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    Ox Bar & Hearth

    4.8 (48 reviews)
    Closed • Closed
    Updated 3 months ago

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    Pot de crème
    Erin M.

    We took our son here for his 20th birthday trip to Chicago. We wanted a bit upscale but not $$$ plates. We each decided to try the chef's menu (which at the time was $65) and included an appetizer, small plate, main, and dessert. Of course we tried everyone else's dishes at the table, but my dish -- the boudin Blanc -- was lovely. Took my right back to my years in Germany. And the pot de crème was probably one of the best deserts I've ever eaten. The staff were very warm and friendly and even all signed a card for my son. Service was perfection; the table was always promptly cleared between courses, including the flatware (which I really appreciated). It was also really special that you could see into the kitchen and our table had a 180 degree of everything that happens "behind the scenes". Would go back tomorrow!

    Bar
    Mark J.

    Good stop into Ox Bar upscale, modern, and casual all in one. Service took care of me from the jump, great first drink and that set the tone for the night, cause I only needed 1. The beef tallow fries were impressive super crispy exterior with a fluffy interior, which is hard to pull off with a thicker steak fry. The burger was cooked well and solid overall. The cabbage was a standout too, the fish roe added little bursts of salt that seasoned it naturally rather than your typical table salt, and it was tender without being overcooked. Apple Fritter is one for the books fs and would come back for just that. -Mr.

    Cookies
    Melanie T.

    What a great spot for celebrating friends' birthdays! It's upscale with a nice ambience. Exactly what you'd expect a Lincoln Park restaurant to be. Dim but warm lighting to set the tone. Beautiful furniture for seating and general ambience. The space is separated in two, with the first side where you first walk in having the bar area and some cozy booth seating. We were seated in the second half of the space which had more seating and overlooked the open kitchen. The smell from the hearth was incredible. Our table for 4 was also incredibly spacious and perfect for ordering lots of dishes to share. We were all impressed by the table space hahaha. The restaurant was very busy on a Friday night after 8pm. We had reservations but we were seated about 50 minutes later. The staff were apologetic and said we could put in some starters to order so that some food would be ready once we were seated. We took them up on it and appreciated that the food did come soon after we sat down. It was also a very welcome surprise that when they brought out the check they told us they comped our desserts we ordered because we waited for so long :) Service was great! I enjoyed that they provided a brief but informative description of the food when they brought it. They were friendly and attentive with water refills too. Overall great experience! The food was amazing!!! You get the quality you pay for. We ordered beef fat fries, potato pierogies, trumpet mushrooms, and charred cabbage for appetizers. They were all declicious!! But the highlight were the trumpet mushrooms and charred cabbage. For the main food, my partner and I ordered the rainbow trout to share and it was so tasty!! There are a few tiny bones so just watch out for those. For drinks I ordered the Key Word, which was delicious. It's a great balance of gin, lime, and cherries! For dessert, we ordered the pavlova and cookies. The pavlova was so good!! Perfect balance of sweet and tart, and great texture. The cookies were fresh and pretty good but overall quite sweet, so it's good for sharing. Since we were celebrating two birthdays, the servers also brought us out 2 complimentary scoops of chocolate gelato which also had a hint of coffee flavor. Delicious!! And such a nice touch! Overall a great spot if you're looking for an upscale spot for a celebration:)

    Jasmine C.

    Was in the area and looking for last minute Hh and found this highly reviewed spot. Unfortunately everything was just okay. Service was very Attentive but food drinks were just okay .

    Rie U.

    TLDR: this is our new favorite neighborhood gem. We had reservations for Obelix but their kitchen had issues and they had to cancel our reservation the night of! Tragic, I know. We had to scurry to find a replacement for our much anticipated bi-weekly date night, and found this place! We didn't even know it existed! Glad we took a chance though bc everything we ordered was PHENOMENAL. The smoked white fish dip was lovely, and the beef fat fries came out hotter than the sun (which is how I love my fries); they were crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. The trumpet and oyster mushrooms (not pictured) were so good we ate them all before we took a pic. I can't remember which salad we got but it was also very solid. Just the right amount of salty to acidic. And the steak was perfectly cooked. Just *muah!*. Oh, and the server was attentive and friendly, and actually had recommendations that were personal. We WILL be back. Tasty food within walking distance is what we love. Cheers!

    Surprisingly spacious interior; one of two dining rooms
    John M.

