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Came here after a wedding on a Sunday afternoon. Great staff, and an awesome selection of suds to choose from.
They sell smokes here at the bar, which is awesome. The only thing that keeps them from the 5 star rating is that they don't take credit cards. Weak.
We left Market because if poor service and rode the bikes around the corner to TTR. Thanks for being there! The beer was cold and came quickly. The wait staff fast and attentive. We started with a humus plate, the humus itself tasty, the pita chips fresh and the accompanying celery and carrot stick tasted like they were just picked from a garden. Just one very minor suggestion...don't place the hummus on a be of lettuce. I'm not ordering the appetizer to work at eating it. Again a nit, but thought I'd share.
The menu is simple, but the BLT (me) and the Turkey Club (her) had the some of the freshest components I've ever had on a sandwich. The tomatoes were so big and tasty you had to pull them out separately and eat.
I've had several friends brag about this place, good wait staff and excellent bartenders...I'm glad the boneheads at Market gave us the chance to find out.
First time--didn't like it at all.
Second time--loved it!
Favorite dish--cobb salad
Favorite drink--BLOODY MARY...it was delicious.
Quiet and low key, nice outdoor patio.
I came here with a group of work friends for a birthday outing. It was half price appetizers and $3 you call it pints that we thought we should capitalize on that. The space is long but comfortable. We ordered everything on the appetizer list: chips with pico de gallo, onion rings, 2 kinds of wings, 2 order of tavern fries, hummus, and 2 sliders. It was a lot of food for 4 people! The apps were tasty. The fries had parmesan and garlic but I really couldn't taste it. The total bill for the food and 8 beverages was around $40. Not bad at all! I like the feel of the place and would suggest going on Wednesday to take advantage of their deal! But be warned! Cash only.
I honestly rather enjoyed it. 4pm on a Friday, not too busy, not too dead. Had a club sandwich, enchilada soup, and a side of parmesan fries- all of which were quite good. Service was fast and attentive. The atmosphere is a little more upscale than the typical sports bar, and the bathroom didn't reek of urine (always a plus).
I hate crowds, and I especially hate them when I'm in a small, dark enclosed place. So in a way, I feel like me writing a review of Third Rail is like a vegan writing a review of a steakhouse.
However, I will admit that the service was friendly (but slow), and the mini-burgers were yummy. Perhaps if we went on a night when we had some elbow room, I might have even enjoyed it.
I had to take it down a star. After leaving Beer Bistro, stopped in to grab another drink before heading home and there was absolutely no service whatsoever at the bar. The place was pretty empty except for a few couples towards the windows in the front. My friend and I literally sat there for quite some time while the waitress who was working at the time walked past us a few times. She never said a word, no "i'll be right with you" or "someone will be with you shortly". It was like we were invisible, so we got up and left.
My friend and I were just driving down Madison looking for a bar to stop at and Third Rail looked… Read more »
another one of those "meh" places, but i'm willing to give it another shot.
had lunch on a sunday here with my mom and the bf. i ordered the turkey wrap - big mistake. could have gone to dominicks down the street and purchased turkey, a pack of kraft singles, and a bag of pale iceberg lettuce and made it myself. should not have ordered it (i panicked when the waitress took the order) and won't again. my mom and bf liked their food tho - burger and the sandwich special that day.
server was friendly and prompt. nothing special about this place, but weekly special ads looked like some good deals could be had monday thru thursday...we shall see!
I wish I could give this bar zero stars, but it's not an option. The "main" bartender, who seems to be on steroids, is the worst bartender in the city. Go to crossroads, beer bistro or westend... all great bars on Madison to avoid this nutjob!!!!!!!!!!
good drinks, good food, good bar staff, what more can I ask for? Decided to give Beer Bistro a break and checked out 3rd Rail. Tried the turkey wrap and tavern fries. Rick the bartender was right, Tavern fries are where its at! Prices are reasonable. I think I found a new hang out!
My coworkers and I have officially become regulars at Third Rail. Lunch, after work drinks...we are known by name at this point.
Get the burger with Merkt's cheese on it. It's awesome. I usually go with the plain fries, but the tavern fries (parmesan and garlic) are good too as are the onion rings. The buffalo chicken wrap is good and huge, and the sliders are juicy and good too (with the Merkt's on them).
