I've eaten at Benchmark Chicago over the years, specifically for brunch, and have always loved it. Most recently, I went with friends during the day for drinks and light bites. It never disappoints. The food is always amazing and perfect for sharing and the drinks are always delicious. It's a bright lite space, especially upstairs with the natural light shining through the windows. This makes it the perfect vibe during the day. The music is always good and they have tons of TVs during the day for football and other events to watch. It's perfect for large parties, because the big space can accommodate multiple people at big tables. Service is always great and you expect a great time! read more

Benchmark Chicago - Loaded Chicken Nachos - Sports Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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food: the wrap was good bar food, perfect for a pregame service: staff was nice ambiance: the music was insanely loud, it was a saturday but we were there at like 7 wanting to do a pregame dinner and it was just too loud for conversations read more

Benchmark Chicago - Crispy Chicken Tendie Caesar Wrap - Sports Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Love the outdoor space. Pretty good food and options for the table. The drinks are fairly priced and servers tend to be quick! They also have trivia! read more

Great Brunch at Benchmark! I love how light the space is. We had good service at the bar. The breakfast crunch wrap was huge and very filling. Side of queso was great. Highly recommend! read more

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Love this place! I haven't been back for a visit since before the pandemic. Went here for happy hour after work with a few coworkers. We're so glad we did, it definitely didn't disappoint. We went on a Tuesday, and luckily, made it in time before happy hour ended. Ordered drinks and half-off appetizers. I had the Lychee Martini, which was delicious. A perfect combination of sweet, bitters, and alcoholic. Then we shared appetizers, the shrimp, broccoli, and fries were all delicious. Very good 10 out of 10. Highly recommend coming here for happy hour, dinner, or brunch. It was a pleasant atmosphere. Additionally, there was a trivia game night, with prizes being given away, and the music was good. We had the best server. She was very attentive, knowledgeable about the menu, and made sure she delivered excellent customer service. read more

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Loved the drinks we tried here! Overall a fun place for a group of friends - especially for their happy hour. The lychee martini was great and the service is quick and friendly. Would definitely go back to try the food! read more

Benchmark Chicago - Sports Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

As the North Wells Street/Old Town area of Chicago is reestablishing itself on the food scene, benchmark has stepped out to the front. With a redesigned space and new menus, they're definitely a place to check out for happy hour, dinner or when you can grab their lunch. Also to be noted-they have space for private parties AND have some pretty fun events for the holiday season. I'm all about space and comfort and there is lots of room here and it's decorated so cute The upstairs area looking down over the entire space is pretty cool and there's a bar up there! I have to give honorable mention to the Thai Chicken Wings - those flavors were hitting and my guest loved The Benchmark Burger; it has a house ground brisket, short rib and chuck patty blend and my girl loved it! Other new menu items include their Boom Pow Shrimp , Greek Salad, Hummus and more! It is definitely a cool spot to grab lunch, have happy hour after a loooonnnggggg day at work or to catch dinner and a game with friends. Check them out and tell em that Bri from Planes and Plates sent you! Enjoy! read more

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Updated review for benchmark 2.0!! I used to come here a lot before they upgraded and changed their menu, so it was fun to come back and try it! The space feels very similar to me but slightly cleaner and nicer, some updated / modern touches to it. Peanut butter banana espresso martini - I love all things pb banana so I needed this, it was really good! Didn't get much banana but the peanut butter was definitely bc they put screwball in it. Really good ratio of foam and a quality espresso martini, but I wouldn't say it was anything crazy different than a really good classic espresso martini. Definitely well made and worth a try. Trio of dips - first of all the presentation of this was PHENOMENAL (reference the photo). I liked the variety of dips and veggies which were all super fresh and had some unique additions such as radishes and broccolini. Not your average veggie tray. Good seeded crackers too! Chicken shawarma - kinda like a salad but in a giant pita, would have appreciated the pita heated up. This was good but nothing crazy special. The sweet potato waffle fries though!! These are the same as they had before, but they added a caramelized onion dip for them which was probably my favorite part of the entire meal. Benchmark is not your average bar food and has really good prices! Great casual spot. read more

