Twisted Spoke: User Reviews

Gone South
By Art from Lincoln Park, April 11, 2008

Overall rating:

I was never a big fan, but appreciated it for what it is. However, over the last 6 months the place has really gone south. It is filthy, the food is cold, and the servers don't know what it means to provide service. On top of all that, it is expensive for bar food. I will never go back. I expect it will close like all the other endevours these guys have gone into (T2, Bone Daddy, etc.). What happened?

Awesome Blood Mary's!!
By jess7278 from Chicago, IL, March 21, 2008

Overall rating:

I've been to Twisted Spoke a few times and the only reason I keep going back is because they have awesome Bloody Mary's (as ridiculous as that sounds). The food is mediocre, nothing special, and the service is pretty horrible. I don't remember ever having a good server there. Honestly, if I didn't like their Bloody Mary's so much I wouldn't keep going back!

Bad service=never going back.
By Catererer from andersonville, February 7, 2008

Overall rating:

Living close and liking the rooftop deck, we have gone to TS a few times, and have enjoyed decent service and good food. Last weekend, however, was abysmal, and we'll never return. Our server spent more time apologizing about how slow the service was than actually serving. She worked her way to our table for 10 minutes, stopping at each table on the way and putting her tray down (with our drinks on it), chatting about how slow things were moving, calling everyone "friend," and eventually made it to us, lukewarm beers and ice-diluted sodas in tow. Several tables arrived, ordered, and left while we still waited for our not very complicated lunch order to arrive (burgers, chili, onion rings).

The funny thing is that no one who worked there seemed to notice the growing frustration and, finally, anger. My boyfriend, having waited for his second drink for quite long enough, thanks, asked for the bill, and cancelled the drink; she brought the drink with the bill, saying, "It was just sitting there on the bar..." Really? The fact that she saw nothing wrong with mentioning that the drink had been sitting there is indicative of the carelessness of our server and, indeed, the rest of the staff.

Near the end of our experience, our server, while taking an order from an adjacent table, sat down in an empty chair. Sat down. Is this TGIFriday's?

We'll never go back.

Poor Service and LOUD
By AGoodCook from River West, January 15, 2008

Overall rating:

Unless you're into LOUD head-banger music while attempting to converse during your meal, you won't be happy here. There's no safe haven from their semi-damaged speakers. The servers MAY eventually take your order; up for grabs; they're usually too buy looking to see who's looking at them. When it first opened years ago, it was great for the first year. Additionally, he 'FATBOY' burger (which WAS awesome in the beginning) has gotten smaller with a larger price; thus, we don't even bother ordering it for pickup/take-home.

What is going on????
By Sammy Baby from Lincoln Park, November 29, 2007

Overall rating:

Me and my friends have been going to the Twisted Spoke for a few years now and over the past month or so things have really gone south. What happened??? The portions seem smaller and the prices are higher, with tax it was like $12.00 for my tuna melt and it was not even melted, the cheese was cold. My friend had the chicken burrito, the meat was hot but everything else inside the burrito was cold, so...his food was maybe room temp. How hard is it to serve food that is coming out of a kitchen at a hot temperature? As well the place is a mess these days. They are under construction and the dinning area has no decor or atmosphere, it's cold and gloomy in there. The Twisted Spoke did not used to be like this. It used to be a cute, kitchy place with above average bar food, now it's overpriced and sad. Service was good, that's why I gave them one star. Our server tried to make the best of a bad situation. Beer selection was pretty good as well, that was worth one more star.

My experience on the rooftop...
By Holly from Chicago, IL, September 3, 2007

Overall rating:

My experience on the rooftop of this popular River West joint was a positive one overall. Twisted Spoke is a proud greasy spoon that doesn't pretend to be any more than that. Whether you're

recuperating from a hangover or just in the mood for some fried goodness, it's worth a visit. We were there for lunch and our servers were all extremely friendly and attentive. The food was very tasty, but the portions are huge, so bring a healthy appetite with you. We'd recommend the BBQ nachos, Buffalo Chicken Sandwich, and the Tuna Salad Sandwich. The fries were great-but I don't think I put a dent in them. I've never gone for drinks at the bar, but am looking forward to checking it out soon.

I had a lousy experience...
By Abby Sullivan from Chicago, IL, January 22, 2007

Overall rating:

I had a lousy experience here. Never going back again. What a waste of a night out that I'll never get back.

Big fan! Went for dinner...
By Bob from Chicago, IL, December 12, 2006

Overall rating:

Big fan! Went for dinner and was lucky enough for it to be a Monday. Had the Meatloaf special, it was way better than I was expecting. Thought they would serve the usual bar fare - no flavor frozen crap, instead everything we had tasted and appeared to have been actually cooked on the spot. Service was kind and accomodating. Again, a surprise considering he was pretty laid back and we figured he would be slow. Happily surprised by the entire experience. glad I met my buddy there before the Bulls game. Will be back for sure.

really bad brunch.Nice atmosphere,service was...
By B from chicago, il, August 16, 2006

Overall rating:

really bad brunch.Nice atmosphere,service was fine,really bad food.$12 steak and eggs,grisly,dry,bland,bad ribeye hiding as a ny strip.overcooked poached eggs and bland potatoes.Maybe there are better items but mine was unetible and I eat anything.