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PitchFork
Rating Details »
Categories: American (New), Pubs [Edit]
Neighborhood: Irving Park2922 W. Irving Park Rd.
(between Francisco Ave & Richmond St)
Chicago, IL 60618
(773) 866-2010
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good for:
- Dinner, Late Night
- Music:
- DJ, Juke Box
- Best Nights:
- Thu, Sat, Sun
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Smoking:
- No
- Coat Check:
- No
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19 reviews for PitchFork
Eh...went there last night because I also live in the neighborhood and was excited to see a new place open up. Food was pretty good, but kind of pricy...ordered their $4 bloody mary and swear there was like no booze in it and the celery stump in it was DIRTY which was gross....wash the f-ing celery people damn.
It was too hot in there also.
If they ran some too-good-to-pass up specials I may go there again...maybe not....not sure.
I was excited to see a new place open up so fast after the Ecuadorian place closed down....from what I hear previous owners sold bldg and new owners didn't want them.....bam.....2 weeks later owners of the Blue Light Bar open up Pitchfork.
Riding by on my bike I could see through the big glass windows the decor and plasma tvs and I knew I had to check it out!!
I asked a mgr to switch one of the tvs to the Bulls game and he said no problem but never did it. World Series was on and the Hawks were playing but still it was the home opener!!!
Country music was playing very loud...which is cool for a country bar...but I got the impression that it was more of a restaurant than a bar. I sat at the bar and the bartender was pretty cool. She talked me into getting the ribs saying they were half off the normal $20 for a full slab....they charged me $12. I got the fries as the side, they brought me waffle fries and tried to charge me extra for the waffle cut.
Bartender pretty much abandoned me once I said I wasn't ready for another drink until I had to ask for the check and then I pointed out the errors on the check.
Manager walked around greeting everyone but me and this other dude at the bar as we were by ourselves.
Ribs were about average but I will say they were better than Weber Grill's full slab!!
So decor, plasma tv's, and distance from home get thumbs up while service, avg quality of food and poor management get thumbs down.
As for the reviews about the Pitchfork Food and SALOON not being "kid friendly", I like that fact. I like being able to go to a bar and not see a mess under the table because some kid shredded his grilled cheese sandwich. Or to be able to have a conversation and not have a child screaming or banging the silverware. Why does every place have to be "kid friendly"? Can't we have an adult friendly eatery to ourselves? Sorry, bad kid experiences this weekend.
The only bad thing is that it is really too loud in the bar. They need to turn down the music a little unless it is a weekend night. The $3 burger - AWESOME!!!
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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10/23/2009
As someone that has been craving a local bar for 2.5 years, this is a welcome addition to my… Read more »
Love it! This is somewhere I wouldn't mind spending a lot of my time at. First of all the waitress was phenomenal, we were a huge group of about 15-20 and she was always on top of things. Her name was Nicole, just like me maybe that's why I liked her so much! We went through about 8 pitchers of Sangria, and they went through at least 5 buckets of beer and then everyone was on there own. It was my birthday and my friends husband and it was just so much fun. It wasn't too loud, it was packed the entire evening!! I did way more drinking then eating but I tried one mini pulled pork sandwhich and it was so good, even better then Smoque down the street!! I work right down the street so I plan to definitely give this place some business!!
Great service! I liked the Panko crusted chicken tenders and the fries but had to ask for mayo twice! Otherwise nice addition to the hood! Cuming up here in 60618 !!!! Great!!!!
I'm giving Pitchfork the benefit of the doubt on my first visit based on the great service and specials, but my main impression after leaving is that this bar merely represents the westward push of grownup-yuppieville North Center/Roscoe Village. Maybe it just needs to be lived in a bit, but it seems to be straight out of the "neighborhood bar" section from Target.
What Pitchfork needs is purpose.
It purports to be a "whiskey bar" but if the brown is what you are after, why go anywhere else but Delilah's? The chalk board is confusing: labeled a broad "Whiskey Selections" but listing only bourbon labels, and nothing really top shelf except for Woodford (you can do better than Knob Creek). I was impressed with the inclusion of Buffalo Trace, but there was no Rip Van Winkle, Eagle Rare, or Bakers. And I am certainly not paying $7 for Jim Beam White Label or Makers.
The food was filling, yet disappointing - and out of place. The menu tries to give a downhome tavern vibe, with comfort food faves such as chili, ribs, and mac n' cheese; yet it clashes with room's cookie cutter, clean-cut newness. The greens were fresh in the salads, but the steak in mine was too salty. The mac n' cheese tasted processed (the pasta itself was great though), and the crinkle cut fries seemed to have originated in the freezer.
However, there is lots of room, and big comfy booths, which accommodated our group of four just fine. We played Wednesday night team trivia which was very entertaining and well run, and the 1/2 price wine special, bottles and glasses, kept us there. The service was very friendly, polite, and prompt.
