Streetside Bar and Grill

THE PEOPLE HAVE SPOKEN AND BEEN HEARD! It’s Closed. a little sad since I met so many friends and my partner there 8 years ago. But it’s been dead to me for a year thanks to the menu change and let’s face it the hideous wallpaper and hipster band nights.
I can’t wait to see what the new owners give us!

This used to be «our» place. It’s where we had our first date. That was 3.5 years ago. I bragged to everyone I could about how great their food was.
NOW I WOULDN’T FEED A DOG THE GARBAGE THEY ARE SERVING THERE!
They destroyed the menu and the food quality. They had the best onion rings in town. Now, everything is grease riddled and sub par.
To top that, after eating that disgusting trash, I promptly came home and threw everything up. That’s right. The food was so greasy and disgusting it made me vomit my brains out. I’ve never thrown up without being sick (or drinking). The entire night after my meal I was so disappointed and felt so awful I thought I’d survive. Instead my night was completely ruined as a hacked my guts out.
NEVER EVER EVER GO TO THIS PLACE FOR FOOD.
They got one star b/​c we’re forced to give stars here, otherwise I’d take away some stars. It’s not even worth all the beers on tap because you can go to another pub. If you love yourself and your friends do not even look at this place as you drive by.
EPIC FAIL. Anyone who says otherwise has a stomach of steel or probably grew up eating crap.

I went to this place last night with friends and fell in love! It was after 7 on a gorgeous Saturday evening so we figured it would be packed. However, there wasn’t a crowd and we easily found a table (the patio area was also available, but after hearing Hall & Oates in the main area, we wanted to stay in). The staff was super great and we had an EXCELLENT server named Ashley that was polite, funny, and very attentive.
Their house Summer Shandy and Summer Fruit Cups were on special for 3.50 and 4.50 and they were both great drinks. My crew and I devoured their nachos as an appetizer and nearly fought for the chips at the bottom of the tray! I also had the Veggie Black Bean Burger and thought it was one of the best veggie burgers I’ve ever had – very flavorful and came on a fresh kaiser roll bun. They also had awesome fries that I loaded with cheddar cheese and bacon.
The Pandora playlist and the cool photos they had strewn about the kept us more than happy! Great prices, good burgers, good drinks, and cool atmosphere!

My thoughts are exactly like Martha’s. this used to be my spot for a good burger and wings while enjoying a nice Stella beer. Now NO WINGS unless its wednesday??? WTF? What kind of bar and grill has no wings??? the burger seems like their attempt to make a gourmet burger. and no Estella beer??? thats it! there are wayyyyyy to many places in Chicago and in logan square /​Humboldt to give this place any more credit. Simply said:
LOST MY BUSINESS!!!

This place is right around the corner for me. I’ve been a few times. They have a kickass grilled cheese sammie that can be served with fried pickles. I get it every time.
Good beer selection. I can’t wait for their patio to open!

It’s sad when an old friend changes so rapidly.
For three years, I lived on Palmer Square. We’d go to the Streetside on various nights, eating various menu items, becoming friendly with the staff, and loving it.
After moving to Logan blvd the past year, my good friend and I would make the walk every Monday night to dig into buffalo wings. It was a ritual, a tradition — Monday night wings. Like clockwork. The servers knew what we’d order, we’d love their service. The wings were delicious, and when they stopped being 25 cents and went to $ 5 for a dozen, it was still very cheap and wonderful.
We went back a couple weeks before Christmas.
New menu. No more wings. Not even at regular price. That would’ve been more than fine. Just serve wings still.
But no. Sacrificed at the altar of chef creativity.
Because Logan is really lacking in «interesting» food choices.
Streetside was a place that didn’t pretend to be anything other than a bar. It was somehow unique by not being unique.
No more.
No more wings nights with my pals. Fuck you, Streetside. You broke my heart.

Buffalo chicken tacos, my suitable wing replacement.
— Service is the best it’s been in a long time.
— Food is different, but it’s still filling and it’s still good.
— Tripel Karmeliet is on tap. This was one of the first beers I tried when I turned 21 and it’s still one of my favorites.
— They’re listening to their customers. The new menu has only been around a month and they’ve already changed some of the things people complained about.
— I can still watch sports, even when no one else in the bar is interested.
— The buffalo sauce for the tacos is better than Frank’s (yes, that’s what they used on the wings before).
Yes, I was perfectly happy with the way Streetside was (minus the horrible servers)…but I’m just as happy with them now.

