm biased. I've known Norm for 30+ years. His bistro is nice. The servers are cool. He has a bar with tables in the back. The menu is standard fare with a twist. Burgers, wraps, fish, chicken, steak, pork(chops/ribs) even duck. Soul food sides(red beans and rice and the greens are delicious). Got my food quickly. Even got to chat with Norm. Had been a minute since I had been by and my friend liked the food he had. Definitely the closest place to my house for dine in/take out.

It’s a very chill neighborhood spot. Wasn’t too crowded and the bar area looked like a nice place to grab a drink and listen to good music. The food was ok, it wasn’t bad, but nothing special.

The customer service here is superb. We got there and realized that I didn't have my mask. The owner stopped us and had someone give me a mask. We had the Henny Sidecar and a watermelon margarita. The drinks were amazing and full of spirits. Now on to the food, the seafood gumbo was EVERYTHING! The Chipotle pasta was amazing too. Even the sweet potato fries were amazing, the best I've ever eaten. Thank you so much and we will definitely be back.

Ok So Friday at Normans Bistro, MASTER BARTENDER MEKO behind the bar, DJ doing his thang and the Foid hot and fresh! I️ had an unexpected AMAZING TIME ENJOYING FANTASTIC FOOD DRINKS AND MUSIC OAN I️ forgot the FRIED GREEN TOMATOES WERE FIYAH, This Caesar salad with shrimp AMAZING and the Fried Catfish WAS FIYAHHHHHH French fries good too ❤️❤️😋😋😋

After our Dear Friend's memorial, we decided to meet up at Norman's Bistro in Chicago to pour one out for him and to just comfort each other and share stories. This was one of their hangouts. So a group of about 12 of us gathered and shared stories and Great memories over a few drinks. The drinks were Great , nice and strong; flowing like water. This place is Beautiful, spacious and well decorated. The servers were wonderful and kept the drinks flowing. While we were there, in walks the proprietor Norman; we were introduced for those who hadn't met him. He is an Awesome,Friendly and humble young man. I enjoyed meeting him. Some ordered French Fries and some other food which was all delicious. Great conversations, Delicious food, Superb drinks, Excellent atmosphere and just Good commrodary. Great place for an Amazing time. Sorry guys No pictures this time but I promise to get you all some on my next visit.

I visited it for a fundraiser and have mixed reviews. They have a very nice patio area, but it was all in the blazing sun. I wanted to order the bread pudding, but the Chef couldn't give me any information about it. His response was it's traditional bread pudding. What exactly does that mean? I ordered a drink and was told they were out of the ingredients. Attempted to order a second drink and they didn't have the ingredients. She offered to make me a drink that I had to send back because I didn't like it. The fried green tomatoes were sliced perfectly, and had a very good taste. The vegetarian sliders were overcooked.

Norman's Bistro is a popular restaurant in the Bronzeville community. The building itself is nicely decorated, well kept, and very spaciously. There is outdoor seating. There is a lounge in the back where they play live music. There is free street parking, which is definitely a positive! There was a party going on in the lounge area, but the noise was minimal. The patrons were a mature older crowd of people. The restroom was clean. I arrived there at around 8:30PM on Friday August 5th 2022. We were the only guests in the dining area. The service was not good in my opinion. The waitress was not friendly or helpful. She barely spoke to us. She did not check on us. The food was good overall. My mother and I ordered 2 Shrimp Po Boys, Sweet Potatoes Fries, and coleslaw. The sandwich had a good amount of fresh vegetables on top, but it could have used a few more shrimp. It was flavored well. I did not like the sweet tasting coleslaw at all. This meal cost $18 dollars. I will try this restaurant again in the future. Hopefully the service will improve.

This month friends and I went on a Sunday to Norman's Bistro for brunch. We were surprised they were not open until 3pm. Parking is hard when the place has many patrons, however we were there prior to opening and parking was easy. Food is great, ambience is lovely. They used to have a breakfast buffet (excellent made to order omlets) and not sure when it was discontinued. Overall great place to go with friends or family after church. We will be back.

