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Great Experience, Great Ambience, Great service & Great Food. It was good, decided to go with the ribeye and think I found my new favorite ribeye in the city of Chicago. The rum cake was warm, crispy on the outside and fluffy interior, and as always good drinks. -Mr.
Highly recommend this place as an absolute must try in Chicago. We walked in on a Sunday as a group of 3 and were seated immediately! It's amazing. Such unique and smokey flavors in each dish. The standout dishes for me were the delice de bourgogne and burger. We loved the burger so much we ordered 2. You simply won't want to share. It's juicy and somehow amazing with no cheese present. Personally, it's my favorite burger of all time and beats Red Hook Tavern in NYC. Other epic thing about the place - the vibes. Dim and war-like music. Feels like you're in a movie lol.
Haven't been in awhile and was glad to see no line upon driving up on a hot Sunday about 20 min before opening. Shortly thereafter, was greeted by the hostess who offered us the opportunity to wait in the lobby or even better, the back patio where we could order drinks and relax before being seated. Excellent idea !! Limited but excellently curated wines and cocktails. Comfortable shaded patio. Seated on time (sadly not at our preferred counter spot since a family with 5 young children came earlier and snagged the whole thing. Um, whaaat?!?!) at the back bar which is also pretty cool. Still had a good view of the action over the coals. Loud 70's rock, casual service and dark vibe belie the excellent, if not pricey food. Courses came it pretty slowly but while starving, stent in a hurry. Grilled oysters were outstanding, cured raw trout in whey w/Salmon route had great flavor and texture -- could've used something edible and absorbent for the juice. But the best part ? I think we found the city's best burger ! Will come in sooner rather than later just for that. Hence 4 not 5 stars-- 4.5 is more accurate.
Unique spot for dinner. The place is dark and has intense music playing the entire time. I felt like I was in a secret NYC club or at a restaurant in Mad Max Fury Road (but in a good way). The service was great, the drinks were good, and the vibes were cool. Tried the burger which I thought was really good. It's a pretty simple burger, but extremely flavorful. Would definitely get it again. I'd go back here again. I liked the whole vibe about this place.
My friend and I decided to take advantage of everyone being at home for Super Bowl Sunday to visit Warlord. It was a wise decision as we walked in 10 minutes before opening and were second in line! Warlord has garnered an incredible reputation in its short tenure and let me tell you....it is well earned. If you don't know, Warlord doesn't accept reservations and their menu changes every day based on what they have. You won't know what you could even order until you're at your table. This day, we decided to try a wide variety of things. We ordered their maitake mushrooms, the ocean trout and the rib eye. The mushrooms came out first and that first bite sealed the deal for us. If you're lucky enough to sit at the bar, you can watch the very talented chefs cook food and prepare plates. The cocktails too were quite yummy and imaginative. Fortunately, or maybe unfortunately if you are dreading waiting in line, Warlord is well worth a visit and I've no doubt will continue to put out amazing, delicious food.
WOW!! I cannot rave anymore about Warlord!! Everything we had was so well made and you can tell there had been so much thought to every dish! I love the fact that the menu changes all the time, so you're never going to get to same dish twice (except the dry aged burger-which I have to say was phenomenal!). Such a special treat for a night out!! The ambiance was so great! I loved seeing the open fire grill and pretty much seeing the process of the food being prepared.
This was one of the most interesting restaurants I have eaten at. Their menu rotates which ensures a unique dining experience. We arrived at opening time and were promptly seated at the chefs table. This allowed us the chance to watch the chefs prepare the evenings courses. It was an amazing experience to watch our food cook over the hearth. Walking in you can clearly see the ingredients for the nights courses and the cuts of meat and fish that will be prepared. The restaurant is cozy and food is made to order and comes out in courses. We were asked to order all at once to prepare for the pacing of the night and to accommodate a large group coming in that evening, but never felt rushed. I will say that we ordered some fancier options and felt that the value was good but there definitely seemed to be other options that did not seem worth the value of ordering.
Warlord's is a must when you are craving a good burger in the city. I would say this is definitely top 5 in Chicago! Worth the money. We were seated at the chefs table where we got to watch the magic happen. The technique they use to grill their burgers is very unique and you can taste it from your first bite! Great experience! Dry aged burger patty was cooked to perfection! Flavors are rich and deep till the last bite so juicy, you completely forget that there's no cheese on the burger it's phenomenal...Very unique set up inside with a medieval feel. Dark, but very intimate. Staff and service was nothing less than great! I would recommend going 30 minutes before they open on a Monday, to give you better chances of seating they do not take reservations. 100% recommended!!
