This is the best bar in Chicago. The staff is amazing. They are always willing to chat. The bartender are always willing to make you something special if you can't find what you like in the menu. Similarly they will answer any questions about the drinks. The food is amazing especially their daily specials (I recommend going for the nachos). The atmosphere cannot be beat. The music is amazing and I love how they have giant garage doors they open during the summer. P.S. If Kim is working ask for a Gin and Tonic she makes the best in the city. read more

Bar on Buena - American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

The food was actually really good, and that's the only reason this isn't about the food. The service completely ruined the experience. I asked what was in the espresso martini because I'd already been drinking vodka and didn't want to mix alcohol. The response I got was, "I don't know, it's premixed." Okay... premixed with what? I wasn't asking a complicated question. Then when I changed my order, it honestly felt like he wasn't listening to anything I was saying. The attitude toward me and my friends came across as rude and dismissive from the start, and it made us feel like we were an inconvenience. My friend even told me he's had this same server before and has had similar experiences. It's disappointing because the food and atmosphere were great, but one bad interaction completely changed how I felt about the place. read more

The bar has a great neighborhood vibe, with seating inside and a few outdoor tables when the weather is nice. We split the nachos, the portion wasn't very large, but it ended up being just enough since we weren't looking for a big meal. The nachos had a surprising kick to them, though I think most of the heat came from the side cup of salsa that I poured over the top. read more

Bar on Buena - Nachos with pork - American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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I've always walked by this place but never tried it. When walking in there were two things that I noticed and made me want to eat outside. 1) it was relatively warm in there and it made me wonder if the air conditioning was on. 2) what was that smell? There was a particular smell that I couldn't pin point. The food was your typical bar food. I got the turkey burger which was a great recommendation from our server and my friends got red meat burgers medium rare. If you see the picture that burger is not cooked medium rare and more like well done. I took a bite of both burgers and they were dry. My turkey burger was great and I would highly recommend it. I thought it was also wild for an establishment to charge for mayonnaise. I'm not a strong believer in docking points based on service but that being said service was pretty slow. Also note; if you plan on splitting the bill by item they can't do that. It is either split evenly or all on one card. read more

Bar on Buena - The BoB Burger supposedly medium rare - American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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This is such a fun place for a 'pop in'--appetizers are good, as well as the service. Especially nice on a day when the windows are open to outside. Family friendly spot, and sitting in the outdoor patio area is lovely if you're good with the traffic going by. read more

ok food. ok service, why tell me to call for reservations. if you dont take resevations for parties smaller then 7? ok......wtf? read more

Bar on Buena - ok food. ok service. why tell me to call for reservations. if you dont take reservations for parties smaller then 7? ok......wtf? - American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Great service and great food! I went on a night when they had a taco special and worked from the bar- they were so accommodating and have wifi :) highly recommend! read more

Rice lacked seasoning. Good atmosphere just not for a indoor seated meal. Cheese fries were really good. read more

Bar on Buena - Brunch Tacos - American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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STOLEN PURSE!! BE AWARE GOING THERE!! Wednesday, November 19th @ 830pm I was there having burgers and beers with friends and my purse was stolen. We were the only group sitting in the low table seats. There were about 5 patrons at the bar and one customer in the soft seating in the corner closest to the window. The waiter seemed very chatted and close with this patron which makes me think it was an inside job. My purse was hanging on my chair with my vest. As a neighbor I've been there before, comfortable with the environment I choose to be at on a Wednesday....I'm with 7 men at a table, in a completely empty pub oh yeah and I'm drinking N/A beer!! This patron in the soft seating walks by for the bathroom and must have grabbed going or leaving. When I'm ready to leave at 10:30pm I noticed it was gone, I check my credit card activity and pending charges have hit. I tell the waiter it's gone and they were very suspicious. The bartender was somewhat helpful, he took my name and phone number down and said the manager would review the cameras and call me. I still haven't got that call. It's Monday the 24th. I take responsibility for putting my purse on the chair but so should Bar on Buena!! Check your cameras and credit card receipts because it was the only Patton who could have done it....also was the waiter involved!!?? I was be investigating that as well. Sadly wont be support this local neighbor ever again!!! I warn other neighbors to be on alert. Something doesn't add up here. Seems very suspicious their business read more

Solid neighborhood bar- totally different from the inside vs street view. Great burgers - owner is a solid guy who genuinely cares. Beers on tap are solid and prices are more than fair. Big space on the inside + patio area which is very nice. Daily specials are actually very good, especially the burger Monday. Overall glad I found this spot! read more

Bar on Buena - Burger - American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Love the German feel of this bar. Lots of NA options which is great. I come here whenever I'm in the area. Good fries too!

