The Silver Palm

House cocktails, inventive.
Martini classics, superb.
Menu, lots of bold flavour.
And the bartenders play some great music.
All for attractive atmosphere.

So I wanted to love this place, and based on the other reviews I won’t give up on it yet. The stuff coming out of the kitchen for other patrons looked awesome, but I was less than impressed with what we ordered. The fried chicken sandwich was really dry, and I’m not kidding when I say there were about 10 french fries total with this, dinky and appearing undercooked. Arugula salad, meh. The lemon vinaigrette was sooo tart, I was relieved I ordered it on the side, pecans too over roasted, and oops the goat cheese was forgotten, had to ask for it. Caesar salad was fine. The mussels were just okay, I wouldn’t order them again. As usual, the gimlets rocked. Hopefully this was just an off night and next time we will try some different menu items, because like I said, I want to love this place.

My scale:
5 Stars: I recommend this without any exceptions. I will come back (more than once) and bring friends!
4 Stars: I recommend this under certain circumstances. Worth going, but ONE thing was off.
3 Stars: I was ok, but in a city like Chicago you can find better places. I wouldn’t come back, because there are better options.
2 Stars: Disappointed. I wouldn’t come back, even if it was the last place in Chicago.
1 Star: Don’t go here! Rip-​off, Tourist-​trap, dangerous, or something like this. Please close this place.
One of my favorite places in Chicago. I bring pretty much all my friends here who visit me.
The «Three pig sandwich» tastes amazing (thanks Anthony Bourdain) and their cocktails are surprisingly great, too. Their twist on the classic Gimlet is one of my favorites in Chicago (long with the House Gimlet on the Virgin Hotel Rooftop — Cerise).
Obviously, the atmosphere is funny and great, because you are dining in an old train. Also, the service is great. Very friendly and fast. Dont expect a fancy restaurant (even though I have gone twice in a white tuxedo — dont ask). Expect a very laid back and fun restaurant with amazing food. Get that sandwich and thank me later.

My friend and I screwed up finding the entrance — awkward. But it must happen all the time and nobody said anything.
Other than that, I thought the ambience was fun, my sandwich was delicious, and the cocktails were big and the Manhattans we had were some of the best I’ve had. Definitely bringing people back.

Straight to the point — get here, NOW, and order the freakin’ «3 Piggy». This sandwich undoubtedly rivals one of my favorites, the Señor Pan Cubano. A mound of smoked ham, crispy bacon, salty, breaded pork tenderloin, an over-​easy egg, Gruyère cheese, and an onion ring… GO… RUN… NOW! Sheer perfection. Had our side of Pork Belly not been overcooked (still, its pork, and our stomachs enjoyed it), and the asparagus left on the grill a few minutes longer (tough to chew), we’d have ourselves a 5-​star dining car. House cocktails were a job well done, flavorsome with our hats off to the barista. Return visits to this quaint train-​car are a certainty when traveling the North Milwaukee Ave.

We do this stuff all the time, go out for a big dinner & hit other spots on the way home. By the time we’re on the way home, I am so full I can’t breathe!
That said, pants unbuttoned or not, I am so very happy we stopped in here!
Go big or go home, right?! Right.
Here we go! Walking through the front of the house onto the train car was a pretty cool experience. It’s not like I’ve never been on a train before but it felt different. I can’t describe it.
So we ordered a few of their fancy schmancy drinks (can’t remember the names) & off to ordering we went.
Here’s what we decided to share:
Pork belly
Asparagus
3 piggy
Alright. So, the pork belly wasn’t cooked the right way & was very dry. It was nothing like we’re used to & I was very disappointed.
I was nervous moving on to the 3 piggy after how the pork belly was but fear not, my friend… That sandwich was out of this world! I don’t understand how it went from one extreme to the next, but it did & you need to eat it. Like as soon as you can!
So although the belly wasn’t as amazing as the 3 piggy, I think we’ll be back to try other menu offerings. If all else fails, that 3 piggy is worth the stop!

Silver Palm has continued to be my favorite bar in Chicago. Great drinks, nice atmosphere, friendly and personable bartenders and waitresses. Where most drinking and eating establishments have become pretentious and over priced, Silver Palm has been able to maintain some real authenticity and fair prices. They have the same signature drinks as Matchbox such as gilmets, margaritas, etc. Great wine selection. The only reason why I am giving it 4 stars and not 5 is because of some changes in the menu. They used to have a great burger — thick and juicy. Now it has changed into two thin over cooked patties that seem that they were once frozen. They also used to have a great steak sandwich which they dropped from the menu. I will continue to go back, but no burgers for me there anymore.

