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    Truth Be Told

    3.8 (130 reviews)
    ModeratePubs, British
    Open 7:00 am - 10:00 pm

    Truth Be Told Photos

    Business Info

    TRUTH BE TOLD ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Intimate
    Romantic
    Classy

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    Butter Lettuce Salad with shrimp added - A fork holds a shrimp, lettuce, and grape over a plate of salad with various ingredients, in a restaurant setting.
    Sade J.

    Truth be told, has me telling the truth! And it was GOOD! The salad. The salad. I don't think a salad has ever made me want to shed a tear. The food came out hot and ready. Service wasn't that great, maybe because I was alone. I wasn't paid much attention too, but people that had bigger parties were attended too. Now back to the salad, it was scrumptious. I played around with the menu and added shrimp which took it up a notch. I ordered a Mediterranean style meal but added salmon which also took this meal up as well. The old fashion was a classic, but they can go to hell with the overly big ice cube.

    Cheese curds - Cheese curds are served fried on a white dish with marinara sauce and a small cup of ranch dressing, on a wooden table.
    Emily T.

    Lowkey random restaurant on University of Chicago's campus- Really good burger and desserts- legit horrible service. I am allergic to nuts and they kept going back and forth to the kitchen while I was eating the desserts and said it actually did contain nuts? This happened three times lol - Honestly ridiculous

    Bar - A bar with a polished wooden counter, beige upholstered stools, and pendant lighting, featuring a large window with a view of greenery.
    Helene S.

    Truth be told. Cute British pub in The Study hotel on the University of Chicago campus. Had a weekend brunch at Truth Be Told. The smoked and poached salmon pate with an arugula salad and toast was delicious. The salmon Benedict was also good. Service was okay. Even though they were not busy, it took a while to get a table and even longer to get coffee or tea. (I actually just went to the hotel lobby and grabbed cups while we waited for the waitress.) Very convenient location if you are staying at The Study, but not sure if I would make a special trip here for brunch.

    Seating area
    Hedda D.

    Came with a friend down for brunch for our birthday! Service was amazing and so was the food, shoutout to Andrea for making the meal awesome and providing excellent service. Definitely coming back if we're back in town!

    Oyster menu - A black-and-white menu illustration shows oysters on the half shell arranged around a lemon slice, with text describing oyster options and accompaniments.
    Fredrick B.

    Adjoining the Study Hotel on the campus of the University of Chicago in Hyde Park is a restaurant named Truth Be Told ("TBT"). Our recent visit was deeply disappointing. Upon arrival, there was no greeter and no clear view of the dining room, leading to an awkward and unnecessary wait. Service was extremely slow--25 minutes for water, over an hour for food, and long delays for both black coffee (15 minutes) and a cappuccino (20 minutes). The open kitchen revealed chefs without hairnets, raising concerns about hygiene. Most disturbing was the loud obnoxious waitress, who adopted a performative, stereotyped persona with us as a Black couple--behavior she noticeably toned down when serving the white woman next to us. Her inappropriate comments about her "Black baby daddy" were offensive and unprofessional -- no kidding she thought it was okay to chat us up like that! There was a positive-- Spinach & English Cheddar Quiche: Egg Custard, spinach, English cheddar cheese, shallot, garlic, served with a mixed green salad. The pastry puff the quiche was prepared in was a huge surprise (not described on the menu) and it made for an outstanding unique quiche, but also resulted in an hour long wait for our meal. Our waitress did not think to tell us the dish took an hour to prepare when we ordered it. When it was finally ready the other routine breakfast had not been prepared! ("Study Breakfast" -- Two eggs, sausage, home fries, wheat toast). Even when they finally brought the food out it was short the side of bacon that I ordered! The oysters were served with a magnificent pickled beetroot and champagne mignonette, but were tiny in size and definitely not worth $5 an oyster! BTW $5 for a cup of simple black coffee is downtown prices -- $2.95 at Salonica's a few blocks away! Jasmine Y. "Very disappointing experience," Elaine H. "Slow service," and MATT T. "Our dinner experience ... was poor and disappointing" all describe my experience which is in stark contrast to that of one reviewer who stated that he can't say enough about his positive experience at TBT. I will not likely return.

    Burger - A burger with lettuce, tomato, bacon, and a bun is served with a side of fries and ketchup on a wooden board.
    Angela N.

    This restaurant is convenient as it is attached to a hotel on campus. The food is good - just heavy. Inspired by a British pub so think pot pies, solid meals. I always like their burger and have to come in hungry. Depending on the bartender - you may or may not be able to get a mixed drink done properly. I asked for a Toki highball and they had to google the recipe. Good place to watch games - staff is friendly.

