Grass Fed

Went here for dinner with friends one night and overall was very good. The place is cute, service good, and very good burgers. The boys enjoyed their steaks too!
I would go back, especially to try brunch, but the reason I’m withholding that 5^th star is because we got a cheese/​salami plate before the others arrived and it was WAY overpriced– $ 20 something bucks for tiny portions that should have probably cost us $ 9…

We went there last night (Tuesday), and noticed we were the only people in the restaurant. We should have taken that as a red flag, but we decided to give it a go. There were widely varying Unilocal reviews, so we figured we’d trust the 5 Stars and give it a chance.
Main lowlights:
–The scallops were un-​stomachable. Literally all 4 people in our party could not swallow them. These were recommended by the waitress/​bartender as her favorite dish. Probably our bad for ordering scallops as I’m pretty sure you can’t feed them grass, but followed her lead
–The beer was not very cold. Sounds nit-​picky, but some beers are best served cold
–Cocktails were unsatisfactory, so we switched to normal mixed drinks, but…
–They were out of our first 3 choices of whiskey
–Menu barely matched online version. My gf had several dishes picked out, none of which were available when we arrived. Very disappointing.
Highlights:
–Chicken and waffles were pretty decent. Would have been a good brunch
-$ 15 corking fee to open a bottle of ‘2 Buck Chuck’. Only a highlight for the irony and hilarity of that situation (totally our own fault).

Dear Wicker Parkers,
While you’re waiting an hour at the Bongo Room for brunch, I’m happily enjoying my chicken & waffles with a smug smile because I know the best brunch secret in the hood: Grass Fed.
I have no idea how no one else has seemed to realize this yet, but do yourself a favor and come here for brunch and see for yourself.
Of course, I’m going to cry when you all figure it out and I have to wait an hour to get in – which is inevitable.
ORDER THE CHICKEN & WAFFLES!!!

Came here for the chicken and waffles… apparently they’re only a breakfast food! O well, tried a simple salad and the steak.
The small, quaint place is equipped with a bar and some outdoor seating as well as a decent amount if indoor tables.
There weren’t a lot of people here On a Wednesday nightmare, but people walking down the street made for great people watching.
The steak was ok. Nothing special. As was the salad.
Limited menu.
The service was ok.

On a nice day, you can sit out on the patio, but my friend opted to sit inside. Very clean interior and you can see the cook working. I ordered the Green Eggs, No Ham, with a side of bacon, while my friend ordered their chicken and waffles.
I must say, I was jealous. Their chicken and waffle plate is delicious!
The spices of the chicken combined with the sweet maple syrup of the waffle complemented each other very well. My Green Eggs, No Ham was good, even better with the fresh bacon.

Sometimes the best things come from a clean, well-​lighted space. While we all enjoy a steak ensconced in shadowy oak paneled rooms, beef delights us in white beadboard just as readily.
Grass Fed delivers such white washed pleasures. Tom Sawyer (or was it Huck Finn?) may have ordered the restaurant painted just prior to your passing, as if wandering in on a farm in the countryside, not off of Damen Avenue, and you’ve come in to savor its limited (ah, shall we be neighborly?), *focused* menu
For it is steak here, all the time. Well, most of the time, but all of the time it matters. Grass fed, lean, and full of flavor. There is really only one way to go here, and that is rare as the day is long. It is delicious and won’t disappoint. The steak is good any time you desire, for dinner or for brunch. Their poached eggs are some of the finest in the city and coat the rare sirloin lovingly.
They play with their own cocktail concoctions but I confess that the classics are preferable here — Manhattan by night, Bloody Mary by day. If you are lucky they’ll have the Orin Swift Saldo on the wine list, and if you’re luckier the pretty waitress will decant it for you.

I am so glad that Grassfed added additional items on to their menu! We came here on a Friday night and really enjoyed our meal. I had the whitefish and it was AMAZING. I usually order fish wherever I go, and this was definitely one of my favorites to date. The fish was cooked perfectly. He had the steak and although he thought the portion was small, really enjoyed his cut of meat. I would definitely be back now that they have an expanded menu. They also do brunch so might be worth checking out for sure!

This place was a very pleasant surprise. Had the grass fed burger, asparagus salad and butterscotch pot de crème for desert. I was blown away by how good every bite was. Even the coffee wowed me.
I can’t wait to go back and try the breakfast/​brunch food like bread pudding French toast.