I got the firewood smoked octopus and the dry aged burger, and the chocolate dessert. Every single dish was decadent. The chocolate dessert especially good. It was much richer than chocolate mousses I've had in the past. The burger was in the same vein, a big umami bomb, but I regret not trying something else on the menu because, while the burger was amazing, other things on the menu seemed more unique. I also didn't quite know what the potatoes were on my dish... they were hard, so I think they were decorative garnish. As a man with a slightly lower than average appetite, I highly recommend getting another entree if you order the figwood smoked octopus. It was delicious but definitely left one wanting for more food! To be clear, I recommend getting the octopus on top of something else. I'm not quite sure how long the wait time is, as there are no reservations. That said, I lined up outside at 5:50 on a Friday and got seated immediately. It took about 18 minutes to process the line. The lighting is dark and moody, and the drinks all smelled delicious. Great place for a date. :) Downside is that there's only one bathroom for a relatively large seating, so there's sometimes a line. But the interior is pretty cool.
Going: Show up a half hour before 6, just bring a beer or soda and wait outside so that when it hits 6 and opens up, you can get into the first seating. We showed up with 4 people at 550 and had to wait for the second seating (just walk over to Sleeping Village for some drinks and time flies by) Drinks: cocktails were a bit pricey for me, they were good, but in retrospect should've gotten some wine or beer and spent time/dollars/calories on the food Food: Octopus - along with Amaru, now my favorite octopus in the city. Tomato - really flavorful but nearly $20 for a single tomato just seems crazy Burger - amazing, get the octopus and this and you've got an amazing meal Duck - the only thing I didn't like, just too fatty, the rub didn't come through enough, so maybe next time i'd try the ribeye Rec: just show up a bit early and then go for the octopus and burger and you've got one of the best meals I've had in a looong time
I've been wanting to come here for a while now and finally had a crumbsnatcher free night. If you've read any of my other reviews I take this quest for Chicago's best burger pretty seriously! This burger may have taken the top spot for me! If you've been hiding under a rock for the past year or so Warlord is known for their unique wood fire preparation of just about all of their food. The menu changes daily, but the burger is a constant and for damn good reason. Every item on their menu is such great quality that they really try to let the ingredients shine. Just simple preparation of each item and it just works. In addition to the burger we also shared the grilled octopus with a sour pear. The pairing worked so well with the textures and flavors highlighted in each component. We also shared an order fries with the best damn French onion dip I've ever had. Not only was the food outstanding, but we were able to get a spot at the chefs table. That experience of seeing the coordination of the team moving throughout the kitchen, working the fire was really awesome to see. Yes we did have to get in line at 5:15 to have such luck, but I'd do it again in a heartbeat. The service was superb. The interior was dark and gave kinda mystic vibes, and the wood fire cooking space added a touch of medieval flare. The music was punky / rock/ electric vibes and that really fitting for the vibe they were trying to give. That's generally not what I look for in a place but like I said food and total experience was amazing. 11/10 would recommend.
[Warlord Chicago] Local restaurant in Chicago's Avondale neighborhood. This restaurant is a no-reservation location, first come first serve usually the line is packed out before they even open. The menu is constantly changing (weekly maybe?) depending on the local / seasonal items. 14 day aged Pork Coppa Atlantic Halibut Dry aged burger Undervalued chocolate cake Some local beer I think Everything here was insanely good. Just the right amount of sauce, the flavors and ingredients went very well together. Gotta come here again to see what's next on their next seasonal menu. The only downsides are that you have to get here super early if you want to try the restaurant. The service is great. The ambiance gives this sort of dark, underground, somewhat upscale vibes. Overall, 9.5/10 https://warlordchicago.com/#menu 3198 N Milwaukee Ave Chicago, IL 60618
So the food in this place is wild. Welcome to Warlord where the menu changes nightly and you never know what you're gonna get. I walked in at around 9:30 on a Monday because I was hungry and this had been on my list for sometime. I check out the menu and the duck caught my eye. I LOVE DUCK, but I was concerned about the size. The waitress (who was lovely) said "worse case scenario you'll have it tomorrow." This is very much my attitude so I was game. A BEAUTIFUL 1/2 duck, foot and all, comes out of the kitchen. It is cooked beautifully and sprinkled with bee pollen so it's even more sweet and indulgent. It was a masterpiece in balancing the sweet, the fatty, and the umami beefy taste of the duck. IT WAS SO GOOD. I start breaking out into meat sweats half way through the duck but I realize I need dessert. There is one option which is the candied butter cake and of course I need it. It came with rhubarb on top which was sweet but not too sweet. Okay yall, rhubarb gets a bad rap and you are all wrong. Rhubarb is amazing. I love it and this was incredible. Not too sweet, a bit sour, and just an all around lovely dessert. The staff couldn't be nicer. The head chef checked in on me a couple times. It was just a really lovely night that I will not forget. Can't wait to come back.