    Josalyn M.

    This is a great local Bristish inspired local tavern. The hubby and I ventured in for happy hour drinks. Unfortunately, they do not have any happy hour specials. Their social media and website need to be updated to reflect this change. We ordered a bunch of appetizers, olive dishes, riccata, cheese curds, and devil eggs. The devils eggs had an odd taste. We think the taste had something to do with the olivie oil. The cheese curds were my favorite with the added bed of marinara sauce. I will definitely be back to try brunch since happy hour isn't happy anymore.

    Pork belly

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    6 months ago

    We had a good time. Very good service. And our steak sandwiches were delicious. It's pretty and I would go back

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    3 months ago

    Nice neighborhood bar and grill. Great food and drinks. I had the burger and deviled eggs.

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    Ask the Community - Truth Be Told

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    I recently went in and asked about the wait time for a table for two. They asked me if I had signed…read moreup to be part of the waitlist, after I said no, she explained that I had to scan the QR code to get placed in waitlist and the waitlist is currently 45 minutes. I scanned the QR code and went to the bathroom. As I walked back there, I noticed there were 4 open spots at the bar and there were 6 2-top tables set up, which was confusing because there was a 45 minutes wait. Walking back from the bathroom I thought I would ask the bartender if the seating at the bar was also reserved by through the waitlist. I walked up ( did not attempt to sit down as that part of the bar was not clean) and the bartender started rudely saying "have you spoken to the host " I said yes but I had a question, and she continuously said " you have to speak to the host." I told her that I just had a question for her then she rudely said again "sometimes we use this as seating so-rry." My partner and I decided to leave after that. I had never been treated that way in my life. I open my mouth to say something and I couldn't because I was rudely interrupted. I felt like I was hurried out of the area. After being here countless times before and exploring the menu with friends and family, I don't think I will ever come back as this left a bad taste in my mouth. It's hard to go back when you feel you were discriminated against. My partner and I felt like we were that night as the attitudes and behaviors from the bartender and hostess were rude.

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    Had a great time at millers pub! Chris at the bar was friendly and personable and welcomed me in…read morelike he knew me. Great lively atmosphere and plenty of draft selections to choose from. French dip sammy hit all the right feels and was tasty. I wish the horseradish sauce had a bit more horseradish to give it more zip but it was a great sandwich all around. You will not be disappointed. Bustling late night crowd on a Friday and food flowed til midnight and drinks til 2am.

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    My husband and I came with our daughter here and we were blown away. The atmosphere is really cool…read more We really loved the vibes and the decor. We both got flight flights and then I had a avocado Caesar salad salad with chicken and my husband had a Smashburger. We ordered my daughter chicken burgers and fries of course lol. Everything was delicious and we would 100% go back.

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    The Gage has been a staple on Michigan Ave since 2007 and there's good reason for that. Consistency…read moreis the key to success in this part of town. The clientele is a balance of tourists visiting Millennium Park, businessmen grabbing lunch or taking a client out to dinner and/or weekenders hanging downtown looking for a nice meal out in a contemporary setting. Folks visiting The Gage will not settle for okay food and average service. And they're willing to pay for quality because it's either an "occasion" or the tab is being picked up with a company card. We visited on a Saturday morning for brunch, and everything about the visit was on point. The service was friendly and prompt. She knew the menu and made fantastic recommendations. The space itself is clean and inviting - nice enough for a business dinner, but casual enough for jeans and a hoodie. The food and drinks were all delicious, and the price point was exactly where it should be for a sit-down, table service restaurant in the heart of the city. It gets crowded here, so reservations are a good idea. Usually there's a reason if a restaurant has been around for a while and you constantly need to make a reservation. The Gage checks all the boxes.

    I know this restaurant is often full of tourists, but hear me out. It's really decent food and the…read moreprices could be higher. I've been coming here after visiting the art institute or before the symphony for the last 14 yrs. I've had brunch, lunch, and dinner and I've never had a meal to complain about. My kids love the fish n chips and I love the curry poutine. After not finding a single poutine I liked in Quebec, I just figured I disliked poutine. Turns out, the only one I like is at the Gage. The last time I was here, my daughter asked for her egg on the side of her avocado toast. It mistakenly arrived on the toast. She said it was fine and didn't want to make a fuss, but our waiter still offered free dessert for the mixup. Great service. Great fried pickles. Nice ambiance. And price points I don't complain too loudly about. It's not exactly cheap, but it's not outrageous

    Truth Be Told - pubs - Updated May 2026

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