While I was sad to see the previous establishment go (many memories were made and eaten there,) I was delighted to see a new, trendy looking establishment take its place. I had been hearing rumblings from some of my local friends to check this place out, so I decided one lazy Sunday afternoon to give it a whirl.
The inside is definitely a nice, unexpected change from the décor before. The original darker interior has been replaced with clean, white paint and tiles reminiscent of a modern country kitchen.
The staff was generally nice and welcoming, although there was generally a lack of prompt response from our waiter. Things started off great, but throughout the meal (and I get it, things got a busier,) he rarely showed up to check in and fill waters and deliver a bill.
All things considered, the burger I ended up getting was better than average, and I liked the fact that the breakfast burger was served on a biscuit. They had a handful of other interesting options there, but the menu was very fairly small without too many completely unique choices.
I would say that I really like the new décor, but the service could use a slight jump start. The food was good, but could also use a little kick to get it somewhere that I would again consider paying the prices we did for the food. I’m not sure what that kick would be, but once they figure it out I would definitely try this place again.

3 stars here is really more 2.5. They need to season the food! The chicken sandwich was tasty but only because the slaw on it saved it. The salad that came with was given a little olive oil as dressing but nothing more and it was so very bland. Some lemon or salt or balsamic or anything would have made it better.
The steak sandwich was strange and not was I expected. It was on an almost slider sized bun and it had five chunks of steak on it. You had to chew each bite about 30 times to swallow. The plate was filled to overflowing with fries that had been cooked too much and seasoned too little. We left talking about the awesome steak entrée you can get from RM Champagne Salon for only a few dollars more than this sandwich, which was $ 14 or the amazing steak sliders you can get from Bat 17 where you get 4 and they are huge and to die for for $ 12.99. In short, we could think of a million other places where you get more flavor and value for your money so we would never get that steak sandwich again. We also left talking about how flavorful the salad that came with the sandwiches was at Caffe de Luca and how we missed that place.
On the upside, they did do a nice job with the interior and when it comes to alcohol they have some great drink options. There are just too many great lunch options in the city to ever leave a place thinking it was just OK.

A solid 3.5 overall for service and food. We went here for restaurant week and enjoyed our meal for the most part. I LOVE the beet salad and fries and would probably come back for that alone. Everything else is just OK. I expected to be blown away by grass fed freshness, but I couldn’t really tell the difference. And it’s a tad pricey, which I can understand since it’s pretty much organic, but I wanted to be blown away too.
The space is totally cute tho and I dig the vibe. Will we come back… maybe only if we had too.

Want to love this place, but it was just ok.
Big, open, clean layout with super high ceilings and white-​washed walls. The atmosphere, menu, and name of the restaurant all lined up for me and I was digging it.
The food: Green salad was boring, but tasted fine — focaccia was good. Brussel sprout salad was also tasty, but nothing new. Mussels with chiles, chorizo, and wine sauce was delicious — the broth was amazing and perfect for dipping. The steak was tasty… ordered medium but came out medium rare which was actually for the better. MAIN ISSUE I have is that the steak portion was TINY and no where near the portion size seen in the numerous pictures posted on Unilocal.Our steak was literally half the size — sad, and I totally feel gipped. Fries came as sides for both main courses, and they were just ok. A little limp, for lack of a better word. Meh. Pecan bread pudding was for dessert and was tasty, but definitely should have been served warm.
Drinks:
Old fashioned with their house made orange infused rye
Smoked black manhattan
I liked both drinks, though preferred the old fashioned.
Service was great. I could see the waitress and other wait staff checking on us, and did a great job sensing when we needed water, plates cleared, etc and when we were fine just hanging out.
In summary… with some small adjustments I think this place could be great. It felt like a new restaurant that doesn’t quite have all the details worked out, and I was surprised to learn this place has been open since last July. May try again on a weeknight, will hope for a while steak this time.

The main attraction (steak) is very poorly executed. Even if properly executed, I imagine that it would be a very mediocre dish.
This place opened up in my neighborhood, and I went with my fiancé with no expectations. The ambiance and service was good — nothing spectacular, but nothing to complain about.
The problem is the steak that we ordered. We ordered it mid-​rare. When it cam out, it was cooked extremely unevenly. Some parts were medium, some mid-​rare, some outright raw like jello.
The most unappetizing issue, however, was that the steak was poorly cleaned. I had a great deal of sinewy silver skin that was inedible. Because the steak was partially raw, it was like I was chewing on one of those thick broccoli rubber-​bands. The steak is pre-​sliced and, frankly, 20% of the pieces were inedible for this reason.
The steak was bland. I’ve heard that the restaurant attempts to cater to a healthier clientele. If so, great. But, this is not the place to go to get a juicy, delicious, steak.