A gem of a spot located on Chicago's Southside neighborhood. The space is quite nice, equipped with a bar and area for live music. I've come here twice with family and we've always enjoyed ourselves. The service is lovely and the food hits the spot

I have been here a number of times over the years and always have a good experience. Whether it's breakfast with a friend, dinner with a group or a special event Norman's always comes through. Appetizers that we love include the fried green tomatoes and chicken gumbo. My favorite dinner entree is the lamb chops. They are always tender and well seasoned with a sweet slightly spicy sauce. It comes with a semi sweet cole slaw. The fried chicken was plentiful and tasty. The blackened catfish was delicious, per my co-diner. She says the red beans and rice were a winner, also. I've heard that the chocolate cake and banana pudding are to die for. We won't say any names, but one person in our group sings praises for the chocolate mousse cake each time we visit. If you want to socialize and have a cocktail, there's a pretty busy bar attached to the restuarant.

I went with friends while in town. We were able to be seated quickly. It was not super packed and there was another event in the back room so seem roomy. There was offstreet parking with was fine at least for the day and time that I went. The server seemed new and we had to remind her of things. She may have just had a lot of tables too as it didn't seem like a lot of severs. I ordered the chicken plate along with fried green tomatoes the food was really good and it was enough to take a little back with me. I really enjoyed my tomatoes. Overall good experience. There could have been another server or so to assist but I enjoyed. The food was good and tasty.

Fried green tomatoes, fried catfish, fried chicken and sweet potato fries all superb, far better than most. Friendly and accommodating service and live jazz on Sunday evenings that is superior to most jazz clubs. To hear this level of talent one would typically pay $50 to $100. It's free here and the combination of youthful performers and jazz masters is inspiring. A true gem with a large and wonderful patio.

Friendly place. Fried green beans & Fried tomatoes are good, but a bit oily. the other food was OK.

This review is for the atmosphere. Went last night with my teen son who, along with other teens, was there for the jazz session where the house band (who has a jazz mentorship program for teens) lets teens play in the band. When my son begins to play the piano, not a minute went by when the house band pianist put his hands on my son and attempted to pull him off the piano apparently for playing the wrong note at a moment. As a mother I stepped in and sternly let both the pianist, Dennis, and the band leader, Ernest, know how unacceptable it is to touch my child for any reason. Disgraceful behavior from adults "mentoring" the next generation of musicians. My son plays many "jam sessions" around the city and never has something like this happened. My son was shocked and very upset about this unprofessional behavior. My first and last time going here.

The customer service was sub par and the food was not good. The mac n cheese was runny and the color orange. I would've preferred it from a box.

I went here yesterday. A little over crowded and probably too much to handle for the small amount of servers they have. My biggest complaint is the person behind the bar. I ordered a specific drink and I saw her sneak and pour me something else. When she gave me the drink I had her repeat what I ordered and she said what I actually ordered but I told her she did not pour that and she said why are you watching me. I was shocked! None the less the drinks are very overpriced. The drinks I ordered was not even considered top shelf . 2 drinks was $27. Never Again!

Excellent food and services. Prices very reasonable. Did brunch and ordered from menu several times. Food is slammin.

I am sorry to say I was disappointed by the experience. I reached out to owner and no response. Really wanted visit here to work out and it just didn't. Probably won't go back.

Me and the homies stopped in for a drink on a Saturday afternoon recently and had a pretty decent time. We grabbed seats at the bar and gabbed with the bartender Chuck for a little while. They didnt have the ingredients to make my normal fancy whiskey/bourbon cocktails so I was good going with a Makers Mark & ginger ale. I had been drinking before I arrived so I had worked up an appetite. The gumbo looked good so I went with it. Very big portion so I shared small bowls of it with my 3 man crew. Good gumbo and it definitely brought me back down to earth lol. Cool spot

So it was my sister's birthday and she loves food that packs a punch so we decided to return to Norman's and they did not disappoint. It was a party of six. We ordered crab cakes, salmon patties, pork chops, lamb and rice, red beans, sautéed spinach and collard greens. Everything was on point- meaning favorable. You could taste the love they put into there food and the wait staff was attentive and helpful. We brought a birthday cake with us to celebrate my sister's birthday. They charge a $25.00 fee to bring outside desserts - I think that is ridiculous so I would not recommend it. Our tab ran about $180.00 and that was without the $25.00 charge. Overall a little pricey but worth the culinary experience.