Great little spot in a beautiful neighborhood! The burgers are top notch and have pretzel buns, the decor gives it a high-end dive bar feel, and the outdoor seating is great during the summer. The service is friendly and attentive, and the prices are very reasonable. I live close by, so I come here a LOT and they never disappoint! read more

Eh. So this is a neighborhood bar and I've had their food a few times. Tonight I went with a friend before a Cubs game for their burger night. First of all, the lady who sat us seem to get a attitude when we told her it would just be two of us and we wanted to sit outside. We were told it was for full tables (tables of four) and we might be moved if they became busy. What? Lmao I've never heard of that ever, but okk. She rarely checked on us and when she did she had a attitude still! A couple of 2 came in after us and she gave the same attitude and the dude responded "bad attitude" and the lady FLIPPED. She got her manager and it was just a shouting match. Very bad view of the restaurant as the server lady was the instigator. I understand the stress of service work but I don't think it's ever acceptable to take it out on the patrons. Just yikes Oh the food was basic. Lol. Unseasoned burger with fries and drinks were eh. All in all the way she treated us and then the dudes after us was just bad and I probably won't be back. Not worth dealing with someone pushing her issues on customers. read more

Awesome patio, delicious food, slow service. I got the veggie wrap which can sometimes be a lame option at places but this one was really loaded with veggies and delicious!! The only downside was our drinks took forever - maybe they were just short staffed that night read more

I love this place so much. From the decor to the music to the wooden bar to the open kitchen - it's one of my favorite places to eat and/or drink at. The food, particularly the classic burger, is fantastic. It's all made in-house and fresh. The service is always great, too! read more

Bar on Buena - The Classic Burger - American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Be sure to sort reviews by newest before deciding to patron this business. We tried to eat at this place but the music was so loud you couldn't hear anything. The server was shouting at us just to get our drink order. We asked if we could move outside to one of the three empty tables, but the policy for the restaurant was only three or more people at a four top. When the server asked their manager he shouted if we didn't like the policies we could take our business elsewhere. So we got up and left. Didn't try the food. read more

Classic neighborhood bar vibes, which are the best in Chicago because they're neither too trendy nor too divey. Bar on Buena is also a surprisingly good dinner for the tiny kitchen they have in the corner of the place. The tacos and burritos are great. Believe it or not the *pork chop special* was smoky and comforting and I would entirely get again. Decent draft beer selection with some usual chicago craft beer suspects--although no IPAs available at my visit--and of course full bar. Service is casual and on point. Don't like the ToastTab ordering system on your phone, which requires hand typing a name, credit card number and everything else BEFORE you can even place an order. Just sorta slow and frustrating. Thankfully they said you can order with the server too, which is just more human and faster. read more

The BOB has quickly become a go-to place for me. Their breakfast sandwich is a large portion and can really turn around a hangover. Staff here is great, although they have a phone ordering system so you might not interact much. I recommend sitting at the bar. Eric is also a great bartender. Their burgers and salads are great here too. You can't miss with any sandwich. One thing I really like so that you can get sautéed vegetables as a side. It's been great to have a bunch of veggies in lieu of your standard fries. But don't shy away from the fries, they're great too! read more

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Went here for the first time after walking past several times admiring the layout. We had the veggie wrap and veggie burger. The burger had great texture and was a little bit spicy in a nice way. The first wrap came out cold, once figured out that wasn't the way it was supposed to be, we got a hot version. The grilled veggies in the wrap were very good. The fries were great too. The regular burgers looked great too. Lots of great beer and drink choices also. read more

Bar on Buena - American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

A neighborhood gem with a lovely patio! Their sandwiches and burgers never disappoint - fresh, delicious, and a bang for your buck considering it's Chicago. Their tacos left something to be desired: the meat was dry and overcooked, do not recommend. We discovered Blake's Hard Cider's Mango & Habanero here. It's the perfect complement to that burger or sandwich. We've been looking for it (without success) since moving to Texas, sigh! read more

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Great beer. Will need to try the sandwiches someday. Plus it's in a lovely neighborhood near the dog park. What's not to like?

