The Twisted Spoke

Oh the stories I could tell of The Spoke. This place was great A) before it closed and B) before they replaced the ratty old booths with shiny new tables and bar stools.
From the daily special: tall Beam & Coke for just $ 2, to Whiskey Wednesday, to Smut ‘n Eggs (which I never watched, but the idea of which I appreciated on some level), to the pulled pork sandwich, to the staff who had an obsession with watching Cheaters… I loved this place. And I like to believe it loved me back.
Rest in Peace, Twisted Spoke. You will live on in my foggy memories and clear photographs for… awhile at least.

Run, don’t walk, here for brunch on the weekends. The Bloody Marys are very spicy, and have lots of fun garnishes (garni?). The Screwdrivers are made with OJ that tastes like it’s fresh squeezed. So, so good!
Finally…
The Fried Egg Breakfast Sandwich is heaven on a plate! Inexpensive and will keep you happily full all day long! Tomatoes, lettuce, cheese, fried egg, mayo, all on good rye bread. I can’t vouch for the other brunch plates, as this is all I ever get when I go. But it’s a doozy…
The waitresses are really cool too!
EDIT: What the F??? It’s closed now! I was just here a month or so ago! I just hope that all of the waitstaff have jobs, as they rule the school.

It’s okay. It’s more of a hipster hang spot than a good food kinda place.
My husband had an ‘okay’ burger and I had the French Toast when we met some friends from out of town.
Nobody was especially impressed. Probably a fun drinking spot, though.

Wow, I am surprised to see all the negativity towards the food. I find the food here to be great. I have been here numerous times, both drunk and sober and it is great.
My best food experience was on a saturday night during the smut and eggs time. I ordered an egg sandwich with some hasbrowns. It was fantastic. This place has a great atmosphere too. Great place to meet friends, hang out, eat some grub, and drink some brews. It is deceptively large as well.

I agree with Todd. This place has awful food. Their other location isn’t much better. I dread going to this restaurant. I’ve had to go a number of times because people out in the burbs wanted to go. The parking at both locations suck. The bbq gives you heartburn and the coleslaw is terrible. They think that using old six pack boxes to hold their condiments etc is cool. too me.it’s just cheap. It’s a biker bar by theme only. No bonafide biker would be caught dead there.

Who would have thought bikers were such good cooks?! This greasy spoon /​bar is decorated with old Harleys on the wall and out front. They serve brunch until 3pm on the weekends and feature Smut & Eggs every Saturday night until 2:30, because who could say no to an omlette with a side of porn!
I highly recommend the Bloody Eggs. It’s a traditional egg scramble with peppers, onions and the like, but they mix in bloody mary mix to give it an extra kick and make the juices run red! It tastes exxxtreme, like jumping the Grand Canyon blindfolded while on fire or something.
The brunch selection also features the Elvis Toast, which consists of a peanut butter and banana sandwich covered in egg and then fried up French toast style. Seriously, after eating that, I would die happy on the toilet.
P. S. This is the sort of place you could go to get a kickass breakfast on Mother’s Day without having to battle the crowds with the kids and the screaming and the gnashing of teeth.

I meet friends here sometimes for ½ price whiskey Wednesdays. Never been on a weekend so I can’t really comment on the crowd.
It’s your basic bar — some douches, some normal people, TVs, music, bar food, etc. They did have excellent nachos with barbeque sauce and pulled pork. So good!
If I lived down the street like my friends I meet on Wednesdays do, I’d probably be there a lot. But I don’t and I wouldn’t make the trip on a weekend.

One normally would spot me gassing down some bloodies at the Twisted Spoke on Ogden, not Clark. However, on Saturday I found myself drink-​less and hungry over on Halstead and Roscoe (Not sure why. Something to do with the Gap on Broadway) I needed something solid, tasty and reliable. Alas! I always forget how close Wrigleyville is to Boystown!
Immediately, I shimmy on over to the Twisted Spoke around 3PM, super pumped for some knock-​me-​on-​my bum bloodies. Usually, I find 3PM to be a rough dining time since it floats ambiguously between lunch and dinner. Service usually stinks and I am usually starving which is a dangerous combo.. .
Much to my surprise, the non-​smoking section at The Spoke was not empty. And the waitress was not slacking at ALL. In fact, I experienced some of the best service I have had in a long time. Our waitress was attentive, honest, and genuinely happy that (at least she acted this way) we were there. Refreshing! And imagine this — the food tasted BETTER than usual. I actually like missing Weekend Brunch time (it ends at 3PM on the nose) because I can order off the full menu. I had the grilled buffalo chicken sandwich and it was fantastic. Our server even brought me extra buffalo sauce on the side (without me asking) and it was insanely delicious (do they bottle that stuff? I’m buying if they do.. .).
This Twisted Spoke Location totally has a new fanimal. If the food, the service AND the bloodies are going to be THAT good, count me in!

