My goal is to try 50 new Chicago restaurants in 2025! Restaurant: 35/50 Month tried: June Favorite dish: Avgolemono; Purple Haze Cocktail If I lived anywhere near The Royal Grocer, I would probably be here all the time! Their menu just screams freshness, happiness, and love. Growing up in Michigan with Coney Islands everywhere, I am a sucker for menus with a touch of Greek flair. So obviously I built myself a little lunch of Avgolemono and Greek Orzo Salad. Avgolemono was soooo good! I also really enjoyed the Purple Haze Cocktail. It was completely empty on a Saturday morning, and the patio had not yet been opened for the season even though it was June. Would have loved a little outdoor moment. I could see myself coming back if I am in the area! read more

The Royal Grocer & Co - Greek orzo and avgolemono - New American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Had Sunday brunch here - we were immediately sat at 10:30, they are kid and dog friendly with plenty of space on the patio. Service was amazing and fast, food was delicious - I tried the banana latte and really enjoyed it. The patio is shaded in the morning and its own little oasis away from Damen's traffic which was nice I guess my only constructive feedback that could make the experience better is that the patio chairs could really use cushions - Lol - anyone in shorts/skirts has the seats digging into their legs, but this is a common problem among cushion-less patio seating and not unique to Royal We'd only ever been here for dinner prior (which is also great) but we're excited to have a new favorite brunch spot close by. read more

The Royal Grocer & Co - Ala carte Pancake, Sourdough toast, bacon - New American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

This place has such a cute dog friendly patio and happy hour that goes until 7! I wasn't drinking so I opted for a "phony Negroni" and was pleasantly surprised by how great it was! This place has extensive options for those who want a n/a cocktail. We shared the chips and salsa (homemade) and it was delicious! We would have ordered more but our server never came back to check on us. It ended up taking us 30 minutes to get her attention for the bill, but the patio was very busy. read more

Came to this cute place for lunch today. Was hoping to sit outside but a little too chilly. We started with chicken wings for appetizers, one buffalo and the other BBQ sauce. Meaty and tasty but I would have liked more sauce. Ranch was just okay. All four of us ordered the Royal with cheese, a double cheeseburger with a side of fries. Overall tasty but burger was a bit overcooked. Very friendly staff and lots on the menu so would go back to try more. read more

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The Royal Grocer & Co is truly a neighborhood treasure. I live pretty close and really enjoy walking over for some drinks and a bite to eat. Last night I stopped in for Happy Hour and we surely hit the jackpot. I got the Heatwave because I typically like spicy margaritas and it really hit the spot. To eat, I ordered the House Made Ricotta and I honestly was upset when I finished my food. The ricotta was so delicious and the bread was a type of garlic bread that was really, really good. In addition to the food and drinks being delightful, the service is always great and the vibe is very cozy which I enjoy. Can't wait to go back and thanks Royal Grocer for another great experience last night! read more

The Royal Grocer & Co - House Ricotta - New American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Really good service. We came in with a toddler and they knew the drill. Happy hour burgers were also good and I'll definitely get those again. Wings were also quite meaty and had great flavor. Cauliflower was not good. It tasted like breading was several days old. The space is fantastic, very charming indoor and outdoor. We'll be back to try some more entrees read more

Went for a last outside brunch of summer. The patio was very cute and spacious. We had a larger group and all the food and beverage came out together and quickly. The staff were all so wonderful and nice. read more

Food was tasty, beer was cold, service was great, and we enjoyed the ambiance of the courtyard seating. Even though we didn't bring our dog this time, I always love to find more dog friendly places to eat! read more