I used to live in this hood back in the day and glad it's still open and even surviving this longass pandemic. Burgers here are the bomb and they have a huge selection of craft beers so it's a no brained for me. So go! read more

Bar on Buena - The Classic Burger with Serrano peppers, American cheese and da works! - American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Fast service and excellent, fresh prepared menu items. A classic go to pre pandemic, I was thrilled to see this place having persevered over the course of this past year. Contactless ordering allows for you to control your own experience and the staff is incredibly helpful as always when they are needed. read more

Bar on Buena - Al Pastor Chilaquiles and Roasted Pork Pozole Verde Soup - American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Place has lost it. The food totally tastes like everything on the menu meaning the grill and kitchen are so tiny, that a chicken sandwich tastes like greasy burger etc. it's so dirty inside. Our silverware had smears in it and water glass had lipstick stain. The booths are a hodgepodge of different sizes that don't fit the actual booth bench. The chairs are falling apart. Management is clueless and it seems like they go through managers and staff every 2-3 months. Try harder! Gross. read more

Bar on Buena - The filthy menu held together by dirty red electrical tape. - American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

This is one of my go to neighborhood bars with my fiancé! They have a special on the menu each weekday and it's always slightly different so you never get bored with the menu. During the summer time I love sitting at the patio with our dog. The service is pretty good as well. Definitely recommend as a chill go to neighborhood bar to grab a bite to eat and hangout with friends read more

The fact that this bar/restaurant has 4 stars concerns me. Maybe these are people who don't eat the food or if they are, it's after several adult beverages after which everything tastes good. Initially, I note that even seeing what you are eating is hard because the restaurant is basically unlighted. I had to use flash to take food photos, which I have never had to do anywhere else in Chicago. The food itself is not good. I ordered a steak salad that, once I used the flashlight app to see it, looked unappealing and sad (see photo), and tasted worse. The chunks of meat on it would have been at home at a bad taco stand: small, over steamed chunks of hard to chew beef. The actual vegetable part of the salad was heavily overdressed with what tasted like straight vinegar rather than any type of dressing known to human kind. The wife ordered Caesar salad that she called not very good. It had only three small slivers of the advertised peppers. Our friend ordered the veggie burger with sweet potato fries; the fries were inedible. Service here is disjointed, but not unfriendly. The staff repeatedly said they had trouble seeing - apparently a problem for staff and patrons. Examples of disjointed service: two beers ordered by us and by the server at the bar with only one showing up at the table; twenty minutes after we all had our food, a server showed up with another of the aforementioned bad steak salads. Installing some light fixtures here would probably benefit the restaurant, the staff, and the customers. read more

Bar on Buena - Steak salad - American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I love this place!! My girlfriend won't let me eat here enough. I keep asking her why. She says she likes it too but doesn't want to only eat here. I say fair but let's go again soon. Ps. The breakfast burrito is delicious read more

Food is great here but their ordering platform is odd. You do everything through a tablet at your table which is great but like... I'm not tipping 20% on the full tab if I'm not actually being served. I'm a server and I like to take care of people in the service industry but I just feel like this takes away from the experience of going out to eat- also sidenote I really hope these "servers" are not getting paid as tipped workers because that would be awful:/ read more

Nice neighborhood joint is the best way to describe this Uptown bar. They have a great daily happy hour menu with $8 burger and fries on Monday. My cheeseburger was big and juicy and really filling. They have a really nice patio and its good size with plenty of seating. The service was also really friendly and quite attentive. If you're in the area this is definitely a spot worth checking out. read more

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Enjoyed a great dinner with my daughter and her roommates at Bar on Buena. We were lucky enough to be treated with an order of guacamole and tortilla chips - a nice welcome to the neighborhood. The guacamole was super fresh and very tasty. Our very knowledgeable server recommended beers and other drinks to suit our taste. I loved the Aleman Ladiesman Lemonthyme Wheat - very refreshing after a hot day of moving. There's an expansive beer menu to suit most any taste but if beer's not your thing, there's a good variety of cocktails available, too. For dinner, I opted for the Rosemary Chicken Club sandwich, which included a nicely seasoned grilled chicken breast topped with pepper jack, bacon, more guacamole (lucky me!) lettuce, tomato and a savory chipotle mayo on beautiful brioche toast. I upgraded to the sweet potato fries, which I tend to prefer more on the crispy side. These were a little soft. Regardless, the meal was very satisfying and just the thing after a long, physical day. My daughter's grilled cheese was very tempting looking and I may have to try that the next time I'm in town. read more

Very very sad that over the years Bar On Buena has slowly eliminated some great items from their menu. They eliminated the chicken tacos and added some other version which is gross. They eliminated beans and rice which were amazing. And then to top it off, they eliminated the turkey burger ! This was the last straw. For someone who does not eat beef or pork, there is nothing good to eat. And the black bean burger is like big lump of black beans smashed into a burger. For a super close neighborhood hang out. It's very disappointing. I have asked for years that they add in some fish options. Never happened. There are a lot of non meat and vegetarian eaters these days. And accommodating them enhances business. Guess they don't care. Guess I lost my favorite place to go. read more

