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Holy Mackerel Reviews List
Holy Mackerel
Holy Mackerel! combines fresh seafood, fresh cocktails and fresh design. Menus are printed daily to offer only the best and freshest seafood available--none of the fish has ever been frozen. Along with fresh fish, Holy Mackerel! features a selection of fresh cocktails made from fresh ingredients. The interior is a fresh take on vintage design. Upon entering Holy Mackerel!, guests are greeted by a dramatic wall of water and an inviting bar. The sophisticated yet casual dining room features large-scale murals depicting vintage Chicago lakefront scenes, wood wainscoting and fully upholstered leather chairs.
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32 Current Reviews
Summary of Diner Ratings & Reviews
Overall
(Outstanding)
4
/
5
Rating Breakdown 32 reviews
5 stars
(10)
4 stars
(14)
3 stars
(7)
2 stars
(1)
1 star
(0)
Food
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Service
(Outstanding)
4.2
/
5
Ambiance
(Very Good)
3.8
/
5
Noise Level
Moderate
Filter Reviews By:
Diners classify this restaurant as:
- fit for foodies(10)
- romantic(9)
- special occasion(9)
- good for groups(7)
- great for lunch(5)
- neighborhood gem(3)
Holy Mackerel Reviews List
Review 1 for Holy Mackerel
Overall rating
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Food
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Service
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Ambiance
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Noise Level
Quiet
"Shares the kitchen with Harry Caray's so their a lots of great menu choices."
Dined on 5/11/2013
Special Features: fit for foodies, romantic, special occasion
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Review 2 for Holy Mackerel
Overall rating
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Great place!
Food
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Service
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Ambiance
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Noise Level
Quiet
"Consistent in quality and good service. Helpful staff. Not a late-night place (kitchen closes around 9:30).
The individual banana cream pie is worth the visit!! Made in house!"
The individual banana cream pie is worth the visit!! Made in house!"
Dined on 5/10/2013
Special Features: good for groups, romantic, special occasion
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Review 3 for Holy Mackerel
Overall rating
(Good)
3
/
5
We had a quiet dinner with
Food
(Good)
3
/
5
Service
(Good)
3
/
5
Ambiance
(Good)
3
/
5
Noise Level
Quiet
"We had a quiet dinner with decent food and respectable service."
Dined on 04/11/2013
2008
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Review 4 for Holy Mackerel
Overall rating
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
This is getting to be a regular
Food
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Service
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Ambiance
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Noise Level
Moderate
"This is getting to be a regular stop for our dining companions. Choose from either the seafood-focused Holy Mackerel menu or the "meat and potatoes" menu from adjacent Harry Carey's. Food and service are outstanding. Only downside was that, for the first time, we sat in the smaller enclosed area behind the bar and it was a little too noisy for our liking. But that's OK. Next time, and there definitely will be a number of "next times", we'll just ask to be seated in the main dining room."
Dined on 04/09/2013
2006
Special Features: fit for foodies, neighborhood gem, special occasion
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Review 5 for Holy Mackerel
Overall rating
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Our party of seven recently
Food
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Service
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Ambiance
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Noise Level
Moderate
"Our party of seven recently went to Holy Mackerel as a lenten tradition. Hits around the table were the calamari, brie and crab dip, crab stuffed flounder, whitefish, and risotto. The risotto was a little dense for my taste, but overall the food was very good. The service was good, I had to catch our server's eye a couple of times but overall I could not complain."
Dined on 03/08/2013
2006
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Review 6 for Holy Mackerel
Overall rating
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Great lunch place!
Food
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Service
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Ambiance
(Good)
3
/
5
Noise Level
Quiet
"Accomodated our food requests and food was delicious - you can taste the freshness of seafood!"
Dined on 03/03/2013
2012
Special Features: good for groups, great for lunch
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Review 7 for Holy Mackerel
Overall rating
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Tasty and well-prepared entrees
Food
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Service
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Ambiance
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Noise Level
Quiet
"Tasty and well-prepared entrees and attentive service. Only disappointment was that they were out of an entree choice selected from the Specials Menu....a bit odd in that we were there early on Sunday evening."
Dined on 03/03/2013
2009
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Review 8 for Holy Mackerel
Overall rating
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Best clam chowder anywhere!
Food
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Service
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Ambiance
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Noise Level
Quiet
"We had a wonderful evening. What a delightful server we had. She was pleasant, perfectly attentive and guided us through a marvelous meal. We love the quiet ambiance where conversations can be heard without straining, even while seated next to a group of 8. We would willingly drive for miles for the clam chowder. It is the best we have ever had. The special of the evening was a bargain and mighty tasty, too."
Dined on 03/01/2013
2007
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Review 9 for Holy Mackerel
Overall rating
(Very Good)
4
/
5
This is a great restaurant
Food
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Service
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Ambiance
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Noise Level
Quiet
"This is a great restaurant that happens to be in a hotel. It is NOT a "hotel restaurant"! The decor is nice blend of Art Deco with a nod to Coastal/Nautical. My husband and I went there for a date night on a Friday. While there weren't many people dining there that night, we enjoyed the atmosphere. The food was very good, from salads through dessert (all desserts, except Eli's Cheesecake, made in house - the banana cream pie was AMAZING!). We are picky diners, too. The bar was out of one ingredient for a drink I ordered off the cocktail menu, but was very accommodating when I ordered another drink that wasn't on their menu (told the waiter what was in it and the bartender did a good job making it). We will definitely be back."
