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    Third Rail Tavern

    3.8 (213 reviews)
    ModerateBars, Burgers, Sandwiches
    Closed 4:00 pm - 2:00 am (Next day)
    Updated 3 months ago

    Third Rail Tavern Photos

    Business Info

    THIRD RAIL TAVERN ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Moderate noise
    Good for groups
    Happy hour specials

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    Recommended Reviews - Third Rail Tavern

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    Reviews With Photos

    Burger
    Kenna G.

    Very mid food, good service, and dive bar ambiance. Small outdoor patio. Ordered the chicken ceaser wrap, but it tasted like a southwest dressing. Friend did not like the cheese that came on the burger, it was like cheese whizz.

    Jayla D.

    Great local bar. Don't expect top tier service. You will get good food and good drinks

    Beer
    Jim R.

    Fun little tavern- stopped for a drink and beer. Had a wrap which was good but nothing special. Added the fire fries which are basic fries with a Cajun like seasoning- they were ok but just a basic fry. The service at the bar was quite friendly and be the reason I would go back.

    Entrance
    Bill U.

    Stopped in for a nightcap after dinner down the street, sat outside for vodka, twist of lemon. Goodnight!

    a glass of wine and playing cards
    Maria J.

    The best bartender in Chicago (aka Ben) works here! He is the best vibes and kindest guy to enjoy some drinks with! The bar has great vibes, music, and people. Highly recommend!

    Tavern style fries
    Talia C.

    Solid neighborhood sports bar/pub! Excellent selection of craft beers. Excellent service. Kids welcome (to the point of where a server immediately comes to your table to ask if you want to put in an app order, before you've even settled into your chairs - they know their audience). Food is great too! We really loved the fries. The onion rings are great and even converted my husband into liking o rings. The mac was just ok to me but both of my girls were completely obsessed (even the one that doesn't like mac), so it's a keeper for sure. The wings were a great texture. I would like them a little less sauced & a little less bready, but the meat was cooked perfectly. The star of the show was the cheeseburger. If you get one thing here, make it a cheeseburger + fries. And a beer, of course! When we went they had soccer playing on the TV. Service was super friendly so I bet you could ask them to play whatever game you want as long as they have the channel. They also have an ATM in house ($3 fee) to satisfy your cash needs.

    Italian beef with onion rings

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    3 months ago

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    1 year ago

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    7 months ago

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    1 month ago

    Great vibe in this place and the food was delicious. Bartender was quick with the drinks and took our order right away

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    11 months ago

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    1 year ago

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    3 years ago

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    2 years ago

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    11 months ago

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    11 months ago

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    4 years ago

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    4 years ago

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    5 years ago

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    2 years ago

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    2 years ago

    Stopped in for lunch on a Saturday, service was on point and everyone in our party enjoyed the food.

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    1 year ago

    I was disappointed to discover that they have no Schlitz on tap or not even close to 300 whiskeys!

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    2 years ago

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    5 years ago

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    2 years ago

    Great neighborhood bar without all the frills. Bartenders are friendly. Feels like an old Chicago staple.

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    2 years ago

    Amazing service, food and drinks! Then we had the best server ever, Kate is amazing and will take great care of you!!

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    5 years ago

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    3 years ago

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    2 years ago

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    7 years ago

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    2 years ago

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    7 years ago

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    8 years ago

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    2 years ago

    Great food, service, and ambiance. Waitress was excellent. Quick service and fun to talk with.

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    7 years ago

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    3 years ago

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    6 years ago

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    3 years ago

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    7 years ago

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    3 years ago

    Visiting Chicago, and this place was wonderful! Great mood, great bourbon selection, and a great helping of hospitality.

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    7 years ago

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    3 years ago

    A good neighborhood pub. The staff was friendly. They had good beer and whiskey selections.

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    3 years ago

    Food was ok . Ordered chicken sandwich, there was no dressing for sandwich. Basic plain .

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    Page 1 of 6

    Ask the Community - Third Rail Tavern

    Review Highlights - Third Rail Tavern

    My favorite sliders were the pulled pork and regular burger with Merkt's cheese (a soft, sharp cheddar).

    Mentioned in 8 reviews

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    Three Dots and A Dash

    Three Dots and A Dash

    4.1
    (4.2k reviews)
    1.4 mi
    $$$

    This place is a yes, yes, and yes! I have a buddy that loves Tiki bars and found this place/made a…read morereservation, so our group came to visit on a Sunday night. The vibe is speakeasy-ish; the entrance is off the street in an alleyway but the interior is very nice, low light, and would be fun for a date night! The staff were attentive and very friendly. My friend got some shots, which were surprisingly good given they were kind of sweet, and I ordered the "mystic lamp" cocktail ($16) which was VERY memorable to me as someone that loves floral drinks -- it was very floral, slightly fruity, and had a lovely chunk of lychee it came with which was delicious! The drink was decent sized too; I've been charged a lot more for much less drink at other speakeasies (those of which I don't plan to visit again any time soon haha). In my opinion, this spot has the perfect combo of great drinks, nice ambiance, cool speakeasy-vibes, but also cheerfulness given the tiki-theme inside. Would definitely rec a visit to anyone visiting Chicago who likes cool bars!

