Holiday Neighborhood Grill & Bar

Probably the worst breakfast I have ever had in the city of Chicago. I never write reviews but the awful coffee, nice but inattentive service and the meal that was finished by adding one of the cook’s chest hairs into my over easy eggs was nothing short of nauseating. I really want to like the place too. Come on guys…

Haymarket was WAY too crowded on a Friday around 5pm, so my friend and I stopped at Holiday instead.
I ordered a gin gimlet and hated it. Maybe it was too… ginny? But the waitress and bartender were more than happy to fix me something else. I always feel bad returning a drink but they were so friendly about it that it was actually hard to say no. I told the bartender I generally like ginger, gin, lime, and some soda, and he made me a concoction of some sort and it was perfect.
We also ordered the appetizer sampler/​combo and asked to substitute the wings with chicken tenders (the menu says no substitutions so we paid a little extra). Good stuff. Great service. Perfect neighborhood bar.

Came in around 2:00 in the afternoon for a burger and a beer, There was a friendly bartender, a nice menu with specials and two retired guys sitting and telling stories at the bar.
If that isn’t heaven, what is?
The food was good. The service was great. I love a no-​nonsense place to hang out. I can’t wait to have something fun to celebrate; I am definitely bringing my friends here! The owner introduced himself and made us laugh. I know we’re in good hands.

A-​OK is the perfect description for the Holiday Bar. I had been by here countless times and finally popped in the other night as I waited for my table across the street (something tells me the Holiday will be getting many new customers given the policy at Au Cheval!)
The bar had a few of the after work crowd, sharing stories of their day and having a couple of beers. I grabbed a seat at the bar and ordered my own beer.
John, the affable bartender, welcomed me and seemed to know that this was my first time AND that I had come from the place across the street as we were able to banter back and forth about the changes to this busy corner of Halsted and Randolph.
While I didn’t have them– I’m guessing that onion rings are a specialty of this place as almost every table had a huge pile of them on a plate and the people next to me actually offered me one of theirs!
Just as I was finishing my beer my phone rang to let me know my table was ready. So I paid and was gone.
But with a new appreciation for this little bar on the corner!

This is one of our go to spots in the city for a nice breakfast. Every year when the Illini play at the United Center, this is our meeting place. I have never actually eaten here for lunch or dinner, so I will rate this purely for breakfast.
I almost always order the Corned Beef Hash & Two Eggs with a cup of Joe. This place is on the

Update: Went back a few times and had the turkey with mashed potatoes, Italian beef, steak salad, chicken noodle soup. Everything is way TOO salty. Chef in back needs to take it easy on the salt shaker.
From the outside, this place looks like a hole in the wall and you’d probably guess they serve average diner food. But you go inside – and yes, it’s still a hole in the wall – but the food is great, the prices are excellent, and the clientele is a sharp contrast to the worn-​down diner, well-​dressed business men in suits and fashionable women in heels. Good looking crowd too I might add – I think I just found my new favorite lunch spot ;) I was a bit puzzled as to why this place would attract such a crowd, and then I had the food and understood why.
My co-​workers and I piled in here during peak lunch time so the place was already packed. We decided to sit at the bar. This is a mom and pop shop all the way – in fact, mom was behind the counter serving us lunch. They totally treat you like family here, no matter if it’s your first time or you’re a regular.
You have to love a place that serves tater tots! I stole a couple from my co-​worker and they were delish. I played it safe by ordering the chicken sandwich – it was huge and well-​cooked on a toasted pretzel bun, the bun made all the difference, it was fantastic. A couple of my coworkers ordered the spicy buffalo chicken sandwich and were extremely happy with it. The ham and cheese looked great. I’ll have to come back and try the Italian beef and salads, which I heard great things about. My ginormous chicken sandwich was $ 5.75, steal! I’m excited to come back for lunch, for breakfast, and for pumpkin pie.