We were excited to try a new local restaurant, even though we hadn’t heard great reviews.
The restaurant was much more casual on the inside than we expected, which was fine. We sat at a high top in the back. We met a bunch of friends and started with cocktails. All were really good — off to a good start. We ordered the steak tartare for an app and that was pretty good too.
For the mains, you get a choice of steak, chicken or fish. Surprisingly, the fish choice was mussels. We all ordered different things so we could try all of the choices. We also ordered the squash (excellent) and cauliflower (ok).
My friend got the steak medium and it came out medium rare and my husband got it med rare and it came out really rare. I couldn’t even eat it. I also couldn’t eat my chicken. It was bland, just not good. Contrast that to the mussels, which were excellent. Best thing anyone had.
If you are going to have three things on the menu, they should all be excellent. 1 out of 3 isn’t good. We were disappointed and probably wouldn’t return unless we knew mussels were the fish choice.

I went to grass fed for a meal with my dad.
I had been a month or so prior and enjoyed just some drinks while I was waiting for my seat at hot chocolate to become available.
The drinks are all really neat and come in a little 8oz bottle.
I had a campfire cocktail with a marshmallow kinda flavor in it.
Delicious.
It seems like there’s only one choice! The steak! However the waitress did advise us that we had option of chicken and there are also sides and starters for $ 6 each.
We both ended up getting the steak which was cooked PERFECTLY.
I had read some of the reviews on Unilocal and was slightly concerned about the timing or wait being too long but everything seemed to be timed appropriately with no long wait between the salad and the entrée.
I would like to go back. The ambiance is really open and bright. Much different than you’d expect from a place where steak is the primary option.

They get points for their ethical food stance, but I can’t manage more than three stars here.
I came here tonight for dinner because I had a Scoutmob and was really curious about the difference between grass fed and regular steak. I was very surprised to realize THEY ONLY OFFER ONE CUT OF STEAK and it’s the sirloin which I’ve never been super partial to. More of a ribeye guy myself.
It would have been nice to be able to pick the cut that I wanted. Or have any choice at all really.
The salad was good though! Arugula and figs, mm.
$ 25 for a few rather small slices of steak, ok fries and a small salad was way too much to go back without the Scoutmob. If you go for the steak, go because you support the cause, not because you want to be wow’ed.

Chicago has always been a meat town and a destination for anything steak related. What’s been happening recently too is that new ways to eat and enjoy meat have also been popping up in town. Grass Fed is one of those as it brings a very small and simple menu (one choice!) to a cool and classic country feel to Bucktown. I really liked the setting, long and narrow with high ceilings, white everything — wood paneled walls, tables, chairs, a nice curved bar in the front with the menu on chalkboard. I hear there’s even a patio in the back. There are no paper menus as everything is on the wall (and on other smaller boards throughout).
Speaking of menu, we went on a Monday which is burger night, so in addition to the $ 25 steak meal (with salad and fries) they offer a burger for $ 12. They have three sides and three starters listed on the board that change frequently. I don’t remember everything that was available but we decided on the spaetzle, cauliflower and brussel sprout salad to start. Brad was the lone steak order as Kate and I did the burger deal.
We enjoyed the starters though the cauliflower was by far the best dish with a nice dose of spice. I bounced back and forth between the spaetzle and brussel sprout salad trying to figure out which one I liked more or which one I wanted to eat again. The shaved brussels were nice and clean and refreshing but kind of lack a lot of flavor punch. The spaetzle was more fun with various textures and flavors. But I find it hard to eat an entire dish of spaetzle and feel good about it. The side salad that came with Brad’s steak was pretty bland and uninteresting but did provide a few greens for the table to go with all the meat. And the greens served with the burgers were equally disappointing and had way too much dressing.
But we came to eat meat and that’s the most important. The star of the meal was probably the steak (the one bite I had) but right behind that was the fries and ketchup. The ketchup was so good (infused with jalapenos) that Kate had a buy a bottle (not offered) to bring home. I liked my burger but it wasn’t anything to write home about or make a trip for. It was definitely juicy, and probably too much so. Nice meat and flavor but way too messy.
I liked our time and meal at Grass Fed. It’s a cool spot in the heart of Bucktown doing something a little different. The food overall was good, with the best dish being the steak (thank goodness) and fries. The concept is interesting but I think they recognize they need to expand the menu options in order to appeal to more people (they have a really good looking brunch and lunch menu so it might already be in the works). It’s fun and affordable and cool place to have a meal.

