Terrible experience. I would give it negative stars if I could. The "brunch" food was an insult, starting with a single serving of caesar salad to share between our party of 9. The "brunch" food continued with plates of french fries and onion rings and other microwaved frozen foods without regards to guests' eating restrictions or basic condiments such as ketchup and mustard. Not that our server would be able to heard us if we asked for them - the music was deafening. Seated at our booth, we weren't even able to see the drag show because each booth had pipes jutting out of its seat backs, obstructing every booth's line-of-sight to the stage. Perhaps the TVs above every booth would show the show, but that wasn't in the budget for our $60/person + queen tips + server tips payment. I will never be attending this again and don't recommend anyone else to. read more

The River Kitchen and Bar - To start: This salad was served for our table of 9... - New American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

We attended the 1pm Sunday Drag Brunch, and it was AMAZING. Such a good time!! When some places say "bottomless mimosa" they provide a glass with slow refill, The River gives you pitchers, a spare bottle of champagne to strengthen as you wish and will be there with another pitcher before you need it. The food; not the absolute best brunch food I've ever had, however absolutely the most generous amount of food I've ever had by like x3. Enough to feed like 6 people served to just 2. And the show, fan-freaking-tactic. Not just good drag and lip syncing, but the level of acrobatics and engagement was top notch. Absolute must do in Chicago!!! read more

The River Kitchen and Bar - The River - New American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Not what I expected at all. Felt rushed, food was not at all impressive. Was hard to ask for things from the waitress because it was so loud and they couldn't access my part of the table since everyone was crammed together. Drinks were served in some super cheap plastic cups. Drinks weren't very good either. Three stars because the performers outfit and makeup were on point. Wish the experience had been better. I don't think I'll be back , and I would not recommend to a friend. read more

Do not eat food here unless you want to be sick! Way over fried and overall disgusting food chicken sandwich and fries. Place was totally empty at 5 PM on a Saturday, which is a red flag and servers seemed not to care that we were even present. read more

Great bottle service at fair price in Chicago. Fun time with friends turning up. Just drinks. Dancing. Music. Lots of fun

Came for the first time for my big brothers bday . My brother and all out group loves it . The food was good and the performance was crazy good . read more

The River Kitchen and Bar - New American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

See all

Went to the drag brunch. Upon arrival, attendees are corralled into a space much too small for the crowd and forced to stand until the host is ready to allow folks in. The show time was 1:00, but seating did not begin until 1:00. No need to rush for your reservation time. The process for assigning and getting to tables is excruciatingly complicated. When we did eventually make it to the front of the line 15 minutes after the show was supposed to start our party of four was asked to step aside so larger parties could be accommodated ahead of our party, despite our party arriving on time. As we waited the show began, so the process of getting the rest of the crowd into the restaurant became more chaotic with the host literally screaming at patrons as they queued up to get a table assignment. Once we were finally seated, 30 minutes after our reservation time, people continued to stream into the restaurant and forcefully bump our table as they made their way through (in the middle of the drag show). Chaos. The show was high energy. A great group of queens at the top of their games. Top notch performances all around. Side note: drag performance is not a joke. These queens should be given the respect they deserve. They should also have a private space for costume changes. The dressing room was open to the audience, we could see costume changes and queens out of drag. I know this is not the environment they expect to work. The service was as chaotic as the arrival process. Keep in mind, it's a flat fee for all you can drink. Gays Will Drink Rounds Twice As Fast As Straight Girls. The server needs to know what the drink orders are and continuously check back. 5 minutes minimum for all you can drink. If staffing won't allow that...increase the serving staff. Also...please please please stop juicing down the mimosas...I did not come here to drink juice. The food was absolutely gross. Embarrassingly not good. I can't even be nice here. Do better or just don't offer food. I had better food at summer camp. If seemingly straight establishments want to appropriate gay culture, but be lazy about it...you really can't be helped, but here's my review anyway. read more

The River Kitchen and Bar - Corralling space - New American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