I've visited this restaurant before the pandemic, the food was good, drinks were spot on, the menu was different. I visited this restaurant yesterday; I wasn't happy at all. We waited forever to have a waiter come to our table. Last time they even had food kids liked, but the Mac n cheese wasn't good. The appetizers were ok, except the collard greens with corn and Who puts corn in collard greens ~ no one from black culture..I will not come here again with my family, we weren't happy at all with this place

I really dislike giving bad reviews to small businesses in the area but Norman's Bistro, there is room for improvement. Visited on a popular night, Thursday where they had live music and a DJ in the back bar area. It was packed! I feel like there has to be a better way to lay out the restaurant on a night like this. Perhaps move some tables? Add more tables, add an additional bar or bartender. Add more seating for the outdoor area, limit the menu and bar menu to make it easier and faster to turn more orders? I don't know but whatever you have currently in place has caused me to have a lack of desire in returning. I stood in line for 20 minutes to order a drink. I decided to buy two so I wouldn't have to get back in a long line again for a refresher. Bartender was good and fast but by himself taking orders. Really? I ordered food and waited and waited over an hour before the waiter vaguely said "oh the kitchen didn't prepare the chicken for you". What?? Say what? So not knowing what he meant we waited longer. He never came back so we went in to find him. He then explained "the kitchen is closed now, I told you they didn't bring your order up for me to give it to you". What in the?.... I witnessed a group BEG to have a bill to pay so they could leave. I also witnessed a table of five people that DID get their food order walk out on the bill because the server took so long to come back out to the outside area to give them their check. How do you make money on a busy night like this with staff so inexperienced? How can you streamline your menu, bar lines, ordering process and seating on a Thursday night? I don't know but you could be making more money with a better, more organized plan. I may return but it would be because I was asked to come, not because I booked this place on my own for dinner.

First time here on 2/8/20 to lunch with my sister. I can honestly say I hope it isn't my last. When I go to a new place, if I can I like to sample a couple of dishes. Today I ordered the Shrimp Chicken & Lobster Gumbo and the Carribean Duck with Duck Dressing. My sister ordered the Carribean Grilled Lamb. The sides (none pictured) were sauteed spinach and Greens. I'll start with the Greens and Spinach. The Spinach was nice. It could use a little more garlic but you could ask for that upfront if you so desire. I would pass on the Greens though myself. They were a little more vinegary for my taste. I just am not a fan of more vinegar flavor. They weren't bad, just not for me. Now the main dishes were interesting to say the least. I have heard many things about this place but never took the time to get over there. First the Gumbo is truly a delight. It has all the ingredients it says. You can SEE THE LOBSTER, CHICKEN AND SHRIMP in every bite. The Rue is savory with all the flavors in their right places. Certainly not to salty or peppery. Just a wonderful presentation. If you like Gumbo this is a can't go wrong choice. The Duck IMO was the star at the table. I don't usually get a chance to order duck outside Chinatown or an occasional Christmas holiday so that alone was a treat. The duck came with tender meat under a partially crisp skin. That right there was it for me. I like a crisp duck skin. I realize it is a delicate balance to crisp the skin without drying out the meat underneath. They certainly did a great job trying to make it happen. Kudos to the cook on that. The Duck is a definite must have. My sister has been here previously. I try to encourage her to try something different so she ordered the Lamb Chops. I got to say I was underwhelmed by the dish. The flavor just wasn't there. Not in the sense that it lacked flavor but that I have had much better lamb chops in other restaurants. I mean MUCH BETTER. But hey, if you like lamb these are ADEQUATE, I just won't order them for myself. However the side of Red Beans & Rice could bring tears of JOY to your eyes. I mean this place could sell THAT as a dish with maybe a little appropriate protein or a decent size cornbread muffin and watch those orders FLY OUT THE KITCHEN. THE seasoning on this side was PERFECTION!!!! Just thinking about them now is making me want some of THEIRS RIGHT NOW. I COULD EAT THEIR Red Beans & Rice morning, noon and night and STILL not get enough!!!!! The food here is pretty good, certainly at affordable price points and definitely worth coming again. I would even want to try their brunch on Sunday just to see if they do breakfast as well as lunch/dinner. I also wanted a drink. We arrived before 430 so no bar yet :( At that point you can get wine or beer. I got a Stella. However once the bar was opened I wanted my usual French Martini. Unfortunately they didn't have any Chambord. Why????? I have no idea so I settled on a Pomegranate Martini. For the cost I would have expected some alcohol in it but THEY MISSED THE GLASS ENTIRELY on that one. Very disappointing!!!! The take away is this is a nice black owned establishment worth the money, effort and time. Things I would not buy are Martini's, Lamb and Greens. I would definitely return and surely look forward to it when I do. The prices are fair for the food. The place is clean and well presented. I'm glad I came and look forward to a return. I think a Good date place too if the place isn't overrun by rowdy people (as I have heard it can be. I have NO TASTE for ANY of that on any day)

