Love Old Town Ale House. Definitely a Chicago staple. Featured on Anthony Bourdain's show way back…read morewhen....it's got the divey, Chicago-y, gritty vibe I love. Cash only. Owner is a hoot. He's an artist and his art is wonderful political commentary. Bartenders are cool, drinks not too expensive, and good location in Old Town.

A bar with a past! Comedy sketched pictures everywhere that will bring up a chuckle or two…read more Beers, shots and good bartender good night and good vibes.

I've been walking past this place for like 10 years and finally went in, and honestly... I feel…read morelike I got mugged by a sticky-floor college bar. $18 mixed drinks, plus a 4% credit card fee, is wild for a place that feels like it survives on spilled beer, bad decisions, and trust funds. The happy hour is the best ticket. The beer was good tall frosty mug, I'll give them that. But anything beyond beer felt offensively overpriced. The food was good $19 for 9-10 wings were actually the best I have had in a while, smoked then fried tasty and the pork fries seemed good. The crowd was very North Shore college kid energy, like Dad's AmEx is somewhere in the room picking up the tab. Would I come back? Yes and because staff was way cool down to earth and that and wings sold me. Might make Big Daddy's occasional stop but not an everyday watering hole.

Have been to Woodie's a bunch of times and am finally getting around to reviewing it. Most times…read moreI've been there it's been fairly busy. This time we stopped in before a show at Zanie's. I think we hit it just right timing wise. We got a table upstairs and our server/bartender was super attentive and friendly. We just stayed for drinks but I'd definitely go back to get stuff off the Wing Sauce Calendar Menu!

Service here is excellent. There is seating outside and inside. We had a couple a drafts - Dove…read moreTail. Which is a great beer and then we ordered the Pub burger with waffle fries. The burger is very nice size and came out with all the toppings. That said it was incredibly bland meat. The burger needs some work. But the waffle Fries were spot on. So overall great spot.

Came here for lunch but the food wasn't impressive. Almost everything felt overly dry or…read moreovercooked. Cheese curds were heavily breaded, and not nearly as good as any cheese curds we had in Wisconsin. Many cheese curds were cut too small, so all you are eating is the breading... Curry fries were very soft. We asked for a medium-rare burger, but ended with a medium-well burger. Tons of meat, but just overcooked and not tasty. I had the driest falafel in the Shawarma Salad bowl. The falafel was pressed flat, which may be a great idea to those who love the crunchy shell. You can clearly see the texture in the hummus, which is also too dry. Chicken was probably the best ingredient on this plate. Often see this place being busy, but maybe just not for me.

I've eaten at Benchmark Chicago over the years, specifically for brunch, and have always loved it…read more Most recently, I went with friends during the day for drinks and light bites. It never disappoints. The food is always amazing and perfect for sharing and the drinks are always delicious. It's a bright lite space, especially upstairs with the natural light shining through the windows. This makes it the perfect vibe during the day. The music is always good and they have tons of TVs during the day for football and other events to watch. It's perfect for large parties, because the big space can accommodate multiple people at big tables. Service is always great and you expect a great time!

food: the wrap was good bar food, perfect for a pregame…read more service: staff was nice ambiance: the music was insanely loud, it was a saturday but we were there at like 7 wanting to do a pregame dinner and it was just too loud for conversations

I've been wanting to try this joint for SO long. WORTH the wait!! The entire idea behind The Vig…read moreand the concept behind the name Chadrick the experience all that much more. I'm not a salad guy, but the Homer Greek was fantastic! The Moroccan Turkey burger had multiple flavor profiles - A MUST! We sat at the bar, the bartender knew his bourbons and suggested a momentous choice for me. Upscale, moody speakeasy style ambiance - my favorite. Thank you Vig team, this experience was awesome.

Long overdue review for The VIG in Old Town, Chicago! I stopped by during Lollapalooza 2025 and…read morewanted to try their spreads--and wow, they were so good. Let's just say I got totally carb-wasted after lol. The restaurant has such good vibes, the staff is friendly, and the service is fast, making it a perfect spot to relax and enjoy a great snack / meal in the city. Definitely a spot worth checking out if you're in Chicago!

We recently held a birthday party in the upstairs at Winnie's and it was great! The owner, Chris,…read moreis attentive and accommodating. He delivered on everything he said he would do. The second-floor decor is also cute. I would definitely host a party there again! I also had lunch at Winnie's on another occasion and everyone in my group thought the food was outstanding. We will go back. Give this fun sports bar a try!

This sports bar has good food, excellent service, and is reasonably priced. We came here to watch…read morethe NFL playoffs. Every seat in the house has a good view of a widescreen TV with the game on. The bar has a cozy, casual vibe. On game day it's very loud; if you plan to chat with your group you'll be shouting to be heard! I highly recommend the chicken Caesar wrap. I had low expectations since this is a sports bar but this is probably the best chicken Caesar wrap I've had in my life. In light of how good this meal was I plan to return soon and try the rest of the menu. I also had a cocktail that was tasty and cheaper than some of the drinks on offer from nearby bars ($13).