    I can't understand what the fuss is all about here. I couldn't wait to leave…read more This place represents itself as a tiki bar but is the most half-hearted attempt I have ever seen. I was excited for the experience having heard how busy it gets, blah blah. These positive reviewers need to seek out other tiki bars. After you negotiate the alley entrance and go down dangerously dark stairs, you are met with crazy boring decor. I kept thinking there had to be more right? The whole point of a tiki bar is to strike a mood, but hanging a very few polynesian masks on the wall, putting up a grass facade over the bar and dressing the servers in vaguely polynesian outfits is sad. I've seen private tiki bars at people's homes that are more exciting. Add to this a comparably boring music selection played far too loud over boomy lo-fi speakers and you'll wonder what's going on here. So what about the food and drink? Completely uninspired for anyone who's had more than a mai tai before in their life. About a dozen extremely common drink choices is all you get!! No specials, that's it. When I asked if this was the whole cocktail menu, the server said it was but they have a full bar so you can get anything you want. Well, I could get that service at just about any bar in the world, so big deal. Maybe it would be better if you sat at the bar and chatted up the bartender. One could also go taste their rum selections and other cocktails in the Bamboo Room, but I hate that kind of elitist nonsense. That's never been what tiki bars were about. The drinks we sampled were okay at best. Even the namesake 3 Dots and A Dash cocktail was lackluster and used cheap cherries for the dots instead of classic Luxardos. (If you know, you know) The appetizers were okay, but way overpriced. 5 tiny spring rolls for $18. Come on guys, enough already. I'd rather go to the bar at the Polynesian Hotel at Disney than return here. This place is a hard pass.

    Photos
    Interior Entrance
    Interior Entrance
    These Loaded Luau Cheese Fries
    These Loaded Luau Cheese Fries
    Tiki gift shop.

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    Tiki gift shop.
    Rossi's Liquors

    Rossi's Liquors

    4.2
    (432 reviews)
    1.5 mi
    $

    Friendly and lively dive bar (4/5 Green Stars) Waiting for…read moretake-out from nearby Lou Malnati's, we wandered into Rossi's for a quick drink. It's a reasonably-priced busy dive bar in the heart of Chicago. I asked the bartender if she had a beer + shot deal and she said "no, but you can order a beer and shot." And so we did! Noise level is fairly high, thanks to a lively crowd plus a jukebox. They don't normally serve food but I think are fine with customers bringing in your own food, and you can also place an order from a nearby restaurant (I don't recall which one). And yes, it's cash only so bring some money if you don't want to pay ATM fees! 4 out of 5 Green Stars for social and environmental impact. I like bars that allow customers to bring (or order) their own food - it allows for all diets! The one thing I'd like to see is more beer on tap - even just one good rotating local beer (e.g., Goose Island). Draft beer has smaller environmental footprints compared to bottled or canned.

    Recently stopped by Rossi's Liquors and this place is the definition of a dive bar, in the most…read moreauthentic way possible. After a quick ID check at the door, the bouncer let us know it's cash only (thankfully we came prepared). From the moment we walked in, dim lighting, loud music, and shoulder-to-shoulder crowds gave the vibe of a full-on frat party, but not in a bad way. It's chaotic, energetic, and unapologetically no-frills. There's even a self-serve cooler with drink prices clearly listed underneath. I grabbed a Sapporo Premium, brought it to the counter, and our friendly bartender broke our change and offered a chilled glass to pour it into. Simple and efficient. That said, it was loud, so loud that even whispering-distance conversations were a struggle. The space is small, seating is limited, and since we couldn't snag a spot, we ended up leaving shortly after finishing our drinks. This feels like a better weekday hang than a packed weekend night. Still, if you're looking for a classic, gritty, no-frills dive experience, Rossi's delivers exactly that.

    Photos
    Nightcap
    Nightcap
    Rossi's Liquors
    Rossi's Liquors

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    O'Callaghan's

    O'Callaghan's

    3.5
    (315 reviews)
    1.5 mi
    $$

    Sat at the bar because it was Friday night and the tables were all taken. I liked the variety of…read moremusic, the ambience, the atmosphere....and the burger and fries! That burger----was SOOOO GOOD (Char Burger) and the waffle fries were kind of crispy- good! They had an NBA game playing on the tvs. Service from both bartenders was great- Our main server had great attention to detail. (realized they forgot the mustard without me saying anything) All in all- great! (Skip the fish and chips- get the char burger!)

    I came in with three friends and we grabbed a high-top table. We ordered a few rounds and…read moreeverything was going fine. Toward the end of the night, two of my friends left, and the remaining two of us paid our bill and were finishing our drinks while waiting for our Uber. At that point, the bartender came over and told us she needed our table for a large group. The table wasn't reserved, and we were clearly just finishing up. We told her we were about to leave anyway, but the way it was handled felt really abrupt and rude. What made it worse was that she immediately brought a group over to take our table, and even they were apologizing to us because they seemed uncomfortable with how it was handled. I've worked in bars and restaurants myself, so I completely understand needing to manage space, but there's a way to do it respectfully, and this wasn't it. Unfortunately, this experience left a bad impression, and despite having been here multiple times before, I won't be returning.

    Photos
    Dining Room
    Dining Room
    Corned Beef
    Corned Beef
    O'Callaghan's

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    Third Rail Tavern - bars - Updated July 2026

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