Food is delicious. I have never sat inside but have done carry out only. The delivery service is on point because they do not outsource which is key. read more

So sorry, Normally, I give good reviews. But if I could give a negative zero rating on this place, I would. This was my first time ever visiting this restaurant and my last. Out of all he places I have eaten in Illinois, this food is the worst. I ordered the turkey burger and fries. The fries were so burnt they were inedible. Disappointed, I sent them back. I really tried to eat the turkey burger but my stomach got upset. The turkey was COMPLETELY dried out, bland, unseasoned, rubbery to chew and badly burnt. Even though the bun was stale as though it had been sitting out for a while, I still tried to just eat the inside of the bun. My tummy said NO. The only positive thing about this place was our young male server. Great personality. Admittedly, I was excited to patronize this establishment but this turned out to be a surprisingly horrific disappointment. The manager refused my request to talk to him. Scratch has been permanently scratched off my list. Hope your experience is better. read more

Scratch Public House - Burnt Turkey Burger - Burgers Near Me - Forest Park, Illinois

Went for lunch on a weekday. Service was attentive and not too crowded. Food was pretty good and had a good drink selection. Looks like they have live music on the weekends and specials everyday of the week. read more

It was my first time here for lunch and i definitely loved this place. From the decor to the little outside patio to the open windows this place was so cute! Our waitress was super attentive and kind. I ordered a burger and it was delicious. I had 2 drinks and they could have been stronger for the price I was paying for it. I would like to try this place again...order something a little more exotic or something read more

Food was really good!!. Hubby had cheesburger I had a salad with chicken. The food was served quickly & prices were comparable!!

I went here to watch the bears game with friends. I really enjoyed the people who were there it was lots of fun. I did have an old fashion which was made just right I had the turkey burger which was huge. This is a great spot to hang out. read more

Very happy with food and service and best place on Madison to catch a game. Two improvements imo could be made: Better salt control. More often than not my food has been way too salty. Other times it's been splendid. Me thinks that can only mean one thing, inconsistency in the kitchen. If portion sizes can be controlled, so can salt. Other thing isn't food, but music. It's very inconsistent, as if the staff has free rein v establishing a certain genre or style that is consistent for scratch. There are times early in the day when conversation isn't possible. Just thought of a 3rd, there are a lot of idiot parents out there and some choose to bring very young children to this establishment. I get it, but bar and high tops in that area are very close. Have noticed a few times where both parents and young kids are misbehaving and parents not controlling the kids or themselves always as would be appropriate. read more

Went here for dinner with my family. The food was good and the atmosphere was nice, but the drink experience missed the mark. The first three beers we tried to order were all unavailable, and our server had to come back each time to let us know. After a few attempts, we went with a basic option instead. Everything else was fine, but it was disappointing given how much we were looking forward to trying something from their list. Hopefully it was just an off day because the food itself was enjoyable. We will probably give this one another try. read more

Scratch is a great local bar and grill. This is a family-friendly restaurant with food that is way better than your typical bar food. They have great specials, delicious but unpretentious food, and a nice list of standard and craft beers and tasty standard and craft cocktails. You'll find something good to eat and drink here. This is also a sports bar and they will show all your major sporting events on multiple TVs. The place is well-kept and clean. And the staff really cares. They are super friendly, interactive, and will do everything they can to help you have a good time. And they have some really fun special events - Wednesday night trivia, kids movie nights, etc. And a fabulous event space upstairs. This is one of my go-to places on Madison. Come try it and it will likely be one of yours too. read more

Friendly service! Came on a Friday night, so there was a guitarist getting ready to perform. We enjoyed his music and ordered our food. We got the cheese curds which came out hot and amazing. I ordered the shrimp tacos which were really good... full of large shrimp and a good slaw. My husband got the Italian beef egg rolls, which he said were just ok and my kids got an Italian beef sandwich and one ordered mac n cheese, which she wasn't thrilled about. Willing to try again, loved the live music for sure. read more

Featuring sports bar food, I found Scratch Public House a great place for lunch and a beer. Metered street parking in a good location made it easy to catch a quick meal. Had a burger w/fries and it was great. Place was not crowded and there was only server, but service was great. There are a number of dining options in Oak Park, for a quick meal in a sports bar setting I don't know that you can do much better than Scratch Public House. read more

Excellent always. Fish fry friday is a treat. Fun spot to visit anytime. Going to miss this option, moved a few miles away.

