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Categories: Bars, American (Traditional)
825 S Oak Park AveOak Park (Blue)
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This was a pleasant surprise for our excursion to Oak Park. We were actually hoping to go to the sushi restaurant across the street, but it was so tiny and crowded that we didn't want to wait any longer. So since we didn't know where else to go, we went across the street to the dining establishment we saw.
It was a typical grill pub, but had a pretty extensive menu. There was something for everyone. They also had great daily specials ($2.50 Stellas on Saturdays!). I ordered the Vidalia burger, which had grilled onions and swiss cheese. I really couldn't complain. I almost finished the whole thing! For the side I ordered sweet potato fries... not the best I have ever had but I still couldn't resist. I would have much preferred regular fries but they only had the waffle kind. For a place I had never heard about and wasn't our first choice, it turned out to be a pretty decent meal!
The food is ok, some things are better than others. However, points taken for consistently slow service. They do have a good beer selection, and it's a good place to go watch a game. The rooftop deck is nice, but it seems to regularly be populated with screaming children and parents who think that the rest of us don't mind it. In the summer they open up the front windows giving the front section of the bar a nice open feeling. They have one of the bar trivia games (I can't think what it's called, but it's got the little digital board where you enter your answers), which is kind of a fun way to pass the evening - use your brain while killing brain cells with alochol. : )
Not a the best bar in the world - but since there are limited choices in Oak Park, not a bad place to hang out either.
I want this place to be better. PLEASE PLEASE be better I think in my mind each time I go... but.
Service:
I've never had great service here. Friendly, always - but not attentive in any fashion. I always seem to be waiting waiting for a check or a water or to order another drink.
Food:
consistently mediocre to poor. If they can dry it out, they will. If they can send it to your plate with little to no flavor, they will. I've tried several things on the menu over the years, but I can't imagine ordering something that i'm not disappointed with. They couldn't even do a decent grilled cheese.
Atmosphere:
the roof deck gives them enough umph to avoid a 1 star rating. THAT'S what keeps me coming back to try for a better experience.
Plus, it's overpriced. I won't be going back... until spring when I'll forget what a drag it is and be lured in by the fresh air.
There is room for improvement, but not so bad. Looks kinda like cheers downstairs, food is typical Chicago bar food. Service is hit or miss. They have been recently doing a little better job with micro brews, the rogue microbrew line up is featured prominently as is that Quebecois brewery that makes Fin du Monde and trois pistoles and the like. It would be nice if they featured more local brews, usually only Honkers Ale for the goose island offering. The roof top is nice in the warmer months of the year.
Nice neighborhood bar with a big main room and a great roof deck!
Good service, though our server doesn't know their chicken wings ARE breaded (Why ruin a perfectly good chicken wing with breading? Why not inform your servers of this?)
Cool joint!
Like others have said, Avenue is great for a beer, but the waitstaff isn't completely with the program.
Avenue has an awesome interior with a cool rooftop patio. The place definitely feels more expensive, or even club-like.
The menu is varied, and includes some nice seafood specials in addition to the burger fare. There's even some interesting appetizer choices such as fondue and calamari.
The beer choices are excellent, and the Avenue is in a great spot, just a few yards away from the Blue line station on a stretch of Oak Park ave that's further south of downtown Oak Park, with a few other foodie options (sushi, bakery, Lalo's, frozen yogurt).
However, my calamari tasted very greasy and over-salted. It was the only calamari dish that I've never been able to finish, and there were less than 10 pieces on my plate.
The waitress also forgot to put in the order of friend's french onion soup, and had to be reminded when our orders arrived without it (and all we did was order beer previously and later just appetizers).
Apart from that, I definitely would return here for drinks, maybe even a burger. The interior and the location are great for the Avenue.
I have not been to the Ale House in a long long time and I gotta say I enjoyed it.
The Waitstaff was upbeat and very attentive.
Got Some Appetizers (Goat Cheese W/ Toasts and 1/2 rack Ribs) followed by Dessert (The Brownie-Something-or-Other...you know..the Giant Brownie Thing!). The appetizers were memorable, but the Brownie thing stole the show! Damn was that some good 'brownie'! I put it in quotes because it was really more a double-serving of chocolate cake, and it was soft and dee-lish.
The people I was with also ordered salads as their entrees and an order of Pot-Stickers. The Pot Stickers were good! commentatably good!