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Came here for trivia but I am so glad we stopped in early enough to take advantage of happy hour (ends at 7pm). They have half priced appetizers (along with drink specials) and the portions are huge! The nachos and hummus were especially delicious but the tempura broccoli was notable as well. The hummus is probably the best hummus I have ever had, loved how lemon-y it was. And you get a ton of veggies to dip it in. It's great for groups as well, since you pay via the QR code on your table and can easily split up the bill by just paying for what you ordered. We had a couple slight issues getting something other than what we ordered but it was pretty busy and we had a large party + it was remedied as soon as we pointed it out so I appreciated that. Mistakes happen and they were great about correcting it. read more

One of the best chicken Caesar wraps I have ever had. Sweet potato fries were delicious too. Our serve was so sweet and the atmosphere for college game day was unbeatable. Highly recommend read more

Benchmark Chicago - Crispy Chicken Tendie Caesar Wrap (Featured) - Sports Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Fun place with very tasty fries, incredible margs, and fun trivia Tuesdays. I will definitely going back sometime soon. The service was prompt and friendly. read more

Benchmark's menu said HANDHELDS come with a side, but none was served. Manager Ang blamed a menu error and wouldn't honor it without charging. Awful service. Julia, our server, was amazing ... SHE DESERVES A RAISE!! read more

Benchmark Chicago - Menu - Sports Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I hate to make this review because i really wanted to give this place a great review... but the staff just ruined the whole place. I went there with my fiancé and we literally were there for one drink on Friday -- the waitress at the bar took our order, didnt even look us in the eyes but took our card and the place wasnt even busy because mind you it's the day after thanksigivng. After our ONE DRINK we had to leave to another location to meet our friends. It was at the other location that he realized he left his card at Benchmark! We went back to Benchmark -- he went up to the same waitress who was there still and told her nicely that he left his card -- she looked for it for a few minutes by the register, he even gave his driver's license so she would know the first and last name of the card, but she came back, and said she couldnt find it -- the weirder part is she immediately got defensive, she said "once i give it to you it's YOUR problem" to which he was calmly said that he NEVER GOT THE CARD BACK. She kept repeating herself that the card wasn't there, to which my fiancé got the manager of the location. I wish i knew her name to drag her here in my review because she was so mean. The manager came up and he wanted her to look for the card, which she did and literally within 20 seconds SHE FOUND THE DEBIT CARD. as you can imagine, being accused by a place of not having your card after you came to the establishment and spent money is very frutrating -- but to make matters more frustrating a bunch of security guards were ganging up on him to make sure there wasn't going to be a problem which was so weird to me because we just wanted the debit card back. it was the weirdest thing i've ever experienced -- i am shocked that there was an attitude from start to finish and just a very weak "im sorry" from management after we spent money and tipped very well. make sure you get your card back people because they could care less to check for it. (oh and they didnt even card me on the way in so it's no wonder there are a bunch of underage kids in the bar) read more

Nachos were 10/10 and espresso martinis were yummy. The bar service was good, it wasn't too busy when we went. The remodel is great! read more

Benchmark Chicago - Loaded Chicken Nachos (Featured) - Sports Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

We came in on a Friday night for happy hour which is from 5pm-8pm. For people driving in the from the burbs good place to catch some drinks, and half priced salads. It was my first time and it's a very spacious restaurant, big bar, huge TVs, and a rooftop (that was closed for the season). We started with high noons (part of happy hour), charcuterie board and the mezza board (half off). The mezze board was so good and def a good portion to share or good for one. Overall, it was a great experience and a great happy hour to catch! Our bartender could use help, the bar got packed real fast closer to 6pm. read more

Benchmark Chicago - Mediterranean Mezze Board and Charcuterie Board - Sports Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