They have hired a couple of new waitresses who have a bit of an attitude problem, and one of them is just plain dumb. When only one person at the table orders another round, you shouldn't look at us dumbfounded trying to figure out whose beer is in your hand when you drop it off.
A different newbie knocked my purse on the floor the other night and didn't even apologize. I also asked her if there was a way to get just a small side of fries with my sliders (otherwise you get a huge plate of them for $6) and she said "I mean, I can bring you fewer fries, but it will cost the same." Interesting that, being new, she didn't even say "I don't know, let me ask about that." When the owner delivered my two coworkers' food, one of them asked him if I could get two sliders and "mini fries" and he says "Sure, I'll throw some fries on there, no big deal." And of course he didn't charge me for them.
Love this place and most of the staff, and once the new waitresses figure out how important we are (kidding) all will be well again.
Their 'winter' atmosphere is great--cozy, dark, and full of nice smelling candles. They could stand to turn the music down a notch, though.
I am still a bit miffed that they raised the price of the Goose Island seasonal special from $3 to $4. Doesn't seem like a special at all, anymore...
Sure, the service is a little slow when you are sitting outside, but for $3 Goose Island Summertimes… Read more »
I've warmed up to this place the last year, perhaps they overcame some opening jitters. Still loud, but not over the top. Also, the foods gotten better, and the menu expanded beyond the basic beer-food. A good stop for a drink or three,
Still has some issues to get over: it being a new bar in the neighborhood. Loud and obnoxious seems… Read more »
I liked the mini sliders, reminiscent of the ingredients in white castle's but more upscale. The buns were tasty, the cheese was odd but had great flavor, and the caramelized onions and pickles perfectly completed the burgers. The beer menu is better than average and the patio is small but works...
Good food for real, but no Honkers on tap! Seems like a good draft list and good food are mutually exclusive in this neighborhood. Being a local, I'd visit this bar a lot more if the music inside wasn't blaring so loudly. Don't know what's up with that. It's almost like someone turned off all midrange, most of the bass, and cranked up the treble! We're talking ear-piercing! TVs are nice but are high enough up in the air to give you a kink in your neck if you watch a game from the bar. Otherwise, Third Rail is our #3 or #4 on the list if other places in the neighborhood are too busy.
I stopped by the Third Rail last night to meet a friend, grab a bite to eat and catch up.This place came recommended to me by someone who hasn't steered me wrong yet and this was no exception.
The Third Rail is beautiful. Long (at least 40 feet) dark wood bar, high tops scattered about, a tin ceiling and exposed brick walls make this a great place to sit and have a drink with friends.
My friend was running late so I had some time to sit and chat with the bartender who was great and who made me feel welcome right away (I hate walking in a bar by myself!). She introduced me to some of the other people who were seated around me so within minutes I felt right at home. When my friend finally arrived- they treated him like he was a "regular" at the place which is just what I would expect from a neighborhood bar like this.
The menu, while smallish in nature, delivers some pretty decent food. We both had the patty melt, some of their special Parmesan cheese coated fries and the onion rings. The sandwiches were great-served on marbled rye with lots of cheese and sweet grilled onions with the burger being delicious and cooked perfectly.
There are daily specials- last night it was $3 Goose Island Beers, $4 Jack Daniels and half price appetizers up until 7pm. They have a wide range of vodkas and their beer list has a good selection of both imports and domestics. I would have expected the place to be busier on a Wednesday night but most of the crowd left before 8 so there were only a handful of people in the place which was fine with me as it wasn't noisy and there weren't people yelling over my shoulder for a drink.
I found the music to be a bit eclectic- it was all over the place in terms of genre, artist, etc. which I liked. When I asked the bartender about it she explained it simply, "It's the owners ipod on shuffle". Actually wished I had met the owner as his taste in music was right up my alley.
So will I be back? Absolutely. In this area of the West Loop- there are lots of choices in bars, but while I once felt a bit like Goldilocks deciding where to go, I may have found my new favorite. The WestEnd? Too loud. Jaks Tap? Too quiet. But the Third Rail? Just right. See you there.
