What can I say? I dearly miss our old Victory Bar that formerly resided here. I am pleasantly surprised to find a new bar/restaurant here that is VERY GOOD. Good burgers, good old fashioned. The place has folks of all ages (minimal hipster quotient) and isn't loud. We will be back again. BTW - they saved the spinning lamp of old days Update 1/2020: Love this place. The chicken sandwich and reuben are outstanding and they have several varieties of Old Fashioned drinks on the menu. Nice neighborhood venue. read more

Great new neighborhood cocktail bar. So bright and light inside. Fun, engaging staff. A welcome addition to Division!

Excellent fried chicken sandwich. Worth its $14. Bonus points for the ice cream next door. It's nice to go to a bar in this city that doesn't serve you some shitty wedge salad for $18. It's excellent to find one with a memorable dish. read more

I ordered a soda water and it was AMAZING. I have a lot of bubbly beverages in my day, but let me tell you, this soda water is in the top 5% of bar soda waters. Perfectly cold, nice sharp bubbles, the lime wedge they put it in just didn't stop G-I-V-I-N-G. i will have more soda waters in my life but this one will always be in my mind. Kudos. read more

We love the Automatic. The staff was friendly and the food was great - the chicken sandwich and brussel sprouts are amazing! So happy to have this place in the neighborhood. :) read more

Ordered their burger with fries and a cocktail. I've never seen it before, but the burger was both really undercooked and somehow really dry?? Not sure how you can pull off both. Cocktail was meh. I tried the others at the table too and don't approve. Instead of tickling your palate, it just confuses it. Only reason this isn't one star is because they had doggos inside and I got to pet them all. Doggos get 5/5 stars. read more

I came in to the Automatic tonight for the first time since it changed over from Victory bar. I have to say I didn't care for Victory too much as it was super dark, didn't always feel very welcoming and was just never my vibe. I think it has changed for the better! It's still fairly dark but a little brighter than before. The bartender working tonight (Rachel) was super sweet and much more welcoming than any bartender I encountered in the past. I took a brief peak at the menu and it seems much more accommodating to a typical bar goer. I ordered my usual, vodka soda which wasn't too strong but had enough vodka to where I felt I wasn't getting screwed over. I also got the house made chex mix which seemed to consist of only Chex and peanuts but it was perfectly salty to sweet and the right amount for a little snack. Although I didn't order one, the cocktails seemed super reasonable at 10 bucks with decent alcohol. They have a small TV in the corner that was playing game 1 of the world series which I did not expect to see but was pleasantly surprised by. I will definitely come back. It seemed fairly low key and could see it as a good spot for a first or regular low key date night :) read more

Went here for the first time for a friends birthday. Great bar. Good drinks. Delicious french fries. Service was awesome. Will definitely be back. One suggestion, take Uber or Lyft, parking can be difficult. read more

I loved Victory so much, I was super sad it closed. But oh my goodness this new bar is wonderful! Friendly staff. $7 Boulevardier/Negroni Thursday special that tastes so strong and delicious it'd be $15 in SW?? Heck yes! And delicious $7 steak skewers? Hi. I live here now. read more

I really liked it. Staff was friendly, drinks were cheap on happy hour, and small bites were good! Cheaper happy hour food prices would be nice, but oh well! read more

Definitely miss Victory Bar but this has been a nice change. It's a bit brighter inside than before. I've visited a couple times on Tuesday for trivia. Great time and the drink and food specials are solid. read more

They have happy hour all day Sunday which is great. Lots of choices for drinks and beers/cider. This bar used to be another bar...mostly looks the same as the previous one. Very chill place to hang. Had an order of their HH fries and couldn't go wrong. Nothing stood out negative but nothing so crazy positive that I have to go back. read more

So cozy and comfortable on a rainy Friday night. Friendly and happy servers. Good location on division and not pretentious or making you wait in line- they had the game on too and bustled around bringing food and asking if we needed anything ...it was all good crowd and vibe. read more

Great casual bar with rotating beer taps and yummy cocktails. Can't say I won't miss the spatzel at Victory, but as far as a laid-back bar I can walk to, this will do just fine! Bartenders were super friendly, and drink prices weren't bad. Great neighborhood addition! read more

Probably the best grilled cheese I've had. Vegan ranch is bomb too. Cool atmosphere. Think we may have went at an off time as it was quiet and not too busy. read more

Great place! HH 5$ Negronis and Manhattans and Old Fashioneds!! Food was great, music was great, easy going bartender, kale Caesar salad really delicious, happy they took over this spot!! read more

great food and drinks and the service was great too. Funky place,I will return!

Relaxing atmosphere with knowledgeable staff who care about the drink and food. Cocktails are spot on with traditional and non-traditional Old Fashions along with some local signature cocktails. If you like Gin a must try is their "It Ain't Me Babe" it's base is Roku Gin so tasty and fresh! Love that they open up at noon on weekends which is early for Division. Neighborhood corner bar a great addition. Food is varied with script flips for burgers and skewers! The Caprese sandwich is a go to! read more

If you're not sipping and noshing at The Automatic, you're really missing out. This place rocks. The bartender is super talented and always impresses. The roasted Brussels sprouts with kim chee is wild and the burger is absolutely splendid. The place and the clientele have an excellent vibe. read more

The Automatic is a very legit, well throughout bar with everything you could ask for. Albeit it being open for just a week few weeks, it hit the ground running--finally tuned establishment. Fantastic bar tenders! read more

I've been coming back here almost every week for over a year now. It's just a very comfortable place to hang out. I know a previous reviewer hilariously complained about table service at a place that specifically says to order at the bar, but now with the COVID protocols, everything is table service, so that person might like it a lot more now! This place is being very safe. They've added a really nice outdoor area, all the tables are properly spaced and well sanitized between customers, masks are enforced when leaving your table, and then there is that friendly table service. Also, the veggie burger is great. But if that previous reviewer thought it was soggy, I'd suggest getting the veggie patty on the panini instead (unless, of course, you're vegan). Anyway, I love this place. They really care! read more

Wonderful staff. Great drink selections. Lots of food options, including vegetarian! Lots of big tables for larger groups. Great Bloody Mary on the weekends! read more

Thrilled to have a new local bar with friendly bartenders, tasty $5 happy hour cocktails, and surprisingly good food. I particularly like the Mac & Cheese w bacon, and friends raved about the veggie burger and fried chicken sandwich. For a snack they've got popcorn and chicken skewers and beef skewers (and more). read more

Quiet but still lively, service has always been consistent, as have the drinks and food. The satay skewers and beef skewers are the perfect portion for small plates, fries are big enough to share. If you like egg white cocktails try the brilliant disguise. read more

If you liked the Victory- you'll probably mostly like the Automatic. sure- you can see inside the place now- and you're not afraid of what you can't see when you go to the bathroom because they're actually clean. I miss the punk communist vibe but there's plenty of good music that matches anything previously pumped over the sound system. There's not spaetzel- but there's a damn good mac n cheese and a bunch of options I personally always wanted and ended up going other places to get. Not as beer snobby as before but a totally respectable and wide selection- and the cocktails match or beat anywhere else you're thinking about going while you read this. it's basically that feeling you have after you start to come out of winter hibernation, drop a few pounds and hit that secret beach in mexico. it's a breath of fresh air from it's older brother but pays solid respect to its roots with some much appreciated new twists. read more

great menu! awesome cocktails and the staff is fun and friendly. p.s., Lauren is the best!