The atmosphere; upstairs was cool; the rooftop was spacious, modern and very cute. Music was good, pretty sure I saw a DJ behind the tunes. Drinks were solid. I had the chicken sandwich which was tasty and juicy, love the aioli sauce. The Man was not fond of the buffalo rolls, a little too salty. Unfortunately the service was trash. We waited probably an additional hour in total for our waitress every step of the way, from the moment we sat down until waiting on her to bring the check then receipt back. It was awful and we still played nice but knew we wouldn't be back. The same "DJ" we saw, or maybe she was just controlling the playlist, idk but I hoped she wasn't in management because she walked past us numerous times as we waited for water, drinks, food... etc. Good Luck read more

Benchmark Chicago - Cocktails - Sports Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Carolynn is amazing. And the food and ambiance is great! Thank you for a fun football day!

This place is amazing! Billy, Carolynn, Ally and Joe made our holiday outing more than we could've asked for..and we got to decorate Christmas cookies! read more

Benchmark Chicago - Sports Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Awesome experience. The chicken Caesar wrap so good and same with the BBQ wings. They have a ton of TV's for game day. It's super new and updated now. Will definitely be returning! read more

Came to watch some NFL football and they have a great outdoor setup and great service. One of the few downsides was how they weren't playing sound for the games. We ordered the pizza and we were pleasantly surprised that it was thin crust pizza with my favorite crushed sausage. It was fantastic and I would definitely go back for the pizza! read more

I had the best Sunday with my bartender Julia she was so funny and so awesome. I love benchmark. This place is the coolest!

Victoria was so helpful! Didn't have any food, but drinks were great! Very fun time, Victoria very nice!

Great bar for a large group! We come here on Tuesdays because they have a running deal with the Chicago Sport and Social club which is great. After our volleyball games, we are able to come right in time for trivia which is so fun! Would definitely recommend a trivia night here. The drinks are standard and can be a bit on the more expensive side for a sports bar unfortunately. Food is decent but not the best. This is a place that you come for the fun environment and trivia not specifically to eat and drink something that will be mind blowing. read more

Great food. Very good cocktails. Loved the ambiance for watching college football. The crowd is very good! read more

Benchmark Chicago - Sports Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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bomb dot com happy hour, my favorite thing after a long day at work and to celebrate the START OF SPRING & SUMMERS literally so happy that the sun sets at 7pm now HAPPY HOUR is Monday to Friday 5pm to 8pm , for: - 50% OFF WINE -$5 DRAFT BEERS -$5 HARD SELTZERS - @truly @highnoonsunsips @whiteclaw - 50% OFF SALADS - southwest -$10 NACHOS & BOARDS -Huge nacho platters, & delicious mezze & charcuterie boards _________________________ ALSO ORDERED: - CUCUMBER GIMLET - waiter recommended this, delicious alcohol forward cocktail , packed with cucumber flavor. Nice and refresh & gives you a good buzz - HOT SOPRESSATA LARGE PIZZA ($15) . Freaking $15!!!!! - SMASH BURGER ($16) - super juicy & humongous . We got this with tots but you can get fries as well - BONE IN CRISPY WINGS ($13) - we got hot & spicy, you can get buffalo, bbq, & habanero bbq as well with blue cheese or ranch - SKILLET COOKIE ($9)- best skillet cookie of my life. Chewy and crispy on the bottom, soft and chewy in the middle, topped with whipped cream. We ate the whole thing never seen something so good , esp in Old town) so good _____________ 1510 N Wells Street, Chicago IL FUN STUFF: (1) They have raffles every 2 hours and you can win tickets, beer hats etc. It's super fun (2)Reserve a table through @sevenrooms Or download the 4C app and get 1 point for every $1 spent (3) Upstairs area available for booking too since I saw platters & a closed off area., great for corporate parties or personal birthdays, meet up point for parties/barhopping etc. (4) also saw people coming in with their laptops, lots of TV's to enjoy the games & happy hour by yourself read more