Stopped in for a quick dinner on a rainy day and We weren't disappointed. We had to skip drinks, and they had plenty to choose from, because we were driving after the meal. For 3 of us, we ordered 2 appetizers (crab cake, beet hummus with pita) and 3 entrées (cauliflower steak, pulled chicken sandwich and polenta with mushroom ragú). Total cost around $85 and we all felt full. The main door said to use the side entrance but when we were inside some folks came in through the main door. We could exit from the main door though. The side entrance is through there open air patio. We would have eaten there if it wasn't raining. Upon arrival, the greeter presented us with a barcode for scanning with our phone. Scanning that would bring up their menu in our phone. I thought that was creative. It reduces unnecessary contact. We sat inside and seating is limited in order to have spacing between groups. Seated area is behind the bar area. In another bar, I saw Plexiglas dividers between groups but not here. We had a choice of having the V appetizer come out first but B we chose to have all of them brought out at the B same time. If you have time, I recommend having the appetizers with your drinks first else food gets cold really fast on a cool evening. The beet hummus has a color of beet juice but tasted like any other hummus. We thought they made beets into a hummus like paste but that's not the case. The pita bread that accompanied the hummus is nice. I used out to scrap the sauce off the steak. The crab cakes was served with jalapeño aioli on the side. The aioli is really good. Just the right level of kick without numbing your senses. The crab cakes themselves were tasty. Of the three main entrees, the cauliflower steak was our favorite. Thick chunk of the cauliflower head grilled with honey and topped with cheese. The sauce goes very well with the pita bread. The "steak" has charring marks and wasn't soft. The pulled chicken sandwich is like any other sandwich. The bbq sauce is supposed to be the differentiator. The fries that came with the sandwich though is more memorable. Polenta with mushroom ragú is also delicious. The polenta parties weren't mushy at all. They retained their shapes until the end. What made this 5 * is that it is priced right. Good value meal. read more

The Royal Grocer & Co - Crab cakes with jalapeño aioli - New American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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This was a great find! I was looking for a middle ground meeting spot between me in irving park east and my friend in the loop. This worked out perfectly for us both and we had a fantastic experience here. We were there on a Tuesday night and had a great server who was a lot of fun and gave us great recommendations. Both the food and the atmosphere were superb and we were able to really enjoy our time catching up. I look forward to coming here again! read more

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This place is adorable and we easily walked in without a reservation on a Sunday morning with no wait for indoor seating. The food, however, was all over the place. The wings and fries were awesome. The steak sandwich was very small and cost $20. Laughably small. I compared it to an Arby Jr, IYKYK. The crab cake sandwich was very much enjoyed by my friend - adult sized with two crab cakes. My other friend had the turkey burger and described it as "fine". The drinks were tasty but dainty. I'm just not sure if I'd hurry back as over it was pretty expensive and portions are small. read more

Ate there this morning, very nice server. Food was excellent, the French fries were fried nice and crispy!

So my wife and I visited here for drinks and appetizers once, and then I came back for brunch yesterday, so now I feel more equipped to write a proper review. The crab cakes and watermelon/feta/mint salad were amazing - that's only on the dinner menu. We also had a few cocktails that were all well made. For brunch, my wife and I both had bloodies - they were pretty good. I had the steak and eggs which were excellent - after they brought me new eggs (ordered over easy, came out over hard) but they were slammed and obviously everyone is short staffed, and they brought me eggs cooked properly in less than 5 minutes. The steak was cooked well and the potatoes are very well done. I like my meal a lot, but my wife and dad both got the eggs in purgatory, and that was incredible. It's basically eggs baked into a red sauce that you spoon on top of toasted bread - I'll be getting that next time. We ate in the bar the first time and out on the patio for brunch. It was gorgeous out, and I would recommend making a reservation for the patio if possible, it's a nice place to pop in after strolling around Bucktown. read more

The Royal Grocer & Co - Watermelon Feta Salad - New American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

This place has a nice and spacious covid-friendly outdoor patio. They are family friendly and a kid's menu and high chairs. The food was unfortunately not great. There are not many options on the menu to begin with. There are three sandwiches/burgers, one salad, one pasta, one steak, and two vegetarian options. I always wonder if anyone would actually order the steak at a place like this, which does not tout itself as a steakhouse but offers one steak option for twice the price of its other entrees. But anyway, I digress. My wife had the burger, which was pretty standard. I had the lemon garlic pasta which was honestly extremely difficult to eat. The lemon was overpowering the whole dish and made it taste very sour. We ordered a mac and cheese for our toddler which was massive - the dish was bigger than my pasta. It was a very plain mac and cheese. I ended up eating most of that instead. read more

I had high hopes for The Royal Grocer, but unfortunately left unimpressed. We came here one night for an early dinner, and although I wasn't hungry, it would have been nice to have options if I were starving! After perusing through the menu (eyeing the 8 entrees available) for about 20 minutes since our server took forever to come back, I decided to just order the GOBI CAULIFLOWER (The menu says it's sweet & sour, but it's really sweet and spicy.) for $10. I'm typically pretty tolerant to spicy foods, so this had a mild kick to it, but I think it can be "spicy" for some. Although the cauliflower was delicious, I'd say it was a little pricey for what it was (small bowl of cut up cauliflower drizzled in some sweet and spicy sauce). Everything in the menu seemed a bit pricey for that matter. The watermelon feta mint salad sounded delicious, but it was literally watermelon, feta, and mint for $12 (lol). Service was also mediocre. Overall, I think this place would be a great place to grab drinks, and hang out on the patio. However, personally, wouldn't come here for food. read more