See all

I decided to celebrate my birthday here yesterday with a bunch of my girls for drag brunch. The cost of the show covers bottomless mimosas, well drinks and beer plus family style spread of fruit, kale salad, avocado toast, eggs,sausage, bacon and biscuits. There were 10 of us..and everyone got to grab something off of each plate. Mitch, our server was on top of it! He was super friendly, adorable, and when he saw our cups getting low on bubbly he would refill promptly. The show itself was amazing! These queen's performed their asses off. Wayyy better than any other drag show I've gone to in the city. I've only been to a few but I know that this is the only place I'm going to go from now on when I wanna have a good time and some bottomless mimosas. Everyone that worked there was super friendly. It was also their 1 year anniversary so they had a shuttle for people to get on if they wanted to go to Splash and have a free drink. Congrats on your 1 year anniversary! read more

The River Kitchen and Bar - New American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

See all

I went here with a few friends. First let's start with the security guard. Very swxy and friendly man. The show was amazing. I had so much fun. I havent been out in a long time considering I have a 9 month old and twin teenagers and constantly working. I definitely needed this. If your looking for drinks and a good time. You definitely got to try the drag brunch. read more

The River Kitchen and Bar - New American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

See all

I went for drag brunch. I gotta say I was not impressed. First off, the food. There is no menu... you literally sit down and they brought us out a (singular) plate of eggs and a few sausages and a biscuit or 2. Well there were 5 guys in my party...clearly this was enough food for 2 of us max 3. They also brought out some sort of "avocado" spread toast. Again 3 pieces, for 5 people. Needless to say most of the food was gone in minutes...not the sausages tho because they were completely raw. The server was helpful but shouldn't a manager automatically make a cameo. They did not. Booze is included, that seems to be what they are pushing. Get 'em drunk so they don't remember the slow service or uncooked pork. They pack you in so tightly there is no way the servers can accommodate everyone in a timely manner. Not gonna lie, I got drunk since I had no meal at a family style brunch. The performers... They are actually good at Stunts and dancing but they need to talk less about getting f^%ked in an alley, sucking D, and doing a ton of cocaine. We all know that raunchy act can go south real quick. This place could be so much more if they put more effort and thought into in. I hope they do because at some point people get bored paying to not be wow'd. Or someone just steals their idea and does it Update: Photo is a screenshot of the owner's response. No, "I'll look into it" or similar customer service driven response. She also never addressed the raw pork they were serving or lack of manager presence. Just a passive aggressive message. WOW! read more

The River Kitchen and Bar - Passive aggressive owner response. WOW! - New American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Went here on Saint Patrick's day... it was a pretty fun time. Good selection of televisions and pretty fast service. I did not have any food there but from what I saw coming out. It looks like standard bar food. The bar was very well staffed and drinks were pretty reasonably priced. I would definitely go back. read more

Went here for their drag brunch and the show was definitely the highlight of the visit! The $60 cost includes the show, a breakfast platter (eggs, avocado toast, bacon, potatoes, fruit), and unlimited drinks. The drinks are constantly being refilled, which was much appreciated. And the food is definitely not as bad as some people have said, but also not as good as some brunch places. But you're really not coming here for the food, the show was by far the best part. It also depends on the table you get though. It was definitely harder to see from our table, but the experience was still the same. Those queens are amazing performers! Would recommend checking out The River if you're looking for a good show! read more

One of my favorite bars to go to in Lincoln park and, to be honest, a highly underrated one. Shoutout Gracie she's the sweetest bartender I've ever met; very very attentive and friendly. read more

The drag show was awesome, but we couldn't see that well. There were 9 of us in a booth and it was very difficult to see or hear anything. There isn't a stage and the booths are raised. They did come around to the tables, but it was so fast. The food they served was good, but for 9 people we got the same amount as a table of four. The fruit plate was a joke... one strawberry, one orange slice, 10 blueberries and a small pile of melon for 9 people. They should have given us 2 of everything. The mimosas were good, but they chime in pitchers and you can only have one flavor at a time. Also, our server came over with shots for us and himself and never asked if we wanted them. He just handed them out. Turns out we were charged for them. Finally, there were two young kids(4-5years old) in the booth next to us. I am not sure why they were allowed to attend the show. It wasn't them seeing the queens that was bothersome, it was the man running around in a g-string grinding the pole that made it very uncomfortable. read more