Monday's are $3 burger night, I believe. BTW, a comment on Lauren C's review below: there were at least a couple Goose Island beers on the list, including the fantastic "Matilda."
I plan on giving this place a second chance, but I don't think it will rise past much the likes of Riverview Tavern or O'Donovan's. However, those places have established clientele which imbue ambiance that an unoriginal menu and prefab decorating can't. If Pitchfork's service and specials can keep people coming back, it may just grow past the sum of its parts.
It's pretty hard to screw up a grilled cheese sandwich... but, uhh, Pitchfork, you did!
I, like may others, was excited by the flashy sign out front and the prospect of a new bar in my otherwise barren neighborhood.
Unfortunately, the beer and food selection was weak, my meal was poor (cold grilled cheese and undercooked ore-ida crinkle cut french fries made me sad) and the decor was contrived and cheesy. We also had the misfortune of dining on a Thursday, Country Music Night (the poor servers even had to wear "cowgirl" outfits). Huh? I know I'm desperate for new places in the hood, but not desperate enough to ever go back to Pitchfork. :(
I think that this place would do well in the middle of nowhere or even on a college campus, but it doesn't seem well-suited to the area. As a matter of fact, places like Riverview Tavern kind of blow this place away.
My PROS & CONS are definitely based on my needs for such a place in the area. As a matter of fact, some of my CONS may be PROS to some of you.
PROS
friendly waitstaff and very sweet busboys
nice-looking establishment with a presence that pops along Irving Park
Very clean and new
CONS:
NOT KID-FRIENDLY AT ALL: Sort of surprising given so many bars do whatever they can to bring in families. Chicago is full of moms and pops that like to enjoy a lunch and a beer with the kiddies post-soccer in a bar, and then come back later once the sitter's in place to tie a few more on for Date Night. There are no highchairs, no boosters, and every table is elevated so you can forget just pulling up a stroller.
WEAK MENU: Not too many choices and DEFINITELY not enough vegetarian options. We ordered grilled cheeses which were listed as having Monterey Jack and Cheddar and, I kid you not, it was filled with Kraft American singles. Geeeeroosssss.....
SLOW SERVICE: Said grilled cheeses took entirely too long to get to our table. The place was practically empty, so we didn't understand the holdup.
My verdict? Definitely seems to be geared to the Trixie/Chad set.
It was great to see a new place open on this stretch of Irving. However upon entering our ears were blasted with a US 99 promo evening, which was so loud that we couldn't have a conversation, our server (who was great) even complained. The whiskey they had on the board was kind of a joke for a place that tries to position itself as a whiskey/bourbon bar. I mean trying to extol the merits of Evan Williams as something special shows they don't know what they are doing. Given all the great bars in Chicago with great whiskey/bourbon selections (5 star and twisted spoke), this seemed amateur. The pours were weak too.
Went back on Saturday for $4 Bloody Mary's. The weather was gorgeous so sitting at the bar with the big windows open was really nice. The drinks were good enough but kind of small. Bowman's has $3 Bloody Mary PINTS on Sunday. I had the edamame (which I knew was a weird choice), and it was a little overcooked and not salty enough. My friend got the BBQ chicken egg rolls and they looked awesome! The bartender was also really nice. There were enough people in there (including a couple with a young child, who managed despite lack of stroller parking and high chairs *rolls eyes*) but it wasn't packed or anything.
Verdict: I'll keep going to PitchFork every once in a while because it's two blocks away from my house, but there are about a zillion better choices that are a short bike, bus, or car ride away.
Also, if the owners read these, DO BRUNCH PLEASE :) Then it may be 4 stars!
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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10/21/2009 First to Review
This place just opened today. I first noticed it on Monday when I saw the sign being put up. I… Read more »
Popped in for lunch and got a pulled pork sandwich and 2 beers for $20(could've gotten a way better lunch type deal at a number of other bars). My food came out on an unganrnished plate that just had the pulled pork on a bun and some meh crincle cut fries. It tasted OK but all in all, was just a sad looking little plate. This place is has an all around generic type feel to it.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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10/25/2009
Ah, a little bit of Wrigleyville comes out West. Popped on by for a nitecap on a Sat night. Typical… Read more »
What the pitchfork needs is a cook that can cook great food, The ribs way too much pepper, the pulled pork dry, the meatloaf spicy, dry with a thick outer crust, the music way too loud. The service seemed good, great decor, the cole slaw and bread pudding were pretty good. I give the place 9 more months.
good luck!