    Let's talk sweet potato. Not just any garnet, Hannah, Japanese, jewel, or purple stoke, but a Beauregard bathed in pomegranate molasses and black truffle glaze. Nestled in chestnut and black truffle cream and crowned with wild rice, this epitome of Ipomoea batatas is anything but your run-of-the-mill tater. 25 bucks and worth every penny. Accompanying the sweet potato were seeded sourdough, marinated beets with grilled radicchio and goat cheese, and a sizable rainbow trout with fried garlic and lush caramelized onion oil. Oh my! Service, led by Ryan, was polished and attentive, and the cocktails were just as impressive. Extra credit for a bar stocked with both blanco and reposado Fortaleza tequilas.

    Menu
    John G.

    This is a recently opened restaurant at Clyborn and North Avenue. Nice valet parking and a terrific remodeling of an old German restaurant. Loved the atmosphere and great service. It's not a deep menu but what we had was very good. The 4 of us started with the delicious smoked trout dip. This almost could have made our meal. The pierogis were a hit with sauerkraut, but the sauce could have used more horseradish. The beef fat wedge fries were tasty but the malt vinegar arioli could have used more vinegar. I grew up on fries with malt vinegar and this was a little weak. Our couples split the delicious trout. We enjoyed the Ken Wright Pinot Noir, especially since we had visited the winery.

    Vibe
    Emily T.

    Crazy good...... we went here for my brother's 30th birthday and it is a perfect birthday restaurant. They give you Prosecco if you are celebrating and they have the most lovely half circle booth, which I love. The actual restaurant feels very cozy yet contemporary, and it's elevated, but comfortable with a full open kitchen. I appreciated that it wasn't too loud and it just felt like a nice place to celebrate. Going onto the food- Everything is seasonal and made on the open hearth, which gives most things a really nice char and smoky flavor. They still had their winter menu right now and so the food was honestly super heavy (kind of hogsalt) but insanely good? We started with the pierogies, lamb, sausage, and sourdough- Genuinely these pierogies will live rent free in my mind. They were so flavorful. For mains, we split the burger and chicken along with carrots and fries. Carrots were really the only miss- Just nothing special and I honestly didn't love the flavor or the amount of char on them and they were almost burnt. The chicken was very flavorful and came with a really good red onion marmalade, which I've never had before. The burger was outstanding. Filled with onions, pickles, and this addictive aïoli genuinely we bit into this burger and said that this is one of the best burgers I've ever had?? It comes with these huge beef fat fries, which are also addicting. We honestly inhaled the burger and then felt like we were going to tack because it's really heavy and salty lol. For dessert, we split the brown butter, custard cake, apple fritter, and they gave us complementary chocolate gelato for the birthday. Apple fritter is genuinely one of the best desserts I've ever had in this city- I want to go back this summer just to have that dessert again. Overall, really great experience and I definitely think this is a good addition to a super random area in Chicago? It's on the street right by new city so really there's not much over there??? There's no parking so you do have to valet. Great service as well! Very personable.

    Trout dip
    Marc B.

    Excellent food and a cozy bar experience. We sat in the bar area and immediately liked the vibe. It's cozy and comfortable, and we had a great booth by the window. Service was excellent. Attentive and very knowledgeable about the menu. We ended up ordering a lot as we always do, and every single dish was very good. Here's the list: Smoked Whitefish Dip with Radishes & Seeded Rye Crackers A great opener. The dip was delicious, creamy and slightly smoky without being heavy, and the radishes added a fresh crisp bite. The seeded rye crackers were perfect with the dip. I don't like rye at all. . . but appreciated them with the dip. Seeded Sourdough with Cultured Butter & Sea Salt Simple but excellent. My wife is all about the bread at restaurants. This was a favorite! Potato Pierogi with Cabbage, Sauerkraut & Horseradish Sour Cream Comfort food done right. Tender pierogi with a deep savory cabbage and kraut flavor. The horseradish sour cream added just the right amount of kick. These were amazing. Trumpet & Oyster Mushrooms with Brown Butter & Maple Vinaigrette Only slight miss for us. Beautifully cooked mushrooms with great texture. The brown butter gave richness while the maple vinaigrette made it too sweet for us. Felt unbalanced. Charred Cabbage with Brown Butter Hollandaise & Smoked Trout Roe The char gave the cabbage a deep roasted flavor, and the hollandaise with trout roe added a, slightly briny richness. Whole Rainbow Trout with Fried Garlic & Caramelized Onion Oil Excellent fish. This was the star for me!Perfectly cooked with crisp skin and delicate flavor. The fried garlic and onion oil added depth without overpowering the trout. Half Chicken with Onion Marmalade & Chicken Jus One of the best chickens in the city. We always pay close attention to restaurants that can execute a great chicken, because if they can make something this simple exceptional then they clearly know what they're doing. This one was juicy, deeply flavorful, and beautifully balanced with the onion marmalade and jus. Chocolate Chip Cookies with Malted Milk Jam: I'm a self proclaimed chocolate chip cookie expert and even keep a personal Chicago ranking. These absolutely made my top five in the city. Perfect texture and flavor, and heavy on the chocolate. My Cocktail was very good and the wine list overall is solid. My only small critique would be the by the glass selection, which leans heavily California. The options available were a bit too juicy and fruit forward to complement many of the dishes. A few more Old World options by the glass would make a big difference. They do have old world options by the bottle, however. . . we like building our own pairings. For example I had beer with the fish dip, white wine with the trout, and red with the rest of the meal. This is more our choice than a real problem by them. Overall this was an excellent meal and a wonderful date night out. We will definitely be back.

