Fireside Restaurant: User Reviews

We frequent Fireside and love the outdoor patio and atmosphere. However, we were recently there for our first Sangria of the summer and let me warn you, one pitcher of Sangria was $28!!!! Ridiculous. We had two pitchers and an appetizer and our bill was $79. That is insanity! The Sangria is good, but that is a rip off. It is not an expensive drink to make and it's cheaper to buy it by the glass. The price is also not posted anywhere, so we were shocked when we got our bill. Lesson learned for us, but you don't have to make the same mistake!

Ambiance:

Food:

Service:

Value:

Report This Review

I go to fireside fairly often and I honestly can say its my favorite neighborhood bar in the city. I never have had dinner there so I can't comment on the food but the bar and bar staff are always great. Even when they lose one of there very likeable bartenders they quickly plug in another equally likeable character. The drinks are resonably priced, its open as late as Chicago will allow (which is great for us "industry" people) and theres always entertaining and nice people either working there or sitting at the bar. An honest to god hidden gem. If you like over crowded clubs and trendy people stay away. If you like to sit down and talk to friends while watching sports highlights...its the place to be. Thanks Fireside!!

Ambiance:

Food:

Service:

Value:

Report This Review

I had dinner for the first time at the Fireside this past weekend.(11-1) Being new in the neighborhood, I had heard about the place and figured I'd check it out. The waitress suggested that we try the calamari, and I must say, it was the best I've ever had! For dinner I had the Blackened Chicken Pasta, which was great. My date had the Blackened Catfish, and it was also quite good. We skipped the dessert and headed to the bar where the bartender whipped us up an awesome chocolate martini. We will definitely go back, probably on Tuesday when they offer half price wine bottles. I loved the place!

Ambiance:

Food:

Service:

Value:

Report This Review

I had heard good things about this place had even seen a local commercial. The sevice was ok. I ordered the catfish (over seassoned). When I got the bill they had charged me .75 cents for tartar sauce. I asked my waiter about this charge and was told they this was a automatic charge, I asked to see the manager. When the manager came over he told me there was nothing he could do. Now don't you think that if a customer asked to see management regarding such a charge they would just take it off the bill., not this guy.
He could have just has well said deal with it and then walked away. I will never go back to this restaurant and will tell as many people about my experience as possible.

Ambiance:

Food:

Service:

Value:

Report This Review

We were at the Fireside this weekend and it was fantastic!!! The ribs may very well be the best in the city and the calamari was spectacular as well. The service was friendly and efficient. The place has a great beer selection, and the bartender Abe really showed us a great time and made us feel at home. This is the type of place you can take about anyone--from a date to a bunch of buddies hanging out for the evening.

Ambiance:

Food:

Service:

Value:

Report This Review

Jeez, this last guy wrote a whole novel about a chicken sandwich. I've never had that sandwich in particular, so I can't say, but everything else I've eaten (or drank, for that matter) has been phenomenal. The cajun chicken pasta is great. Their pizza is top-notch (particularly the Mexican pizza). And they got a great rueben. I should also mention their beer selection, which includes an extensive list of Belgian ales and microbrews. 5 stars in my book. Check it out.

Ambiance:

Food:

Service:

Value:

Report This Review

My fiance, a friend, and I had dinner at Fireside last week. it had been recommended by numerous people, and I had heard about the place for years without stopping by. We'd been looking forward to it.

The place was huge. They have a large dining room, a large bar, and a large outdoor tented patio area. They weren't very busy so we got seated right away, and got a pretty good choice of where to sit.

The beer selection is grand. There are a lot of microbrews and little known beers. They have all the regular massbrews too. The only problem was that the server was reasonably new and hadn't familiarized himself with a lot of the selection. This was easily forgiven as he was able to get the info we needed from the bartender quickly.

The girl ordered ribs. They were okay.

Our friend ordered beer. Just beer. It was fine.

I ordered the Grilled Chicken Sandwich. In the darkness of the patio, it looked okay. I wasn't sure, but thought it may be a little off. Indeed it was undercooked (still pink in the middle). I knew it for sure after one bite. The texture was off and the inside was barely warm. I removed the bite I had taken from my mouth and returned it to the plate. When the server returned to our table about five minutes later, I told him of the problem. After he asked me a few questions on how I knew it was not cooked fully and confirmed that I did not want it replaced, he took the plate back to the kitchen with his apologies.

I called the restaurant later that evening, and talked to man who apologized, took my information, and told me the owner would be calling me back the next day. That day came and went without a call. I called the next day and talked to a manager who told me matter-of-factly that in sixteen years of working there she had never heard of anyone getting undercooked chicken from their kitchen. This struck me as slightly odd since another friend of mine, who orders delivery from Fireside on a regular basis, was vomiting and had diarrhea for a week after he recently ate one of their Cajun Chicken Sandwiches, and had called in previously as well speaking to a gentleman who didn't seem to care but told him that the information would be told to the manager.

The manager apologized, took my information, and said that she would pass it on to the owner who would then call me back. It is now three days later and I have not received a call.

I didn't want or expect anything free or such from the restaurant for my problem, but I certainly would have appreciated a returned phone call.

Ambiance:

Food:

Service:

Value:

Report This Review

After reading a review in the Onion mentioning the Bloody Mary bar, my friends and I decided to head over to the Fireside this past Sunday. While the atmosphere was cozy, (complete with a lit fireplace) and there was no wait, the service was poor and the food was average. It's hard to truly rate the food because by the time it came, mine was at best lukewarm. It took longer than necessary to get our drinks and it was obvious by the food temperature that our waitress must have either been too busy to bring our food when it was ready or had forgotten about our table.

Ambiance:

Food:

Service:

Value:

Report This Review

Firedside is definitely a cool casual place to hang out, GREAT beer selection, lots of tv's for sports, etc. They're also open till 4:00AM, I think. As far as the food goes, it's just ok. To be frank, I think they try to get a bit "fu-fu" with some of their menu items and it doesn't quite cut it, especially for the price. Just stick to the basics. Their appetizers are good and their mashed potatoes are actually excellent. As far as the service, it's fine, though some of the wait staff are a bit strange. What can you do. Anyway, check it out. Definitely a good place to hang and chill with friends.

Ambiance:

Food:

Service:

Value:

Report This Review

Wow... Great beer selection and great staff. I just heard about this place from a buddy that's a local. I didn't sit in either restaurant sections but it looked pretty cool. I sat with some friends in the bar section watching the Cubs play. My only big complaint is that the bar stools are throwbacks from the 50's and probably were made back then because my back is still hurting!!!

Report This Review