7 months ago
Ambiance: loved the open kitchen, husband and I sat by the area where they were cooking which we love. Food: The dry aged burger was so good, probably the fave from what we tried! The trout belly was so soft and I appreciated that the sauce wasn't too sweet. Overall the food was good but I was expecting it to be a little bit more creative with the flavors. Unfortunately I can't eat octopus/squid or shellfish so wasn't able to try any of those items but the octopus looked amazing from other people's orders I glanced over at. Drinks: the 50/50 martini was smooth and had a savory/nutty taste I think from the shoyu. I expected a stronger tomato taste from the deeper shade but it just tasted sweet & more fruity. read more
We were walking past Warlord and figured we'd pop in to see if we could get a table. To our surprise, we were able to get a table immediately, so we took it as a sign we needed to go in. The bartender was amazing and we chatted with him over some drinks and bites. What a great vibe, very swanky and overall the food was incredible. I cannot wait to go back to try more of the menu. read more
Great Experience, Great Ambience, Great service & Great Food. It was good, decided to go with the ribeye and think I found my new favorite ribeye in the city of Chicago. The rum cake was warm, crispy on the outside and fluffy interior, and as always good drinks. -Mr. read more
Highly recommend this place as an absolute must try in Chicago. We walked in on a Sunday as a group of 3 and were seated immediately! It's amazing. Such unique and smokey flavors in each dish. The standout dishes for me were the delice de bourgogne and burger. We loved the burger so much we ordered 2. You simply won't want to share. It's juicy and somehow amazing with no cheese present. Personally, it's my favorite burger of all time and beats Red Hook Tavern in NYC. Other epic thing about the place - the vibes. Dim and war-like music. Feels like you're in a movie lol. read more
Haven't been in awhile and was glad to see no line upon driving up on a hot Sunday about 20 min before opening. Shortly thereafter, was greeted by the hostess who offered us the opportunity to wait in the lobby or even better, the back patio where we could order drinks and relax before being seated. Excellent idea !! Limited but excellently curated wines and cocktails. Comfortable shaded patio. Seated on time (sadly not at our preferred counter spot since a family with 5 young children came earlier and snagged the whole thing. Um, whaaat?!?!) at the back bar which is also pretty cool. Still had a good view of the action over the coals. Loud 70's rock, casual service and dark vibe belie the excellent, if not pricey food. Courses came it pretty slowly but while starving, stent in a hurry. Grilled oysters were outstanding, cured raw trout in whey w/Salmon route had great flavor and texture -- could've used something edible and absorbent for the juice. But the best part ? I think we found the city's best burger ! Will come in sooner rather than later just for that. Hence 4 not 5 stars-- 4.5 is more accurate. read more
Unique spot for dinner. The place is dark and has intense music playing the entire time. I felt like I was in a secret NYC club or at a restaurant in Mad Max Fury Road (but in a good way). The service was great, the drinks were good, and the vibes were cool. Tried the burger which I thought was really good. It's a pretty simple burger, but extremely flavorful. Would definitely get it again. I'd go back here again. I liked the whole vibe about this place. read more
My friend and I decided to take advantage of everyone being at home for Super Bowl Sunday to visit Warlord. It was a wise decision as we walked in 10 minutes before opening and were second in line! Warlord has garnered an incredible reputation in its short tenure and let me tell you....it is well earned. If you don't know, Warlord doesn't accept reservations and their menu changes every day based on what they have. You won't know what you could even order until you're at your table. This day, we decided to try a wide variety of things. We ordered their maitake mushrooms, the ocean trout and the rib eye. The mushrooms came out first and that first bite sealed the deal for us. If you're lucky enough to sit at the bar, you can watch the very talented chefs cook food and prepare plates. The cocktails too were quite yummy and imaginative. Fortunately, or maybe unfortunately if you are dreading waiting in line, Warlord is well worth a visit and I've no doubt will continue to put out amazing, delicious food. read more
2 years ago
WOW!! I cannot rave anymore about Warlord!! Everything we had was so well made and you can tell there had been so much thought to every dish! I love the fact that the menu changes all the time, so you're never going to get to same dish twice (except the dry aged burger-which I have to say was phenomenal!). Such a special treat for a night out!! The ambiance was so great! I loved seeing the open fire grill and pretty much seeing the process of the food being prepared. read more
1 year ago