Also this meal was all had on the Ale House's great rooftop...although it was humid enough today where inside would have been fine too, the rooftop was definitely an enjoyable plus, and a rarity in Oak Park.
Future trips might be in order.
This place has a great roof top section! I went there during the summer and it was so relaxing. The food was pretty good and they had a great selection of fruity cocktails! What more could a girl ask for!?
I think this place is confused about it's personality. I feel like they are trying to go for the casual, laid-back sports bar and grill thing. Then they are serving $25 entrees on the menu. Granted, you can get a burger. For $9. The food isn't impressive. It's ok. It's not bad, just not worth that much money. Especially if you just went there to watch a game, which is what most people want to go there for. The beers on special are still $4! That's not a special....just so you know. I LOVE the rooftop seating and bar. I want to bring friends there to hang out on a nice evening or afternoon, but they all get mad at me because they end up with a $50 bar tab by the end of the night. Then they go huffing and puffing back to the city complaining about our pretentious suburban bars. It's hard enough to get them to come out here in the first place.
Summary: Great atmosphere, ok food, good drinks, expensive.
Strolled in here just as the sun was going down and we were seated immediately in front of the windows, with a lovely view of the closed grocery store across the street. Ah, the good life :)
Our waitress started off pretty attentive and then she got pretty scatterbrained and disappeared for a long time. Whatever.
Some other guy brought our food and we were pretty impressed by the quality.
My turkey burger was char grilled perfection with great flavor throughout and the avocado on top complimented it very well. The waffle fries were frozen food aisle mediocrity and if I can offer one piece of advice it would be for the Ale House to consider giving spud a makeover.
An added bonus on this evening was a pretty good coverband. They had great voices, great sound, and the volume wasn't completely overwhelming. Great atmosphere, good food, great evening. Jazz up your potatoes, give the staff a pep talk and you'll be 5 star worthy indeed!
For what it is, it's a fine place to go. We grabbed some beers and grub before a move at the Lake Street Theater. The service was fine. The food was okay (a little under-seasoned), and the beer selection was good. The rooftop deck was very nice and is the main contributor to three stars over two. It has a big time family clientele so be prepared for a few kids running around.
But grab a table along the wall, get a beer and some pub grub and you'll be just fine.
Pleasant enough place for a cocktail. While I think this place is a one-off, it had that disconcerting generic feeling you usually only find in chain restaurants. The martini was icy and tasty, but I wouldn't go out of my way for this place, I only happened to be in the area.
This is probably my favorite hometown restaurant. I could seriously eat here everyday...I just love their food! The atmosphere is kind of dark and it can get pretty loud, especially on the weekends because they tend to have live music. But it's just a comfortable place to go and eat, and they have the best frozen sangias! Other favorites are the spinach and artichoke fondue, and any of the burgers/wraps- lots of salads to choose from too and they are good! I'd have to say that the best thing about the Ale House is the Rooftop! Its only open when the weather is nice, but it feels like you're some place completely different when your up there! Almost like you're on vacation. I love it. Definitely recommend this place!!
Stopped in here briefly today as I found myself in Oak Park. Nice atmosphere, plenty of seating.
Everyone at my table had a burger, I opted for a chicken wrap. There were no complaints from anyone. The server was prompt and intelligent to the contents of the menu. We got lucky to find a perfect lunch spot for a Sunday afternoon.
I know I'm generalizing here, but The Ale House needs to hire more attentive people and train them better. Although pleasing to the eye, perky breasts & blond hair does not a food server make.
Out of three visits, one server was a blast and she smoothed out the few bumps in the evening wonderfully. One was a complete space cadet who forgot everything. The third was far too busy chatting w/ the bartender & the hostess to pay attention to her customers.
Although I wasn't in attendance, my wife's office has had small parties there on the rooftop deck. Neither of the two that she has attended have been "smooth operations". We're only talking 14 people here and they always set up a reservation days in advance and it's early afternoon - like 3 or 4 pm. Both times my wife attended, the Ale House had nothing set up for them and one time didn't even have the proper amount of staff on-hand to take care of them.
The food is good ... not unique but it's tasty. The bar area is a pretty cool spot as well. It's just sad that service seems like an afterthought to them.
