Stanley’s Kitchen & Tap

My husband and I moved to Chicago a few weeks ago and have been looking for good places to eat. While we were out walking around the area, we decided to stop at Stanley’s Kitchen & Tap due to the good reviews of the Stan Burger. Unfortunately, my husband and I will most likely never stop at this place again. My husband had asked for a specific beer on tap. In response the bartender (who I am assuming was the owner) stated «no we don’t have that, but we have this.» He then walked away and poured the beer before my husband could even respond. Needless to say, the beer that the bartender chose for my husband would not have been a beer that he would have asked for had he been given the chance. I then asked for a bloody mary. Rather than paying an extra $ 2.50 for their bloody mary bar, I opted to have the bartender make the bloody mary. After all, a boody mary is one the most popular drinks in America, and every bartender should be able to make a good bloody mary at any chance. I can honestly say that the bloody mary he gave me was the 2^nd worst bloody mary I have ever had in my life (and I have had many bloody marys in many different places). It was nothing but vodka and straight tomato juice (with 1 splash of tabasco and 1 splash of Worcestershire — not even enough to give any flavor). He had Zing Zang bloody mary mix sitting right next to the tomato juice and didn’t use it. On top of that, when I ask for a bloody mary without specifying vodka brand, I expect to be given rail vodka. While watching him make the drink, I was surprised to see that they were using a call brand vodka rather than the cheap rail vodka I normally see. However, when I got the bill I saw that I was charged for the call brand vodka rather than the rail vodka I was expecting. So they give you an upgraded vodka without you asking just so they can upcharge you. Not to mention that the bartender (again, who I assume is the owner) had very poor people skills and made the experience less than pleasant. Even the waitresses who came up for drink orders seemed irritated and like they didn’t want to be there. On top of the horrible service, I watched the bartender put his finger under the Guinness tap waiting for his bar back to change the keg. He had the Guinness dripping on his finger with someone’s half poured Guinness pint right underneath him, so the Guinness was then dripping from his finger into the glass. And might I say, I never saw him wash his hands once while we were there — even after touching money.
I will say that the Stan Burger was great. It is a shame that the horrible bar service will keep us from returning to this establishment.

Not the place you’d expect to have a killer brunch buffet but the food here is just unbelievable! Everything is delicious and they’ve checked all the boxes for great southern fare:
— chicken and waffles
— cheese grits
— bacon and sausage
— omelet bar
— and much more…
And that’s not even including the bloody Mary bar with something like 50+ ingredients to pick from. It’s like nothing you’ve ever seen. Luckily I live in LA or this place would be the end of me.

I just have to say their market salad is to die for. For a fried chicken place it’s one of the better salads I’ve had it at any restaurant so keep it up! I don’t know I’ve had a lot of fried chicken and I just love there’s it’s just perfect mashed potatoes to die for macaroni and cheese like eating clouds but 9,000,000 calories! I love Stanley’s food which they bring the grits back

Meh. I’ve driven by this place twice a day for a year and said I’d check it out. Cool drawing outside really gets you thinking about how good their food must be.
It was basic. Not a lot of flavor in the catfish dinner or the mac and cheese.
Service was slow and lackluster. Kid wanted crayons and got them when the food came and after another table was done with them. Why offer it if you have one cup?
Wouldn’t sub mac and cheese for the grits and I can only assume it’s because they need to get rid of these grits. More cheese than anything else.
Finally got the check and didn’t bother waiting on any change. We probably would have never seen her again.
I won’t be back, but you should try it. It may just be me.

Reasonable pub style food and ambience with restaurant in a room behind the bar area. Chicken pie with tasty crust turned out to have mashed potato topping but otherwise fine. Good beer selection is the best thing here. Service ok.

Stanley’s won me over by giving me really good food, and LOTS OF IT. The food is very good and is around 4 stars but the portion size easily bumped my rating to 5 stars.
We got surprisingly excellent fried chicken (the breast was really juicy, the hallmark of any good fried chicken of course), must try poutine in the morning (tots with generous amounts of pulled pork, jack cheese, fried eggs), mashed potatoes, mac and cheese. The mac and cheese was only okay so I would skip that. Otherwise I was so happy with the rest of my meal. Highlights were the chicken and the poutine for sure.
They gave us so much food that my friends had to force me to eat the last drumstick – I’ve never thought there would be a time when I would need someone to force me to eat fried chicken!
Stanley’s also has an all-​you-​can-​eat brunch on Sundays for a more than reasonable price, too! I can imagine how wonderfully full I would be after that brunch…

Place sucks, closed for Blackhawks playoff game! I always hated this place and was forced to go here for the game and it’s closed! Are these guys idiots? Monday Game 7 playoff game and closed, seriously?