I ordered a Swiss cheese hamburger with fries for delivery (which arrived quickly). I have enjoyed Scratch Public House in the past but this was beyond belief. With both the burger and the fries, all I could taste was salt. It was as if the entire meal had been doused in ocean water. Never again! In looking over earlier reviews, it is striking that the owner mostly responds to negative reviews and typically does so with a defensive and snarky tone. That's unfortunate and unbecoming. (Check out Brasas for an amazing local burger). read more

We had salads there and they were amazing. My husband had a sandwich and fries, fries were excellent. I'd give them (5) stars but the atmosphere could be a bit nicer in terms of cleanliness which includes the restrooms. Service was just ok. I'd still go back - the chopped salad was super fresh and good. read more

Amazing food. We'll go back to have a drink and eat, as we stopped to pick up dinner to go on a whim. Wow! The pot roast grilled cheese was ridiculously good, the cheese curds were amazing and the burger phenomenal. Hats off to the chef! read more

Had the Scratch burger and it was delicious. They have a good selection of beers on tap. Service from the barkeep was great. He was knowledgeable and friendly. Kudos to him for great service and knowledge of food. I was there with a friend and would definitely return for a date night or friend outing. read more

Excellent food, atmosphere and service. Cost affective food and drinks. They have events and specials most days of the week.

The bartender on Saturday night of the Bears wild card win over the packers was the most disrespectful bartender I've ever encountered. I don't recommend anyone spending your money at this place. Trash service. Trash employees. This guy got on the bar table and was threatening my table of people. Little man energy. Disgusting place. read more

We went here a while back for dinner, I forgot to write review. We had burgers and like others have said very dry. Neither one of us finished our food since it was very subpar. 10/25/25 update. I am not sure owner of this biz is all there....any negative review he responds with just 3 dots. The proper response would be to apologize for the bad experience. read more

Food was quite good. Atmosphere was relaxing. Great daily specials. Service was outstanding.

Great bar to grab a beer or cocktail/wine and watch sports on one of their many tvs. They have live music on Fridays and Saturdays which is a nice addition. I ordered a mango margarita which was $14. It was just okay. The bartender was super friendly and let my friend try a sample of a beer that he was interested which was nice. I would stop by again if I was in the area but probably wouldn't go out of my way to come again. read more

Maybe staff more. Food was burnt and drinks were slow. Been here a couple of times and things haven't changed. Try better next time

My niece and I were in town for a funeral we pulled over to park and spotted Scratch Public House. This was the best decision ever the burgers were five stars . Excellent customer service read more

A local bar and restaurant with a local Chicago setting, if you're a bears fan than this is your place. Lots of activity to connect with guests. A fun place with great staff! read more

I used to come here for trivia nights. They have really good chicken, Parmesan sandwiches and their garlic fries were superb.

We stopped in for lunch. Ordered the Scratch Burger and the Cuban. Scratch Burger was really well done. Smashed patty with crispy edges. Blue cheese, arugula, and pickles added serious flavor and crunch. Pretzel bun made a great topper. Came with side salad that was fresh and green. Nice. The Cuban was solid. Pulled pork, great roll, just right. The fries were fine. Could have been great, fresh cut with skins..but cold and floppy. Place was freezing on a sunny Spring day. Great service all the way read more

Stopped in because it had good reviews and wanted a burger. The burger was awful and extremely dry. Probably the worst overcooked burger I've ever gotten from a seemingly well off establishment. It simply was not good. Fries were nothing special at all. The burger also was missing the tomatoes that were listed on the menu. I was told that they aren't serving tomatoes right now because tomato prices are too high. Would never recommend this place. read more

Friendly staff, neighborhood vibe, great food. The Mac and cheese and sandwiches are good, pork "wings" are right up my alley. Will be here frequently! read more

Great place to watch a bears game. The venue is a typical dive bar with good food. The staff is awesome and give you that true Chicago feel. The pull pork was really good. The coleslaw is an aquifer taste on the sandwich but I would get it again. read more

Scratch Public House - Pulled pork - Burgers Near Me - Forest Park, Illinois

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I wanted a burger so bad today. So I seen this place in my nearby and decided to try it out. Street parking near the spot but in case there is also a pay to park lot nearby as well. Was not too busy, so we were seated right away. And I knew what I was getting so it came pretty quick. The smash burger onion soup style, I think it was called. So good and hit the spot! My bud got a pizza Mac and cheese and said it was amazing. Service was quick and friendly. It is sort of sports bar vibes inside. With the tvs and high top bar stools tables. All in all good spot! I would definitely go back. read more

If you like fried food this place is the bomb. Lots of bar food type choices. I had the prime rib Saturday special. It was cooked medium well to well and imo why have prime rib if you're going to cook the heck out of it. The sandwich, au juice and horseradish sauce were all too salty like borderline inedible. My fellow diner mentioned her burger and fries were salty. The fries looked like made from scratch but I don't eat fries. Our young male waiter took our initial drink order then another waitress finished taking our food and drink order. Then he came back multiple times when we didn't need service. I'm guessing it was his first day so I still tipped him but probably didn't deserve it. Not sure what this place is going for but I won't be back. read more