    Cheryl A.

    Update: we went back for dinner on Friday, June 19th, and had an amazing experience (again). This time we sat at a table. Every interaction, from host to server to sommelier to owner, was warm, sincere, and professional. And I finally got my pot de creme! I am adding pictures from our meal, though I didn't capture everything. Next up to try: brunch. (Oh, and in response to Management's reply above, please feel free to use my review as a testimonial - and thanks for asking.)

    Inside
    Tony G.

    TL;DR: Service was pretty questionable. Some good bites, some just okay. Overall, not a great experience. Ox Bar & Hearth has been one of the most hyped openings in Chicago, so my family was excited to try it. We arrived early for our reservation and were seated right away, but then things went downhill. We waited about 15 minutes without anyone acknowledging us while nearby tables (seated after us) were already being helped. We eventually had to flag someone just to get water and to ask where our server was. The GM ended up taking our order before our actual server, Sarah, appeared. Food arrived after a mix-up that caused about a 20-minute delay. Here's a quick rundown: - Smoked Whitefish Dip: Fine but small for the price. Mild smokiness. - Potato Pierogi: Best dish of the night. Crisp outside, delicious potato filling. - Charred Cabbage: Tasty but very small portion for $18 (about half a small cabbage) - Beef Fat Fries: Thick, fluffy fries with good aioli. Hard to tell if the beef fat mattered much though. - Smoked Trout: Fine. Felt like the smokiness overpowered the garlic/chili oil flavors. Braised Lamb: Flavorful but salty (fine for me, a bit too much for some other family members). Wife noticed a gamey smell. - Trumpet & Oyster Mushroom: Tasty, but wish the brown butter was more of a sauce/this dish was saucier. - Pavlova: Light, airy, great with the tart gelato. - Chocolate Chip Cookies: Warm and nostalgic; the malted milk jam didn't add much for me. Others did really like the jam though. Service the rest of the night was fine but felt rushed. Plates were almost taken before we were finished more than once. When the bill came, we were charged for two extra dishes (duplicate whitefish dip and pierogi), which they corrected after we pointed it out. Final bill was about $60 per person; we left full but not stuffed. I understand they're new and still ironing out kinks, but the lack of acknowledgment around multiple service issues made the experience feel disappointing. The space is big and family friendly, but with so many New American spots in Chicago at this price point, I'd have a hard time recommending it right now.

    Charred Cabbage - hearty, buttery
    Ashley M.