The food was excellent. I had the lamb chops and worth every penny! The waitress was unique and made our experience memorable. She had away with words and facial expressions. We were celebrating a friend's birthday and each enjoyed the lemon drop martini! For dessert we had both chocolate mouse cake and the salted caramel cake- super tasty but you should share them. I also tasted my friend's ribs (with steamed spinach). All in all I would return and eat all the same dishes.

Was in the area on 5/19/18 and suggested to a friend let's stop in to get something to eat. My friend had never been here and I told them that I had been here many years ago for dinner in which the food was good, listened to a good live band and we had sat in the back. We walk in and there was a young man at the front desk but he walked away when we were waiting to be seated. It wasn't crowded in there at all. There was a group of about 8 for a birthday celebration, and two other tables with about 3-4 people at each table. We waited and no one came to help us. We finally caught the gentleman that had been at the front desk and asked "do we seat ourselves" and he directed a young lady to seat us. The booth she seated us in had a dirty tablecloth. She told us to sit and she would change the tablecloth and I told her I was not sitting at a dirty table and was shocked that she would have customers sit at a table that's not clean. She took the tablecloth away and brought a fresh tablecloth. We order breakfast as it's served until 4 p.m. We notice that the prices are pretty expensive. We both ordered the french toast. Tiffany was our waitress. Tiffany had an attitude the entire time she dealt with us. She didn't want to seat us, she didn't want to place us at a clean booth and when we finally got our food (breakfast food shouldn't take that long), she never came back to check on us - clearly she didn't care. We were both shocked when our orders were placed in front of us. For $12, they gave us eggs, meat, potatoes and french toast but the french toast was only one regular piece of bread that was cut in 2 (my photo is proof)! I've never been served french toast at ANY establishment with less than 4 pieces and for that price? A rip-off. I had wanted to ask Tiffany about it but I had already decided that based off this, the nasty fly that was on the window across from me in the booth and the horrible customer service, that it wasn't even worth inquiring about because I knew wouldn't be coming back. The food was very bland which was a let down. I couldn't finish my food and was disappointed as I was the one that suggested the place to my friend. It was so funny, we had to find Tiffany to ask for our check. When she brought it, she asked me "Would you like a take-out container"? I replied "definitely not". I noticed that the table in front of us with three friendly women were having problems also. They complained to the male waiter how they weren't even asked if they wanted their coffee refilled, they ordered asian chicken wings and informed us that they had to send them back because they just didn't taste good. Before we left, the table asked us how our experience was because they could clearly sense we were not satisfied just like they weren't. One of the women also had been here before but a long time ago and shared that she couldn't believe how bad the experience had been so far for them. We left them there and knew it wasn't just us that had a bad experience that day. I noticed that many Yelp reviews also express that the prices are too high for the food you get and that the food could taste better. I guess the establishment doesn't believe that the customer is always right. When I mentioned on Facebook that I went here, many other friends shared similar stories with regard to the bad service and/or the food. Take heed people, if you want the seafood gumbo, the cost is $27! NOT!! I tried to support my own, bad experience here, lesson learned. Goodbye forever Norman's Bistro!

Clean, friendly environment. Great food and a good time especially in the summer with their Out door eating and music .

Norman's Bistro didn't disappoint. Nestled in the heart of Bronzeville this jazzy restaurant made for pandemic safe dining. Our outdoor dining experience with comfortable seating and good food made for a memorable time. The appetizers recommended by our server were so good I forgot to take a picture. Red green tomatoes and battered beans with teriyaki sauce made for a delicious starter. I ordered the Chipotle pasta and I cannot wait to finish my leftovers tomorrow. Portions were filling and the food was super flavorful and comforting during these times.