I love the west loop because there are so many choices, all of which are acceptable. There are a few that stand out, and I'm sad to report that this is not one of them. It's not bad, it's just not a rock star by any chance. Their martinis are very good, but that's balanced out by their okay food. I had the portabella caesar salad and it just wasn't that good. Their fries with the parmesan are really good, but you shouldn't make a whole meal of fries, ya know? Okay, it's no Black Beetle, but it's also no Jaks Tap either. I'll stop by there if I"m in the neighborhood, but I certainly won't go out of my way to visit.
I went in around 5-6pm on a Tuesday for some quick burgers. Nothing fancy, but it was clean and seemed very nice. Our waitress was fine on her service. Not too many people, but she seemed attentive to our needs.
The food was great though. Specifically the tavern fries with parmesan and garlic on it. From my other reviews, I'm a french fry fanatic which means I'm not a skinny rail. :P Buffalo Chicken wrap was good too. My wife had a Chicken Sandwhich was just as good. They have a 2-6p 1/2 price appetizer menu which looks great.
Nothing special, but had tasty food. The service seemed alright to me, but I wasn't into a hurry for anything. I was watching the flat screen TVs and talking.
We have gone here a couple times since we have moved into the neighboor hood and everytime the bartender has been rude.
Also, it is very dark and the music is not of my taste. The food is decent but expensive.
I don't like this place because I came here with a friend of mine on a Monday night after seeing the Beer Bistro was packed. There were like 9 other people in the bar besides us. They have a huge selection of liquors and the specials were okay. The problem with this place? How is it that the bartender ignores our empty glasses when we were 2 of 3 people sitting at the bar? I was actually going to eat there too but after we steadily got pissed that we were being ignored we left. Better we go to WestEnd a place we already know and are comfortable with.
A great addition to my neighborhood-- I will never recommend it again though. The bar is beautiful, they line up all of the pretty liquor bottles with colored lights behind them, I like it. The lighting is low, the food is good. A little pricey for neighborhood digs, but whatever. Totally solid joint that would've gotten 4 stars until, the story.....
My friend Suzy and I went to third four times during the first couple of weeks they were open. We ordered a lot of drinks, tipped well and met and chatted with the bartenders, managers, and owners. We were all on a first name basis-- great, right?
Well, last Saturday at 9:50 we decided to begin our night. We rushed through the freezing, slippery, ice and snow to go to the bar that we felt most comfortable in my new neighborhood-- Third Rail Tavern. We walked in, found a place at the unusually busy bar, and ordered our drinks. We were settled in.
Within moments, one of the "Third Railers" that we were now on a first name basis with, came over to talk. He shared with us that there was a private party going on for his best friend's birthday (who we knew as well)... So we went over to the Birthday boy to give him our best birthday wishes.
After our birthday wishes, we were pulled aside and told that we were not invited to the party, but it would be over in 10 minutes, at 10 pm, we could wait outside or come back. So, at this point we had to ashamedly grab our coats, and do the walk out with our heads down as everyone watched.
This is not the way to treat regulars at a new bar! If they had stopped us at the door, I would have had no problem coming back in 10 minutes..... But making us do a walk of shame out of our neighborhood digs, NOT COOL. And the disgusted faces we were getting from people as we were walking out, you would've thought we had leaches crawling on our faces. Maybe my pride is bruised easily, but I will not be going back to Third Rail on a regular basis anymore.
This IS the friendly neighborhood tavern. No pretentious attitudes or weakly poured drinks here. I'm a West Loop resident and I have been coming here for the last 2 years. The cheeseburger with Merkt's cheddar is POWER, highly recommended. Quality and fresh food & appetizers, great selection of beers. The service is quick, efficient and they truly appreciate your business.
Great food, love the chicken sandwiches and the tavern fries. Always order the tavern fries, you can't go wrong. Service is usualy very prompt and the music selection is great. Good drink selection and specials throughout the week.
I ordered a side of fries, which I heard were absolutely delicious with the parmesan & the garlic, but all I received were regular ol' fries. Imagine my disappointment. After all the hoopla.
The company was good, though, as we met some of our friends who are regulars here.
I'm sure I'll be back at some point, but if it wasn't for my friends, probably not.