This was one of the most interesting restaurants I have eaten at. Their menu rotates which ensures a unique dining experience. We arrived at opening time and were promptly seated at the chefs table. This allowed us the chance to watch the chefs prepare the evenings courses. It was an amazing experience to watch our food cook over the hearth. Walking in you can clearly see the ingredients for the nights courses and the cuts of meat and fish that will be prepared. The restaurant is cozy and food is made to order and comes out in courses. We were asked to order all at once to prepare for the pacing of the night and to accommodate a large group coming in that evening, but never felt rushed. I will say that we ordered some fancier options and felt that the value was good but there definitely seemed to be other options that did not seem worth the value of ordering. read more
1 year ago
Warlord's is a must when you are craving a good burger in the city. I would say this is definitely top 5 in Chicago! Worth the money. We were seated at the chefs table where we got to watch the magic happen. The technique they use to grill their burgers is very unique and you can taste it from your first bite! Great experience! Dry aged burger patty was cooked to perfection! Flavors are rich and deep till the last bite so juicy, you completely forget that there's no cheese on the burger it's phenomenal...Very unique set up inside with a medieval feel. Dark, but very intimate. Staff and service was nothing less than great! I would recommend going 30 minutes before they open on a Monday, to give you better chances of seating they do not take reservations. 100% recommended!! read more
I got the firewood smoked octopus and the dry aged burger, and the chocolate dessert. Every single dish was decadent. The chocolate dessert especially good. It was much richer than chocolate mousses I've had in the past. The burger was in the same vein, a big umami bomb, but I regret not trying something else on the menu because, while the burger was amazing, other things on the menu seemed more unique. I also didn't quite know what the potatoes were on my dish... they were hard, so I think they were decorative garnish. As a man with a slightly lower than average appetite, I highly recommend getting another entree if you order the figwood smoked octopus. It was delicious but definitely left one wanting for more food! To be clear, I recommend getting the octopus on top of something else. I'm not quite sure how long the wait time is, as there are no reservations. That said, I lined up outside at 5:50 on a Friday and got seated immediately. It took about 18 minutes to process the line. The lighting is dark and moody, and the drinks all smelled delicious. Great place for a date. :) Downside is that there's only one bathroom for a relatively large seating, so there's sometimes a line. But the interior is pretty cool. read more
Going: Show up a half hour before 6, just bring a beer or soda and wait outside so that when it hits 6 and opens up, you can get into the first seating. We showed up with 4 people at 550 and had to wait for the second seating (just walk over to Sleeping Village for some drinks and time flies by) Drinks: cocktails were a bit pricey for me, they were good, but in retrospect should've gotten some wine or beer and spent time/dollars/calories on the food Food: Octopus - along with Amaru, now my favorite octopus in the city. Tomato - really flavorful but nearly $20 for a single tomato just seems crazy Burger - amazing, get the octopus and this and you've got an amazing meal Duck - the only thing I didn't like, just too fatty, the rub didn't come through enough, so maybe next time i'd try the ribeye Rec: just show up a bit early and then go for the octopus and burger and you've got one of the best meals I've had in a looong time read more
I've been wanting to come here for a while now and finally had a crumbsnatcher free night. If you've read any of my other reviews I take this quest for Chicago's best burger pretty seriously! This burger may have taken the top spot for me! If you've been hiding under a rock for the past year or so Warlord is known for their unique wood fire preparation of just about all of their food. The menu changes daily, but the burger is a constant and for damn good reason. Every item on their menu is such great quality that they really try to let the ingredients shine. Just simple preparation of each item and it just works. In addition to the burger we also shared the grilled octopus with a sour pear. The pairing worked so well with the textures and flavors highlighted in each component. We also shared an order fries with the best damn French onion dip I've ever had. Not only was the food outstanding, but we were able to get a spot at the chefs table. That experience of seeing the coordination of the team moving throughout the kitchen, working the fire was really awesome to see. Yes we did have to get in line at 5:15 to have such luck, but I'd do it again in a heartbeat. The service was superb. The interior was dark and gave kinda mystic vibes, and the wood fire cooking space added a touch of medieval flare. The music was punky / rock/ electric vibes and that really fitting for the vibe they were trying to give. That's generally not what I look for in a place but like I said food and total experience was amazing. 11/10 would recommend. read more
[Warlord Chicago] Local restaurant in Chicago's Avondale neighborhood. This restaurant is a no-reservation location, first come first serve usually the line is packed out before they even open. The menu is constantly changing (weekly maybe?) depending on the local / seasonal items. 14 day aged Pork Coppa Atlantic Halibut Dry aged burger Undervalued chocolate cake Some local beer I think Everything here was insanely good. Just the right amount of sauce, the flavors and ingredients went very well together. Gotta come here again to see what's next on their next seasonal menu. The only downsides are that you have to get here super early if you want to try the restaurant. The service is great. The ambiance gives this sort of dark, underground, somewhat upscale vibes. Overall, 9.5/10 https://warlordchicago.com/#menu 3198 N Milwaukee Ave Chicago, IL 60618 read more
