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Category: American (Traditional)
Neighborhoods: Near West Side, West LoopClinton (Pink, Green)
Mon-Fri. 6:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Sat. 6:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
45 second review -
* Reuben was AWESOME!
* Rings were AWESOME!
* Water was AWESOME!
* fudge brownie - see above comments
new cheep stop for my short list.
You know, the food really isn't as bad as it looks it could be. Plus, our waitress was really sweet and attentive. And, its all reasonably priced compared to the surrounding restaurants.
Plus, its got charm. You can't fake charm.
In a sea of trendy, slightly overpriced restaurants on the Randolph strip, the Holiday Grill and Bar is a nice change of pace. I tried it for the first time tonight. We walked in and there were about 4 guys at the bar who all turned to stare at us. No one else was sitting at the dining rooms. It was one of those record-stopping moments where you feel this might be a "regulars" type of Establishment and you know you're not a "regular".
But once we were seated I felt very comfortable. Attentive, nice server and reasonable prices. The menu isn't elaborate but my chili and chef's salad were satisfying. There's something kind of quaint about this place. I also noticed a "Friday: $3 Goose Islands and Free Wings and Things" sign which caught my attention.
They also have a juke box which I love. Other dining patrons joined the dining room after we sat down: couple in their mid-50's, couple in their late-20's, police officers. I also saw some people seated outside enjoying some beers. And they have bored games!
My dog has been diagnosed with separation anxiety, but sometimes I think it's my husband who has the separation anxiety because most of our meals involve trying to find a place where he can take the pup. While looking for a dog friendly option on Randolph we passed by The Holiday Grill & Bar, which had a small patio. Score!
Our friendly waitress was a dog lover and said the pup could eat with us, as long as she was on the other side of the patio fence....something to do with permit laws. Worked for us so we tied the pup up and got ready for a brunch feast.
The veggie burger immediately caught my eye and I inquired if was homemade. The waitress told me it wasn't so I decided to skip that because nothing is worse than frozen veggie burgers. Ick. Instead I kept it simple and ordered scrambled eggs, which came with toast (rye for me) and hashbrowns. Hubby ordered a greek omelette, which also came with toast and hashbrowns. The pupsters had eaten at home earlier in the day.
I found my meal to be satisfactory. The eggs and toast filled me up, although I really wasn't a fan of the hashbrowns (and I usually LOVE my hashbrowns). Husband was pretty stoked about his omelette...he ate up every last bite. He seemed to be a fan of the hashbrowns as well- considering he ate all of his and then mine! He informed me we'd be coming back here often for awesome $6 omelettes so I guess there are many more visits to Holiday Grill in store for me. Perhaps next time I should order that greek omelette?
It's definitely not your Bar Louie, Market, West End type of place but it definitely has its charm (as another reviewer stated).
Prices are reasonable for bar/comfort food but taste-wise, it was just ok. For an appetizer, my husband and I had the buffalo wings w/ ranch which were decent. I had the grilled ham and cheese and tots for my entree - wasn't that great ... should have just gotten the regular grilled cheese. Tots were crunchy and fresh. My husband ordered the fish sandwich and he said it was decent. I would skip the brownie a la mode as I don't think either either brownie or the ice cream was that fresh.
Service was great, Tiffany is friendly and attentive.
It's a small place and wasn't very crowded so you can talk at a decent tone and not have to shout. Next time, I'll eat somewhere else but get my drinks and chill here.
I am at a loss to understand the positive reviews. All things being equal, I tend to prefer bars with the lights on. You know, on the pretense that day drinking bars mean regulars, like Old Muzzlemouth, who'll let you know all about Louis Prima and Chuck Berry.
But Holiday is a cheap, manufactured attempt at this atmosphere. First, and most inexcusably, a Miller High Life runs $3.75. If I have to pay for those peanuts on the bar, just let me know beforehand. Because right now, they're not "free," ya know. Second, it seems to attract lots of gassy fatbags who come to Holiday because they need to yell about sports for two hours every day. This would be one thing if they were there to talk about the risk of a sacrifice bunt relative to the marginal value of the next run. But I can speculate quite well for myself what kind of "trim" Derrick Lee gets on my own. And, for that matter, when you weigh 385 pounds, you kind of disqualify yourself from a bitching contest about your former second wife's bad looks. Unless, I guess, you're at Holiday, where this sort of braying is encouraged, with a chuckle, from the overgrown, aging frat man owner.
This is just for the bar:
I met a friend here before we were off to somewhere else. It was Thursday night at 6 PM. People were stopping in for a drink on their way home. I got there first and though it was my first time the bartender greeted me as though he'd known me as long as the three regulars already seated at the bar. He cleaned up the spot in front of me right off and I ordered a beer. This bar is so cool in that they make no effort to try to remodel it to fit in with the evolution of style the area has undergone. It's just a bar. There are bowls of overflowing peanuts to munch on and several TVs to watch. What's more, there are magazines and newspapers behind the bar for clients to read. Remember those things? They had them before the Internet and apparently they still exist at bars like Holiday.
The bathroom is incredibly small and has an old crank handle, brown paper towel dispenser hanging over the tiniest sink ever made. Where was this sink when I lived in that Oak Park Cracker Jack box with no bathroom on the first floor?
The regulars had shots poured and one of them told the others, "shut the f... up and drink." The regular with his laptop in front of him said, "watch your mouth, there's a lady at the bar." I looked around and realized he was talking about me so I laughed.
Upon leaving the regulars were outside smoking and laptop guy said to me, "have a nice f...ing night."
I laughed and replied, "shut the f... up!"
I'll drink with those f...ers any day!