Dined on 02/15/2013
2008
Special Features: fit for foodies, good for groups, romantic, great for lunch
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Review 10 for Holy Mackerel
Overall rating
(Good)
3
/
5
Honest Review
Food
(Good)
3
/
5
Service
(Good)
3
/
5
Ambiance
(Good)
3
/
5
Noise Level
Quiet
"Food: Average to Good. No complaints. My wife's tuna was Good. I had Chicken Breast in wine and garlic; OK. Its chicken breast cooked the easy way. Wife had shrimp cocktail: Decent size shrimp (about 5 hanging on the cocktail glass).
Drinks: Excellent. This was the real shining moment for me. I had Long Island Ice Teas and the drinks were great. No "fake" premix. Did not sit at the bar but the bar looked very classy.
Recommend: Cocktails and Appetizer; probably would skip the meal."
Dined on 02/16/2013
2009
Special Features: romantic
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Review 11 for Holy Mackerel
Overall rating
(Good)
3
/
5
Entrées were good. Service
Food
(Good)
3
/
5
Service
(Fair)
2
/
5
Ambiance
(Fair)
2
/
5
Noise Level
Moderate
"Entrées were good. Service was spotty - our waiter forgot us a few times. Loud music from speakers just above us - we had to ask manager to turn down."
Dined on 02/16/2013
2001
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Review 12 for Holy Mackerel
Overall rating
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Excellent Biscuits and Gravy
Food
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Service
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Ambiance
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Noise Level
Quiet
"Food was excellent, a bit pricey but that's typical with a hotel restaurant. Biscuits and Gravy was some of the best around. We were one of the only ones in the restaurant in the beginning then a few more people came in. Lady working at the bar was extremely friendly and nice. Excellent recommendation if you don't mind spending a little more for brunch."
Dined on 02/17/2013
2010
Special Features: fit for foodies, great for brunch, special occasion
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Review 13 for Holy Mackerel
Overall rating
(Fair)
2
/
5
Overpriced - 2 entrees, 1
Food
(Good)
3
/
5
Service
(Good)
3
/
5
Ambiance
(Fair)
2
/
5
Noise Level
Moderate
"Overpriced - 2 entrees, 1 drink, 1 desert - $100- really!!"
Dined on 02/14/2013
2011
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Review 14 for Holy Mackerel
Overall rating
(Very Good)
4
/
5
quiet and tucked away, excellent
Food
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Service
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Ambiance
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Noise Level
Quiet
"quiet and tucked away, excellent food"
Dined on 02/14/2013
2010
Special Features: fit for foodies, special occasion
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Review 15 for Holy Mackerel
Overall rating
(Good)
3
/
5
The ambiance is very nice
Food
(Fair)
2
/
5
Service
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Ambiance
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Noise Level
Quiet
"The ambiance is very nice and wait staff was very attentive. We were offered menus from both Holy Mackerel and Harry Carey's Steak House, which was nice. Since we had eaten at the steak house several times, I wanted to try the HM menu. I should have stuck with HC. We ordered baby calamari as an appetizer, thinking it would be very tender. It wasn't. It was ver chewy. I only ate a few pieces and was content to dip my bread on the accompanying sauce;that was great! I ordered the white fish dish. The fish itself was very good. I didn't like what was underneath. There were vegetables and mushrooms bathed in some kind of sauce. Too much. Should have been prepared with less sauce. My husband loved his tilapia and lobster mashed potatoes."
Dined on 02/14/2013
2007
Special Features: romantic, special occasion
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Review 16 for Holy Mackerel
Overall rating
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
We loved the food. It exceeded
Food
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Service
(Good)
3
/
5
Ambiance
(Good)
3
/
5
Noise Level
Moderate
"We loved the food. It exceeded our expectations. Our waiter Joe, was a little flippant, suggested to cut into the middle of a steak to see if it was done....no chef would ever suggest this nor should a waiter. He also tossed the billfold payment thing down after collecting payment. We never say him after that."
Dined on 02/09/2013
2006
Special Features: fit for foodies
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Review 17 for Holy Mackerel
Overall rating
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Been here about 1/2 dozen
Food
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Service
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Ambiance
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Noise Level
Quiet
"Been here about 1/2 dozen times and haven't had a bad meal or poor service ever. The option of ordering for either the Harry Carey or Holy Mackerel menus - or from both - is an exceptionally nice touch. I'm just amazed that the place is not busier. Must be a well-kept secret."
Dined on 02/06/2013
2006
Special Features: fit for foodies, neighborhood gem, special occasion
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Ratings-Only Reviews for Holy Mackerel
Based on the average of (15) ratings-only reviews
Overall
(Outstanding)
4.1
/
5
1 out of 1 recommend this product
Food
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Service
(Outstanding)
4.2
/
5
Ambiance
(Very Good)
3.7
/
5
Noise Level
Moderate