The River Kitchen and Bar - New American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Came for drag brunch for a friends birthday. Like so many of the other reviews, the food is not great. But you're there to drink! The whole table (as well as the entire restaurant) got litty lit boots! The service was quick. The best part was the drag show and the girls we turning the party! For food, they brought out staggered plates of family style food. First, a fruit plate. Then the thinnest avocado toast I've ever seen lol. Then a plate of 5 French toast sticks, weird scrambled eggs and 5 hash browns. Then a plate of assorted breakfast meats. There were five of us and I could have probably eaten that all myself if I had the munchies. Food was a 1.5 out of 5, but the performances and nonstop pitchers of drinks brought the score up. I would definitely go again for a Sunday fun day read more

The people working were very nice and I appreciated them but I wish they had a better system to check in guests...it was late and disorganized. The actual show was underwhelming but the queens looked amazing with great looks. I have been to many drag brunches in my time. If you're looking for brunch where you watch a show, this isn't the brunch you're looking for. The performances were good (when you could see them) but most of the performers were walking around collecting tips. It was great to see them collect their well deserved money, but it didn't leave much time for them to actually perform. There was no stage to watch them which meant that there were times where I was just sitting there listening to the music. This experience feels like it's meant for straight white woman who are celebrating some life event. It didn't really feel like a drag show. The food was good (highlight: avocado toast) but they serve it family style and only come out once. If you're looking to eat, bring a snack before. The inclusive drink menu was good but if you weren't positioned at the bar service seemed slow. Chug if you can because they run a tight schedule. Overall I am happy I did this experience once, but I wouldn't go again. It is expensive and I didn't feel full enough or honestly drunk enough to feel like the bill was worth it. It's definitely for tourists (which I was) and straight people (which I'm not). The queens and the staff were the highlight. They were so kind and really wanted you to drink until you blacked out. I just wish you could see the performances better, it was better organized, and that there was more food. I wouldn't come again unless someone was paying for me. read more

The River Kitchen and Bar - Drink menu - New American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I've been going to "The River" since it was called "Mad River" ever since I moved to Chicago. My friends and I really love hanging out here, specially when we are looking to get super hammered on a Friday or Saturday night. The all you can drink packages are by far the best thing any pub can give a 20 something year old living in the city. A friend of mine had recently won a "VIP Package" deal with The River and decided to go here for her 25th birthday. The package included a 25$ all you can drink from 9 pm to midnight. Drinks included in that package are - 1. Blue Moon, Bud Light, and Seasonal Drafts 2. Mixed Drinks (excludes only shots, rocks/neat, doubles..) 3. Draft Wine 4. Champagne Bottle for the table A large hand tossed pizza (1 per every 5 wristbands sold) was included in the package too. We were 10 people, but for some reason, they only put out one pizza. The pizza tasted okay, but most of us felt that it was extremely oily. I had to pat it down with a napkin to dry out the excess oil. We arrived at exactly 9 pm and our table was ready. The table was extremely sticky, so we just ended up getting wet napkins from the bathroom and wiping it down. The restaurant/pub was basically dead at around 9 pm (not sure why), but then it got super crowded at around 11. The music was one of the best played at a pub and we found ourselves dancing throughout the night. Service is also extremely efficient and friendly, A girl bumped into one of my friends and dropped her glass on the floor. There was glass everywhere but the restaurant took care of it fairly quickly. Hats off to the bouncer who was making sure no one stepped into the pile of glass. Always a fun night at The River! ~Till next time! read more

See all

First time in. Really nice interior. Good beer selection (didn't check out the rest of the drink menu). Had the Buffalo Cauliflower and it was really good. Also had the Mac n Cheese, while it was good, it tasted like the skillet it was served in-I ate off the top to avoid that metallic taste. They do need more options for non-meat eaters. Service was also pretty good. read more

Good food prices, please project the trivia questions though it would make trivia night so much better!

