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    Truth Be Told

    3.9 (141 reviews)
    ModeratePubs, British
    Closed 7:00 am - 10:00 pm
    Updated 1 month ago

    Truth Be Told Photos

    Business Info

    TRUTH BE TOLD ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Intimate
    Romantic
    Classy

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    Bar area
    Nicole G.

    Truth Be Told: Come for the Apps, Stay for the Tequila Tucked away in Hyde Park, Truth Be Told has that cozy, inviting vibe that makes a rainy day feel almost charming. The decor alone had me sold before the food arrived. We went all in on appetizers: fried cheese curds, crab gratin, and beer battered squid. Combined, the portions were enough for five. For entrees, we tried the house burger, lamb shepherd's pie, steak and ale, and fish and chips. The food was perfectly fine, just not the kind that sticks with you. I wouldn't call it bad, but I also wouldn't call it back next week. The real star was the Fizz Sam's Buzz mocktail, which I happily upgraded with a shot of tequila. It was so good I ordered a second without hesitation. The automatic gratuity caught me off guard, mostly because our server seemed to have other tables to tend to more urgently than ours. I love leaving a generous tip when I feel the love, but this time it felt a little preemptively assumed, like a kiss on a first date! Would I return? Absolutely for drinks and appetizers in that cozy space. For a full dinner? Probably not, but that's just my palate. You might disagree, and honestly, I hope you do. Go try it and let me know what you think.

    Kelly T.

    We were in town to visit the new Obama Presidential Center and booked a hotel at the Study Hotel. This restaurant is connected to the hotel's lobby. We decided to have dinner here tonight and are very happy with the experience. The decor is upscale English Pub. The menu offers about ten appetizers, a few salads, and about ten entrees. I went with the lamb bolognaise and it was delicious. My husband had the linguine and crab pasta dish, which was also very tasty. For dessert we split the apple tart, another delicious choice.

    Ham and mushroom omelette with home fries, and coffee very delicious.

    My husband and I decided to try this place today , when we walked in there were three people doing different things. We stood there a good five minutes and no one responded to us , so I went and asked do you seat yourself here ? The waiter was like no, just give us a second. I gave you five minutes. We still had to wait . A black guy let her know that we were waiting. I nodded my head thank you. The hostess went in the back came out like we wasn't standing there forever and said follow me with no personality whatsoever . once we were seated, the waiter was nice. I had the mushroom omelette with home fries, and coffee. My husband had a sausage sandwich with home fries. The food was good. It was very clean, I don't know what was going on today, but I will give them a second chance to see if this is just a pattern with them, but the food was good .

    Chicken salad sandwich
    Liz A.

    We stumbled upon this place because there happened to be an open parking spot on the street. Located on UIC's campus and near the Museum of Science and Industry. British themed menu so chips does equal fries. I had a delicious grilled cheese that had an egg on top it. I enjoyed it but it was definitely quite messy. My boyfriend got the chicken salad sandwich. It does have curry in it so wasn't his favorite but he didn't hate it. I wouldn't hurry back but if you're in the area, I would recommend checking this place out.

    Butter Lettuce Salad with shrimp added
    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.

    Bar
    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.

    Cheese curds
    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

    Breakfast for four

    Amazing place. Went for breakfast with some friends. Tucked in the hotel near UofC, near Obama Center. inside was very European like. Coffee was very good. The breakfast was amazing. Service was par excellence. I would go there any time again

    Oyster menu
    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
    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.

    Seating area

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    3 years ago

    House Burger was a hit. Hostess had excellent customer service. I got my order to go but I will be back to experience dine in.

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    2 years ago

    The Service and food is excellent. I was inspired to see great peoples at work. I will be returning.

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    Page 3 of 4

    Ask the Community - Truth Be Told

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    Industry Ales Brewpub

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    The Duke Of Perth

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    Duke of Perth
    AYCE Pollack Fish n' Chips
    AYCE Pollack Fish n' Chips
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    The Gage

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    Had lunch here and were seated right away. Our server greeted us promptly and took our drink order…read moreimmediately. We ordered the venison burger and, honestly, I was hesitant at first because I was worried it might be too gamey. However, our server did a great job explaining what to expect, and she was absolutely right. The venison patty was juicy, flavorful, and exceeded my expectations. The food was delicious and beautifully presented. Service was attentive and efficient throughout our meal. They also have an impressive selection of signature cocktails. I didn't end up trying one because the drink I was interested in sounded a bit too strong for lunch, but it's definitely given me a reason to come back later for drinks. Overall, I left as a very happy customer and would gladly return.

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    The Gage Bar Area

    Truth Be Told - pubs - Updated August 2026

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