So the food in this place is wild. Welcome to Warlord where the menu changes nightly and you never know what you're gonna get. I walked in at around 9:30 on a Monday because I was hungry and this had been on my list for sometime. I check out the menu and the duck caught my eye. I LOVE DUCK, but I was concerned about the size. The waitress (who was lovely) said "worse case scenario you'll have it tomorrow." This is very much my attitude so I was game. A BEAUTIFUL 1/2 duck, foot and all, comes out of the kitchen. It is cooked beautifully and sprinkled with bee pollen so it's even more sweet and indulgent. It was a masterpiece in balancing the sweet, the fatty, and the umami beefy taste of the duck. IT WAS SO GOOD. I start breaking out into meat sweats half way through the duck but I realize I need dessert. There is one option which is the candied butter cake and of course I need it. It came with rhubarb on top which was sweet but not too sweet. Okay yall, rhubarb gets a bad rap and you are all wrong. Rhubarb is amazing. I love it and this was incredible. Not too sweet, a bit sour, and just an all around lovely dessert. The staff couldn't be nicer. The head chef checked in on me a couple times. It was just a really lovely night that I will not forget. Can't wait to come back. read more
We initially came for just drinks. We just had dinner at another restaurant and wanted to see what the hype was all about. When we arrived we were quoted a 2 hour wait. I didn't realize people waited in this long ass line just to get on a waiting list and then leave. I should have known better. I drive by this place on my way home from work on Friday nights, and there's always this big line. So when I arrived around 8:45pm, with nobody in the waiting area, I assumed it wasn't a busy night. We didn't want to wait the 2 hours and we were about head out to a different bar, until they had a last minute cancellation and they were able to seat us right away. I'm not sure how it is inside this pace around 6pm, but when we arrived closer to 9pm the inside was very dark. The music was also very loud. I'm wasn't a big fan of their playlist, but it seemed to have gotten better and the night went on. We started off their Mystic Style and Mr. Foster. Both drinks were great. The Mystic Style came with Mezcal, absinthe, and strawberry. I also ordered their Amaro Julep. It came with a cinnamon root beer reduction and amaro infused dried chillies. It didn't have the amount of spice I was looking for and tad bit too sweet for my tastes but overall a great drink. Although I was full, I didn't want to leave this place without trying one food item off their menu. Their burger has been getting a lot of attention, so I decided to go ahead and order it. Such a simple burger, yet so delicious. It came with charred onions and mayonnaise. The burger looked small at first when I saw them walking around with it, but the burger was big. The burger was cooked medium rare and very juicy. This burger definitely rivals the best in the city. Would definitely order it again, and would without a doubt be returning here. Next time on an empty stomach though. read more
This restaurant is definitely a vibe! Dark interior, loud music and a small menu that changes everyday. We put our name in at 8pm on a Saturday night and we're quoted a 40minute wait which was spot on. The hostess recommended Sleeping Village and we grabbed a drink there while waiting for a table. The burger was 10/10! We also got smoked chili oil Olives. They were unique and tasty, but a bit of work with all the pits. Fries were great too, we just wished our burgers had come out a bit sooner so we could have enjoyed the fries with our burgers. I had a cocktail and it as well made. Our server was knowledgeable and helpful. The music is loud at this restaurant, but it's definitely a fun experience with a unique dark ambiance. This place is one-of-a-kind and were glad we got to experience it! read more
At long last, I visited Warlord last night with a friend. I'd been wanting to try it for months! I arrived at about 5:25 on a Monday and had trouble getting into the first seating. The service was outstanding and our server in particular made the night a special one. She had great energy, gave us great recommendations, and had great instincts and timing. The vibes were solid. We had some annoying people at the next table but what can you do? It's cool to be able to see the team cooking over an open fire, and the smells and sounds were delightful. Seats were comfy, tables had a good amount of space between them, I really liked the setting overall. It was a young, fun crowd. Lots of dates, some friend groups. Everyone was having a great time. The food was outstanding as were the drinks. Standouts include the oysters and the duck. The asparagus was a little lol in that it's $24 for literally one piece of (VERY DELICIOUS) asparagus. I would have personally preferred the pickles with the duck be a little more acidic to balance the intensity of the duck. Otherwise, no notes. Truly delicious. We had quite a few drinks so our bill was on the high side for two people to be sure, but we really thought it was worth it. The wine list is solid and includes a lot of surprisingly affordable options. I'll definitely be back. Such a fun and impressive meal. read more