Great spot for a drink and a snack when it's nice out on their cute patio. My husband and I have been here a few times and we've gotten the zucchini chips, the calamari, chicken burger, and Royal with cheese. Would recommend all of those things. A small call out that this place can get pretty packed when it's nice out, and because of the size inside they don't have a lot of wait staff working at once. It's understandable, but just know that if you go it may take a little longer than the usual bar/restaurant. read more

I've never been more thankful to live so close to a beautiful, tree lined patio with a beer bucket special. I've had the pleasure of enjoying brunch, sitting down for a nice dinner, and just throwing back a few here (summer buckets: 5 beers for $15)... and I'm happy with the service and food/drinks in all such circumstances. Early on, Royal Grocer was careful about spacing, explaining rules, and protecting their staff. The servers/host are friendly and efficient! I've had a range of menu items from the Nashville Hot Chx sandwich (my favorite) to the lighter watermelon mint salad--can't think of a bad thing to say! They also have a fairly extensive draft beer list and great cocktails. The lovely menu adds to the great atmosphere of the space which is normally buzzing with people (at a safe distance) every evening! read more

Great vibe, good drinks, friendly staff and the space Is very nice. Haven't tried the food yet. read more

I loved the atmosphere, super cozy indoors and a nice outside area as well. The service was super friendly and personable as well as and attentive. The food was decent, I don't think it was anything unique, but it was very enjoyable! read more

The Royal Grocer & Co - House Ricotta Appetizer - New American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Preface: Chicago Restaurant Week 2019 The restaurant week deal for brunch is easily one of the best. $24 for bottomless mimosas/Bloody Mary along with a cinnamon roll and entree? Sign me up! We had amazing service and the mimosas were flowing. Our server did not let our glasses get empty. Two of us had the steak and eggs and while it was over cooked, it was tasty. (Pro tip- if you order steak at a non-steakhouse, order it a lower temp than you want. It's always over cooked) Again, the service was great and the space is pretty. We sat in the back room, and there was apparently a baby shower or something so it got noisy quick. But overall a great experience for CRW. Probably wouldn't go out of my way to come back as a regular diner because their menu is pretty pricey and it's not easy to get to if you don't live in the area. read more

The Royal Grocer & Co - Steak & eggs - New American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I'm giving the Royal Grocer 4 stars primarily because of our dining experience during the pandemic. The food is fine, but nothing to go out of your way for - but the gorgeous outdoor patio, great service, and diligence about COVID-19 precautions make for a great evening during these challenging times. We arrived a little early, and when our reservation time got closer the hostess explained our table was getting cleaned for us and showed us a big QR code to scan for the menu. She also reminded us of the newly instituted requirement for wearing your mask whenever interacting with staff. I thought this was a very promising start to the evening, showing they were being responsible. In fact, every staff member I saw wore their masks properly, and every table that turned while we were there was cleaned before the next guest. The patio were we were seated was beautiful! Tables were spaces well, too. We also had a fantastic server - I think her name was Coco, and since it looked like there was only one other server that night it was especially amazing what a great job she did with handling so many tables. I wouldn't have known she had so much on her plate if I wasn't looking around because the service was wonderful! We weren't super hungry, so we split the elotes hush puppies and Nashville hot chicken sandwich with fries, and each had a "small" ice cream cone for dessert. I also had the house white sangria. The hush puppies were just okay, but the sandwich and fries were quite good (though the heat was definitely dialed back from what I'd expect for Nashville hot). The sangria was very nice, and like all drinks was served in a plastic cup to reduce cross contamination. The cones came in pretty big waffle cones, which we didn't expect and left us stuffed. Overall, we had a really wonderful evening here. If they took their food up a notch, this place would be five stars hands down. But that aside, I'd definitely come back to soak in the beautiful atmosphere on the patio with lovely service and attention to safety. read more