A fun little place that feels tucked away but with a great energy. Everything I’ve tried on their menu has been delicious and I always look forward to going.

Love the food, staff was friendly. Will be going back for more.

It requires a lot of effort and patience to eat here. The Southwest /​Texas food is some of the best you will have in the city.
However, what you have to go thru to get it is quite an ordeal. The service is horribly slow. The kitchen hours seem to change every day, as does what they stock. The wait staff don’t understand why you are upset when they refill your drinks AFTER you’ve finished eating.
Bottom Line — Very Good Food. If you’re willing to go thru the effort to get it. And they have it in the kitchen to prepare and serve.

Huge half-​order of antibiotic-​free fried chicken (4 pieces) WITH mashed potatoes AND a biscuit for $ 12 — not too shabby! The batter didn’t have much seasoning, but the meat was very moist. We were pleasantly surprised by the mustard and hot sauce selection (i.e. it wasn’t the ‘olé yellow mustard and Tabasco!) Staff was very friendly, but the food took a very long time to come out and it didn’t seem like too many people were eating.
Another fun bonus — live DJ spinning old school jams (on a Friday evening).

My fiancé and I took our guests from England to Stanley’s to show them how an all-​you-​can-​eat-​buffet truly works. I had to be careful not to overeat, and I almost couldn’t help myself.
The buffet itself is very robust! As other folks have mentioned, the biscuits/​gravy, fried chicken, mac-​n-​cheese, and waffles are amazing. I posted a picture of my first place. As you can see, I tried to shoehorn a little bit of everything onto my plate! My favorite item was probably the biscuits/​gravy combination.
One thing I’d like to mention is the Bloody Mary DIY bar. You won’t be lacking in options! Their Bloody Mary bar is worth a try. It’s a perfect «next morning,» compliment to a long night.
Our waiter was kind and attentive. Most importantly, he kept the coffee flowing! The bill was very reasonable, and I had an enjoyable experience! I recommend this place, and I will return in the future.

Southern brunch buffet helps make this Texas Longhorn bar standout against the other brunches in the city. The biscuits, chicken, and Mac and cheese were good. There is some outdoor seating available and a Bloody Mary Bar. There is also an omelette station.
I had to dock the rating because I along with others who were in line before us waited at the empty hostess stand waiting for a seat. After 10 min the hostess came and said that you can seat yourself. Even though she clearly saw everyone waiting for her. There wasn’t a sign or notice about it, they didn’t come to our table to explain how the brunch worked until another 10 minutes later.
I would still recommend giving this place a shot though. Just beware to seat yourself :)

Best fried chicken in the city. Sunday brunch welcomes you with a younger (hung over) crowd of people donning baseball caps, and flannel shirts. The music lays perfectly over the crowd noise and accompanies the food perfectly. The familiar sounds of Michael McDermott and other musical legends creates a Sunday afternoon soundtrack and is a perfect pre-​game for Sunday football. The brunch buffet features a Bloody Mary bar that rivals any I’ve ever seen. And after you create you own version of bloody heaven, you grab your plate and load up in some delicious comfort food. Choosing from dozens of options including omelettes, fresh waffles, grits, eggs, bacon, sausage, homemade cookies, amazing Mac and cheese, and the BEST fried chicken in the city! Owner and Chicago legend, Donnie Cruse commands the ship and if he’s not welcoming you at the door, he is acting DJ at the jukebox. A warm and welcoming environment that I would highly recommend!

Visited the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago last weekend to see the lights and was looking for a close place to grab dinner. Stanley’s is only about 4 blocks away, so we decided to walk there.
I liked the lay-​out and atmosphere of the place right away. The bar was what you saw first, but the actual restaurant was through the bar and an open doorway, so it was a bit removed and it wasn’t as loud. We could still hear people singing along to the music in the bar, but surprisingly was not as bad as initially thought. They had all the tv’s in the restaurant area tuned to sports and it seemed like every seat had a view of at least 1 tv.
The overall ‘con’ of the place was the service. Our waitress seemed nice enough, but did not check on us after the initial check-​in after the food was delivered. My cousin discovered halfway through the meal that most of her sweet potato chips were either burnt or raw and was disappointed that the waitress never came back so she could get new ones made. She also brought us the wrong tables beer at first and did not remember anybody’s beer or food order (put them in front of the wrong people).
I did enjoy my ginger peach cider (except for the price – forgot Chicago alcohol prices would be steeper than Madison’s!) and I REALLY enjoyed my catfish po’ boy. The bread on the sandwich was crusty and toasty, the fish was done well, the sirachi mayo was great and the thin, crispy fries were the perfect finish.
Husband ordered ‘God’s Mac n’ Cheese’ and liked it, but I wasn’t a fan. It looked like it came straight out of a pre-​made casserole (brick of mac n cheese) and was just warmed up. It did have real cheese on it which was a nice touch.
I’d be likely to come here again if I was in the area!