The accounts in my post are completely accurate and true and I have photos to prove it. I will begin by saying it DON’T GO TO GRASSFED. If you’re interested in the horror story that is my dining experience continue reading…
For starters, the décor is lovely and whatever restaurant comes in after this forsaken place closes will have a good start — that is if the place isn’t cursed.
I ran 12 miles on Sunday and I wanted meat. I was hungry at 11:00, so I went home got fancy and walked to Grassfed. The hostess said the wait would be 25 minutes and although my stomach was grumbling I was excited to try it out and I waited… waited, until 30 minutes later we sat down! Waitress came over and took our drink order we also asked for the cheese platter. 10 minutes later she comes back with drinks, spills it on my dress and says the cheese plate is only for dinner. We then decided to order the Steak Salad — MEDIUM steak and the Scrambled eggs, medium well steak and potatoes. The waitress said, «we’re a little backed up so give us extra time.» I’ve worked in restaurants and my boyfriend actually managed one for years so we understood and expected to wait some time.
ONE HOUR LATER… no jokes, no exaggerations ONE HOUR went by with no food. The waitress came by and apologized and my boyfriend and I made jokes because what else could we do. Then my boyfriend said «another round please» and the waitress brought him a beer… my drink was nowhere. I thought she misunderstood so I asked for my drink specifically. Which took 7 minutes (yes I made notes at the restaurant what else was I going to do for an hour?) Then a man dressed in khaki shorts and a shirt came to our table and said «sorry guys we’re backed up we’ll make significant changes to your check though» He didn’t introduce himself, didn’t get his name, nor did I care I wanted food!
FINALLY I got… something… food maybe? *Look at the photos I posted and let’s play a game — where’s the meat in the salad? Do you see it? And if you do is that Medium? Okay, now look at the next photo are those scrambled eggs? No. Is that Medium Well Steak? No. *
I know food. I love food. I have volunteered at a soup kitchen and gave better service and served better food. This place is terrible. In Chicago, only the strong survive. Too many mistakes and serious ones. Here’s the end of the story — our bill got changed 3 times. First, they took off my meal. Then my boyfriend pointed out that he refused to eat a fried egg and rare steak so they took off his meal. Then we just paid for drinks, but the waitress didn’t know how to use the iphone credit card machine properly so we got charged — TWICE!!!
Again, look at the photos, feel my irritation, and do NOT go to this place. This location needs something better.
Here’s a joke I came up with while waiting for an hour — «This place is called Grassfed because you’ll wait so long and have such bad food that you’ll want to eat grass…»

Grass fed offers a $ 25 steak, and as far $ 25 steaks go, it’s well worth the price. But the service was iffy and that really bothered me, especially since the place was nearly empty on the night we dined there.
Let’s start with the positives. Grass fed only sells one thing, Steak. And the Steak is delicious. The $ 25 fixed menu includes a delicious salad, and Sirloin steak that is served with fries. The salad was incredible. Everything was fresh and delicious. The Steak was cooked to perfection. It wasn’t the best cut of meat I’ve ever had, but what do you want for twenty five bones. They serve the steak and fries in two servings. Our server said they do this to assure you get a steak that’s hot and fresh. It was a different take that I kind of enjoyed. No complaints about the food.
The service? Well that was another story. It was a Friday night and after a hellish week of work, I was in the mood to get my drink on. I started out with a tasty dark stout and I had a hankering for more. Unfortunately, our server was hanging out by the kitchen our entire meal. Between the inside and outdoor patio area, four tables were occupied. It looked like the entire wait staff was having a wonderful time kIbitzing with each other by the kitchen while my wife and I stared at our empty glasses. It’s disappointing. I really enjoyed the food and I would have loved to give Grass Fed a more positive review.
Here’s the bottom line: Grass fed has the makings of a great eatery. I can’t think of anyplace else that offers this kind of quality food for the price. The level of service was unfortunate. As you can tell from most of my reviews, it doesn’t take a lot to make me happy. Well over half my review’s are three stars or more. All I ask is, good food, fun atmosphere and a full glass. Is that too much to ask?

I am kind of confused by this restaurant. The meal that I had was phenomenal. I am a big steak fan, as was my date. When I found out that they also had steak tartare as one of the starter offerings, I immediately jumped at the chance to have even more meat during the meal. It was served with quail eggs in a nice warmly toasted ciabatta (?). Excellent flavor, for real.
The salad that came out as part of the prix fixe was totally refreshing. It had some mint and maybe fennel? It was a perfect summer salad served with another piece of warm focaccia that my date stole from me. Well actually I let him have it since I’m cutting back on the carbs.
When our steak arrived, we were very excited. The only option for steak here is a 8 oz Sirloin. There is also a half plate of nicely prepared French-​style frites. The steak has a greenish Bearnaise sauce that complemented it nicely. The only beef (excuse the pun) I have is that there really isn’t much of a choice in terms of your cut of steak. In fact, there is no choice. It’s nice to be able to choose additional starters or sides (which all sounded delicious, by the way), but overall I would have loved to have been able to pick a filet over a sirloin, or just have more choice in general.
The funniest part of the evening was that my date and I were looking at our small plates of steak and fries and thinking that we’d like a little bit more for the $ 25 we were spending. All of a sudden, our waiter came out with another plate of… you guessed it… steak and frites! It was a kitchen miracle. And by the end, we were stuffed for sure.
Overall I loved my experience. My champagne and wine were both excellent. And the steak was outstanding, which is good because it’s the only thing on the menu!