My friend and I went for brunch this past weekend and loved it! Great food, prompt service, awesome draft beer list & drink specials. The Royal Grocer & Co is a super cute corner spot in Bucktown serving farm to table, locally sourced, mostly American fare. Now there is a front and a back section and I'm going to recommend sitting in the front. We had made a reservation and were ushered into a back section. Well the back section was louder, more muggy, had a muggy smell to it, was dimmer, just overall a different vibe than the front of the house. We asked to just sit at the bar before event sitting down and I'm so glad we did. The front of the restaurant is adorable, bright and has a fun, chill vibe for hanging. Pro-Tip: They have daily drink specials but $2 Mimosas and Bloody Marys on the Sundays?! Are you kidding me!? That's practically free! Now we did indulge in a $2 Mimosa but my friend and I are beer girls so then switched over. They had a really solid beer list and being the beer chick I am, I was surprised to see such fantastic offerings. I have to say the bartender was beyond awesome giving my friend some tries of various beers when she couldn't decide what to get. Truly excellent service for my slightly indecisive friend. For my main entree I had the Lox ($14) which was cured & smoked salmon with "everything but the bagel" cream cheese on the side that was delicious, a generous pile of pickled red onion, capers and weed salad, with some toast to pile it all on top of. The portion was quite generous and I was happy with the salmon. Things I still need to try at The Royal Grocer & Co : Dinner! Their homemade donuts! The chicken & waffles! I could go on and on...I need to go back! read more

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We came here for dinner on a nice hot night and sat on the outdoor patio. The patio is adorable, especially with the stringed lights. I had to get the frose that the yelp check in offer was for, and it was very refreshing. We ordered right away, but our food took an hour....at least the waitress was really nice and gave us free drinks. The food was pretty mediocre- definitely not worth the hour long wait. We got the buttermilk fried chicken, which was probably the best dish. The buffalo cauliflower was delicious, and the fries were also yummy. The flatbread however was not good at all. The presentation wasn't the best either. We were definitely very full off this meal though. Overall, the ambiance is great, the wait is absurdly long for food, and the food is mediocre. Frose was refreshing though. read more

I don't understand why this place has such low reviews ! Came during COVID and the outdoor space felt super safe in terms of social distancing. The food was reasonably priced (15$ mimosa carafe) for a Bucktown restaurant and the staff was super friendly! The only complaint was the food did take quite some time to come out (I wasn't in a rush, but if I was that would have been bothersome). We got a cinnamon roll (AMAZING!!) definitely have to try , as well as the breakfast burrito. One of the better breakfast burritos I've had ! Side note - white sangria could have done without. read more

Food: didn't meet expectations Service: decent I live down the street and have been excited to try this spot, but unfortunately it missed expectations quite a bit. We were here for brunch on a Sunday and I wanted eggs. Should be easy, right? I was a bit appalled that a basic egg and cheese omelette was one of the most expensive items on the menu @ $16 but went with it anyway. I was shocked at how little food I got, especially compared with the other dishes. My potatoes as a side were basically fried pieces of skin that had fallen off other potatoes and the omelette was 3-4 bites tops. The picture doesn't do it justice for how little it was... I should have included something in there for scale. I will say my boyfriend thought his food was decent so is trying to get me to come back and give it another chance, but TBD. read more

The Royal Grocer & Co - Omelette - New American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

The Royal Grocer has a really cute outside patio/dining area. If I could I'd give this place a 4.5, I was with a party of 12 people and the waitress was super chill about having so many people plus a baby. But when we got our food one of the plates was chipped and one a of the ladies in our group got a small cut from it. Karen (who was our waitress) was super nice and accommodating, very attentive, (whenever someone finished a drink or finished eating she was right there to give us refills or take our plates). The food was good, I ordered the avocado toast which was very tasty! On Saturday's and Sunday's you can only order brunch until 2:30pm, (You can't order off the other menu until after 2:30). Overall pretty good, everyone at my table seemed to like their food, a bit expensive but there were a lot of us so I understand. read more

The Royal Grocer & Co - Avocado Toast - New American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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FROZEN ROSE! If you check in on yelp you get an offer for a $5 frozen rose. Totally worth the stop in here. A girlfriend and I popped in on a Thursday after dinner for a drink or two and the vibe was casual. The drinks were good, service was good. No complaints. read more

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They did it. They upped their game. Glad I came back (again) and gave it another chance! Had the Burrata, chicken malenase and the kids had royal kids burger and Mac n cheese, side of fruit. All was excellent. Service was great. Outside dining is lovely. Thrilled this place has made these improvements! read more

Food and Service is excellent and atmosphere is Love outdoor patio and that you can bring your dog read more