Finding the entrance of The Silver Palm is way confusing for first timers! I was one such newbie when I went this past weekend and thankfully some gentleman on the street pointed us in the right direction. The Silver Palm is one of the cooler atmospheres for dining being in a silver train car… but you enter around the corner from where you see the train car.
I’ve had The Silver Palm on my list for awhile since they are Anthony Bourdain approved. And when I went, I had to get their Three Little Pigs sandwich which Bourdain proclaimed as the «Best Sandwich in America»! I gotta say… he may just be right. It’s beastly and indulgent and you won’t be able to eat it in one sitting. At least I sure couldn’t. The Three Little Pigs is a layer of cheese, topped with breaded pork, stacked with an insane amount of thick delicious ham, crispy bacon curls on top of that, then a fried eggs that has a nice runny center, one big deep fried onion ring, then more cheese on a bun. When you put it all together, its stacked so darn high… the only way to fit it in a mouth is by pressing it down a bit or taking out some of the meats. It’s good though. Real good. Makes my mouth water just thinking about it good. It’s $ 13.95 and comes with a side. I did the tater tots and really liked those, as well.
I had one of their cocktails that cost me $ 13 and seemed a few bucks overpriced. It was decent though. We also tried the butternut squash soup which was also just okay… it was more chunky than expected. I’m used to a creamy version of this but it was aiight.
Our server was robotic but I saw some other servers that were super friendly, outgoing and engaged so I think ours was just having an off night.
I’m so glad I finally got to The Silver Palm and that sandwich made the whole trip worthwhile!

Located in a vintage dining car, built by Budd for the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad in 1947. However, this is not the place to look for a museum-​like recreation of the mid-​century rail travel experience. Interior fittings are not true to period; in service on ACL’s Florida trains, there would have been white tablecloths and napery, fresh flowers, heavy silverware, fine china in the railroad’s own pattern. And of course there would have been a swarm of uniformed waiters, presided over by a steward in suit and vest. At Silver Palm, on a moderately busy Sunday evening, there was one waitress and one busboy. They did their best, but service was a bit slow.
(Ironically, one of our party of five was a current Amtrak dining car server, just off duty from a run from Oakland on the California Zephyr, and still in her Amtrak uniform when we arrived at the restaurant.)
Entrance to Silver Palm is through a separate building, the Matchbox Bar. Full bar service. A small selection of wines, available by the glass at one quarter of the bottle price. Modest beer selection, a combination of domestic and imported industrials and a few craft brews.
Our dinner choices:
— Louisiana fried chicken. A half chicken marinated in buttermilk, in a rather flaky-​textured breading. Tender, tasty, and not unduly greasy.
— Barbecued pork ribs, tender and mildly sauced; a spicier sauce would have been available. Served with three large onion rings. Fries or roasted vegetables would have been alternatives.
— Reuben sandwich. House-​smoked corned beef, thicker-​sliced and smoother in texture than usually encountered. Grilled with Gruyère and sauerkraut on marble rye. Accompanied by a side of house-​made spicy remoulade. Again, choice of onion rings, fries, or veggies.
— Portobello sandwich. Thick grilled mushroom with aspirations to burgerhood. Topped with goat cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, and red onions, all in a brioche. Same three side options as the Reuben.
Beer choice: Six Points Resin Imperial IPA.
The near northwest side location is a bit off the beaten track, but has good transit access: near the Chicago Avenue Blue Line station; also served by the 56-​Milwaukee and. 66-​Chicago bus lines.

Came here for the 3 little piggy sandwich. Hat tip to Anthony Bourdain. I came, I saw, and I somehow conquered that not so little triple piggy. The ridiculous (looking, tasting, and sized) sandwich aside, the atmosphere was really cool – the attached matchbox bar and the dining car make for a legit drinking and dining experience full of history.