So, this place is straight out of the box new and, in my humble opinion, doing a fabulous job. They're the first ones to open up in the neighborhood (on this scale) so I think that they can be given some slack on some of the kinks of being a brand new place. Yes, I've heard the music pretty loud but that's been corrected. I've also gotten some Mac-N-Cheese that was sub par but I'm very impressed by just about everything else that I've had from the menu (RIBS are phenomenal, chili-mac & brisket sandwiches were good, french fries weren't crinkle cut and were actually really tasty).
I've met some of the neighbors that I've never seen or spoken to as well as met up with some of the neighbors that I see often. All in all, it's a good atmosphere where the real decor is the people around you, not the pictures on the wall, etc. Previous reviews are correct in that it's NOT kid-friendly but I don't know of too many Saloons that are. Personally, I wouldn't be going in there if it was. Also, to the people complaining about country music on Thursdays -- there is a sign out front that says that Thursdays are country night ! Maybe, if you don't like country music, you shouldn't have gone in ?!?! I've never been a big fan but I've come to like it. Also, the employees dress the way that they want to and nobody is being made to wear anything.
The bartenders and waitresses have all been great with the exception of one bartender that barely said one word to me -- not even to ask if I wanted another drink (not really a people person ??). Two of the three managers are also really cool and are definitely active and interested in the customers. So, overall, about 95% of the staff is excellent.
After being opened for only three weeks PitchFork is doing a more than respectable job. Beers will be probably added and some of the food changed or modified once they get get some feedback from the patrons and get a better feel for the neighborhood. Happy to have them in the neighborhood and looking forward to going there more.
**My apologies to Eric F. as I was sitting at the bar, by myself, next to another guy who was also by himself. We had just asked for the World Series to be turned on. They did have the Bulls and Blackhawks on. That may have been why they were slow in putting the Bulls back on when you asked for it because they just changed it for us. But, they eventually got the TV situation worked out. Sorry !!
Like many others, I was excited about an addition to the neighborhood. The place looks nice enough, and the servers are mostly attentive. The food is pretty mediocre (I agree about the messed up grilled cheese sandwich), and the beer selection is nothing to write home about. Pitchfork salad is passable, but the mac and cheese is really quite bad. And if you're going to serve pulled pork less than two miles from Smoque, you'd better be coming at me with something better than the dry, barely flavored version they're offering.
What really irritates me is the noise level inside. With high ceilings and huge windows, sound bounces around in there like crazy, and the music is too loud to hear someone right next to you. I'm no senior citizen, but they should realize that people won't stick around too long and order another drink or dessert if they cannot hold a conversation.
Hey! People! Take these reviews to heart....people live and work "west," like the Montrose and Central Park area...Open even so-so places and we will come. I swear.
Complaints can be made that Riverview can do the same thing as here only better.
Bet people that say that can WALK to Riverview or any number of places.
Bring it west people...bring it west.
While the decor looks promising and it's great to have a restaurant in this location, Pitchfork is a real letdown. The menu is light on selection. Our food (mac and cheese, burger) was only so-so, and the service was downright terrible. Not only was our waitress inattentive, it seemed the other servers were also. They were much more interested in chatting among themselves than paying any attention to customers. Management has a lot of work to do to get this place up to par.
This place is great...we live in the neighborhood and were very excited to see a new bar come in. We will be there to support it as well as tell our friend in the area and those who aren't. They have an extensive list of whiskey, which I don't drink but my husband liked, and they have a great drink list. We haven't eaten there, but their food specials look good and we will be there for lunch or football Sunday! They have country night on Thursdays which is just awesome! I plan to make this a regular spot and recommend people to go; it is just what the neighborhood needs! Oh, and the waitstaff were very nice.
lemme start by saying i WANT this place to be good. i've also gone 4 times already, hoping it will be better... we're 3 blocks away, *dying* for a few decent bars/restaurants. so far, so bad.
no high chairs, no veggie burgers, and as others have mentioned, the grilled cheese at my son's preschool is more sophisticated.
the whiskey: crappy pours. at least they have buffalo trace and a few other basic offerings, though all overpriced.
the atmosphere: was bearable, though we sat at the bar twice waiting for drinks and waving our hands wildly to get a first drink. Most of the staff and even the owners are very nice, and are trying, but the first week of business was shaky.
then came friday night. bad, bad, bad, really bad country music. (sorry, i hate it.) and then they turned it up really loud, so we screamed over each other to talk... as if that wasn't enough, they served really bad/goofy college-bar shots - part of some promotion along with a dj giving up carrie (puke) underwood cds.. double puke.
then there's the funny part that these dudes didn't know about the *other* pitchfork in chicago. yes, i'm an indie db, but c'mon, how could you not have maybe googled the word a few times before you pick your bar name....
not impressed, please fix it. we will support a little longer as we beg for nightlife and a few more decent restaurants in walking distance... I'll be happy to hand-carry printed yelp reviews if it'll help.
#1 feature is the sign outside. any ?
