Old Fifth

Awesome atmosphere and great for watching sports games with a lot of huge tvs. Large portion sizes that are delicious and well worth it. Also a great beer and whiskey selection.

I am actually kinda pissed at this place. Why?
We went in on Saturday afternoon for a late lunch and a few drinks. We got there, the host was also our server. He was overly nice and service oriented, explained that the brunch was switching to lunch and we would have a delay. No complaints from us, we were watching the Cubs and willing to have a few beers until the menu switch was ready. He came back over, explained that it would be 30-​minutes– then said, «I feel bad, let me take care of you. Do you like Shrimp cocktail? I will send one right out while you wait.» To us this was great service, he felt bad at the long delay and was comping something. We said sure, and said it was no hurry.
Well. bill came, we had been charged. I was content waiting– but after he said he would take care of us and send out an app, it very much was insinuated he was covering the charge. When he had followed to say that he was taking care of other tables with it too, I assumed they were promoting a new menu item. Well, charged $ 13. Angry.

Farro=wheat. Toasted Farro Salad is NOT gluten free. Also fried ANYTHING isn’t gluten free unless you have a dedicated fryer (fried goat cheese in your Farmer Market Salad, tots, fries). It’s clear by your attorneys statement on the back of your menu that you have NO idea what gluten is. This makes your entire menu with GF listings completely suspect. Do you toss your GF pizza dough in flour to prevent it from sticking to the oven? Curious what makes your shrimp cocktail NOT gluten free? So many questions and don’t feel safe eating here. Celiacs beware.
Love,
Someone with celiac disease (NOT a gf fad diet).
Happy to consult on your menu revisions if you’d like an educated eye.
1 star cuz 0 isn’t an option.

Old Fifth hits a grand slam. Here’s why:
I came here on a whim with my girlfriend since we both wanted truffle fries, and it was the closest bar/​restaurant in the area. I was surprised when we went in. They have a large, open space with rustic modern décor. Great for large parties. The booths are HUGE. TV’s are everywhere if thats your thing, so you won’t miss any of the action. They seem to be going for the upscale sports bar vibe, but the game audio was not on the night we went. No complaints from me, the music playlist was perfect.
We ordered truffle fries, pork wings with bourbon glaze, and wagyu beef foie gras sliders. Everything was incredible, well plated on wood serving boards, and came out at the same time. The pork wings were crispy perfection. The sliders were delectable, and of course the truffle fries were great. Pizza is the «famous» item on their menu so I look forward to trying it next time I’m in a pizza mood.
Service was fantastic. Our server was attentive and the manager swung by to check on us. Wonderful.
Clean, nice looking bathroom. Not much of a concern for others, but I think it makes a difference. The incense sticks are a nice touch.
Overall, Old Fifth has the service, food quality, and attention to detail of a $$$ restaurant, but at a more reasonable $$. I can’t wait to return. Maybe I’ll host my birthday party here since they can accommodate large groups.

I absolutely love Old Fifth! Here is what I love:
–Service is AMAZING. I don’t think I have ever been served that well in my entire life. Joe is fantastic!
–The server suggested I order the Secret Burger and it was AMAZING. Best burger I have ever had! My mouth is watering just thinking about it.
–Their truffle fries are sooooo good!
The only thing I don’t really like is how loud the music is, but, I mean, that might just be their thing. We have gone late at night, and another time at dinner. We will probably be going back soon. It’s a great place to go if you want to watch a game, with some great food!

Totally new menu. Bone Marrow, Jerk Chicken & Smoking Oysters will bring me back here for sure

To the management (who I hope read this),
I had an absolutely splendid time last night at the bar at Old Fifth. Katie made fantastic cocktails, and Sam was a great conversationalist. The smokey manhattan may be my new favorite cocktail, simply fantastic. I look forward to bringing future meetings/​dates there.
One spot of disappointment, however, was the fact that no one could tell me what they thought of the burger of the month; my understanding is that none of them had tried it yet. This seems like a tactical error, but one easily fixed. Why not just allow the staff the burger of the month at the beginning of the month so that they can help promote the great food Old Fifth has to offer.
Anyways, in general, a great night, met some great folks, and had some great drinks and great food.
Best,
Kenny

Excellent craft and local beer selections. We had the nachos and it blew every other nachos that I’ve ever had away. Excellent service and great food with tons of beer and whiskey choices

Spend your time and money elsewhere.
Been here twice. Waited 15+ minutes both times for a server to come to our table. They never did. And there were less than 20 people in the entire place. And for the prices being charged, one should simply expect better. There are simply too many good alternatives in Chicago.
Avoid this place.