Waitstaff was amazing! Attentive, friendly.. told us what menu items to avoid....couldn't ask for better. Came for restaurant week- it was a super deal: bottomless mimosas or bloodies, a starter and a brunch dish for $26. Basically turned into bottomless beverages and non-editable food for free, as we deemed it ... and still thought was a great deal! Normally you would pay $20 alone for bottomless drinks during brunch! The food: Chilaquilles: the sauce was a mole, but completely lacked flavor. The person who got it was trying to get everyone to eat it for him. Avocado toast: can't really ever go wrong with it, but why on earth would you put grapefruit and other citrus on it?! It added a bitterness. I could understand if it was like a citrus salad of sorts that was seasoned.. but no. Root vegetable hash (with spare rib?): 2 people sent it back!! The meat had a over cooked cast iron skillet flavor. Not like the meat was burnt in the skillled, but the taste of the cookware itself! (We were warmed and they didn't listen!!) Chicken and Waffles: first time I had chicken and waffles and I don't think I could count it, unfortunately. The chicken was flavorless, despite being covered in Nashville Hot seasoning, and I couldn't I identify what part of the chicken I was eating. A very strange cross section of meat was presented to me. The waffle was sourdough.. in hindsight, why on earth would anyone do that to a waffle? It just tasted like a waffle that went bad read more

Much like the other reviewers, the food is just OKAY. I was also hoping it would be great because the location and there seemed to be a nice vibe to the place. The waitstaffs and hostess are very nice and polite. I appreciated that. But the food... to my dismay was not good. We ordered the Lemon Garlic pasta. It was VERY tangy, and salty. The watermelon salad.... okay I what they are going for here but $12 for watermelon, feta and mint.... hmmm that is price gouging if I say so. I also tried their crab cakes, which to my pleasant surprise was decent. Would I go back? Hmmm maybe for drinks but not the food. read more

Great menu. Cozy setting. Friendly staff. Delicious food. Perfect causal venue. Will be back! read more

Food very good went for brunch biscuit, baritone, classic all delicious service a little inattentive at first Beer was warm. Waiter said something broken so warm beer Had to pay for warm beer Ambiance nice outdoor patio read more

My girlfriends and I had such a great time here for brunch. The $14 carafe mimosas helped! You can't beat the price. We sat outside next to a heater. I would definitely get the breakfast sandwich again. My friend enjoyed the avocado toast with salmon. Her only complaint was that it was so big it was hard to eat. I'd probably pass on the beignets next time. Too pricey for only three. This is a great place for girls brunch! read more

The Royal Grocer & Co - New American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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I was looking for a brunch spot to celebrate a friend's birthday, and The Royal Grocer was one of few in the Bucktown area that had a heated (covered) outdoor patio. Had heard great things about the food here, but it did not live up to its expectations. Food was mediocre in taste (we ordered avocado toast w/ a side of eggs, eggs benedict, omelette & breakfast burrito). Service was ok - we waited 20 minutes for a glass for the mimosa, then had to ask the busser to get one for us. Would recommend for the COVID-safe space & maybe drinks, but not for the food. read more

Had bourbon salad, tomato salad, cauliflower steak, and drinks. All were really good! Patio is big, parking was street address free. Would return! read more

Highlights I go for the patio and relaxed atmosphere. - string lights - sometimes they play outdoor movies like Beetlejuice. - dog friendly - pre-Covid it was always easy to get a seat and never overly crowded. - friendly staff - comfort food I would have given it 5 stars but the menu is small and the food is good but nothing special. I do wish they would bring back the cookie dough enchilada because that was a gem you couldn't get anywhere else. read more

Very quaint place to eat and the food was delicious. We ate outside. It was lovely. They have a great burger for the little ones which our 2yr old granddaughter loved. The chicken wings were very good snd the watermelon salad was scrumptious. Tastes like Summer! read more

The Royal Grocer & Co - Enjoying her kid burger! - New American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

for restaurant week... terrific friendly service and so so accommodating (gluten free, vegan... if you speak up, they will come up with all the modifications themselves! amazing!) pass on the hash (although i "made" mine vegetarian...perhaps the short rib is what makes it better ;) ) but the chilaquiles "app" (served vegan, no eggs) was very good - crispy and not overpowering in salsa. although bottomless, the mimosas are fairly weak but free flowing and generous. small cramped space but totally fine for a quick brunch. read more

Had reservations for Saturday night. We were were greeted at the entrance of the patio and needed to scan the QR menu on our phone. Our corner seating was outside under some warm light. Max 6 people per table. The drinks were yummy and I had the daily beer bread (Buffalo chicken when I went) super cute and great service. Totally recommend. read more