Eh. Not great, but not terrible. This place has a small dive bar feel to it, which I kinda like. There were about 10 people in the place when Eric and I dined here on a random Thursday night.
The buffalo wings were great, but served with a very sour sauce that the restaurant tried to pass off as blue cheese. I think the cook put creamy Italian dressing in the cup instead. Husband had a cheeseburger served with tater tots that was pretty good.
Holiday Grill didn't have a large beer selection, but at least they had Fat Tire and Sierra Nevada. There are only two outdoor tables here, so if I'm in this area during the summer, I'll probably hit one of the other restaurants in the West Loop. Although this place would probably be a good choice toward the end of the night if you're looking for someplace low-key.
My ex-boyfriend got custody of Holiday in the divorce agreement. And now I dream about it every night.
There's a familial vibe and even as the ugly step child I felt at home. I recommend the chicken strips and the jukebox.
There is no better neighborhood bar in Chicago than Holiday. I've been going there for about 6yrs. The family that owns/runs it are the friendliest people. It's a great little place to unwind after work. Plus they have some great food. The patty melt being one of my favs.
I like to call this place "shot river". For some reason, after hanging out for a little while, everybody starts buying everybody rounds of shots. No, it doesn't happen every day, just when there's that certain vibe. Then you're best friends with everyone in the place. You might even get invited to the "vip" area.
The service is always great, and just about everything on the menu is tasty. Oh, and most importantly, next time you're there, you've got to try a shot of Malort. Words can not express this unique libation. It will be your first most memorable experience here. And get your poppers ordered by 8:59, come 9pm, kitchen closes, no matter who you are.
Good. Good, not great, bordering on mediocre diner food. I had a Reuben (am somewhat of a Reuben aficianado) which was sort of bland. The sauerkraut needed more sour, and the corned beef seemed too . . . boiled. My friend had a very adequate but unexceptional chicken pita sandwich. Bottomless soft drinks were a nice touch, and the service was excellent.
I doubt I'll go back, though. The food isn't any thing I'd crave.
I really miss the Holiday. I used to work on Randolph and go there all the time for lunch. Great memories of that place! The owners are awesome and always made me and my co-workers feel like we were their special customers (even though their clientele is probably 80 percent regulars). I ate a million Greek salads there -- yummy. I also regularly indulged in all the typical diner food -- grilled cheese, fries, and (back in the delicious days when I used to eat meat) lots and lots of awesome patty melts!
They're also a great place for after-work beers on a Friday. They have darts and board games and free snacks. I think I'll make a special trip there this week.
Good specials, bottomless bowls of peanuts, and the sense of security that there are always at least two uniformed police officers eating at Holiday at all times.
This place is Chicago in a (pea)nut shell. Throw one back and savor the flavor of all the framed newspaper headlines dedicated to the 1995-96 Bulls.
Little neighborhood bar, above average food. Comfortable clean atmosphere, good wait staff. They even serve breakfast food that looked delicious on the menu. However- I went for the monte cristo and it was SUPERB!!!
Great food, cold beer. Not much more needed, but there is: its owned and managed by Greeks, so the place is well run and the Matriarch brings in some home cookin' (not on the menu) that can end up on a regular's plate. Thank god you can still enjoy an after-meal smoke (go to hell fascists) while watching some sports or shooting some BS with the patrons at the bar. A true Chicagoan spot.
Now if the strip joint behind it was still open..
The Holiday is a great little spot that is perfect for a quick lunch or your "every day" work lunch. Prices are extremely affordable, and as a frequent diner, I can honestly say that I have never had a bad meal there. The owners run the place, and they take great pride in doing so by providing great customer service at a speedy pace.
They recently remodeled to take the "divey" feel out of it, it is a very nice decor with early 1900 pics of Chicago. The recent addition of plasma and LCD TV's with satellite was a nice touch.
Sandwiches are always good, the soup is always tasty and the fries are often very hot. We actually call them "Core Fries" because nuclear power is the only thing that could cause Potatoes to get this hot and not burn. They always have excellent specials that change every day. They serve a mean breakfast too, if you're up that early.
My personal daily sandwich is the Chicken Breast on a bun, but I switch it up from the Mayo and Mustard and have two sides of Tzatziki, a Greek Yogurt and cucumber sauce. Excellent! I usually open the meal with a bowl of Chili topped with cheese and onions.
Enjoy!
It's your grandparents bar with above average bar food at decent prices. The Monte Cristo is fantastic. Drinks are strong and well priced. Always a game on the TV and very friendly staff. It's a nice escape from some of the other pretentiousness of the neighborhood.
i stopped here before the yelp marche dinner thing. it was AWESOME!! great people and i'll sure as HELL be back!!!
AWWW YEAH.
Tried this today. Solid. Ham and Cheese sandwich has real off the bone ham. The chili reminded me of Detroit style Coney chili-and that's good.
This easy-to-miss little restaurant is a great place to get a good meal in the city. Its not super fancy so you're not paying for any frills. All you get is some good food for decent prices. And they have plenty of parking spaces nearby, which adds another bonus to this great find!
This is a tiny (and sometimes too smokey) place in the West Loop. The people who work here are salt of the earth and very nice. I enjoy their fried cheesesticks and chicken fingers appetizers. They also have some nice salads and many other tasty items to choose from. I think they still do a happy hour on Thursday that features lite snacks.
A classic and divey place that serves affordable and tasty food. Nothing fancy but it's in a great location. I like this place a lot and try to get there whenever I visit the Windy City.
i work on randolph and it is super convenient to hit up holiday. it feels like a hometown bar. as a matter a fact, last time i was there the bartender bought me and my friends a round... i guess just for being good customers. if you go here, get anything that comes with the steak fries. yeah!
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