The Reservoir

After being a regular here since July 2015 (when I moved to Chicago) I will no longer be going to the reservior. The reservoir treated with me most decency and hospitality, even at the age of 24 — which is uncommon among my age group. This is a place where I meet my first friends and connections here in chicago. The bar tenders always introduced me to other regulars and from there on, we always had a good time with each other. This was exceptionally nice being new to Chicago and not knowing a single soul.
So the question has to be asked, why am I no longer going to the reservior? The answer is quite simple
The GM is a hot head.
One morning my bank called me asking about some potential fraudulent charges on my credit card. I had asked them to take them off and had given a time /​date range where I did not use this card — it just so happens I mistakenly forgot I did have a legitimate $ 20 ($ 7 dollar tip) transaction at the reservoir. Long story short, I walk in and the waittress (who I consider a friend) pulls me aside and says I’m no longer welcome due to this incident. I was shocked. And explained what happened with the bank ect. Then it occurred to me a grown man — the GM couldn’t confront me and explain the situation, but rather deligated the task to the waitress to ban me from the reservoir — Kindly enough, the waitress let me stay until I could talk to the GM. He comes in about an hour later (why isn’t he at his restaurant on a Friday night at 9pm??) — I digress. I pull him aside explaining the situation in a very mature, reasonable manner and his response was to the tune of «think about how I feel» I was flabbergasted to say the least — unwilling to listen, and understand the situation — kind of a backwards senerio for restaurant GM… It’s 1) a mistake and 2) a $ 20 dollar charge, buddy. Anyway the ball is in their court — maybe this will blow over, or maybe not. We’ll have to see. 5 stars for service, 1 start for management. And for the purpose of this review, 2 stars.

This neighborhood spot is great for catching a game and having a quick bite. The atmosphere is very chill and calming and the cocktail selection is upscale and delicious.
The food selection on the other hand was lacking. I was expecting a bit more for a local neighborhood restaurant with 4 stars.
The calamari was overcooked and chewy and the beef skewers were good but nothing spectacular.
Overall the atmosphere and vibe were relaxing and chill and the food was okay. I would probably come back (since its local) to watch the game but wouldn’t recommend it to others who would need to travel.

I’ve been here twice and I really, really like the place. Good food (not great, but very good) and a fantastic atmosphere/​décor. The staff was quick and attentive both visits. Although it probably won’t be my «go to» restaurant, I will definitely be back many times.

I really want to love this place: good food, excellent beer list, servers are usually very attentive. BUT one bad experience deters me from rating the reservoir a 5: the bartender/​manager. Our group has been coming to the establishment a few times now we’ve had bad experience with that one guy: poor attitude (in fact rude) and just not welcoming at all. Last experience we had was just this past Sunday where we’ve already spent quite a bit of money (brunch, booze) watching football. Without asking, the bartender changes the channel during the last 2:00 of the game. So we protested by shouting back «whoa! What’s going on?» Only to get a very rude response (something to the effect of: I own this place so you need to relax). Hmmm last I checked we were paying customers?! It’s unfortunate — left a bad taste with our group. Time to seek out another Sunday football place.

After an excellent lunch at Purple Pig I was excited to try this place after reading the great reviews.
I ordered the fish n chips with tartar sauce and malt viengar.
Unfortunately the tartar sauce is actually chiplote mayo, I asked again can we get tartat sauce amd was told that’s it. Ughh this is an essential condiment they need to figure out
The fish was definitely out of a box from a supermarket and cooked from frozen. So disappointing after such good reviews. The fries were your bob standard hard fries that no one finished.
Also ordered the lamb burger. How this get such a high acclaim is be beyond me.
For a Friday night the place was half empty so I guess this its struggling.
Whatever the weather I am sad I used up one of my precious evenings on such poor quality food.

Went last night and enjoyed our dinner very much. The atmosphere is very ‘bar next door’ type — think the bar that the HIMYM crew hangs at. The Beef Yakitori was amazing — perfect amount of salty and sweet in the sesame sauce on it. The bed of slaw it sat on felt like an after thought — they should turn this into a salad, honestly. My Flat Iron salad was delicious — good flavors and diversity in the ingredients. My friend’s club sandwich was really good for a standard club sandwich.
Tuesdays the have trivia at 8 pm, bottomless mac n cheese for $ 8 and $ 20 craft beer buckets — would love to check that out cuz that sounds like a solid Tuesday to me!