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Went in to the restaurant during happy hour on Friday. The food was delicious and came out fast. The drinks were good, they gave options for happy hour ranging from wines to seltzers. We sat at the bar which only had one bartender, so it did take a little time in order our 2nd drinks after we received our meal. Overall, it was a good happy hour experience. read more

Benchmark Chicago - Southwest chicken salad. - Sports Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Amazing place to hang out or rent for a party. As someone who's done both, I can safely say this place is worth a visit. The staff and managers are really solid people. The service is always exceptional and the food is delicious is well. The negative reviews make 0 sense to me as I've frequented this bar for several years. read more

I hate having to write this, but I had a bad experience here recently. I've visited this bar before so I decided to go back. The last time I went, I ordered a vodka soda with lime juice (which I haven't gotten at this specific bar before). I was surprised when the tab came back at $16.69, since I was trying to save money by getting what is usually a cheaper drink at most places instead of getting one of the $13 martinis. I double checked the price with one of the bartenders, just to make sure that I had not gotten overcharged (since that's happened before at other places which has quickly gotten resolved). I asked if my drink was usually more than one of their cocktails. I was not complaining, it was genuine confusion. The bartender said it was not a mistake and that the drinks there were expensive. He then proceeded to ask me where I'm from, alluding that I am not familiar with Chicago prices. Other than the fact that I have lived in the Chicago area my entire life, my friends and I found it odd that he was resorting to asking me that, implying I was ignorant about where I was. I even told the bartender I understood it was not his fault about the pricing, I just wanted to make sure, to which he replied "No, it's not". He then took my water cup and asked, "Is this your water cup?", took my glass and started filling it up as he said "The water is free", in an extremely rude and off-putting manor. Everyone that witnessed it was very caught off guard and it made the situation extremely awkward. My friend even tried to give him another chance by asking him if he was meaning to take jabs at me through what he was saying. I would understand being snappy in a situation where a customer is acting very rudely, but I approached the situation nicely, only to feel like I was getting attacked out of nowhere over a situation where I didn't feel any of it was necessary. Still giving the place itself 3 stars because the other staff was very nice to me and I enjoy the bar, but this bartender really rubbed me and my friends the wrong way, and made us not want to go back here for awhile. read more

Bears lost, Packers suck, food is awesome, bartenders are fan-f**kingtastic, get the hot sopresatta melt!!!

Haven't been in a while but they still got it! The manager (AJ) helped us get our game on the TV and managed a big crowd for Wells St Art Fair. Vibe is still killer here read more

I had my wedding rehearsal here in the back upstairs area and it was perfect! The food was fantastic and the ambiance of the venue was incredible. Everyone enjoyed their food and the venue. The service was also great and very attentive! read more

I came here Saturday morning with my brother for brunch. They carded us at the door which I thought was odd but I guess it was just in case we ordered alcoholic beverages. We both got the Breakfast Burrito ($12). The side I chose was sweet potato waffle fries and my brother got tater tots. The portions were very generous and we each had leftovers to take home. I really liked the sweet potato waffle fries I got! The Breakfast Burrito was good, but could have used some more flavor/spice. The only complaint I have is that service was a little slow and it took some time before we were given water and checked on. read more

Benchmark Chicago - Sports Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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I was excited to visit Benchmark after all the recent improvements, and the new menu looked promising, but I ended up being really disappointed by the food. I got the shrimp lettuce wraps and the benchmark caesar, both of which were very underwhelming. The lettuce wraps were incredibly bland. Service was okay but pretty slow. The espresso martinis were good, though! I'm sure it's still a fun place to go out for drinks later on in the night, but I think they might be better off if they stick to bar food and cocktails. read more