All aboard for a fun time! I love the ambience so much here I’m willing to overlook the shortcomings. And I’m definitely coming back.
The Silver Palm is like no place else I’ve eaten in Chicago. It’s an authentic retired dining car, resurrected and dropped into the middle of River West. It brought back wonderful childhood memories of traveling across rural Illinois with my grandmother. I could go on and on about our «adventures,» but enough with the nostalgia, this review is supposed to be about the restaurant.
I scoured the Unilocal reviews for suggestions, as I had no idea what to expect. Based on what seems popular, we started with the warm goat cheese appetizer. It didn’t look that appealing when the server placed it on the table, but the tomato sauce packed a real punch and a lot of flavor… a pleasant surprise. The grilled calamari appetizer had a wonderful flavor but was a little overcooked.
We split the 3 piggy sandwich, which is the big draw here, and it’s massive. I had a quarter of it, and it was tasty but too salty for me. My friend devoured the rest, so it’s definitely a winner. The onion rings were not worth the calories.
Not many people write about the desserts, but I’d left room and ordered the (molten) chocolate cake with warm chocolate filling, topped with ice cream. Not the best I’ve ever had, but close. I scraped the plate clean. The coffee was pretty good, too.
The downside here is the service. The kitchen is slow. The servers are friendly and accommodating, but the restaurant needs more of them. I think ours had tables inside the train car and out on the patio, too.
As for the patio, it was packed on a warm summer evening. But the tables are just a few feet from a street with heavy traffic, and mixing exhaust fumes and food isn’t my thing.

We enjoyed The Silver Palm very much. Love the train car! Great wait staff. Food was good, I had the fried chicken sandwich which was excellent — nice piece of chicken and it had pickles! Oh yeah! We had the crazy gator to nachos — so bad they are good. Just one of those things where you just couldn’t not eat them! Nice night out.

Three pigs… Yep. Just eat it and don’t ask questions. Ok, maybe on a subsequent trip you can look around, but not until then

This is one of the places along Milwaukee that ‘just gets it’.
Great drinks, great food (don’t overlook the apps or salads, all are fantastic). Typically we order a few things here and there, and share.
I prefer the patio, but if its full, just head to the train car, its pretty fun as well.

Very consistent restaurant. Food is good every single time. I’m a fan of their side dishes and their cocktails. I come here often now.

Masters of the fryolater.
While drawn to the Silver Palm for the challenge of taking down the 3 Piggy Sandwich, actually got to sample more of the menu over two trips.
3 Piggy Sandwich was as tall as advertised; with an imposing tower of ham, baked pork, and bacon, among other elements. While bites of pure pig were a tough swallow, the saving grace was the substantial fried onion ring on the upper sandwich, which allowed a change-​up in texture. So robust was this onion ring that it kept its shape and crunch through the sandwich’s demise.
Returned to have the Louisiana-​style fried chicken. Again, an impressive batter-​coated half-​bird offered massive crunch at every bite. Unlike the sandwich, however, the chicken itself was a bit dry and lacking of flavor. Sauces were offered, but why mask the taste of expertly cooked chicken (see Mission Chinese Food and Momofuku Noodle Bar, both in NYC for salient examples)?
For the teetotalers and designated drivers out there, the Silver Palm offers Gosling’s ginger beer as a non-​alcoholic options. Definitely the cheapest complement to a not-​so-​pricey sandwich.

Pros:
Atmosphere is cool, the dining area is placed in an old train car.
Drinks are very good.
Food is aight.
Cons:
Limited space, don’t bring a big group here (more than 4) otherwise you will have to sit at separate tables
They only allow one card per group to pay. And very rude about it. «We only do one check here so it’ll all be together» but their menu says they take 2 cards per table. So a little weird.

I came here for the first time a few years back for the 3 Pigs sandwich (after seeing it on No Reservations). I’ve recently moved to the neighborhood and returned to try some of the other sandwich options. I have not been disappointed, as every sandwich has been unique and a step above average (fried chicken sandwich may be the best I have had in the city).
The atmosphere is one of a kind as you dine in an old train car, and the Matchbox next door is a great place to grab a drink before or after your meal.

Fun Fun Fun place BUT go for the drinks (they are FABULOUS), and leave the food behind!!! Not too many places can mess up fried chicken, but they did. And Mom’s ribs tasted like lighter fluid. Like I said, the drinks are FABULOUS… potent and plentiful, and the place is a BLAST!
Oh, and remember to ask the bartender for the brandied cherries… they are a TREAT!

Ralph Wiggum would most certainly Choo-​Choo-​Choose this place if he had a hankerin’ for a fried chicken sandwich. This old railroad car turned restaurant puts one bomb ass bird on a bun. Add the homemade onion rings and you’ll def run a train on your dinner! (shout out to Augie from Role Models
)
Yes…quarters are close, but the staff is super neighborhood friendly and it is one of the more unique settings in all of Chicago. Definitely worth a stop in if you’re ever near Chicago Ave and Ogden.