Great burger! Had an awesome grill flavor. Fries are shoestring but cooked very well. The ambiance was perfect for what I like. Not too loud but lively. Low light. Low key decorations. Very clean bathrooms. Only negative was the waitress. It seems like everyone was doing her work for her. She was standing around a lot and my Coke went unfilled for way too long. That sounds snobby — but she seriously wasn’t that busy.
Will go again, definitely.

The food and the beer is great. Nick was bartending, and was incredibly personable. He even chatted with us about his experience coming out as a straight man to his father. I support his «lifestyle choice».

This is a sharp venue on an incredibly unsharp stretch of Montrose Avenue. There is a long bar and comfortable tables and banquettes. I ordered a cocktail called the Mexican Standoff. It’s a cross between a margarita (tequilla) and a cosmo (pink). Served straight up it was tart, alcoholic, and a fine way to get the evening started.
What I didn’t like is how aggressively sports-​oriented this place seems to be. Six large screen TVs all playing different sports channels. If even one of them had been tuned to CNN (or TCM or the Weather Channel, for that matter), I might have stayed beyond cocktail hour for something to eat.

The Res is definitely underrated, especially for it being in Uptown/​Buena Park. I live right across the street, and it seems like most of the people who stop by are from the neighborhood. The food is great (especially brunch), the ambiance is very upscale yet casual, and there is never a wait.
Waitstaff usually seems pretty bored, which they probably are. The only thing I would change about this place is to hire more engaging waiters/​waitresses.
Like mentioned above, I’m a big fan of their brunch. I’m not a big french toast fan but The Res does it right. I also recommend their breakfast burrito, one of their multiple breakfast cocktails (if you’re looking for something outside the standard Bloody Mary & mimosa), or a burger. Supposedly their mac and cheese is on point if you get all the fixings, but I have not ventured to try this yet.

For our 2^nd anniversary dinner, we wanted to go somewhere that had good food, good cocktails, and at a reasonable price — we weren’t disappointed by Reservoir! A few overall highlights: the menu isn’t huge but has a really nice variety of options. The atmosphere was romantic and chic without being too snooty. They seemed to have a good variety of beer to choose from, and the cocktail list was different and alluring. The prices are pretty decent, and a regular couple doing a standard dinner could easily dine there for around $ 50 or less. It being a special occasion for us we splurged a little and ordered more than we normally would, so we spent a bit more.
A few specifics: we had the steak yakitori appetizer and were really surprised at the wonderful flavors and how tender it was. It also came with an asian flavored slaw that was crisp and refreshing. We then split the bruschetta flatbread, which was a true flatbread — really thin and really crispy. Perfect for what it was (and also big enough to split). We finally split a burger, for which you can add items ala-​cart. Burger was seasoned well and very juice, but what stole the show were the Reservoir Fries — parmesan white truffle fries. We were full but kept eating them they were so good. I would highly recommend the Reservoir Fries.
For cocktails we had the Khan, which was really delicious, and a Mexican Standoff, which was also good. Their cocktails were different than a lot of other places I’d been, which was refreshing, I just wish there were maybe just two or three more to choose from.
Overall this was a great first visit to Reservoir and I look forward to trying more items! Thanks for a great date night!

Solid neighborhood bar in the Uptown area. I recently came here on a Saturday afternoon for a couple drinks and some apps. My husband and I sat outside, which was okay, but not the greatest location for a patio, since you’re facing the busy street. It got chilly while we were sitting outside and our server was accomodatin in helping us move indoors as the temperature dropped. My husband tried a couple of their cocktails which he enjoyed and they were able to make me a cucumber martini based on my specifications which I appreciated. I felt that the food was solid; nothing special. I’m don’t even really remember what we ordered. We did enjoy one of the flatbreads they have.
Overall this place was just OK. Nothing mindblowing but nothing terrible either.

This place is a fun, modern place tucked away in a bit of an unlikely location. I can’t say it was the best meal or service I’ve ever had, but nothing was particularly bad either.
Nice patio if the weather is feeling cooperative, which might be the best feature here. Worth a drop-​in if you’re already in the area, but not worth going out of your way otherwise.