I have ate at the Ale House on two separate occasions. This was my first ever experience with rooftop dining, and it was a chilly night. I was so happy to be seated by a heater. My boyfriend and I were greeted by a very funny waitress who was down to earth, very different than other reviews I had read about the staff here. We started our meal with the spinach artichoke "fondue" (dip) and it was amazing. We were so stuffed by that that by the time our meals arrived we had to go bags. Portions are very generous, as both times I have ate here we have had doggy bags.
On our second visit here we were celebrating our anniversary and very relieved to see they served late. Our waitress was not very attentive (no silverware, and waited until the end of our meal to check back on us) but it was also right before close so I can understand, especially if her shifts had been long. Bottom line we really love this restaurant and find it reliable and consistently good.
Food gets and A, Service gets a C-
I have been here on a few occassions and the food is always good, but they service is kind of blah. Not very friendly or attentive. The drinks are good.
I'll go here when I have a craving for a ceaser sallad with steak or the teryaki wings.
The Avenue Ale House has never let us down.
The food ranges from good to really good... always consistent. (The teriyaki wings are a personal favorite.) Service is proficient. Beer selection is good. -- Good place to watch a game or meet friends for dinner.
Parking can be a bit of a pain for those of us too cheap to use the valet.
I can't wait to go back in the summer when the rooftop patio is open! My husband and I went last Friday for fish sandwiches. Mmm, the catch of the day was tilapia, and I enjoyed my sandwich very much, it was seasoned perfectly and the bread was not too overpowering. Our waitress was very nice and service was to be expected at a bar. We were very pleased. They have a huge selection of beer, and I enjoyed a few 22oz. Sapporos! I think my husband stuck to his domestic delicacy and was happy. We will be back!
The food is decent, and the service is good. It's nothing spectacular, but it's alright.
Ok, maybe we went on an off night, but I didn't find much to like about the Avenue Ale House.
First off, when we told the hostess it was just the two of us, she told us she would have to check and see if a table was available. Yes, there were tables available. Several of them in fact. We could see them. She than sat us at a high table. Now I'm in a skirt I would have preferred a regular table, but fine what ever. I run over to the bathroom and see three two seat tables in the back by the kitchen. At the same time, it's like 100 degrees back there. I tell my husband and he goes back there and says it's too hot.
We're sitting. And sitting. And Sitting. It's a hot day and we would like some water and beer. Our waitress finally comes around and takes our drink order and we ask for water as well. Do we live in Europe where you have to ask for water?
She comes back with my husband's coke but no water no beer.
We wait, and wait, and drink his coke. No water, no beer.
Finally she comes with my beer and no water and asks to take our orders. We figure we should give her our entire order because we may never see her again. Oh, and ask for water.
We get the water and everything gets re-hydrated.
We ordered hot wings and they were good. Mostly the 2 bone ones, my fav, and very few of the drumettes, husband's fav. Eh, they were good.
My husband ordered a specialty pizza with hard boiled egg and he was very pleased with it. I ordered a salad with roasted veggies and was not.
Ok People, when you roast peppers, peel the skins off of them. It's easy to do. Put the peppers in a bowl and put some plastic wrap over them and then let them sit for like 10 minutes.
I would possibly go back to watch a game or something.
There are a few places in Oak Park that come to mind immediately when looking for a place to meet a friend. The Ale House is a good stand by and here's why:
1. Convenient hours of operation. As teachers, we get off of work earlier than most professionals and some places aren't ready for us at 3:30.
2. Big space. We can start out as just a few and add on as the rest of us join in. Management never seems to mind.
3. Service- I've never had a problem with service here. We can be pretty demanding; it comes with ordering kids around all day. Maybe we have that teacher look and the management and servers revert into student mode when we start barking out orders, "would you please bring those chairs over here? Uuuuuummmm...no, not this table. We'll take that one." They oblige us, we drink more and everyone is happy.
4. Good Food-The salads are excellent. I love the chopped salad and the burgers. Yesterday I met a friend here and she told me that she asked that we meet there because of the baked goat cheese appetizer. To be honest, I can't think of the Ale House without craving that appetizer. I've often met friends here and ordered just appetizers and beers.
5. Beer and Wine- 6.Bar- If you want a classy bar with good bartenders and some TVs you'll get it here. Lots of really good drafts and decent wine by the glass.
6. Dim lighting-I have no wrinkles in the Ale House.
7. Rooftop Patio- In the summer you can't beat it. I've spent many a summer afternoon lounging around and nursing my beer.