Saturday night ambiance was definitely more for the 20's bar hopping crowd. Music was deafening despite nobody dancing and place 1/4 filled. We went for late night food, but all the food was terrible - chicken wrap with bland chicken, and not much of that; Mac and cheese equally tasteless. The only saving grace was waitress, who was attentive, friendly and competent. read more

Our server Matt was amazing today!!! We will be back for him. Loved the service! Amazing food!

Great food, great show and great service. Highly recommend for drag brunch. They make every celebration well known and are such a good time!

Good food. Good cocktails. Good service. Good vibes. What more could you ask for from a neighborhood hot spot?! The River was renovated and elevated from the former college-aged haunt Mad River Bar & Grille. The refreshed spot has a brand new look, craft cocktail list, and delicious shared plates food menu with the same excellent party vibes - minus the sticky floors. What the space now lacks in antler chandeliers, it makes up for with swanky black subway tile and reclaimed wood accents. General age demographic aligns with Lakeview, so you'll see families, young couples, and the odd older folks coming in for trivia on Tuesdays. Late night attracts a more refined Millennial and younger Gen X crowd. While we've been in a few times for their super fun late-night scene (including their excellent Friday VIP deal: $25 for their handcrafted cocktails, wine, beer and cocktails for 2 hours!!) my boyfriend and I stopped in on Wednesday night to give the menu a shot. Let me tell you, EVERYTHING we had was fantastic! Highlights from our shared plates/drinks: -#3 cocktail (their modern, simple take on an Old Fashioned) -#5 cocktail (a refreshing strawberry/basil gin drink with a splash of lemonade... I'm not a gin drinker and this made me a believer!) -Kale Caesar Salad (I would honestly eat their lemon-Caesar dressing on EVERYTHING) -Hangar Steak with Chimichurri and Potatoes (My favorite) -Braised Pork Meatballs (With this insanely perfect accompanying tomato/kale sauce) -Korean Firecracker Wings (Spicy, sweet, and delicious!) -Brussel Sprouts (Just the right amount of savory from the pancetta with a slight kick from the Calabrian chiles) -The Burger (It's reminiscent of Au Cheval... I'm not even kidding) If you haven't revisited The River, stop in. You'll be very pleasantly surprised! read more

See all

I came on a Friday night with a friend. It was very lively. Good music. American fast food. And a broad range of drinks are available! I would definitely recommend it. read more

I can't get enough of The River Kitchen's Sunday Drag Brunch. I keep coming back for more! The entertainment is second to none in the drag brunch arena.  The co-hosts, Kim Passable, Veronica Pop and Enza Darling will have you on your feet and forgetting you have food in front of you. The endless amounts of food, cocktails, mimosas, Bloody Mary's and beer come second to the show stopping drag performances. If you get so lucky, you will end up with Dylan as your server.  His attention to detail is amazing.  One Sunday, I took some of my high maintenance cousins to the drag brunch and they left wanting more. read more

See all

Great service and great deals for happy hours!! Come here for a fun night out or a casual night out either way a win!!! 100% RECOMMEND

So far best new bar in town. Great decor. Great specials, solid draft, can, & whiskey selection. Bartenders are attentive (not a lot of people) but still are invested in making it a good time. Outdoor seating, brunch special - $30 build your own bloody + unlimited mimosas, looking forward to coming back. Fries are still bomb. Look forward to trying the rest of the menu next time. Ask for the McBomb shot, if they don't know what it is - ask McKenzie - delicious! read more