This is an excellent place. My school scheduled an event there. There was an open bar. The bar tenders were very attentive and efficient. And friendly. The food set out for our party was shrimp, wings, meatballs, salad, cheese, etc. the shrimp, wings and cheese are delicious.

The service was friendly, my lobster, chicken and shrimp gumbo contained generous amounts of meat and shellfish, and I got to sit by a family celebrating the 97th birthday of one of their own. I really enjoyed lunch today.

We get our weekly event catered from this location. Our first class was a morning class and it was a breakfast menu that includes fruits, scrambled eggs, oats and turkey suggage. I enjoy the fruits and scrambled eggs but the turkey suggage is always too salty. We are currently in an evening class and the menu consist of their chicken and veggie wraps, pasta salad and fruits. Everything is great and the veggie wraps are surprisingly better than the chicken wraps. Never had an issue with their delivery and everything remains consistently good. I look forward to dining in their restaurant one of these days.

I went here for brunch with high hopes and was disappointed. I'm going to blame part of this on myself. My love of breakfast had me ordering the pancake platter. I was looking forward to having sweet potato pancakes for the first time, but it was nothing special. The potatoes that came on the side were bland, but tasted okay once doused in hot sauce and salt. Eggs were bland as well. My friend ordered the biscuits and gravy platter. It came with steak on top which she said was overcooked and her biscuits were dry. Now...this is classified as a Brazilian restaurant, so I probably should have ordered something else versus going the normal breakfast route. I plan on coming back in the near future to try more of there main entree items. Also note service was fast although when we first got there it wasn't that packed. No complaints about service though.

1 server trying to handle 7 tables. Had to go ask for a menu. Then had to go inside to get waters for everyone at the table. Food is good but the service is terrible and very slow. Going to just order takeout for now on.

First of all Willie was amazing! I had the Blackened Catfish with Duck Stuffing, a side salad and Pomegranate martini. Everything exceeded my expectations (which says a lot coming from a picky eater). I would absolutely recommend this spot. Can't wait to come back to try their breakfast!

Great sandwiches, ambiance, and service. And can't forget the drinks! Look forward to returning soon!

Realizing how restaurants tend to fill up quickly for evening dinner on the weekends, I decided to visit Norman's Bistro during the mid afternoon on a Saturday. There were quite a few diners in the main area, but still enough seats such that I didn't have to worry about people sitting on top of me. Homemade yeast rolls. Garden salad with raspberry vinaigrette. Seafood chili. Homemade corn muffins. Chicken, shrimp, and lobster gumbo. Salted caramel cake. I have no extensive review. The service was laid back and the food was damn good. I like the fact that the bread was homemade rather than brought in from a bakery. You can tell by the texture of fresh, baked bread. The seafood chili and gumbo were full of flavour. Having been to New Orleans, I am accustomed to any dishes with a roux base being spicy, but the full flavour of the dishes at Norman's Bistro made up for the lack of pepper in the chili and gumbo. The salted caramel cake, I do believe, may have come from a bakery. It reminded me of the dobo cake I've had at Julius Meinl. I shall have to return again to sample some other menu items. I have a feeling the restaurant can pack out after 5:00, so it will be another Saturday afternoon excursion. It will be worth it.

Nice spot where you can grab a bite to eat or lounge. The front part is a restaurant and the back is a lounge area. The staff are friendly and attentive. There was no hostess when my party arrived so we sat wherever we pleased. The place was clean including the restrooms. The food was good I had salmon but some persons in my party weren't too found of the flavors and taste. I feel like this place has soo much potential. I went on a Friday after work and there was a light crowd surprisingly. Maybe they should do a happy hour to attract more people or have daily drink specials.