The bathroom doors look like they belong in those old time detective movies and the interior matches. Old subway tiles line the lower half of the walls and are topped by a golden Venetian plaster. I don't think the two go together but that's just me. The one bad thing about this place is there are bathrooms only on the first floor so if you are dining on the rooftop there's a bit of a hike involved.
I haven't eaten upstairs in the patio yet but I will this summer. During the day you can bring your children to eat lunch and at night have dinner and drinks with your loved one or friends.
The last time I went I got the jerk chops. They were ok, basically had a mango salsa on top.
Being so close to home and having Fat Tire on tap, this place is ideal.
This place could be so much better. It's fun to sit on their rooftop deck- nice place. The food is so-so.A little bit better than regular bar food, but could use some help.
The one annoying thing about the Ale House is that the service always seems to be pretty bad. Usually there is nobody standing up front when you walk in and you have to wait. Then you usually have to do a lot of waiting in between drinks, to order, etc. etc.
Seems to be the consensus here- looks like a cute place from the outside but it always seems to disappoint us a little.
I was only here once, but I really enjoyed it. We were seeing some live music. It was crowded as hell, but had such a great atmosphere. Killer food too.
Great for going out with a bunch of people for drinks and appetizers.
If you want food poisoning, then this is the place for you. Now I know what you're thinking, you're thinking that I've had one bad experience and that I am dishing this place because of it. Not exactly. I did have a horrible experience with some extremely painful food poisoning but as I told my story to others, I learned that they too had gotten sick after eating there, almost the exact same symptoms that I had. Now I'm not talking one or two people, I got the same story from at least 5 people. Of course my better half thought I made too much of this so she and her friends like Avenue Ale House and ignored my warnings and went there on a 'girls night out' only to get sick just like I did some weeks earlier. I can't say I didn't chuckle but I did tell them how badly I got sick. Now they too are believers that Avenue Ale House is no place to eat. As tasty as the Vidalia Burger may be, she can be a cruel punisher.
My boyfriend tried this place after recently moving to Oak Park. It has a great feel in the front, but if you get seated behind the bar you kind of feel like you weren't cool enough to be up front. Every table in the back was open but they choose to sit us at a tiny two person table in the very corner right next to the kitchen. When they eventually closed these giant curtains around the kitchen I was relieved, until they turned on the GIANT projection TV. Having a TV in a restaurant is totally fine, except I don't want to watch a medical drama (House) during my meal, especially when the actors are 7 feet tall.
The food was alright, I had the beef brisket sandwich, which I would order again if they would hold off on drowning it in BBQ sauce.
All in all it was alright, the service wasn't super great as I'm pretty sure the table next to us (who got their way after we did) got served first.
I think we'll go back, especially in the summer as their rooftop seems pretty nice.
Agree with the comments about the waitstaff. We ordered the goat cheese appetizer w/ macadamia nuts, when it arrived I asked our waitress what kind of sauce was on it and she said, "um I don't know". I just looked at her for a while and she said, "some kind of butter sauce". I said, "no it isn't". She sighed and asked if she should go find out. It was a yellow pepper puree. Mediocre food at best, VERY EXPENSIVE!!
Living nearby, we eat here quite often. The menu hasn't changed much since we've been going, though they do have some daily specials. Their chopped salad is the best thing on the menu, followed by the spinach and artichoke appetizer. Good beer selection. Fun rooftop in the summer. They have jazz bands on most Thursday nights. Some can get too loud making conversation difficult. Good place to watch a game (they have multiple TVs) and get a bite and beer.
Our appetizer was burnt. The server kept rushing us, and there were flies all over.
Nice building. Everything else sucked.
It's a bar and grill. That's about it. Don't expect more and you'll be fine. Want a beer? You got it. Want fried snacks? Okay. Want a burger? Sure thing. Want to sit outside? Why not.
I'm not sure why we still go here, but we do, because it's completely acceptable. The patio is big and well-meaning. The service is what you would expect. Generally, the servers get you your second beer before you finish the first, but sometimes they don't.
It can lean a little too close to the "family" restaurant occasionally. I don't think beer and toddlers go well together (unless I'm babysitting, then they go together just fine, thank you) and folks are likely to let their younguns wander, scream, drop soda on the floor and generally behave as if they were at Rainforest Cafe. This is less fun than being left alone to drink Bass, eat Spinach Artichoke Dip and watch the White Sox.