Five words:
All
You
Can
Eat
Buffet
On the weekends only, but don’t you just love those words? Those words are life.
On to the good stuff! The bloody Mary bar is absolutely wonderful and the perfect thing for brunch after a rough night. The food is delicious!
The mac is super cheesy (just the way uh huh uh huh I likeeee iiiiiiiit), the biscuits and gravy are really good and the… fried…chicken.
FRIED CHICKEN.
It is so incredibly crispy on the outside and tender on the inside with the perfect amount of seasoning and oil. I had two pieces but wish I had an extra one… or five.
Great service as well, I will definitely be back.
Get it, get it!

I’ve always liked Stanley’s and want to like Stanley’s and keep good pubs and food in the neighborhood. Sorry to say that things have changed. Extremely short staffed, coming from the employees that remain, down to only 5 days a week and no lunches except for Fri. I believe (of course Sat. & Sun. are all day), no air conditioning repair all summer and last, had a sign on the doors into June that they were closed for Spring remodeling (nothing done), and you get the picture.
The food just isn’t good. Some folks like the chicken, but I never found anything great about it and same with the mashed potatoes. Even in better days many dishes I got were over done and burned. I can name each one if anyone cares? Kitchen was just too busy to keep an eye on everything deep fried, for sure. Even the po boy was inedible and horrible fish smell. The ribs were awful and used my knife on the cutting board they’re served on, to shave off some meat but there was none. None. I certainly wasn’t going to try the pork chop that was on the menu then. I don’t know what happened to the chef but it wasn’t good after he arrived years back.
This is 2 stars and that is for the employees that are trying to hold it together. I wonder if there is still a lady that does nothing but peel potatoes all day. Don’t want to see people lose jobs.

We come here often for the delicious Sunday breakfast brunch. Stanleys has a great assortment of brunch foods (made to order omelets and waffles among many southern treats). The fried chicken is great! The mac and cheese is good. The cheese grits are better than Wishbone’s and I’m not lying! We love southern food and are good judges of good food being from Texas and what not. I would highly recommend bringing the fam or friends for a full belly and smiles all around. You will not be disappointed. This is also a great place to catch the game too!

I went here with my family for the buffet. The waitress barely came to the table and looked like she hated even being talked to. I had to flag her down to get some water and a clean knife. The employee behind the buffet let things run out and looked like he wishes he was anywhere but there. I can understand not enjoying your job but to see people look like they hate it really brings down the place.
The food was average. The chicken is very good though and the omelet station was very nice.

Never heard of Stanley’s. Found them on DoorDash, and what a find it was!
My favorite part of the Chicken Fried Chicken? The Mashed Potatoes. They were topped with the same white gravy as the chicken. Quite possibly the best mashed potatoes I’ve ever had… ever. They’re perfect in flavor and texture. I hope it wasn’t a fluke, because I’m already looking forward to next time. The portion was huge, and for me, that in itself could be dinner. The chicken breast was ok. Flavor was good, but oddly enough, it was a little chewy.
The Fried Chicken I’m told is also outstanding. When it was on the way upstairs, I could smell that it was the real deal! No fast food, garbage fried chicken here.
Will consider going there for a meal and drinks, and Stanley’s will definitely become a regular delivery option.

I came here with my leadership retreat group for dinner. There were about 55 of us altogether, so I was curious as to how this would work logistically.
Our servers were very attentive, accommodating and upbeat. They are a sports bar, that had a few flat screens in the room, with different sports playing; we experienced competitive arm wrestling. Who knew?
Anyway, they started us out with a bowl of corn muffins and hush puppies. Might I say they were the tastiest pups I’ve ever had? They were made with some kind of herbs, and were the perfect texture. Those went fast.
As far as dinner, we ended up having a buffet set up with a very tasty salad with chunks of mozzarella and artichoke in it, coleslaw, macaroni, REAL mashed potatoes, Italian beef sandwiches with au jus, and fried chicken. There was also a fruit and baked dessert table.
Surprisingly, everything was good (except I don’t eat coleslaw. Ick)! I use the term «surprisingly» because anything in bulk can start to become iffy; you can tell everything was kinda down-​homey.
I think this was a great place for a group our size, and I would gladly go back.