So, the goal of the evening was to support black business. I'm not familiar with the restaurants on the south side and we ended up at Norm's. The main dining area was oddly quiet and everyone was seated in the corner section adjacent to the door. Looked like there was one waitress who doubled as the hostess. She sat us in an awkward way by waiving us over. My guess is that she was overwhelmed. We happened to see a bar area connected to the main dining room and we heard music so we chose to sit at two small high top tables instead for the sake of ambience. The bartender/waitress , Kim, took great care of us like a pro. She definitely had better customer service skills than the main dining room staff. The food was good and the presentation was too. I had lamb w veggies and duck dressing and greens. Good flavors. I would have it again. I tasted the salmon which was also pleasing to the palette, moist and tender. I don't eat liver but my friend said it was great. The only dish that was making, to me, was the ribs because they were oven baked. Could tell. The bread pudding was the best I've ever tasted and the caramel cake was moist, dense and inviting. I ordered double crust cobbler which was a little disappointing because I thought that meant crust on top and bottom but I guess it meant a thicker square of crust on top. Not bad. When we were leaving around 9, live entertainment was setting up. Since there's a nice outdoor patio, I can only imagine how nice that would be in the summer. We all said that we could see ourselves coming back in the summer for a little bit of everything. Overall, I'd say to check out Norman's.

Omg....The Crab, Shrimp, and Lobster gumbo was seriously the best gumbo that I have probably ever tasted. It was plentiful, with huge shrimp and thick pieces of lobster. Amazing!! If my rating had only depended upon the food, it would have been five stars. However, it is not. I had to take into consideration that the dining area was a bit uninviting. There were no guest in the dining area, and it closed earlier than usual. The one waiter was clearly overworked, yet he was accommodating. The party room was very drafty, well cold. The menu in my opinion is gourmet quality. I think with a little more attention to detail, the popularity of this place would skyrocket.

Ordered New Blue Burgers via Grubhub. Salad too. TASTY then after an hour got a headache. Like one of those heavy salt or MSG migraines. Woke up in pain from a deep sleep. Then had "explosivity" in the bathroom... Next, I had to literally get up & lie down under a cool shower to regulate my body. I think it was the burgers and not the salad actually, but that's the run-down. (From February 2020)

Very nice restaurant. Eating here with my family for our family reunion. They have a brunch buffet and it was very delicious. The pineapple mimosa is very good along with the cheese grits and salmon patties! Could only do 1 check for our large party (20). It is 2019, there is no reason why restaurants can't split checks. Especially if they were to ask at the start how many bills. I know that POS knows how to split and separate. Smh. And I'm sure had we known that when we made the reservation it would have been made elsewhere.

The priority of immediately clearing and cleaning tables is apparently very low here. Food is just ok. Service is ok. Parking is difficult. If you're in the neighborhood, you may want to try. Not worth h a special trip.

If I could give this place less than one star then I most certainly would. My friend booked this place for a graduation luncheon from the University of Chicago. We were a party of 16 individuals coming together to celebrate the work and accomplishments of our dear from from U of C. They had called and confirmed our reservations. There were so many things that went wrong with this place and I will be generous in my review but do know that I highly recommend that you go somewhere with better customer service and food for the cost. We had a reservation for noon and they gave us the worst place to sit at - right night to a massive table also celebrating a graduation. Fine but not the best given we wanted a more intimate experience. We were moved to another location and that literally took forever. Everyone was there and ready by noon and we were sat by 12:30 or so. People were moving soo slowly to make this happen. Our waitress was new and we believe it might have been their first day. However, they should NOT have given a new waitress a party of 16 on one of the busiest days in the restaurant. Here's the short of the long: - It took us two hours to get served - Our reservation was at 12 pm we got bread service at 1:45 pm - There was no public apology to the group for the poor service and might we add very untimely service - We didn't get drinks until 2:15 pm - Our food came out at 2:30 pm and when they brought it out they were calling out the orders and it was a hot mess. You mean to tell me the people didn't know who ordered what and you needed to call out our food orders in such a disorganized way? Ridiculous. The only slightly redeeming thing was that the bartender brought over mimosas for the table. Nice, right? However, that too was too little too late and came with no apology to my dear friend who at this point was in tears and incredibly embarrassed at what they had hoped would be a relaxing celebratory time with family and friends over a meal. Literally, no one at this restaurant seemed apologetic and did not publicly acknowledge how many errors they made with our party. We of course sat and ate here because we didn't want to ruin our friend's day. However, do yourself a favor and go to another neighborhood establishment that prides itself on taking care of ALL of it's customers. If they couldn't treat a party of 16 with respect and dignity they certainly won't do it for you. We will not ever go back to this restaurant and will gladly go somewhere else in Bronzeville that can be more dependable and worth spending our hard earned money at.