    Ox Bar and Hearth just opened, so they have a few things to figure out with their service but I was much more impressed than I had anticipated. I'm giving them a 4, but could be a 5 in a few months when they get their bearings a bit. Vibe - We sat in the bar / lounge and it was comfy cozy, but for a place with "hearth" in the name, the fireplace near the bar should have been on, but it wasn't. I'm assuming it isn't ready yet because I'm not sure why that wouldn't have been on. Food (Savory) - dinner was excellent for recently opening. We got the potato pierogies, roasted cabbage, roasted carrots, and roasted chicken for the main. All in all - very good. I would recommend adding in some starch or carb with the roasted chicken to soak up that jus, it was very good but there was a lot of it and no spoon to scoop it onto the chicken - some mashed potatoes, roasted potatoes, or even a hearty bread or wood fired pita type bread would have been excellent. For the pierogies, the horseradish sour cream was excellent with the mustard kraut, but we wanted more of it to cut through everything. The little dollop could have been bigger. Roasted carrots and roasted cabbage - no notes. Dessert - don't skip on that pavlova. We were tempted to lick the bowl. Meringue was perfectly crisp on outside, goey in the middle. Raspberry sorbet was sharp and cut through the meringue nicely. Sage whipped cream was well balanced with the rest of the dish. Cocktails - the cocktails were good, but would definitely like to see a few more craft cocktail options including tequila / mezcal. I'm local to the area, so could see myself coming for a drink or two more often if they change up their cocktails seasonally. My girlfriend really liked the Fig and Florence as well as the Key Word. I tried the Plum and Agave, which was OK, and the Negroni, which was a fine Negroni - nothing special.

    raspberry sorbet, apple fritters
    Wendy M.

    Visited Ox Bar and Hearth for the first time. I was so impressed by the atmosphere and its welcoming feel to it. Everything was beautifully done. The food was even more beautiful as everything was served with such creative presentation. However it's the flavor that counts the most and the Chef did not disappoint. I was so impressed, I will have to go back soon to try more entree's! I give it 5 stars

    Open kitchen is nice

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    What can i say, this place exceeds expectation, service on point, food was great, and ambiance wonderful, will definitely come back

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    Ask the Community - Ox Bar & Hearth

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    Step off the streets of Chicago into a beautifully dimly lit fondue experience is so cozy inside…read morewith the music of a live Spanish guitar that really create a private magical experience. All the premier dinners come with salad, cheese, fondue, and the chocolate fondue - You are just choosing what protein you would like. The Prince Geja combination has a little bit of everything. However, we most liked the seafood which includes lobster and the scallops were to die for! Also the beef also cooks well. Favorite dipping sauce included the pimento mayo, chimichurri, and garlic butter. The cheese fondue is quite rich and the bread is quite filling so maybe get as much cheese as you can on each piece of bread. The chocolate fondue, I think is actually the best course as the Belgium chocolate melts so well and has a decadent but not overly sweet flavor. It pairs well with all that is provided for dipping, which includes poundcake, rice Krispies, strawberries. They also have some liquor that they light on fire at first so you can roast the marshmallows. It is such a well thought out experience. Service flows very well from two waiters who take your order set up your fondue pots for each course, but be prepared to spend at least 2 hours on this experience. Check out the Groupon but also I read a review that they just tack on the extra $50 so it's not really too much of a savings. Not sure if this is true.

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    1.1 mi•Near North Side
    •$$

    Right before starting writing this one, I wrote a review for Kibbitznest, another phenomenal…read moreChicago bar with a totally different theme and vibe. That is to say: I am not throwing words of praise like "one of a kind" and "phenomenal" around lightly. Both are different and still amazing. Sparrow has a vibe straight out of the 1920s. The decor, signage, use of color, and absence of screens or TV's all contribute to the theme. The music is also appropriate and plays at the perfect volume to be pleasant without forcing one to raise their voice. I tried the Green Daisy and a House Old Fashioned. The Green Daisy was boozy and had some herbaceous notes. A little tartness and a little sweetness helped balance the drink out and make for a phenomenal sipper. I loved the creativity with this one! The House Old Fashioned was also well done, assembled with quality ingredients in balance with one another. Nothing wrong with a well-executed classic. The prices are more or less reasonable considering the location and overall market, with bevies costing around $16. The bar staff is excellent! Very friendly and welcoming! Final verdict: A spot where I can say come for the drinks and stay for the vibe. It's the kind of place where walking in you are transported a century into the past. Everything about the experience, including the atmosphere, drinks, service, and prices, is calling me to return and bring some people with me.

    This might be my favorite rum bar in the country. If you want intimate spaces, moody lighting,…read moreextensive rum selections, and drink specials come here. Monday nights are my favorite because they offer a different specialty rum in special. It's a great way to try different kinds. They also serve beer, wine, and every other spirit you can imagine. Cocktails are on point. Seating options are varied: bar seats, small tables in back, bench seating with tiny tables up front. Quiet and comfortable.

    Photos
    Sparrow - Entry

    Entry

    Sparrow - Menu

    Menu

    Sparrow - Perfect Perfect

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    Perfect Perfect

    Ox Bar & Hearth - newamerican - Updated September 2026

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