I like Streetside. It’s like a trusty, standby /​backup option. I would like it if it were located elsewhere too, but given that there’s not tons of restaurants around this area, it’s an especially good option. My boyfriend lives nearby, so we’ve been here numerous times, and I’m okay with that.
I’ve always liked what I’ve ordered (veggie burger w/​hummus & cheese, tuna steak sandwich on pita, breakfast sandwiches on croissants). Food has always been good and I really like their fries, a lot.
I appreciate their artistic décor, interesting paintings which seems to change periodically.
Outdoor area is tight, as is so common in Chicago, but still, Streetside has managed to squeeze less than 10 tables outside near the intersection of Kedzie and Armitage (eeeh…). If someone has a tiny stretch of sidewalk, they seem compelled to use it for «outdoor seating» even if sometimes they probably shouldn’t…

Here’s a little secret that I’m going to let everyone in on. When someone first moves to Logan Square, they are handed a map. It has a huge red line through Fullerton Avenue. Those who move south of this imaginary line are given a map with the area north of Fullerton in LS diagonal striped out and the warning «THAR BE PIRATES» on it. For those who move north of Fullerton it’s the reverse.
Living on the «right side» of Fullerton, I fear the swashbuckling scalliwags of south Logan Square — even if I haven’t seen them. Many of us in north Logan Square do and won’t travel south.
That is my elaborate (and mostly untruthful) excuse for not knowing Streetside Café existed only blocks from my apartment. The truth is, it just looked very sleak and clean from the outside. The inside, on the other hand, makes it seem like this bar/​café has been there for the years that it actually has. This is a (south Logan Square) neighborhood bar.
You want to know how I’m positive it’s a south Logan Square bar? They suppport the… White Sox. When Mary T. and I went on Mother’s Day, the Cubs and White Sox both had televised day games and they chose to show the south side team. I swear, it really is a different world down there in south Logan Square.
That travesty aside, Streetside does have a very nice setup going on. A very good, reasonably priced brunch menu awaited us — my breakfast burrito was spectacular — on Mother’s Day. They serve the menu until 3:00 p.m. The atmosphere was both chill and fun (in the café area) and riled up (in the bar area). Streetside, come to think of it, really is two separate places in one — a nice café surrounding a dive bar. I wonder if the server assignment map has a magic red line on it — the waitstaff switching demeanors when they cross it. If they cross it.
I would go back in a heartbeat for brunch if it weren’t darn near Humboldt Park it was so far south. That magic dividing line and all.

Psst, can I tell you a secret?
I came here on Mother’s Day for brunch, without my mom…
Michael G and I decided to cure our Spring Fling hangovers with some grub. Unfortunately, our first choice was closed on Sunday and we happened upon StreetSide.
Somehow Michael thought the place was brand new so we began debating which one of us would be the first to review it (yes, we’re nerds like that). D’oh, this place has been open for a long time (years) according to the long list of reviews. I can plead ignorance since this isn’t my hood, you’ll have to ask Michael what his excuse is…
Anywho, the place was pretty empty so we had our pick of tables. I ordered the grilled cheese and Michael got some sort of breakfast burrito. My grilled cheese came on sourdough with american, cheddar, tomato and jalopeño mayo and a side of fries; it was fan-​freaking-​tastic. I never would’ve considered mayo on a grilled cheese, I’m not even a big mayo fan, but this worked.
Service was friendly and attentive; our server stealthly filled our water glasses frequently, which my monster hangover much appreciated.
The place is and interesting. Overall I like the exposed brick and the design, I just find the artwork a little disturbing. I was seated facing a painting of someone gutting a seal, it was more than a little distracting. The Mother’s Day playlist was pretty awesome too. It took us a while to figure out the Mother’s Day theme, I mean who expects to hear Danzig (Mother), Abba (Mama Mia), Rolling Stones (Mother’s Little Helper), 2pac (Dear Mama), Shirelles (Mama Said) in the same playlist.
The have a nice beer selection and for brunch had $ 5 mimosas and bloody Mary’s. Prices were reasonable and there is a small outdoor section too.