Chicago Ale House: User Reviews

Wonderful Experience! Top Notch
By teefa from Ravenswood, September 20, 2008

Overall rating:

We love the Ale house for its great beer selection as well as the great food. We have meet the owner Tommy on multiple occassions and has always been such a gracious host. I threw my husbands suprise party here and Tommy went above and beyond! Food, Balloons, Cake & Decorations!! All of our guests were so impressed and everyone had such a great time. I would recommend this place for any gathering or party. It is also a GREAT place to watch a game...

Great Variety, Great taste
By VH from West Suburbs, September 8, 2008

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The food was great, had a great time with the big group I came with. Amazing variety of drinks and food. I tried a lot of different dishes from all over the menu and was not disappointed.

Fantastic Food and Great Beer
By rando from west suburbs, August 2, 2008

Overall rating:

I went with a mid-sized group and we ordered a variety of entrees to share. All of the food was really good, but the Thai food was great (and this is from someone who lived in Thailand for 3 months). The service was good and "tommy" the manager or greeter or part owner, was a lot of fun. The beer selection was AWESOME and reasonably priced. Recommended for people who don't have problems making up their minds in the face of several choices...

Bad food, slow service
By Gnat from Lincoln Square, July 26, 2008

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My husband and I ate at the Chicago Ale House last night and were very disappointed by our experience. Service was slow--our glasses sat empty, food came out of the kitchen at a snail's pace (our server had to reassure us that our meals were coming--never a good sign) and then sat on the table congealing after we indicated we were done, the check didn't appear for ages. The food itself (we both had pasta dishes) was bland, boring, completely uninspired and overpriced. There are so many great places in the neighborhood where you can get a really top notch meal for a reasonable price--why waste your time and money here?

Terrible
By len1k from North Park, May 10, 2008

Overall rating:

The beer is very expensive and the food is terrible. They are supposed to be known for their Thai food, but my chicken was very dry. I can find authentic, inexpensive, incredible thai food elsewhere. The waitstaff isn't on their game. It took 10 minutes for us to get our beer!

Poor service and bad food
By Bridget from portage park, April 12, 2008

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I went to Chicago Ale House last night with a party of 10. The space was comfortable, the host "Tommy" very gracious and the beer menu was impressive. I loved the "Delirium" beer w/ it's 8% alcohol level! That's all I have to say that was positive. I don't know but our waiter was overwhelmed or tired, our party had to keep asking the hostess or another passing waiter to get a drink. Even a refill of water was difficult. Food came out very slowly, our waiter kept bringing only 1 plate at a time for 10 people. The last one served had to wait 10 minutes longer! I had the salmon which was dry, very salty and served with raw carrots, not undercooked but raw. Steaks were well done when asked for rare, my husband ordered the filet w/ garlic mashed potatoes and was given a very small piece of meat w/ lame french fries-no explanation of the switch of sides. Even the wings were disappointing, small portion, sauce just okay. The menu is wierd w/ the burgers, salads then Thai food thrown in. Suprisingly, one of the guests at the table loved her pad thai that she ordered while the other 9 of us were very disappointed with our entrees.

Awsome
By loveit from lincoln park, March 6, 2008

Overall rating:

I really enjoyed this place. The beer selection, food, and service were awsome. The people who hang out there create a fun environment. Kudos to whoever built the place. Its a cool place to go with a group of people. And it wasn't even that expensive compared to a lot of other bars in Chicago. I might have to become a regular!

Warm Beer and Cold Service
By loco from Ravenswood, February 20, 2008

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Went there last week and I the place was empty. Sat at the bar and there was no service person around until 5 minutes later. My first pint of beer was warm beer. I asked for a domestic bottle and they did not have it in stock.

I will never go there again. This place will be closed soon

See ya,

Josh

Great neighborhood place!
By Sarah from Lincoln Square, February 8, 2008

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This place is the perfect addition to the neigborhood. Great beer selection, wide open space, and really good food. The menu is eclectic, and everything I have tried has been good. Try the pad thai! It's a fun hang-out that's easy going.

Nothing Special
By TWarn02 from West Rogers Park, February 6, 2008

Overall rating:

The food is your average bar food. The service is below average. Was there the other night and only eight tables were being used. It took a good 10-15 minutes for server to ask if I wanted another. Hard to tell if this place wants to be a sports bar or a restaurant. Better places in the area. Oh yeah, hard to find parking as well.