Honest review (not good) the food is very basic n over priced picture if mcdonalds charged 17 bucks for a burger. The service was horrible she was so un attentive the reason conversing with coworkers. The worst part is we could see them so we literally had to wait for her for everything went like we were at the dmv its a good party spot for older people because in the back the party was poppin. The music was really hip really was good music. I would never come again n i wouldnt recommend this place to my worst enemies Chicken gumbo: it was surprisingly good u could really taste the holy trinity. There were big pieces of chicken. It needed salt though seems like they forgot to put salt. Adding hot sauce or heat would have made it taste better Yams: I thought it was gonna be with pecans and marshmallows and really good sadly its jus plain yams with sugar really a disappointment to plain to basic Corn pudding: this had no flavor at all its like they made a pudding n just added corn in it i was really disappointed thought it was gonna be like county bbq sadly mistaken Caribbean duck: this was really delicous the sauce was to die for really pared perfectly with the duck. The problem was the duck was overcooked so it was really tuff. Then the skin wasnt crispy come on really also could have benefited from a lil salt n heat Pot pie: isnt a pot pie more like biscuits n seafood gravy. The gravy was really cheezy but i didnt like this at all jus for the price was expecting to be wow n its so basic. This was a complete fail. The seafood was cooked good though. The biscuits old n hard

One of my worst dining experiences I've had in a very long time. Me and my Friends made reservations (three groups of 6, but was changed to two groups of 6 and one group of 3 upon arrival) to support this business on Juneteenth. We left a march downtown in separate cars so our entire party was not present but minutes away. We were told that we could not be seated until our entire party arrived and our spaces would be given to other people who had their entire party present. So we waited an additional 30 minutes to be seated. Our first group of six were seated first then the second group of six then the last group of three was made to wait another 10 minutes before being seated. After being seated we waited another 45mins to an hour to be served. When our meals finally arrived to the table they were not in their entirety. Most of the table did not received their sides which according to the menu comes with every entree. We could hear our server Darryl advocating for us to receive the rest of our order but in response the cook was very verbally abusive to him which we heard every word of. After finishing our meals, the gumbo was great but the other meals were a huge waste of money, we still did not receiving the sides. We spoke to the OWNER who was very rude, dismissive and unprofessional and refused to compensate us for the remaining parts of our meal. I will never give that man another COPPER COIN out of my wallet. I feel extremely bad that my server even had to be associated with this restaurant because he was awesome and attentive. Save your time and money this place just ain't it.

The food was great but the service, not so much! We enjoyed everything we had. My husband and son both had burgers and fries and finished everything. My daughter and I split the 1/2 Caribbean Duck along with the duck dressing, red beans & rice and I stole my husband's coleslaw. We ate almost all of it. My son even ate some of the duck and enjoyed it even though he had a burger. I also ordered a cucumber martini and boy was it strong, but it was one of the best martini's I had ever had. I had to personally thank the bartender and asked the server to kiss the chef (of course she refused LOL)! Now, the service is a little strange. Our server, although a sweet young woman, for some reason or another was very unfamiliar with the ingredients in the dishes or drinks. I promise you, she had to go back to the chef or the bartender no less than 5-6 times to ask how something was made. It became so frustrating that I asked my family to stop asking questions so that we could place our order! I will say however, that the food didn't take long and didn't come too fast. Everything was fresh! We'll definitely be back again.