I went here with my friend Connor a couple months ago and we tried the duck empanadas, I really liked them so I ordered them again. It's a slow roasted Duck leg with sea salt, its more gamey, and I prefer it over Chicken. But, I do love chicken wings, so we also got the Thai Chili wings with pickled chili, peanut sauce, mint, basil and lime. We also tried the grilled halloumi salad, the Mediterranean flavors really blended well together and was a great healthy option. For the main we had the chicken shawarma which was very reminiscent to the grilled halloumi salad, but definitely had more protein. I am a huge fan of lobster rolls, and shout out to the chef for not making this mayo based because I think lobster rolls should be mainly butter and lobster. Extra points on the perfectly toasted and fluffy new England roll, and for the side you should try the sweet potato fries with caramelized onion dip. read more

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Stopped by to check out the new benchmark tonight after years of living in old town. Asked for a classic benchmark shot, a peach vodka bomb. Young, male bartender with glasses looks me in the eye and says "If you're looking for a drink like that, go to fireplace." thanks dude. i'll bring my business elsewhere. read more

Stopped here on a Friday afternoon on our way to Dom's to pick up some groceries. I got a cocktail without realizing it came in a can... but I guess that's on me for not knowing better? My bf ordered an aperol spritz and a charcuterie board. What came out was not so much a charcuterie board but a sad platter of cold cuts/cured meats and weak cheese. The highlight of the board was the pieces of toast. So. Yeah... won't be back for sure. The server was attentive and friendly though! read more

My sister and I were in the area for a free yoga class over by Lincoln Park zoo. Afterwards we decided to grab something to eat. We took a walk through Old Town as we have visited restaurants in the area previously. We decided to check out Benchmark as it was really inviting and their menu had some great quality choices. We walked in and were asked to show proof of age. We seated ourselves and found a spot right by the entrance and across from the bar. Our waitress came over after a few minutes with some water and asked if we were looking for anything to drink in particular. I was saddened to find out that they did not carry cognac, however, they did have a few whiskeys available. We decided not to partake in any alcoholic beverages and stuck with water. After looking over the menu one more time, we decided to go with the mahi tacos, Brussels sprouts, and chicken quesadilla. The mahi tacos were amazing!! You get three they come in a flour shell with a little slaw. You also get your choice of regular french fries, sweet potato fries, or tater tots. We decided to go with the fries & they were absolutely crispy and delicious! The Brussels sprouts!!! Let's talk about the brussels sprouts!!!! They were absolutely the best tasting brussels sprouts I've ever had in my life. They were roasted perfectly, smoky, sweet and crispy! I'm definitely giving these a 100 out of 10!!! Now the chicken quesadillas...that's a whole different story. I'm not sure if it was the habanero barbecue sauce, or the mixture of the corn and the black beans, but all together it was a no for me! The texture, the flavor, none of it excited my taste buds in any way shape or form. I definitely do not recommend All in all our experience at Benchmark was great and we will definitely be back for those brussels sprouts and tacos and I also wanna check out their wings one day!! Check them out and tell me what you think! read more

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Always a lovely bar when I go watch sports and go out. I recently came to watch football and got food, which I didn't expect to be SO GOOD. The menu is amazing and service never disappoints. read more

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Located on the lively Wells Street in The Old Town neighborhood of Chicago, Benchmark is a vibrant sports bar with two levels. Good music, bar food, and drinks. Fast & friendly service. 5 out of 5 stars. read more

From the moment we stepped in, I could tell that we will be back soon. The huge screen you can see on my first picture got my bfs attention. I was never able to gain it back haha. We went on a Monday for the football and it was my type of place. It was us and another 10 people. Ofc on the weekend this place is insanely packed so I don't go there. The food was surprisingly good! The Brussels sprouts were probably my favorite part of the meal - sweet and salty and crunchy. My southwest wrap was with portabella mushroom and it was good. I was only unhappy with my sweet potato fries because they were cold. My bf got the southwest wrap but with chicken and he said a solid 4/5 and I agreed with him. Overall, this place could be very affordable (if you don't drink haha). I ended up paying $95 post tip with 3 drinks, one appetizer and two entrees. read more

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