Had a wonderful meal there today. The blackened shrimp po'boy is very tasty and generous. And the…read moreside salad topped with quinoa was dressed with a delicious red wine vinegar with citrus. I'd return the next time I'm in Oak Park or Berwyn.

Kettlestrings is a great local bar with solid food and a welcoming neighborhood feel. It is a…read moresmaller space, so when it gets busy it can feel a bit tight, but we went around seven on a Saturday night and were able to get comfortable seats at the bar. They carry our favorite beer, Allagash, which was a nice bonus! The food was very good. Cheese curds to start, yum! I ordered a burger that was cooked perfectly and full of flavor, and John had the chicken sandwich, which he also really enjoyed. Everything came out fresh and well prepared. The corner location was quiet when we visited, and while it is winter now, the outdoor seating looks like it would be fantastic in the warmer months. I also loved learning that Kettlestrings is the name of the founding family of Oak Park. A thoughtful, well done neighborhood spot that we will definitely be back to.

Food is delicious. I have never sat inside but have done carry out only…read more The delivery service is on point because they do not outsource which is key.

I really want it like this place. We keep coming here every couple of months and have continuously…read morehad poor experiences. Food is fine, drinks are fine, but the service gets worst and worst. Food came out cold. Only got 2 drinks over an hours period with only a couple of people in the place (nearly 15). Tired of going to osullivans and duck fat but wanted go try down the street. Tired of being right about the disappointment of this place.

Michael's is splendid, the food is tasteful and very good, the service is very fast even when their…read moreunder staff and when there is lots of people, the place is very nice and is very lowk and chill.

Italian beef is SOLID!! Nice flavor, giardiniera is a bit scarce but nice mild heat. Would…read moredefinitely say it's one of top 5 beefs in Chicago IMO albeit I have a long personal list to plow through. Not sad about this beef. Give it a go fine people... give it a go

DEAR GOD WHAT DO YOU PUT IN THE TENDERS id eat a hundred pounds of those things if i had to. Also…read morenice place cuh. And the service is lowkey fire shoutout to that one girl.

Back in for lunch recently and it's nice to see people on this strip during the endless…read moreconstruction. Food is unchanged - you'll find burgers and sandwiches and mac and cheese options. Kid had a build your own burger without complaints. The husband felt that the smash burger was not a true smash burger and wished he ordered something else. The Turkey BLT was fine, but the bacon was a bit slimy - I couldn't figure out if it just soaked up water from the lettuce or why it had that texture. Also our waiter was keen on having us order a plate of sweet potato fries for the table since everyone's order came with fries but when we agreed, we never got them. Only regular fries were on the plates. Not sure why the upsell if you'd just forget to put that in!

Inattentive staff. I came in thirsty and hungry.. i left thirsty and hungry…read more i sat at the bar (the only one at the bar for the most part) . The original bartender disappeared without taking my food order . I had to get the attention of the following bartender to order a goddess salad w no onion. The salad came with onions, (no big deal I'll pick them off). Finished said salad and beer (not once was i acknowledged during that time). I sat there with an empty beer glass & a plate with onions for about 10-15 mins. At this point no one else is at the bar.. (early eve 730).. the bartender scraped off plates into the garbage directly in front of me several times yet failed to look up every single time . She finally returns , grabs the plate , scrapes off the onions and asked if i'd like anything else . (she took the order, she should have noticed and acknowledges the onion error ). I opted for a short pour but i would have ordered a burger and at least two more beers had there been any presence of customer service. (This doesn't fall just on the bartender, there were several opportunities for others to notice a patron at the bar with an empty beer glass and empty plate for too long a time). Management and Staff need training. Pros: Salad was great but small. Beer was great, nice selection.

I was meeting someone at One Lake who had arrived before me. I was impressed by the interior, it…read morewas well decorated and looked like a nice neighborhood bar on the inside. However, I was very disappointed by our service. I had arrived minutes later and we never received a second menu. After waiting for our waiter for about 10-15 minutes we asked for a second menu and were able to order drinks. Both drinks we ordered ended up not being available, so we ordered others. I gave two other options, and a different waiter brought us our drinks. I am not sure which I received, and was unimpressed by the pour in the glass. When a third waiter came to take our order after another 20 minutes, the food came quickly and was very tasty. However, no napkins were given to us. So we had to go up to the bar to ask since again, no wait staff came to our table. We had to ask for our check after sitting for quite a while after finishing eating. After not doing anything with the check for another 5-10 minutes, we were able to pay. In the meantime though, a busser came and took our plates and water that we were still drinking. Overall, our food was quite good, the french fries were really thin and well salted. But I'm not sure I would come back due to the poor service. Maybe they were low on staff.