BOB has their ordering system down to a science. You order everything from your phone (not an app) and everything arrives STAT. You don't have to wait for your server to notice you need a drink, you just order it from the app. Every restaurant should do this. The food was great! I got the al pastor tacos. The fries are exceptional in my opinion. I miss their bruschetta from years ago :( they don't have dessert, but they didn't mind me going to Klein's (kitty corner from bob) and bringing something back! :) read more

Love this place. Best burger on the north side. Also a great feast beer location. So many options local and unique. They recently redid their outdoor sweating with is great, and the inside atmosphere it's just cool. Have always had good service and always look forward to going back! read more

Bar on Buena is a neighbor friendly tavern with undeniably friendly service. Sunday afternoon, we had the bar to ourselves during the Lion/ Packer game. All the booths were occupied. Plenty of seating in the mid section. Casual and low key is what you will find here. Although we did not stay for food, the drink list was impressive. Plenty of beers, wines, cocktails, and whiskeys to choose from. I tried the Hum and Stormy ($8 Mount Gay Black Barrel Rum, Hum Hibiscus Liqueur, Lime Juice, Ginger Beer, Lime-- I could really taste the lime and ginger beer, could only drink one of these). Personally, I was not a fan of this cocktail, but if you like lime; you would love this. Not to worry, if you don't like something; the drink list menu is almost a book long. The one downside to this bar is the women's restroom is one very small room-- could be problematic during crowded nights. Not the worst thing, but notable. Overall, I am attracted to the casual and relaxed atmosphere that Bar on Buena displays. This place is good for watching a game and utilizing the space for larger groups. The drink list has me sold. read more

So what so you do on the day of a blizzard? When you want to watch the Superbowl? But your car is buried under 2 feet of snow? And people are stuck in the streets? And the wind is blowing so hard that you can only see as far as your hand in front of you? Walk to a bar. Hence, I found myself at The Bar and to my surprise, there were so many other locals that had made their way through the wrath of the blizzard as well. We all sat warm and cozy in our sanctuary. The Bar is a great spot. Not too big, not too small. Plenty of seating and televisions all around. The drinks were reasonably priced and pretty strong, might I add. What surprised me the most was the food. Delicioso! Burgers, either beef or turkey, are so well seasoned and cooked perfectly. You can actually see the cook making your food right next to the bar. Customer service was on point as well. Totally love this place and it has become a favorite spot to go to in my neighborhood! read more

Bar on Buena - My meal. Yummers!!!!! - American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Not really one to write a review but Bar on Buena is by far the worst bar in the area. Would much rather walk to any other bar even though it's the closest to me. The food is meh but the service is truly horrible. One server in particular (mentioned in other reviews) simply cannot follow any requests. Immediately forgets and will never return. I've had him as a server probably 5 times now, so this is not a one-time fluke. The one time I had someone else as a server bumped it up but the risk of having him as a sever is not worth it. He's clearly high or drunk or whatever. Tried to give this place a chance but Holiday Club, Reservoir, and FOs are much better options in the area read more

I finally had a day off and decided to spend some time at this establishment, despite recent yelp reviews. Dakota was our server and he was wonderful! He recommended the chicken tinga tacos. Between our service and the food I cannot wait to make this a regular bar on our rotation. read more

Awful service! I stopped in with some friends and we seated ourselves. And someone came by and threw menus on the table and barked out: "You have five minutes to order". I was surprised that we weren't greeted in anyway whatsoever and I said hello and hi to this person three times they didn't acknowledge me or respond to me. We walked out. I refuse to give money to an establishment that has such poor service. read more

The recent reviews are accurate: the service here is horrible. We were promptly seated on arrival, and waited 25 minutes before leaving. The server never came to our table to take our order, instead they stood around with their friends and chatted. Definitely don't recommend this place. read more

The vibe is nice and cozy. The service was a mess. We ordered our drinks and when they finally came 15 minutes later, they were the wrong ones. Our server, Dakota seemed not all there. He brought our correct drinks and took our food order. After a 45 minute wait I inquired with another server about our food order status. Dakota had not given the kitchen our order. A second server did and we finally got our food. It was...fine. Not great, not terrible. Just okay. It was an hour wait for burgers on what was not a busy night. The server (not Dakota) said he would see if he could get us a discount. Instead the manager came and offered us a shot which we really didn't need. Guys, we really want to like your place but that's not how you handle a customer service disaster like this. You can and should do better. read more