Great bartenders. It’s been quite a while since I’ve been to a bar where the bartenders cared so much about the product. Please forgive me as I’m sure I will misspell or completely get the names wrong but Nuvi and Cody were awesome. They made us some traditional cocktails as well as some experimental beverages.
Most were great, a couple were off for my palate.
The very few I didn’t care for so much they quickly took away and made a substitute that was quite good.
I appreciate honesty and creativity and the bartenders here have it in spades.
I will be back. Soon.

Never been here — pleasantly surprised for a last minute decision. Lots of tvs showing the Hawks.
The food selection was great and everything was delicious. Gina was our server and she was so nice and explained how to best enjoy each dish. Loved the whiskey shot out of a bone marrow bone… will definitely come back!

This was my second time here and «Justin’s Chacoudery» is what brought me back. But when we had the Signature sliders and I could not speak more highly of the ⁵⁰⁄₅₀ Bacon burger! Perfectly cooked and incredibly flavorful!
The only reason I didn’t give it 5 stars was because our waitress didn’t know answers to the basic questions of what differentiates the Rye’s from the Bourbon’s, from the Scotch’s and Japanese whisky. Given its a whisky bar, I’d like to feel like I’m getting educated and it seems a logical expectation that the waitstaff would have been trained to be able explain the basics. I’m sure this will be rectified.
I will absolutely be back and bringing more friends with me because of what the back of the house is able to dish up for us thanks to their Head Chef Justin! And I’ll be sure to not share that slider appetizer!

This is still one of my favorite bars to go to for great drinking list/​cocktails and delicious foods. Recently they started a burger of the month and I am impressed. I had the luxury of trying all three and they each were spectacular. Cant wait to see what the next burger of the month will be!

Among the sea of trendy restaurants in the West Loop, the best way I can describe Old Fifth is: It’s a neighborhood place, not a destination place. Chances are you’re here because you live in the neighborhood, you want pizza and whiskey, and they have TV screens. There’s no reason really to come here if you don’t live around here, unlike the other more «destination-​like» restaurants in the area.
I can appreciate the concept and idea of Old Fifth and I think it’s great. Other than being able to peruse quite a wide of list of whiskey while having pizza, there’s not much else to the vibe here. Not a big fan of the crust though that’s just my personal preference. Our server was friendly and of course service makes the whole experience so + points.

I came here on a recent Friday evening to celebrate a friend’s bday and the place was quite live. I grabbed a seat at the bar as I did not see my group when I walked in around 8:30. They were playing some NBA games on the big screen behind the bar. The other screen had on a random Ethan Hawke movie and then later Training Day which also features the actor… strange. I had already eaten so I did not plan on getting their gluten free pizza, but I was definitely there to drink.
Most drinks here are between $ 10-​$ 24 as they seem to be very whiskey oriented which is definitely ok by me. I opted for the Old Fifth which is 4 Roses along with Jamaican bitters, apricot, lime and walnut… very good drink! I wanna say I had 3 of them throughout the night. Getting a drink at the bar was a little difficult so I was glad my group told me they were there. My group grabbed a nice seating area near the entrance which was able to seat around 10 of us. Getting a drink where we were seated was very easy and did not take long as our server was pretty much on point with getting everything to us in an expeditious manner. Our group ordered a couple of pizzas and I had a couple of slices of the sausage and cheese and it was pretty damn good. They made me a nice Buffalo Trace Old Fashioned as well!
I like the look and setup of this place as it has group seating all around the place with more 1 on 1 seating in the mid section of the place. The bar itself was a nice size and can fit a nice amount of people. As I mentioned earlier my only issue was how hard it was to get the attention of the bartenders when my glass was obviously empty for quite some time, but it happens. Good space here especially if you love whiskey and pizza!

My friend lives right around the corner so we met him here after a long day of football and beers. It wasn’t super busy but that’s in part to the snowstorm that came in.
I had the slider trio and truffle fries and the boy had the burger. Both were really good! Our server was nice and friendly.
I’d come back to watch games and enjoy some good bar food.

I don’t always get stuck in the 3.5 stars zone, but for this review I truly am. What drew us to this place is a desire for gluten-​free pizza. I’ve got to say — they did very well there! Their pizzas are really large, the crust tasted so good and it was real pizza, not flatbread.
The service was painfully slow — took us 30m to order, another 30 for food to arrive, etc. The appetizers were just ok. Many of the beers we requested they had run out of. I would order GF pizza here for take-​out but not have the patience to sit through another long dinner.