LG's is a spot where you can come for happy hour drinks, then order dinner, and end the night…read moredancing late into the night. Love that I can stay at a single place for the night and have the vibe change as the night goes on. Solid spot for a night out! They've done festive shots for holidays which is always fun and creative. I loveeee their Cheddar Artichoke dip!

LG's is a typical Old Town bar. The bar itself is huge which is nice and there are plenty of tables…read moreand large booths surrounding it. There's not anything overly remarkable about it. They have a decent selection of beer on draft as well as cocktails. The cosmo I tried was surprisingly good. The food is OK. Some things are good (pretzel, chili) and some things leave a lot to be desired (Irish specials for st Patrick's day). It's definitely a place you eat at because you're already there drinking and not as a dining out destination.

I liked the vibe. I took a gal I met on that DoMePlz hook-up site everyone uses and she seemed to…read morehave a good time. She sure did eat a lot though. LOL. Had a great night though.

I love Fieldhouse. I didn't plan to do Dive Bar Wednesday this week but my former roommate Matt was…read moredrinking here alone and I had a long day so I was like fine, I'm tired but I'll come for one drink. Three drinks later I'm glad I came. Megg is a top tier bartender and I met this dude named Chris and another guy who I haven't met yet is wearing a Rage Against the Machine T-shirt so surely he's cool. Idk drinks aren't outlandishly expensive and I wish my dad could come to this bar but he lives in Connecticut so he probably won't. This bar is probably a good spot to bring a second date bc if they actually like it you'll probably get married. Don't do it on a first date though

Went here to watch football playoff games and the experience was amazing. They have TVs everywhere…read moreand during commercial breaks, they pay really good, upbeat music instead of having to listen to commercials. The food and drinks were also incredible. Would highly recommend the skirt steak nachos. All kinds of beer on tap and the service was amazing. Multiple people coming to check on you, including the manager who checks in on guests as well. If you're watching a game or want a cool sports bar to go to, I would highly recommend this place.

Our line of business hosted the holiday party here at "Theory." We had the entire second level to…read moreourselves. In additions, we had the access to the bar, appetizers, and dance floor (with music DJ'ed by one of our talented colleagues). My favorite appetizer was the miniature grilled cheese and tomato soup in a shot cup. The tomato soup was more like tomato sauce in terms of the texture. The presentation was super cute and it definitely added sophistication to this simple classic comfort food. Other appetizers that were brought to the party were sliders and boneless nuggets with various dipping sauces. The bartender who served me was nice to accommodate me with zero percent Guinness since I don't really drink. I have always been curious about this place. I would say "Theory" is a sports bar, serving the typical and creative bar food according to a plethora of pictures posted on Yelp. If I ever poke around this area with friends, I will keep this establishment in mind. Thank you for the staff members who helped make our holiday party a successful one!

We are so excited The Scout is back! We loved it when it was in the South Loop and mourned when it…read moreclosed. The Scout in Old Town captures the look of the OG but in a new fresh way - perfect for present-day. We were instantly and warmly welcomed upon arrival. Lexi was our server and honestly five stars don't do her justice. She deserves 5,000 stars! The menu features some of the same menu items that were at the South Loop location along with some newbies. Lexi let us know what was what and made excellent recommendations based on our preferences. I loved my salad, and my husband loved The Wolf (said it was just like he remembered - his favorite!!!). Definitely check The Scout out - but warning, you will be spoiled by their fantastic food and service so much you will never want to go anywhere else other than there. We highly recommend!

My daughter and I went in today to try The Scout Waterhouse + Kitchen, as the bar that used to be…read morein this space was my favorite spot in the entire city of Chicago. If you've been to the old spot I'm talking about, you'll notice immediately that The Scout still has the beautiful, soaring ceilings, but they've also remodeled a chunk of the restaurant, which is great! We sat down pretty immediately at a table in the back of the restaurant - not too far from the (new) DJ booth, and our waitress was extremely kind and gave us prompt service. We were just hanging out, listening to the music, when the NFL Divisional playoff game that was on tonight came back on, and let me tell you, it was the loudest game audio I have ever heard in a bar, ever. I've been going to sports bars for most of my adult life, and I get that folks can get excited and loud and that's not what I'm talking about. The audio of just the announcers and players from the telecast were almost exceeding 100 dBA, slow, without the bar cheering. I've been an audio engineer for over 20 years, and that isn't too far off from the base level of what you'll experience at concerts at the United Center (102-110 dBA, slow). We asked twice if the zone that encompassed our area of the restaurant could be turned down - but nothing changed, so we took our food to go and left. It wasn't just "can't have a conversation" loud, it was "I can't think" loud. This place needs to do some system tuning (the example I'll give - if you go to a Yard House the environment is loud and lively but you can still hold a conversation at your table because the audio system is extremely well tuned). The food that we ate when we got home (Kids mac n cheese and buffalo wings) were exceptional, so that's why I'm not leaving a single star. I don't know if we'll be back, I was incredibly disappointed tonight.