See all

Came here for brunch on a Sunday at 11 am. So they have different time slots for brunch and in each time slot, they do drag performances that lasts about an hour and half. It's a great performance! The energy is high. Everyone did a great job. They're also very interactive with the customers. The regular brunch is $39.99 which includes mimosa, Bloody Mary, and well drink. It also comes with food served family style. It's really basic breakfast food--scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage,, biscuit, fruits, and avocado toast. For $49.99, you can get all that and open bar for any premium drinks. I was disappointed with the food. It's so basic. The mimosas are heavy on the orange juice. I didn't get to try their Bloody Mary or any well drink so I don't know how heavy they pour. Our server, Kim, was attentive and friendly. She explained everything thoroughly. She was a bit backed up so we got mimosa pitcher refills slow. When we were ready to pay, it took her a long time to settle our payments. At one point, she had already swiped all out cards and all we needed was for her to get us our receipts to sign but she was chit chatting with other customers for a minute. We were kinda rushed to get out of there so that they can get ready for the next show and clean the tables and yet she was taking her time conversing. She was a good server--just a little bit slow. read more

So disappointed. We've been coming here for Eagles games pretty religiously for the last 2 seasons, but after today probably never again. We arrived about half an hour before doors opened at 11, and were 4th or 5th in line with a fair amount of people behind us when they finally opened the doors at about 11:10. After we walked in, to a staff that was clearly unprepared, we realized every single seat in the bar was reserved. Every table, every booth, every card table they set up in the back, every single bar seat. I understand taking reservations for game day, but to reserve EVERY single seat and allow for NO walk ins? We asked two waitresses if every seat was reserved, and they were both EXTREMELY rude. Ok, whatever, we still wanted to have a good time for the first game of the season. We would've been okay just standing by the bar if there had been any service at all -- they had 2 bartenders working for a place full to the brim with reservations plus TONS of people who had arrived to take their chances on seats, and then decided to just stand when there was nowhere to sit. We ordered 2 beers and 2 cheesesteaks; over half an hour passed and we hadn't been brought our cheesesteaks, let alone seen anyone else served food. We decided to close our tab -- which took another 15 minutes -- and leave. The kicker is that the day before the game, The River posted on Facebook about how fans should get to the bar early to get seats. Why would you advertise seats being available if every seat was already reserved? Better yet why would you reserve every seat in the restaurant and not leave any space for people walking in? We knew space would be limited, but not like this. Completely ridiculous, we'll never be back. read more

We were expecting more of a restaurant atmosphere during the day rather than a bar, but the food was still good. For an appetizer we chose the brussel sprouts which were delicious! I wasn't sure about the bacon and maple syrup, but it was a pleasant surprise! I got the Nashville hot chicken sandwich, which was spicier than I expected (I love spice so I was definitely happy about this, but just a warning to others). My boyfriend got the philly cheese steak which was phenomenal. Overall not a bad experience, but I would rather try somewhere else for dinner next time. read more

Came here for drab brunch today and it was a sh*tshow. We got seated pretty quickly, but we were one of the last tables to get our food. The food was served buffet style and was not good whatsoever. Unseasoned scrambled eggs, unseasoned potatoes, flavorless French toast, and avocado toast that was just a spread with balsamic drizzle. They did refill it, but I was eating out of hunger, not because it tasted good. Now the actual show was shenanigans upon shenanigans. Sadly, Veronica Pop wasn't there because she is a performer. Whoever hosted today was a mess swinging from the rafters, pouring water on herself and whipping her wet wig at the crowd, basically stripping and death dropping. It was a spectacle and not in the good way. Save your $40 read more

When we got there no one was at the hostess stand or anyone to get us a table (it was pretty empty) so we went to the bar and had to talk to the bartender to get a table. Other than that the service wasn't that bad and our waitress was nice. As far as food, we got the brussel sprouts, cheeseburger, and buffalo chicken dip. Brussel sprouts had no flavor at all, cheeseburger was decent I guess, and the buffalo chicken dip tasted weird and was not good. Overall really disappointing. One of the worst tasting places I've been to in Chicago. Food - 0/5 Service - 3/5 read more