The fried chicken is a killer! So good. The quantities server are huge, good point. You can also make your own Caesar drinks.

Just had an amazing supper here with my boyfriend. Used a groupon and I almost felt like I was stealing from the place. $ 3 draft beers! The beer list is short but they have some solid choices. We started munching on the cornbread, hush puppies and apple butter, and ordered the fried pickles and okra. Pickles and okra + giardiniera ranch dip = heaven. I ordered the chicken salad in wrap form and a side of greens with bacon… And was eating for days. Portions are huge. Boyfriend got the pulled pork sandwich and mashed potatoes and gravy. The sandwich had an apple slaw that was super tasty. It was also enormous as well… This place doesn’t skimp. Our waitress was so sweet and very attentive. Can’t wait to come back here!

We dropped in here because we smelled the mashed potatoes as we were walking by and were sucked in — and I have no regrets.
My brothers and I ended up sharing the whole Southern fried chicken and the chicken pot pie. The fried chicken was so amazing, flavorful and delicious and moist. This is not KFC, people. It came with biscuits that I didn’t actually eat, because I was too busy stuffing my face with fried goodness.
The chicken pot pie was weird because it didn’t have any actual pie, as far as I could tell. It was basically chicken soup with some baked mashed potato on top, but it was delicious and I would eat it again.
We also got a side of mashed potatoes, which turned out to be really great, fluffy and creamy, with a very light gravy.
WOULD RECOMMEND, especially if you were at the Lincoln Park zoo, meant to go to Chicago Oven Pizza Grinder (all of those words are in the name, but probably not in that order) and discovered, as we did, that the line was over an hour long.

Been to Stanley’s twice, both times for brunch. And what a brunch it is. Juicy fried chicken that sees people grab bucket loads when it arrives. Waffle boats that hold in all the syrup goodness and also lets you top it with fruit and whip cream in a nonmessy way. Mac and cheese that is super cheesy especially if you get some of the almost burnt top layer (my fave). In addition to those three, there is an omelette station, fruit, a dessert bar, and even some other standard breakfast fare. Really the only thing I am not crazy about is the grits because they pale to the South. But everything else is topnotch and worth the $ 15 or so. It gets busy so be prepared to wait (the text notification when the table is ready is a nice touch).

We came here to use our Groupon offer on a Friday night and the front bar area was crowded with bar goers. We were escorted to the back dining area and was greeted by our server with water and a bowl of hush puppies and corn bread. We started with Mac and cheese, tater tot poutine, & turkey sliders. The Mac and cheese & poutine were delicious. It’s a must if you eat here. Don’t get the turkey sliders as it was dry and bland. We had the half bird southern fried chicken meal. The chicken was fried well and crispy, but it can be a bit over seasoned and salty. The biscuit was good, but the mashed were just ok. It didn’t taste fresh when we ate it. The portion sizes are big. You can share a few items and be stuffed.

Came here with a date and a groupon and ordered the half fried chicken platter. Probably not the best idea on a first date, but it’s «famous» and I always want to try the food the restaurant is known for! I delicately nibbled on a leg and a wing and ate all the mashed potatoes before (falsely) declaring that it was enough for me and asked for a box to take the rest home. I’m not ashamed to say that I polished off the rest of the chicken when I got home. It was good and I like my fried chicken fresh.
The atmosphere in the back of the restaurant is very midwest road trip, like you checked in at a truck stop diner on your way through Indiana. Then you go to the front and it’s like any other sports bar with a super (hot) cool looking bartender who looks like he should be working in Wicker Park. It all doesn’t really go together and yet it somehow works.

I’ve had Stanley’s bookmarked for about four years now and I was not disappointed. We were able to get a table for five without any problems on Saturday around 6pm. You get complimentary hush puppies and cornbread which are both tasty.
We also ordered fried pickles for the table and they were delicious, and made even better by a spicy dipping sauce that I kept to dip my tater tots in. Speaking of spicy, I got the shrimp po’ boy that has a sriracha mayo in it. YUM.
Also, you’re going to want the mac and cheese.
Minus one star for weird service. Asked for a drink after my food arrived and didn’t receive it until half way through my meal. This wouldn’t be too bad if the restaurant weren’t almost empty.

Went here with some friends for a country style dinner. Is a pretty big place, they have a bar area and a quiet dining room in the back. I ordered the fry catfish dinner, it was just okay. It was not the best catfish I ever but also not the worst. My fiancé got the pulled pork and the other friend the fry chicken. And we all agreed the food was just okay. But the beer on the other hand was good and at a good price. Will I come back? Yes even if is just to get a drink.