Ya know...we ended up there by accident. Planned on going across the street to Phil & Lou's, but they were closed for a private party.
This review is all about the food and the single Third Rail Cosmo I drank. Burgers were great, they really were. Love the buns that they use, cheddar was great and the side of fries (parmesean & garlic) were so tasty! Loved 'em. I tried the onion rings as well which were good, a little too big and overly breaded for me, but my husband liked them. We started off with the boneless buffalo wings, we got the hot, didn't find them to be very hot, but they tasted great. Didn't like their bleu cheese dressing though, way too sweet.
The Third Rail Cosmo was good. Not great. While it's cute that it has a tootsie pop in it, I'm not the tootsie pop lovin' type...and I wasn't expecting it from a bar like Third Rail and I didn't really like the touch, but hell, maybe someone else would. It's more of a trendy clubby touch I think...
I liked the look of the bar, liked the dark look...the liquor layout on the bar was fun to look at. Our watiress was very nice and attentive. I felt comfortable being there and I would definitley go back. Definitley happy that Phil & Lou's was closed to the public that day or we may have never tried Third Rail. I imagine my next trip will be more of a 4-star experience, so I'll give it 4-stars today. I'll just order a beer next time.
VERY clean and well decorated inside! great-looking bar as well!
AMAZING onion rings!!!!!! I believe they are beer battered?
great new spot in the neighborhood. and it's exactly what the west loop needs in addition to the beer bistro! a nice neigborhood spot w/ good food!
This place is classy and polished. I love the ambience of the mirrors and lights. Everyone here is dressed like they just came from their office jobs. Or they changed out of their suits into their striped shirt/ party dress. Great place to people watch!
The bartenders are awesome. I actually would have felt out of place without them to chat with since I was wearing a t-shirt and shorts!
Nice, laidback bar with a casual, comfortable vibe. The food is better than the average fare you'd get at a bar, though it's still just bar food. My "T Chase" (chopped sirloin sandwich) was quite tasty, though my request for medium rare came out far closer to medium well. Their tavern fries (ie. fries covered with garlic and parmesan cheese) were tasty too but I think they could be even better if they use real garlic and parmesan, as opposed to the powdery stuff that I think they used.
Beer selection is ok -- nothing too impressive but any place with Guiness and Fat Tire on tap is good enough for me. They also have a martini menu that is a bit overpriced for what they are ($12 per martini, $14 if you want them to make it a large). But they do have drink specials every day so you can get away with not spending a ton of money if you're looking to save a few bucks.
At the end of the day, I'm giving this place four stars primarily because of their terrific service. Friendly bartenders who understand the importance of being attentive without intrusive. Depending on what day you go, definitely make an effort to introduce yourself to Ben, the bartender from Australian. Nice guy -- he hooked us up with beacoup free shots throughout the night (I think he was interested in my friend but, hey, whatever works you know?). I'll definitely make my way back to Third Rail again.
I love their hamburgers. In fact, I ate one so fast and ALL of it and it made me barf. Not their fault, the burger was just too good.
Some of the patrons are assholes. One girl yelled at me for standing too close to her table and "looking" at her too much, and tried to involve one of the servers. Thankfully she didn't take it seriously and the fat B left soon after. ANYWAY their fries are great, too.
Third Rail is ok, but it looks strangely like Beer Bistro. Same setup, pretty much. Same atmostphere(minus the beer advertisements).
All that's missing is the beer. Only four beers? Seriously? I had read other Yelp reviews before I went, but figured they may have upgraded in the last few weeks. My beer was $5. My wife's wine (cheapest they have, according to the server) was $8.50. The food was cheap, and it was ok - nothing special, though it was a step up from normal bar food.
I think this place charges too much for their beer and tries too hard with their food.
I think something will have to change with this place - they seem to be having some sort of identity crisis, as it's not clear what they want to be or what crowd they are targeting.
Maybe I'll try it again sometime, but for now if I'm looking for a beverage and a snack in that area, I'll go to Beer Bistro or Jak's.
It's cookie cutter places like these that buy out original places like Ira's. Bring back Ira's!
$3 Goose Islands and 1/2 price yummy appetizers on Monday! Relaxing place to watch baseball.