Walked in on a weeknight and it was dead. The place is spacious like its suited to accommodate many. A sign at the front said, «wait to be seated». The host and most staff were in the kitchen, no bartender, no waiters and the place had maybe 14 people inside that were scattered. We stood at the reception desk for some time waiting on someone to seat us. At one point I grabbed menus and motioned like I was going to seat us, in jest. Eventually someone emerged from the kitchen and started scooting about the room clearing off tables, I know he saw us when he first left the kitchen, though, still got to some upkeep before walking over. The waiter still mia.
Some many minutes after seating, (maybe ten) the waiter finally arrived. While I mentioned it being «dead» for the most part, I think some favored patrons were dining that night. So, our waiter had time to pound shots and shoot the shit awhile. Long story short, service wasn’t grand. I find it odd when waitstaff lounge with customers. I don’t care how slow a night is, there’s always a table that could use something. Like us! but that’ll come later.
Food was decent. The tater tots that everyone mentions and is repeated in Unilocal photos, is worth a try. Though, I’d ask for it well done. It’s good, but could be great if fried some time longer. The jalapeño slices that adorn the tot are a necessary bit of spice and pairs well. (IF you like it spicy, request a few more)
The jumbo wings, judging from their size are probably GMO and worth the spend if you like your wings meaty. Pretty tasty. I suggest the sweet and spicy, with a side of blue cheese if any waiter might remember bringing it out. (Yeah I’m being snarky. but when you’re dining close to 10 pm on a weeknight and it’s quiet, I expect better service. Their kitchen closes after 11 pm on most nights)
Their pizza is different than most Chicago places with the inclusion of one ingredient. It’s a thin crust with a chewy layer that is sweet. (We wondered whether sugar was added to the dough) I would bet that some people find this off-​putting. Since their marinara isn’t memorable, the pairing isn’t the tastiest. Maybe take the sugar out of the dough and add it to the sauce and while they’re at it, add a few spicy peppers or some chili powder to the mix. Oh and crank up the garlic! After a few slices to quell my dinner hunger, I gave the pizza away. (When I order a pizza, I never give it away. Never. And if I do, you could guess why.)
Drinks. My first drink could have been better if the prosecco were fresh. If Prosecco is a necessary component in your signature beverages please make sure that shit is still bubbly and with a quality taste. I’ve seen small bottles with a quantity of 2 – 3 servings which are perfect for a bar. It’s a waste if opening a big bottle and then refrigerating the leftover. Who knows how long that bottle had been open and like soda, who wants to drink stuff that isn’t fizzy? I thought people only did that shit at home.
Other then that, I found the drinks menu creative. But my next choice wasn’t available, (they ran out of ingredients) so I picked another.
I could see meeting a date for appetizers and drinks. but it’d have to be someone you’ve been seeing awhile. On a first date, if the service is deplorable, eff that.
The style of the place, its décor and the amount of thought into their menu and drinks should require no less than four stars. But this requires managements need to kick some staffing ass to get service quality higher.

We went for drinks on a Sat night and was I pleasantly surprised! Their cocktails were amazing. Between the 4 of us we tried the Sazerac, the Old Fashion, and the Old Fifth.
The Old Fifth was such an amazing bourbon drink. It had Jamaican and Peach bitters in addition to regular Angostura. So good that I had 3!!!
Cocktails are priced typical of a West Loop bar, and service was great.

I’m a fan! Met up with friends here for a few drinks on the Sunday before Memorial Day. I’ve been on an old fashioned kick lately because, well, apparently I’m a 60 year old man. Their old fashioned cocktail is on point! Perfect hint of sweet and bitters to compliment the whiskey.
Someone else at our table ordered a Bloody Mary and said it was almost too spicy for them to drink. Luckily, this sounds like a win for me because I like mine extra spicy! Ordered up one of those next — yum!
Our waitress was a peach and everyone working there was helpful. I was in desperate need of an outlet to charge my phone (claaaasic me), and they were more than happy to charge it up for me behind the bar.
I was kind of surprised that the place was so empty, but that could just be because it was the holiday weekend. Very happy we were able to get a large table for our group though!
I love the setting of this bar — totally a place I would hang out at often if I lived in the area. I didn’t eat this time around, but half of our group ordered pizza which looked pretty good! Check ‘me out.