I’ve been to Stanley’s twice now. The first time was just for drinks and apps on a Friday, around 4:30. They had $ 5 Titos drinks — served in a pint glass and made strong. What a great drink deal for a Friday. We ordered 3 different appetizers, and the tots with pulled pork was AMAZING. A huge portion of perfectly deep fried tots covered in cheese and pulled pork. It was insane. The guac & chips were just ‘meh’ and not worth a mention as were the chicken strips. Get the tots!
Service on the Friday was great and our service was fun and attentive. While we were there, we noticed they had an AYCE brunch for about $ 14 on the weekends. This leads to our next visit…
Sunday brunch. We showed up around 11:30 and were told there would be a 30 minute wait. It was probably 20 minutes before they sat us. Our server was the most smiley person I’ve ever saw and he explained how the brunch worked, got us plates our drinks and checked on us often.
The food was very good! They had 3 stations. The first was breads, bagles, and fruits. The second was an omelet station, and the third was waffles and everything else. The waffles and mac & cheese were my favorites — and both insanely good. The fried chicken, while looked really good, was lacking in flavor/​spice. The omelet station was very slow — one guy working and it took an insanely long time to get an omelet — I skipped it. My friend waited in line, and the omelet was good, but not really worth the long wait. Overall — the brunch is an incredible value for the money. They also have a bottomless bloody mary bar for $ 10 (I think).
Stanley’s is a cool place, and I think they get a very diverse crowd. It is ½ bar, ½ restaurant and a bit old and rickety inside, but clean. Service was really good both times I’ve been there. Great for drinks and great for brunch.

I came in with a group of friends around 9:00 on a Sunday evening (before Labor Day Monday) and it was PACKED. Luckily, we got wonderful drinks at the bar but there was no AC on. All the tables were taken and most of us spent time standing in front of the fan. There was a jukebox but I couldn’t imagine hearing anything playing so it wouldn’t be worth a try.
I asked the waitress if I could borrow an unused stool to sit near the bar and she sternly told me, ‘No, we are taking all the bar stools away.’ Just flat out rude. The food is like the food that takes best only when you are drunk. The fries were dry, the sloppy joes were not sloppy, and it was just not the type.
Maybe it’s also cause I’m 28 and my group of friends were around teh same age. BUT– if you are around your early 20’s– then this bar can work.

It’s all about the people. I went last night and I loved the people. Not the people sitting next to us (they were downers). No. The folks who worked there. Like the guy who gave me a tip about where NOT to lock my bike (there’s a pole that pulls out of the ground next to Stanley’s). I also loved Stacy. She’s my pastel pink haired punk server girl who could be straight out of Rainbow Brite. Everyone who worked there was genuinely friendly despite the busted AC turning Stanley’s into a musty steam room.
Another thing that we loved about Stanley’s was our bill. After three beers (my stout and two ciders for M), one neat glass of amoretto, two entrees, and one dessert our bill came to $ 60. Our bills are rarely that cheap. Not even for breakfast. Perhaps we should start grooving in some neighborhood bars to save our bank!
I think we got what we paid for. It’s not fair to expect an $ 10 entrée to hold up to our customary $ 25 entrée, right? Right. It was, perhaps, a hair better than what we could make at home ourselves. I had the Friday Fried Fish dinner and M had some pork. We’ll both probably explore other menu items next time.
The dessert is where the menu really shines. Stacy explained that the owner’s wife (?) is a baker and makes all these ah-​mazing baked goods. We shared strawberry shortcake with homemade whipped cream. It was the perfect balance of refreshing and sweet that steamy night. We will DEFINITELY get more of those desserts in the future.

From the outside this place looks shabby but promising. Moving inside you will find yourself in the bar area and then venturing back even further will land you in a very homey, comfy dining area.
The menu is amazing! It was so hard to make a selection from the southern comfort food options. The meal started with hush puppies and cornbread muffins served with Apple butter, which was a heavenly combination of flavors.
I decided to eat two appetizers, both of which I enjoyed. Definitely try the fried pickles because they are huge! The okra that accompanied them were not as amazing… which is to be expected of okra, in my opinion. The sweet potato chips: also a big hit. Mac and cheese, fried chicken salad and chocolate shake: also thoroughly enjoyed.
Our waitress (sorry no name drop) was super friendly and funny which added to the overall experience at Stanley’s.
The takeaway is that we totally missed out on the brunch buffet that happens sat & sun with a Bloody Mary bar… we were an hour late. *tear* But then again there is a special of some kind offered each night so make sure to hit up the ones that appeal to your tastebuds the most. For me, I would love to make it on a Friday for an all you can eat fish fry!