1 year ago
2 years ago
From walking in to dining, this restaurant was an experience I would relive again and again. With the melted candles to the ceramic and tile motifs and the roaring wood fire in the kitchen, the dark but lively ambiance of WARLORD is majestic with a modern edge. Starting with cocktails, my boyfriend and I ordered four but ended up most impressed by Wind of Pain. The beet cocktail felt sweet but incredibly refreshing, and I'd come back for just this cocktail. For food, we ordered the Olives, Oysters (raw and grilled), the Dry-Aged Burger & the Duck. They asked for us to order everything we wanted at once so that they could serve us in a timely manner which I appreciated. Each dish was full of flavor but perfectly balanced. Olives with the pits (and their homemade chili oil) really make a difference. The grilled oysters weren't overcooked & the breadcrumbs and bacon bits added amazing texture. The daikon that comes along burger (which had no cheese surprisingly) was a perfect touch, and the eel sauce coating the duck kept the dish from tasting overly salted yet still rich and flavorful. And do not skimp out on the dessert, it is fantastic. Finally, this is the first place that I've experienced phenomenal in-depth service. Michael was our server and he constantly made sure our water was filled, our napkins folded and checked in with us multiple times. Not a single bit of confusion and I was honestly impressed with his knowledge of the menu. read more
1 year ago
I've been here twice now. Recently and once when they had first opened. Curious if there would be much of a change besides the menu. I found that they are consistent, delicious, and worth the trouble of visiting. I found myself getting lost in memories of meals and places that reminded me why I like dining out. So whatever mood they're trying to elicit just from their ambiance makes me reminisce in good ways. Both visits I enjoyed counter seating and loved watching the dishes come together. It was a nice bonus getting in some banter with the chefs during the rare moments when they weren't cooking. Service was good and as expected from our server and runners. The food tasted yummy without being over the top. The effort in making the lacquered duck is well spent. Sometimes certain prep feels and tastes like it's just for show but that was not the case here. The duck was just a perfect amount to share for two and wonderful in temp, flavor, and presentation. Were I at home or at a seat in darker corner I would've gnawed on the leg. The fish was also delicious. It was at a perfect temp where it glistened without a spec of albumin (the white evidence of overcooked fish). The foam and leeks made each bite pleasant. Rum cake very rummy. The drinks were ok - the food really overshadows everything else here in my opinion, as it should. (My spouse enjoyed her drinks though, and she called them unique.) Glad we could make it before their tasting menu. Looking forward to trying that a few times too once it is available. read more
At long last, we made it to potentially the hottest restaurant in Chicago. Arrived at 5:45pm on a Friday before opening at 6 and ALMOST made it in the first seating but no cigar so we waited in the outdoor patio area until we were seating around 7:45pm. The pros: - The cheeseless burger deserves all the hype and may be my new favorite in Chicago. Maybe - The cheese and bread we started with was delicious and perfectly melty The cons: - The outdoor patio had a fire that was basically just a large can with logs in it and we were getting absolutely blasted with smoke for an hour. They apologized and tried to fix it but still - There wasn't a single vegetable dish on the menu, which made us feel like our meal overall lacked balance - The ribeye was disappointing, perfect in some bites and overcooked in others Worth the trip and the wait for the burger and vibes, and the menu changes daily so I'd be down to come back and try more things. read more
This was a fun experience. It was somewhat confusing, a little aggressive with loud music, lots of commotion, open flames, but also upscale dining? The food was good, but pushes you outside of your comfort zone, so I suppose in order to really enjoy it here you should be looking for a little adventure. My date and I shared everything to try to really explore the menu. We had oysters, sweetbreads, elk, skate and chocolate something or another. Oysters and the chocolate something were the standouts, skate pulled up the bottom IMO, sweetbreads had an amazing sauce - a first time for me and I was pleasantly surprised! We got in line about 20 mins before it opened and did end up having to wait one full service at Sleeping Village, the bar across the street. That bar had good drinks and service though so all in was a fun night out. Everything smelled like bonfire afterwards so plan to have to wash your coat! read more