But am I going to come back? Came in on a Saturday a little before 5. Live band playing for private party in the front. Had to sit in the back bar area. Seafood Chili - It was a great taste to me and this is coming from someone that don't like soup/stew kind of dishes. Food was warm but we had a few bites, when waiter came out and after my aunt complained about it the waiter sorry" was all we got instead of a warm dish. When you think of chili you think pepper and beans. Not in this dish. It wasn't a big problem for me as it was good just not what I thought I'll be getting. Shrimp , Chicken and Lobster Gumbo - After telling my waiter I would like to see some steam coming from my dish. It was delivered as promise. Being that this was the more expensive dish. I honestly liked my "warm" seafood chili more. I will say it was the right amount of protein as it was plenty to choose from. It was good quality food overall The Great Duck Burger - Not my dish only had one bite...my thoughts "that's a good $16 gyro burger" ( topped with a Greek cucumber sauce.) I'm so struggling with this rating... the food 5 stars the decor 5 stars service 3.5 stars...yet I'm giving it 3 stars...Math wasn't my favorite subject in school. Reading the reviews based on price, is kinda of funny and interesting but these two quotes from Mary S. & Brianna A. sums up what I think of this place based on price alone. "I don't think gumbo should be $26 though I don't even spend that much for steak lol," & "At first, I was put off by the menu prices,...I can truly say that Norman's menu is worth the prices" My gumbo was $27 (and on the website it currently says $25 ) but I don't feel like I'm dropping the review down 3 stars because of the price. It's just not a food experience I feel like I need to re-live over and over again. If I lived closer I would come hear, but don't want to go through the 45min drive to get hear. but I'm willing to drive 4 hours to St Louis for ribs because THAT was a five star experience to me.

Everything was above the top excellent. Mr. Norman delivered top notch customer service and offered wonderful recommendations that were delicious *try a Mai Tai*. Loved the atmosphere and patio. A great black owned restaurant with great vibes. I recommend a million times.

I have been coming to this establishment for a few years now and to date the last 2 times I have been here the service has been lacking at best. The staff has become the poster children for negative attitudes and work ethic. I didn't even get to order because the service was so bad. I see my business isn't want here anymore.

Prior to coming here, I'd read several reviews, watched food critic shows and had referrals from friends. I must say we were beyond disappointed in the service, space and food. We were half greeted by a young hostess that was clearly overwhelmed and did not smile or make us feel welcome. They were obviously short staffed and we were underserved because the wait staff was being stretched beyond what they could handle. The Trolley Tour proved to be overwhelming to this establishment. The desserts ordered were Peach Cobbler and Salted Caramel Cake both of which were returned after 1 bite. The crust on the cobbler was moist and soft and lacked flavor, the cake tasted as if it had been frozen too long and had an old taste. Hopefully....in the near future, things will get better. Customer Service training is definitely a recommendation.

Good, not great. Went on a Thursday at 7:00 pm and we were the only people in the dining room. Excellent service from beginning to end. I ordered the shrimp, chicken and lobster gumbo which was delicious, and a side of collard greens which were equally tasty. My guest ordered salmon cakes which fell short. Not flavorful, nor crispy at all. The gumbo was served with corn muffins, which tasted like they were old and had just come from the refrigerator. They were crumbly, sandy and cool. The dinner salad was good and had fresh salad veggies. The peach cobbler did not disappoint and the caramel cake was very good. The slightly higher prices would have been acceptable if everything had been spot on. Would I give it another try? The jury is still out. With so many delicious eateries in Chicago, it may be awhile.

This place is awesome! The food is so good and fresh, home cooked and professional. The service is excellent and they have outdoor seating. I wish I lived closer so I can go more oftenOther black owned businesses need to take a page from their book. This is how it's done

We kept hearing about their seafood gumbo so we stopped in today. While our running errands. Wow really delicious food . We split an appetizer of two small hamburgers loved that it had a pepper on it and bowl of chicken shrimp gumbo. DELICIOUS ! Our server Tiffany was friendly and helpful . We can't wait to grab some friends and return .

I did a pickup order for Mother's Day. The first sign I knew something was off with service is I emailed them my order per the instructions on their flyer and received no reply back. I called two days later, successfully placed my order and committed to a noon pickup. I arrived at 12:10p and ended up waiting on my order until 1p! It was me plus at least 15 other individuals experiencing the same thing which caused us all to be highly frustrated. The staff seemed genuinely apologetic however it's no excuse to keep me waiting 50 min for an order that should've been completed an hour earlier. The meals were for 4 people, I ordered the catfish in which they literally gave one piece per person and it was soggy. On top of that the red beans and rice portion was enough for 2 people maximum, surely not 4 people. I really specially chose to support a small biz and this unfortunately was very disappointing.

I have contacted this restaurant 5 times for a private party. I have called twice, emailed twice and stopped in. Are they kidding? How could you let thousands of dollars go out the window. Apparently they dont want my money. Total disappointment. Sounds like Norman needs better staff and perhaps needs to work on communication. After reading these reviews sounds like the place could use some help.