Margaritaville - Chicago

A must see on Navy Pier in Chicago. I will not lie. Everything is terribly over-priced. The margarita was too salty. The burger was just ok and the fries were not good. You can get WAY more for your money somewhere else in Chicago. But it's not about the money or the quality of the food. It's about Jimmy Buffet.They did a great job making the inside look like a Chicago dive bar, but with all Jimmy Buffet everywhere. Jimmy buffet music, Jimmy buffet liquor, Jimmy buffet booze in the blender cups, Jimmy buffet themed food, etc. You come here for the vibes. The vibes are great.This is a rare example of so bad and not self aware that is accidentally amazing. Everyone should go to a Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville once in their lifetime.

Arrived at the Navy Pier location ( Chicago) to enjoy my birthday dinner with my three other guests. The waitress was great and very attentive. She did come over after about 30-45 minutes of waiting after taking our order to let us know there was a delay. The manager came over and promised us sweet teas for the wait and a discount for the wait. Which we had to remind him of. We were there for two plus hours. When the food finally came out one of our orders was completely ice cold and another guest's fries were ice cold as well. Several people around us asked for boxes as soon as their food came out because of the wait or left full plates of food because of quality of the food. The restaurant was very cold as well. Which made for a very uncomfortable wait.I understand that there are times when you are short staffed. I would like to suggest that you be upfront and honest when you put us on a wait list, which was a 45-60 minutes wait.They also need to attend to their bathrooms. They were very disgusting. There was toilet paper and urine all over the floor.

My recent dining experience at Margaritaville after a day of fun at Navy Pier left much to be desired. As a family of four, we were eager to unwind and enjoy a meal together, but unfortunately, Margaritaville fell short of our expectations.Upon arrival, we were swiftly met with disappointment as we were asked to leave due to their strict no outside food policy. While I understand the reasoning behind such a policy, I believe there should be some flexibility, especially for families with young children. In our case, our 5 and 6-year-olds were enjoying McDonald's chicken nuggets while my spouse and I planned to indulge in adult beverages and entrees from the restaurant.The manner in which we were approached by the host was nothing short of rude. Instead of offering a solution or showing empathy towards our situation, we were quickly dismissed. It was disheartening to feel unwelcome and judged for trying to accommodate our children's preferences while still intending to patronize the establishment.While I cannot comment on the quality of the food or service inside Margaritaville, the initial interaction left a sour taste in our mouths. A family-friendly restaurant should prioritize hospitality and understanding, especially when it comes to accommodating the needs of young children. Unfortunately, Margaritaville failed to meet this standard, leaving us disappointed and unlikely to return in the future.

Corporate bar and grille. Bummer. Don't get me wrong, make money, I get it, but not like this. Service was the bright point. Very expensive, and dry, cold mediocre food. We did their specialty drinks, and they were fun and good. Overall the pier is a must visit; but probably spend your money somewhere else.

The worst tourist trap you'll ever step on with lots of false advertisement. We came in here because they had a sign outside about $5 margaritas because of margaritas day, we decided it would be fun to get a drink before continuing exploring the area and did just that, when the bill came the bartender was like "oh yeah that signage shouldn't be there because that's only for actual margarita day, they forgot to take it down" and we ended up paying $15 per drink. The price isn't the issue, the value of the drink is. That salty juice wasn't worth $15 and to mislead people into walking into your establishment and then shrug it off is disgusting. Don't fall for their trap like we did!

We came here to people-watch on Halloween, and to pay tribute to Jimmy Buffett. I am not a life long fan of his but I respect his talent and charisma, and was saddened by his death.There were kids in costume but Navy Pier as a whole was rather quiet. We sat down right away, and tried to see if we could watch a World Series game instead of the same 6 videos on repeat! The poor waitresses must go crazy listening to that all day, even if they are Buffet fans! Frankly they seemed rather young to know or remember much about him. We were not able to get a World series game but it was fine. We got drinks (despite the name I stay away from tequila!) so I got a 'Boat Drink' instead, the Lovely cruise, with Wheatley® Vodka, Cointreau® Orange Liqueur, hibiscus, pineapple juice and soda water. It was sweet but really good! It was not my red meat day so I got fish tacos, a Chicken Caeser salad to share, and my party got the grilled chicken and shrimp.We wanted to avoid fried foods, but unfortunately that appears to be their specialty! Who comes here for health food, right? I will get a Cheeseburger in Paradise next time, but the tacos were actually pretty good. The meat and fixings were fine, but the rice/black beans tasted underdone. The grilled chicken my other party ordered was burnt and dry. The shrimp was ok. We shared a slice of key lime pie for dessert. It was PINK to mark Breast Cancer Awareness month! It was sweet and tart, which was great next to ALL the candy/sugar we were consuming! the place did get more populated as the time went on, with singles, adults and families coming in. It's a good place to bring kids, as they had candy to pass out, and the food is ok for kids. The music and videos were new-ish to us, so we didn't mind, but I tracked the game on my phone. I realize it's not a Sports bar, they want a nice chill vibe. I'll get something more decadent if I go back.

A bit in the greasy side when it came to the fish, shrimp platter. The Caesar salad was excellent however. The service was very sweet and very deserving of their tip. The music is a bit loud here, but I suppose if you get a drink that's what you need!Cheers!

Frozen not frozen-weak drink and wouldn't remake. Drank cause paid-also weak management response.

Visited this spot on Navy Pier for a late-night snack on 5/17/24 at 9 pm and was left underwhelmed. Opted for the fried pickles to-go but found the portion size lacking for the $15 price. The bartender seemed rather rude and unfriendly, not just to us but also to her coworkers. Hoping it was just a one-off bad day for her, but overall, the experience fell short of expectations.

Worst margarita I've ever had in my life. Instead of fresh squeezed lime juice, they use that nasty lime syrup. And it's mixed with bottom shelf brown tequila. We all had to spit it out immediately. Also no AC in the front bar area and we weren't able to stand where the AC was in the indoor bar area. Was a terrible experience overall.