Every so often you find a restaurant that is actually worth the hype. Warlord is that type of place. There are no reservations, you stand in line to wait for a table which opens at 6 PM. Come early as the line forms early! You walk into a beautiful open space, darkly lit with candles to guide you to your table, and at the center is their kitchen with a wood-fire grill. Menu is limited and changes daily, which is when you know you've found a gem. We tried multiple dishes but our favorites were the donge triple cream cheese (literal heaven), angel hair pasta, and the king kampachi deliciously paired with the fried maitake mushrooms. For dessert they offered a dark whipped chocolate with maraschino cherries. Perfect finish to our dinner, everything you'd want for a dessert including slight bitterness from chocolate, sweetness from those syrupy cherries and a slight salt from the chocolate cookie crisp on top. Service was excellent. I would agree with other reviews that music was quite loud but that's maybe the vibe they are going for. I'd give this place 4.5/5 stars. Definitely worth the wait. You'll be the coolest in your friend group by coming here. read more
tldr; get the burger. recs: burger. price: ~$50/pp Best burger of our lives. Simple ingredients, incredibly well-integrated. The patty was soft and juicy and umami, and the sauce made of onion and mayo (no cheese!) was perfection. Eating the burger in a setting of rock music, dim lighting, dim candles, and medieval decor was an experience in and of itself. The oysters were also simple but perfect -- not too briny, good texture, fresh and cool. Heirloom tomato in XO sauce was a unique flavor profile. It came with a hefty piece of bread and was a perfectly fresh appetizer to precede our hefty burger. Service was amicable and excellent -- we had a great time getting recs from our bartender James at the bar. Our waiter was super chill, informative, and friendly. Well worth the wait! read more
2 years ago
Awesome restaurant with an excellent aged beef burger and fries. Cool tech/goth vibe inside. Stephen the bartender and Todd the waiter took great care of me. Would go again to try the other entrees! read more
1 year ago
11 months ago
Another truly awesome experience at Warlord! I always get the Delice de Bourgogne. It's a staple and always a magical appetizer. I'm not sure how they smoke it but it's a wedge of crusty slightly smoky bread and a soft interior with honey on it. Rip off a piece and spread fois gras and you're in heaven. Then rip off another piece of bread and have the triple cream Brie like cheese with some jam and be transported to France. Wow!! So delicious! We then had 6 oysters raw and 6 oysters grilled. Their oysters are so sweet and fresh. I think the grilled oysters had a kohlrabi butter. They were amazing too. Of course we had to have the burger which I would say it's the best in the nation. So delicious with the talo rendered roasted onions and their sauce they created. This is their other staple which is not to be overlooked when ordering. We each had a main course and shared them. I had the salmon with a sea brine foam which was delicate and sophisticated with it multiple flavors and a chard skin with pulled all the flavors together. Fat, salt, sea brine foam and smoky char. So good! My friend ordered the fire grilled boneless beef ribs with a sweet but decadent sauce and grilled peppers. So amazing and rich in flavor with a nice smoky flavor. The wine we selected was delicious and had notes of floral and had a delicate but nicely rounded flavor which went well with the fish and the meat. It was their Pinot Noir - Scar of the sea. So good! All in all another awesome meal at Warlord. I will be back soon! read more
Maybe give this closer to 4.5 stars, but I did round up because there were only a few minor misses imo. Wanted to check out this place for a while after hearing some really good reviews from some friends and family. Lined up about 20-25min before opening on Sunday evening and was second group in line. Honestly think it would've been fine just showing up right around opening. Felt like there was always 1-3 tables open for a party of 2-4 for the entire time we were there. Definitely beats what people have said with the waiting being 1-2hrs on a Friday/Saturday. At any rate, food was very solid. Dry aged burger was delicious and fries were also great. I will say the fact you have to order them separately feels a bit silly. Of course I want fries with my burger!! The angel hair pasta was also great, albeit kinda small on the portion. Super rich and the crab was good, but I do feel like any dish that incorporates Parmesan and crab and pasta is going to be delicious. Feel like I didn't really get much out of the orange tomato. The cocktail (Jimmy juice) was a little underwhelming. The friend I was with had the daiquiri and I thought it was just ok. Bit of a miss which is disappointing since it seems like people love their cocktails. We got the "underbaked chocolate cake" for dessert and that was tasty. Whatever the white sauce that came with it was tasty. Service and atmosphere was great. Our waitress was very friendly and checked in pretty frequently. Music volume seemed like it jumped up and got a little too loud at times and the room suddenly dimmed the lights near the end of meal which felt kinda weird. Made it very hard to see much of anything and I can only imagine what the line chefs/expeditor were seeing. Total for 2 drinks, pasta dish, burger/fries, and cake totaled to about $65/person after tax/tip which felt a little steep (but maybe that's the price food is at these days). Not sure if I'd come rushing back here anytime soon, but I definitely thought it was a good experience and would come again if I had a friend who wanted to try it. I found a lot of the reviews about the service being terrible or it being super pretentious is a bit overblown. Maybe it's a bit different when they're being slammed on busy days, but I had a thoroughly good service experience and food was mostly great. I was kind of hoping for more out their cocktails, but maybe we just ordered the wrong ones. read more