Just another big bar. Nothing special. Food wasn't spectacular and drinks weren't poured particularly strong. I'll try it again sometime though. The mini burgers were probably the best thing they had!!
I've been here twice. Once when it was their opening weekend, and once tonight. Service here is sketchy--mostly on the REALLY slow side. I was also charged 12.00 for a "large" martini, when I didn't know that there was an option of a regular or a large. Overall it is overpriced, very clean, and has really, really slow service.
I'm internally conflicted about this place.
I come here very often, but I am not a big fan of the "polished look" that other Yelpers have mentioned. I am not a big fan of big screen TVs, that nearly kill any attempts this bar makes at keeping the atmosphere classy and sophisticated. Also, the food menu isn't very impressive.
I am not a big meat eater - and my only options here are:
- a bland grilled cheese sandwich
- a bland salad
- a side of fries
Not very creative! (for a "polished" bar).
So, why do I come here so often?
Well, here it is:
- Schneider Wiesen Edel-Weisse... my favorite beer in the whole wide world, and only a 10 minute drive from my house! How can I resist! The much much more charming and cozy Beer Bistro (just down the street from Third Rail) does not offer this beer on their very extensive beer menu... (I'm crying as I write this).
ps. the service at Third Rail has always been perfect. Very friendly and attentive staff.
I've been here after a few Hawks games and I like it. It does have a tendency to get crowded on game nights (Especially after the second period when the Hawks are getting drubbed, Bill Wirtz.... why I outta ....), but the service is still good. The food is typical of what you'd expect in a bar. The TVs are real HD for those of you who are interested in that.... Oh, and the lights that illuminate the bottles behind the bar are pretty cool
Nice place! Sure can't beat the $3 bottles or drafts of Sams! Really nice people that run this bar. My second time there and I'll be back! If I lived in the west Loop I'd go there more often.
this place was alright. the only thing that sticks out in my mind is that when i tried to order 3 shots that wouldve been $8/each, the nice bartender told me to just get the jager bombs that were on special for $5. thank you nice bartender. i was there with a bunch of people from work at about 5:30 on a friday and we were able to talk to each other and get drinks with minimal waiting. and, when i left before everyone else, i was able to pay for just my drinks despite the group tab.
but, ambience is nothing special and its pretty small. i didnt eat any of the food so i cant speak to that.
average overall.
We go here every Wednesday night before our softball game at Union Park. The decor is nice and there is some outdoor seating, but it's nothing special. Definitely not my favorite place by any stretch. Their food is good, although their menu is kind of limited, as is their beer selection. And the service is adequate, but not outstanding by any means. We continue to go because it is close to Union Park. I wouldn't make a special trip to go there otherwise.
This place needs a personality. The West Loop isnt Lincoln Park. Just 'cause you serve beer and drinks doesnt mean people will keep coming back. It is polished like others have said, but it doesnt have a crazy long beer list like Beer Bistro and doesnt have the posh-sports bar feel of the WestEnd. Its like Kendals or Kincaids, sans drunk 20 year olds and $2 bottle specials. The owners need to figure out how to set it apart from everyother bar that charges $4.25 for a Miller Lite.
We visited the Third Rail Tavern on March 27 at about 5 PM. At this early hour, there were only a few patrons at the bar. My wife and I ordered a cabernet sauv, and it came cold. We talked to our waitress a bit, and she returned with two room temp cabs., all was well. She got to talking and yucking it up with some of the bar patrons, and it took about 20minutes to get our food order in. I thought it was odd that she did not write our order down. I just thought this was the way they did it here.
When our order arrived, 30 minutes later, it was brought by a different waitress. The things I asked for, like grilled onions and bacon on my Blue Burger were not there. Also, she never put in the side order for the Tavern Fries. I wanted to get this corrected, but now our new waitress was seated at the bar enjoying her dinner, yucking it up with the other employees.. I think they need need a little more focus on the customers, and maybe not so much on themselves?
I will say that the food was well presented and very flavorful, cooked to the desired doneness. The ambiance of the room was very comfortable. The service just isn't great. Don't know if I would recommend it just yet.
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Category: Pubs
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Category: Sports Bars
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Category: American (New)
Neighborhood: West Loop
Category: Coffee & Tea
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