Lucky enough to get the best corn beef sandwich ever after the parade. The place was jammed pack with wall to wall people. I was expecting a quickly made cold sandwich, but nope! I received a fresh hot delicious sandwich with tender and tasty meat pouring out of the fresh warm bread. I don't know you did it with the massive crowd. I'm dreaming about when I can go back and get another one. read more

Scratch has nice employees that's always #1 in my book. Good food over all. And just a very nice atmosphere. Over all friendly and nice. Me and a couple of my friends have come here. read more

I've been to the Oak Park location a few times but this was my first visit to the Forest Park Scratch. Located on Madison in a fun, busy part of town this restaurant was nearly empty when we stopped by for an early lunch. They were offering $5 lunch specials with fries only $1 more but the vegetarian options are pretty limited so I ordered off the regular menu and got the vegetarian burger with fries and my teen had mac & cheese. $26 plus tip for the two meals and one Diet Pepsi- I thought that was a fine deal as both meals were quite generous in size and made fresh from scratch, as the name indicates. The fries were very, very good. Some of the best I've had... and I eat a lot of fries. The space is a bit over-stimulating with many TVs going at once and decor that is a bit over-the-top for the tight space. It's an older restaurant I am guessing and it shows a bit in that furniture, carpets, doors and fixtures are a bit worn but everything is functional. Service was prompt and friendly. I'd go back if there were more vegetarian and vegan options but I'm not a fan of the mac & cheese like my teen. It's too heavy for me but my teen raves about it. The vegetarian burger was good but I don't think I'd make a special trip just for that. read more

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Stopped by for a classic lunch. Traditional cheeseburger and fries. Had some cheese sauce on the side for the fries which have a hint of pepper. Very yummy. Washed it down with a High Life. Doesn't get any better. Love the space. Service was excellent and friendly. We need to support local businesses like this. Give it a try. read more

Ordered a turkey burger it was dry no juice order mac and cheese for my son but they don't have plastic ware to eat the food with and no napkins in the bag great service definitely not a good place to go for take out unless you carry around a fork and napkins read more

Service is always friendly. My go to food order is the pickle fries. :) Would love to see a few more salad/veggie options to help balance out the meat and less healthy foods (I know, I know-- but I need to make healthier choices at restaurants so I need more options in order to visit more regularly). read more

We were really looking forward to take-out from here and bummed it wasn't what we thought. Our expectations for take-out I think are reasonable. We understand that we may have to heat things up again at home if necessary from the drive home. We ordered from Scratch Kitchen and Lounge from the Forest Park Location. There were no notes online so we didn't realize until we got there that pickup was only at the Oak Park location during this time. Okay, no big deal as it was only about 5 minutes away. Lake street however is closed so it makes it difficult to get to the Oak Park location. We found a spot farther away and my husband walked up to grab our takeout! I ordered the Scratch Burger which came with a house-ground beef patty, arugula, blue cheese, onion, and tomato all on a pretzel bun. The pretzel bun was my favorite part as it had a fluffy texture and made the burger. As par as the beef patty, mine was overcooked so it took away from the whole burger for me. We also got the chicken strips and those tasted over cooked too unfortunately. The Carolina BBQ sauce we chose to go with it though was amazing. My husband got the From Da South burger. His patty was cooked a good medium-well. We didn't open our takeout boxes until we got home which we regret. One of the main reasons my husband chose his burger was because of the slaw. When he opened his box when we got home there wasn't any slaw on the burger. Huger bummer! The fries however were an even bigger bummer. They were undercooked and very greasy. Like I mentioned, we don't mind popping them back in the oven to reheat but they were so soggy that after 15 minutes in the oven, they still didn't crisp :( Maybe the takeout experience is completely different than dine-in, we hope! We'll give them another shot when we are able to dine in. read more

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Hands down, best burger I think I've ever had. Had Da South Burger. Huge patty. Generous amount of pulled pork on top. Bbq flavor in every bite. Will definitely seek out if I'm ever nearby again. read more

Went on a Saturday night, first time at this new location. Wife had the regular Scratch Burger which she said was very good. Fries were extra at $2.75 with Garlic Powder. I had the Special Prime Rib French Dip. The beef was well done but proved to be very tender with a nice Au Jus, the Horseradish could have used more Horseradish. The $18 price did not include any sides. My issue has to do with the drinks. I always drink Vodka on the Rocks. I ordered a Tito's and it was a particularly small pour I would guess a level 1-1/2 ounce shot for $10.00. The Topper was that I was also charged $2.00 for one Plain green olive! I will not be returning as there are several much better options in the area. read more