So in summation, if you have a choice, go someplace better. If you don't, or you just don't care, Avenue Ale House is fine.
Great food, good beer selection, cute waitresses and a very cool rooftop patio. What more could you ask for........
What can be said after 20 some reviews? Beer = good. Food = good.
We came on a Saturday night to see a friend's show (they were the entertainment), and the music was TOO LOUD. We were sitting in the back booth of the section that's for listening, and I had to strain to hear people (until I learned to tune the music out). My husband was at the next table and was picking up the tab, so she tended to him much more than our table. That wasn't very nice.
This place gets 3 stars only because it has an awesome rooftop deck. That's it... now on to my bitching and complaining...
Let me preface by saying my GF and I went here specifically to enjoy a couple of beers and an appetizer on a nice, sunny day recently. We wanted to go somewhere with a beer garden or something similar, and decided we'd give the roof a try.
Imagine a nice, wood rooftop with cute tables and umbrellas and a bar in the back. Imagine a guy in the corner playing live, acoustic music. Imagine it's happy hour and the place is loaded with relatively young, relatively attractive people all hanging out enjoying good tunes, good conversation, and good beers. Imagine that the sun's shining down on it's descent to the West and you're drinking reasonably priced beers...
Now subtract everything I just described except for the wooden rooftop deck and you've got the avenue ale house.
This was the frustration: the place had so much POTENTIAL. But- the service sucked, the beers were overpriced, the clientele was ODD, there was no music, and we got jammed into a dark corner when the rest of the roof was covered in sun. Oh yeah, and about the appetizer... we ordered the "onion loaf". After two or three bites of this atrocity, we came to the conclusion that the onion loaf may not actually contain onions, and is rather a condensed collection of the fried outer coverings of onions. They should call it the Funion loaf...
I went here last week with my husband and my parents who were visiting. We wanted a place that served a variety of food and was open for lunch on Sunday. Believe it or not, but that's actually difficult to find around here!
The first thing we noticed is that the restaurant/bar is really nice. They still had their Christmas decorations up, but whatever. Dark wood, nice looking booths, fabulous flat screen tvs. However, the hostess walked us past all that into a large back room filled with tables and a giant projection screen tv. She sat us at a rather dark table that was right underneath a speaker. Apparently we were going to listen to the football game whether we wanted to or not. We thought about asking to be moved but decided it was fine.
The men in my group ordered burgers, one ordered a beer. My mom ordered a wrap and I ordered a salad. The beer selection seemed rather limited (at least what they had on draft) and they didn't have what my husband wanted. But he's picky so I won't hold that against them.
Our food arrived in a timely fashion. I was shocked at the size of my salad. It came in a bowl the size of my head and they provided me with tongs! I ate about half of the salad and took the other half home. It was just as tasty the next day for lunch. In fact, it was probably the best salad I've ever eaten at a restaurant. I believe everyone else enjoyed their meal as well.
My only beef with this place is that it was loud. Sitting underneath the speaker was bad enough. The table full of drunken football fans a few feet away was also irritating. However, this is apparently a sports bar type place so one should expect that going in.
Been here a few times for cocktails. I would recommend to go to the rooftop in the evening hours during the summer!
I did have dinner here once- I thought the food portion was too much for a person. I guess you better be hungry to eat a meal there or have some one to share the dish with!
They're nothing special. If you want a good snack during a movie or ballgame, get the artichoke & spinach dip to go.
I honestly have only been there once, maybe twice, and it just seems like it's full of jerks to me. The clientele, not the staff. Not a very fun place to hang out or frequent often.
The Shaun has been to the Avenue Ale House on a couple of occasions. The food selection and taste are impressive. Drinks are good and the service is good as well. They even have an interactive trivia screen to participate in while you're waiting for you food. Its a nice neighborhood spot to meet up with friends or stop in for a drink after work.
As of September 2008, I can't give The Ale House a rating because I haven't been there since it has changed management. I hear the beer list is amazing though...go if you like Chimay :) (5 Stars for serving Chimay!)
From the owner of La Bella Pasteria (closed for remodeling), Michael Pace, the Ale Houset is a great… Read more »
Great atmosphere, all ages--kids and adults. Good food, friendly service.
Jason
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