Been here for drag brunch twice. Very poorly managed. Shouted at and treated like children outside before being let in more than 10 minutes past the starting time. The first time, they forgot to bring food to our table and they came out almost at the end and apologized for forgetting our table. Food was very meager portioned, though you can get more if you ask. Please do better. read more

I went to their drag brunch a few times but I am writing this review based off of my experience yesterday. The Drag brunch show itself is impressive. I have been to multiple drag shows and this was by far one of my favorites. One of the drag queens even went outside and did the splits in the middle of the street... YES GIRL. As far as service goes, the other time I attended the drag brunch, it was nothing to write home about. Pretty slow service. Yesterday I had Kim as a server, which is why I am writing this 5 star review. My friends are super picky and had a lot of accommodations, and she was so sweet and all of our orders were on the money. She made sure we were taken care of, super on top of our drinks throughout the show and checked in on us often, even though she was super busy. Will be back! read more

Honestly so shocked that I've seen some recent bad reviews bc this place was honestly PHENOMENAL. Amazing service! Mimosas were flowing non stop and the queens were beyond fabulous! Food was good and plentiful too! Had the best time for my friend's Bach party read more

The River Kitchen and Bar - New American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

"Great show but horrible food" this is a quote most of my friends have told me in the last four weeks. I'm talking specifically of your Sunday "brunch". I was lucky enough to go during the first few weeks, when they had a fantastic and cleverly named menu, when it was 5 dollars cheaper, and when they had awesome shots, (not included but we were willing to pay) and a fantastic show. Sadly, they haven't been able to keep up. We took a group two weekends ago and bragged beforehand on how great it was going to be, and our group all left unimpressed. The food was awful, the chips and dip was pathetic, who wants to order buffalo wings and then tip a drag queen?, and what happened to the old menu? I've had friends go every week since my first amazing experience and report back that the show was amazing but the food was awful. Pretty sad that that is now what your getting to be known for. Queens can only do so many jump splits in the street as your customers are gagging through the awful bar food. Fix the food, or this will be your demise. read more

The River Kitchen and Bar - Today's review - New American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

To be honest the Sunday brunch here is difficult review. Decided to give it another shot since Katie reached out, was really generous and offered to cover brunch. It's in the upswing and I'll definitely be back and will review again. So much potential and would love to give them 4 or 5. Entertainment/Atmosphere (5 Stars): really good people and entertainment for brunch. Fun, consistent, and the fun never stops. Seating (4 stars): Took the feedback and was much more organized with seating. They had a designated exit and entrance, and had everyone wait in a room to seat groups. Service (2.5 stars): the waiter we had was nice, generous with drinks, refilled our drinks quickly (once we got our drinks), and didn't seem as flustered as the last time. We did spend 40 trying to figure out who our server was. Food Service (2 stars): really could work on this. We got seated had to wait 45 minutes to get our first round of drinks. Had to ask for cups and menus. Had our food orders taken an hour in, and got our food at 4 pm for a 2 pm show. Issue was most of the orders were correct, but one person didn't get their food at all, and one other didn't get the chicken requested in their meal. They limited their food options, so you would think it would be more efficient but unfortunately there were difficulties in this area. This is a unique concept in Chicago, in a great location, and what I hear is the 12 pm show is much more organized. They are really working on it, and I really do hope it last! read more

Worst DJ I've ever encountered. Unless you only listen to Ariana Grande. Wristband deal is cool though. (Editing review as DJ gets better after wristband deal). Good business model read more

Went for dinner. The food was good, bar tenders were pretty friendly, and the interior is really nice. I liked the lights on the ceiling, it had kind of a bar aesthetic. The portions were large and the food was very filling. We got the grilled cheese and Mac and cheese, both were good. read more

Go for their happy hour! Bottomless drinks for (I think) around $30 on week nights including Friday! We went awhile ago so I don't remember the servers name, but he was on top of bringing over drinks and keeping us happy. It has a cool vibe in here too and I'd love to come back to try the food. read more