I got 'sexy slaughterhouse' vibes when I visited the recently opened Warlord. This Avondale based restaurant is only open Friday-Sunday evenings (for now) and has a daily changing menu. Many ingredients are sourced from local farms near the Chicago land area. I especially love the wood fired stove which is fully visible while dining. Also appreciate the plethora of bar seating with low top, fully backed bar seats. Their plates are made in a nearby Chicago based ceramics studio which I absolutely love. Now for the food, everything we ordered was amazing! A friend and I split the burger, scallops, tartare and grilled oysters. All of it was cooked to perfection and we left no crumbs. For dessert we had the chocolate cake which was a tad bit too sweet for me, but worth checking out if you're a chocolate lover. Overall a lovely addition to the many new businesses opening up on Milwaukee Ave. I'll definitely be back soon! read more
2 years ago
One word: SALT. Every single item we ordered was heavily salted. From the fries, to the burger, and lastly to the duck. For example, every stick of our fries was coated in flecks of salt. While the first bite of the hamburger was good, the beef patty slowly became too salty to handle. Their pickled sides weren't anything special, and the burger itself was quite basic. The duck was cooked perfectly (except the crust which was charred and difficult to cut), but again it was too salty. We watched them cut up the salt, and put even more salt, which we thought definitely wasn't needed. The duck is definitely very fatty though, but the flavor was great. The price is hefty though, at $62. The rum sticky toffee dessert was okay, very heavy on the rum. We wished they had used ice cream as a contrast to the temperatures, but instead they used a white chocolate cream. This is also on the more expensive side for the price. In terms of ambiance, the restaurant was quite dark, and it only got darker as we got there (I believe they turned off some of the lights). The music was loud, the transition from country/pop to war cult music and back to country/pop was definitely "something". Definitely not something I want to listen to while having a conversation, not that we could really hear each other. The service was great though, our waiter was amazing and kind. Lastly, we had arrived at 5:30 on a Saturday, and there was already a small line waiting for opening. But I won't be coming back. I had three days worth of sodium in one night. Also, had I known all the controversies revealed in Reddit, I wouldn't have step foot in the door in the first place. read more
Service - amazing! Everyone was very attentive and made sure I was taken care of Food- pretty tasty. Very high quality. The kitchen is open which was cool to see all the meat cooking and see how they prepare the food. The swordfish was good but salty and buttery. Definitely heavy on the stomach imo and flavor wise tasted like salmon but otherwise didn't rlyyy do it for me. No reservations so I would get there at least an hour early to get seated when u want. We stood in line at about 6:30 and it was an hour and a half wait for us. read more
10 months ago
2 years ago
Surprisingly the burger was the least memorable item we had tonight. The aioli doesn't taste like anything and the burger doesn't really set itself apart. It's good- but not Chicago good. However the other items we had -- grilled oysters, the bread and Brie, the octopus -- fantastic. The drinks-- delicious. Great service too but expect to wait a bit for your entrees. All in all- great food but I definitely don't think there should be a 30 person line outside of this place. And some of the decor is weird. The entry way looks like the entrance of a nail salon. read more
2 years ago
Visited on Saturday. We got to Warlord around 5:30 and were about 5th in line. Got sat promptly at 6. The service was amazing, the ambiance was such a cool vibe and overall we loved the experience. Based on our order the highlights were a lovely mezcal cocktail, grilled oysters (seriously they were served on burning coal so so cool), and the juiciest burger ever you must try it. One item that I didn't love were the gnocchi, mainly because the sauce was kind of weird but maybe it just wasn't for me. I will definitely be back soon and can't wait to try some more of their menu! read more
2 years ago
Food is amazing. Had to get the burger and I would say is my #3 burger in Chicago. Light and Smokey, not a smash burger , good moisture . Had to get the week long dry aged duck, was the highlight for me . Skin was crispy, had a sweet hoisin and anise flavor. They had off menu item which was the Hamachi belly and it was good as well. I would get the collar Common theme of the restaurant is dry aged and charcoal grilled Our oysters and and hamachi belly came out fairly quick , but our main came out an hour after we got sat down. Might be because we got there when it just opened and everyone's order are coming in at once . There is street parking Belmont . Would come Back read more
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3198 N Milwaukee Ave
Chicago, IL 60618
Avondale
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https://www.warlordchicago.com
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