Good service. Great food. Forty years of patronizing and have tried many of the specials Always…read moregreat food.

I heard so many good things about their Italian beef. I finally made it in and can confirm it is…read morefantastic. Everything about it hit on all cylinders. Very flavorful with a good chew and the perfect heat with their giardiniera. It's one of those sandwiches that once you pick it up, you can't put it down. Reasonable priced combo meals, will force me to try more of their menu. Friendly staff that keeps the line moving and short wait time for the deliciousness. People are slobs and they didn't get a chance to tidy up while I was there.

Had a great time dining in this restaurant. The chicken was really fucking good. We had two young…read moreladies help us it was her birthday happy birthday! and they we definitely fucked with them they were good peoples. We definitely coming back.

Staff was very friendly and I got my order quickly. Looks like most people order to take-out but…read morethere is plenty of seating indoors. Quality of food is good but lacks flavor. My favorite part of my meal was the fried pickles. We ordered cajun fries but got regular fries which was disappointing. I would be open to going back and trying other items on the menu.

Real dive but has serious potential to be a very happening place. The old school vibes form this…read moreplace being around since 1926 definitely is there. The fried mushrooms were ok. The burger was solid and good size. The turkey BLT was great especially the bacon. The service is a little awkward. There is only a bartender and a waiter. The only beer on tap is Irish beers, which was a disappointment. Once the crowd builds, that will be a great local place. They are obviously doing something right to have been open since 1926.

So let's get down to brass tacks here. There are a lot of burger joints. or joints that like to…read moreserve what they call burgers. Some are decent burger joints with good, sometimes exceptional burgers. But it's difficult to find a great burger in a joint filled with character and characters that fill it daily. I have been in this city my entire life and I am intimately familiar with its offerings particularly the street food scene, i.e. burgers, dogs, tacos, beefs, ethnic street foods etc. That said I had never heard of Goldyburger's until a friend of mine who grew up near and worked there it dragged me there. I had driven by this nondescript bar too many times to count and never even noticed it. But it's no surprise as its been there literally 100 years so it fit right into the neighborhood landscape. I mean, even though it's technically in a suburb, Forest Park, the L train goes there and the bus goes there and you can easily drive as it's right off of the Eisenhower and Harlem ave. I am ashamed to say I had never been. So we pulled up and there it is this old bar storefront a relic from Chicago's past when politicians were called 'Hinky Dink and Bathhouse John'. When you enter it's like stepping into a timeworn or a museum. You can hear the old voices whispering in the booths. The furniture and decor is clean and well taken care of but attractively aged. I think it's all the original stuff from way back when the brothers Goldstein open a bar in the spot in 1926. I tell ya, being in there immediately made me feel like I was transported back into the past. The dining area is large and with excellent family style seating. The bar is old school Chicago, reminiscent of those I grew up in and the taverns in the neighborhood that the folks would take us to, every barstool filled with a different unique character. The kind of people that all had nicknames they earned for one reason or another. Not like today were people give themselves nicknames. The decor all original. Out back, the patio, is an immense, tree filled courtyard fun to hang out eat in and drink in. I mean, it's hard to put into words the character this spot has, as long as it's survived it deserves more than any words I can offer up to describe it. These days and for the past 4 decades plus it's owned Mike Sullivan and family who i had the pleasure of meeting and chatting with. The menu is straight forward on laminated double sided sheets. That's all you need because the proof is in the pudding so to speak. It's in the food offerings. We started with the breaded and deep fried Cheddar Cheese Balls. Really good with really excellent flavorful breading. But hardcore bar style grub for the hardcore. Yes they are deep fried, yes they are filling and no I won't even go into how heart healthy they may be. But man they're good. They are kind of like last meal electric chair food. That kind of good. They have some great offerings, ham n cheese on rye and homemade potato pancakes and quality Chicago style bar food (not enough props is given to real Chicago bar food, it's a very real food group) to a Friday night fish fry. I went with the original Goldy Burger with cheese. You get your choice of cheese and pickles, lettuce, tomato and a healthy side of house cut steak fries on the side. The burger is excellent, a good old school diner burger. Believe me they're not that easy to come by. A burger and a side of character even harder to find. The cheese is nicely melted and covers the patty. The LTP is fresh and crisp and just enough so as not to disguise the beef. The beef patty is what stands out, thick, juicy, cooked correctly. Now this isn't a smash burger, no, this is old school diner or picnic burger. The kind that brings you back to being a kid, the kind a lot of love goes into. Goldyburger's is that kind of burger. You can tastes the love they put into it. You feel like you're on a picnic in your own back yard on their large, airy patio. The fries are really good and stand up to any fry I can think of. If you could see my belly you would know I'm not afraid of a fry or two. I washed this excellent lunch down with my go to an unsweetened Iced Tea. My friend washed hers down with a couple Vodka Tonics which are available as it is a bar. That's an added benefit for many folks. A few folks on the patio were enjoying beers with their burgers. I think what does it for Goldyburgers beside the fact that they have great burgers and enough really good offerings to keep everyone happy is the love put into it. This place is obviously labor intensive and Mike the owner holds old school service and neighborhood in high regard. It's about the generational business they do here. I noticed he knew most everyone who walked in. As a side note, it's no surprise his daughter Bailey Sullivan is a huge hit on America's Top Chef. Growing up at Goldyburger I am sure didn't hurt. You gotta try it!