I like this place. More like 3.75 stars though. Dim, industrial, chill. The flat screens throw it off a bit, but, I get it. Almost didn’t get the calamari because of another review, but I got it anyway. Didn’t disappoint. Portion size was a tad small, but certainly enough for two people with average stomachs. I mean, it IS an appetizer. In any case, the calamari was lightly fried, a plus, came with a solid cocktail sauce and… mayo. What? Yeah, threw me off. Whatever, it was still good.
Split a steak sandwich and reservoir fries. The fries were tossed with truffle oil — awesome. The steak was a little rare, but that’s the chance you take when you order medium rare. Still a good sandwich, I like how they halved it and served it in two plates with separate mountains of fries, but the first thing out of my mouth was «I can make this».
The thumb down is beer related. I’m a huge fan of Belgian strong pales, especially Kwak. When I saw it on the beer list, I got excited. But for 11 bucks they can do way better than an 11oz bottle. I mean, wtf. Seriously.
The service was a little above average, no complaints there.
Will I return? Most likely, but I’m in no hurry.

Interior: Nice layout, comfortable and trendy. Outdoor setup dfinitely not stellar.
Food:Good looking menu lots of apps Flatbread and sandwiches. Rather disappointed in food taste. Descriptions were great but food not well executed. Beat app on the puny side. Mushroom asparagus Flatbread we sent back and got bruschetta which wasn’t much better. Fries were of the frozen variety but yummy spicy ketchup and mayo.
Service: Friendly, professional, attentive and on point.
Overall: Was very hungry looking for some tasty food and sadly, left disappointed and unsatisfied. We might go back for a beer and appetizer if in the area.

Sim-​puh-​lee delicious!
How upset I am with myself for living in the neighborhood for six months now and this is just my first time coming to dine here!
I had the chicken club sandwich, which comes with avocado (yum), chipotle mayo, and arugula, just to name a few. The meat — juicy and perfectly seasoned. I also opted to get the Reservoir fries, which come donned with white truffle oil and parmesan. The food was excellent and nothing less than fulling.
This is the perfect neighborhood, local joint to go to. The lies stay lit low, no matter how dark in the evening it’s getting, which is the total perfect ambiance setting. Tons of space at the bar with tvs around for viewing pleasure. May I add that the bar is fully stocked. I will totally be back and SOON!

Chill, neighborhood spot with good drinks, awesome food and fair prices! Wife @fabsoopark loves the Judgement Day with Pisco. Both times we’ve been here, we ordered the sausage board (summer sausage, mixed greens with house-​made balsamic dressing, caramelized onions, and really good dark mustard). Braised pork is good… Had it in the El Jefe (sandwich) and the Braised Pork Shoulder flatbread (with brie, apples, and fig jam)… Yeah fig jam!
Looking forward to our next visit! #FabFoodChicago

Had a great dinner here tonight. Walked in around 8:15 and we were told it would be about 20 minutes for a table. I think we were taken in about 15? I had tried to make a reservation earlier in the day but they only take them for parties of 6 or more
Tables are a little cramped but it’s a very nice atmosphere, kind of romantic even.
Our server was very friendly and got our orders in right away. I think the drinks took a little long to get to us but our food was served pretty quickly.
We ordered the El Jefe burger and the Lamb Burger. Both sandwiches were very delicious and I’m happy with our choice on the Reservoir Fries.
We will probably be back soon. It’s a short walk for us and we were happy with our experience!

The Reservoir is a neighborhood gem in an otherwise desolate Uptown neighborhood. While it can be a bit hard to find and out of the way (especially in the middle of Winter), it’s absolutely worth the trip, especially if you live in the neighborhood.
The sandwich I had was excellent. For the life of me, I cannot remember the specific menu name, but it was Mexican spiced pork on Texas Toast with roasted vegetables and way too many french fries. One of the best sandwiches I’ve ever had, and I’ve had plenty. There’s also a top-​notch beer selection. The prices were definitely affordable and service at the bar was excellent.
The fifth star comes for how impeccably clean this establishment is. You can tell the management, ownership, and staff actually care, becuase I couldn’t even find a speck of dust, spill, or any unfavorable mess in here. Also, the environment is much more classy than you’d expect to find at sports bars, especially one in this area!
If you’re ever in Uptown, head here — you won’t be disappointed. Can’t wait to stop in again during the Summer after Montrose Beach.

Very classy looking place. I came here on a Friday night with my fiancé and the place was pretty empty.
They have very good food and drinks. I ordered a lemon drop martini and told the server I wanted something fruity and refreshing. All the cocktails on the menu were $ 11-​$ 12 so I thought my drink may be somewhere around there if not less. They bring me a «specialty drink». It was pretty tasty but extremely watered down.
I get the check– $ 14 for the drink. Wait. What??? There goes a second visit from me. Even though I loved the food, I don’t think I’ll be returning to this place. It’s not even downtown to be charging that much for drinks!