Aster Hall - Evolution of the Food Court

I was surprised to see that there's nothing on the site about Brendan Sodikoff's Aster Hall. Located in the 900 N Michigan building I went with a tired family during the holidays. We ordered burgers, salad and a pasta dish. The burgers, fries and shakes from Small Cheval were excellent. The salad was a nice $12 salad and the pasta was well cooked. It was nice that there was a place the kids could get what they wanted while the grown-ups could also get some higher quality food.

The space is a little weird in that it's at the top of a mall. Looking into the 6th Floor study, it seemed like a classy quiet place to grab a drink. I don't think the kids would have found it as exciting. I hear that in the daylight the view is nice. It is well furnished and thought out. The ordering process is a little confusing the first time. You order through a screen that's a little glitchy (they should give the option of a stylus). Credit cards only unless you walk up to one specific counter. I feel if you go at busier times, there's someone to help you punch in your order and move you along.

Aster Hall
900 N. Michigan (5th and 6th Floors)
Chicago, IL
http://www.asterhallchicago.com/

prediction: closed by the end of 2020

Clarence Beeks wrote:prediction: closed by the end of 2020

I agree. I hardly ever see anyone there.

My own experience was that the ordering process was so confusing, my friend and I gave up and went elsewhere. The problem (in retrospect) was that the kiosks won't allow you to order from more than one "stall" in a single transaction. As I recall (it's been a while), I wanted a burger from one place and a salad from another. I assumed that would be simple enough, and that each vendor would get his share of the transaction. But no. The burger purchase apparently had to be consummated before the salad purchase could be tackled from square one. But I couldn't figure that out at the time, and nothing appeared on the screen to help me understand that. (And, has been pointed out, no staff humans were circulating to offer help.)

I wish the Oak Tree were still there.

I went to Aster Hall for the first time right after they opened... you could always order different things from different stalls on one order - - I do agree that the ordering process can be confusing the first time you use it.

I've been a couple of times since then, and I do notice that there is never really anyone there... I also found the offerings inconsistent -- the burger from Small Cheval is always good, the salads are good, but I found the sushi and ramen lackluster.

quimbydog wrote:I went to Aster Hall for the first time right after they opened... you could always order different things from different stalls on one order - - I do agree that the ordering process can be confusing the first time you use it.

I've been a couple of times since then, and I do notice that there is never really anyone there... I also found the offerings inconsistent -- the burger from Small Cheval is always good, the salads are good, but I found the sushi and ramen lackluster.

This post is half about Revival Food Hall and half about Aster Hall, so it might as well go here...I went to Revival for the first time a couple weeks ago and couldn't help but notice that while Aster has tumbleweeds blowing through it, Revival was packed--yet handling the crowd beautifully. Just enough vendors that no one waited in a long line, just enough seating that no one had to stand, high spirits prevailing throughout. And, get this--unlike with Aster, you decide what you want, go to that vendor, tell them what you want, give them your money, and they give you your food! What a concept! Why has no one thought of this before?

I hadn't done my homework (my maiden voyage to Revival was on impulse because I was nearby), but Danke looked to me like it would fill the bill (had no idea at the time that it was from the good folks at Table, Donkey & Stick), and I found the prosciutto sandwich on baguette spectacular. The baguette plain would have been delicious, which is always a good sign.