I needed something very specific for a recipe, it's so hard to find guanciale to make carbonara!…read more Carnivore was about the 10th place I called and they right away let me know they had plenty! As soon as I walked in, I saw so many goodies I knew I was taking home. They had a very well curated selection of fancy condiments from small makers, rare ingredients, and the highest quality version of many every day foods! Everyone behind the counter was so friendly and knowledgeable. I had to try one of their sandwiches and got the salmon po boy at their recommendation. It was really well seasoned and super fresh with a very generous slice of fish on it. Definitely coming back for another one next time I'm in the area! Thank you so much for great service and products!

Carnivore in Oak Park…read more This is a butcher shop and fish market that also sells sandwiches I can't really decide if the old time decor is by design or if the place is really needing an upgrade. I actually think it's the latter. It's a lot smaller than I imagined with very limited seating. We went here for the grilled salmon sandwich. We had seen many online reviews saying it is amazing. They make the sandwiches right in front of you, so you know that they are fresh. We took our sandwiches to go and by the time we got them home , they were cold. The fries traveled well, but again they were also cold bu the time we got home. The grilled salmon sandwiches were very good, but not great , and I really would have loved to have eaten it warm. Prices are on the high side for the butcher meats. But I guess you should expect that since they are an artisanal butcher. I did not like the look of some of the meats in the cases. Would we go back? Maybe to try the Bacon Burger. But we would definitely recommend eating your food in the butcher shop and not taking it to go. I have just found out that that are moving into Carnival Grocery in Oak Park.

One of the best burgers I've ever had. The bone marrow was really tasty too, I've never had it…read morebefore

Au mother Fugging Cheval -- A Burger That Actually Lives Up to the Hype…read more The Spot itself has major aura and swagger. Hard to describe but you just know you're at a very important place but that doesn't take itself too seriously. There are burgers that are good, burgers that are great, and then there's Au Cheval. I went in with pretty ridiculous expectations considering this place has been called one of the best burger spots in the world...and somehow, the burger still delivered. That's rare. The patties were insanely juicy and perfectly cooked, with that beautiful crispy, caramelized edge you want from a great griddle burger. The combination of the melted cheese, creamy sauce, onions, pickles and that ridiculously buttery brioche bun was borderline unfair. Rich, messy, salty, savory and completely indulgent in the best possible way. And that bun deserves its own mention. Soft enough to absorb all that glorious burger juice without completely falling apart. The whole thing is constructed like someone actually understands what makes a burger great. Is it the best burger I've ever had? I DONT FUCKING KNOW. but I completely understand why people put Au Cheval in the conversation for best burger in America, if not the world. The hype is real. This is a fucking burger. 9.7/10