It’s a burger joint! What do you guys want?! They have whisky specials, tasty wings, and great burgers, aka Fat Boys. If you have a problem with the décor you’re not drunk enough to be in here anyway.
And yes, as of August the Lakeview location is now closed. It’s a darn shame. Well, if you find yourself in the area looking for a great burger and fine Scotch, you can always rely on Duke of Perth!

Not to sound cliché’, but the old Twisted Spoke was better. After the remodel, this place lost it’s edge. The food is way too greasy, but it’s still worth checking out.

Oh cheese curds. I have tried cheese in many shapes and sizes, but never have I been so lucky as the day that I tried these wonderful cheese curds. They are tiny little cheesy balls with a yummy wasabi dipping sauce. I have been there at least half a dozen times, I have no idea what else I usually eat. All I know is CHEESE CURDS-​yum.
Other than that, the service is always good. They are never really super busy, which is hard to find up by Wrigley and they have a cute outdoor patio which is nice in the summer. I have run into large groups of drunken fools while trying to eat there, but that is only ever so often.
I have never been to smut and eggs, but I hear it is fun. Old school porn and eggs? Not my style, but if you are drunk at midnight on a Saturday night, why not.
So go for the cheese curds, stay for the porn?

+:
+ non-​smoking area
+ cheese curds were delicious
+ waiter was very cool
+ friend loved his chicken tacos
+ other friend loved her sandwich
+ yummy fries
-:
— apparently, the non-​smoking area doesn’t get to listen to music
— the crowd seemed to look down on us like we were out-​of-​place (screw ‘em, i say)
— i wasn’t a fan of my portobello sandwich — it wasn’t bad, but it didn’t wow me, either
So considering the pluses outweight the minuses, I say 3 stars. I’d probably come back, but try another item for dinner/​lunch.

I don’t know, I kinda like this place. It was the stop in my Halloween pub crawl designated for food. I didn’t eat at that time, but everyone else did, and they all loved it. Cheap whiskey drinks. When friends suggest Spoke for drinks, the usual groans I emit about any bar (in general) are absent. This place is okay w/​me.
p. s. I asked my bf what he wants for Xmas. The only thing he can think of since we ate here last Tuesday… is the flaming Lemon Chicken Wings. So, Xmas gift needs no wrapping!
chicken wings + whiskey + blowjob + cigarette = merry Xmas

They have smut! And they have eggs! Perhaps more importantly, though, they have Elvis French Toast (peanut butter and banana sandwich French toast) and the Boss Hog pork butt sandwich of deliciousness. Heh heh. Pork butt… Ummm, oh yeah… they have good fries, too. Actually, I don’t think I’ve ever had a bad meal at Twisted Spoke — even their oatmeal is tasty. Not best when paired with a spicy Bloody Mary, but yeah, it’s still good.
I’m a fan of Twisted Spoke probably in part due to its extreme proximity to my place, which allows me to stumble over with relative ease and nurse myself with their good brunch and the occasional Bloody Mary. I love sitting at the picnic tables in good weather, even though sometimes you have to be pretty loud in order to be heard over the din of the train… or over the damn touristy Cubs fans that flock to this place after games. I’ve never had a problem with service at Twisted Spoke, they all seem pretty cool to me and even though I think they’re now temporarily closed due to a health code violation or something (eep!), I’d go back for more Elvis French toast when they’re up and running again. And, you know… prob’ly for some smut, too.

Ah, the Spoke. I really enjoy this place. Andy is a helluva bartender. He’s efficient, fun, and very nice. I’ve heard great things about their pulled pork sandwich and pork nachos. But, since I don’t eat swine, I’ve never tried either. The chicken quesadillas are very tasty! And, the portion is HUGE allowing for a full doggy bag. The Spoke used to serve $ 2 Beam & Cokes. Now, it’s $ 2 Early Times & Coke. Check out the Spoke if you want to hang with some friends over tasty food & drinks.
Also, the Spoke gets some attention for their bloodys. I’ve sampled one but won’t try another one simply because I don’t like pre-​mixed bloodys with beef broth in them. However, they are noted because the garnish is a meal in itself and they come with a beer back.

I don’t know man. A biker bar should have, you know, bikers hanging out. Not just bike-​related things stuck to the walls.
The sponge. painted. walls.
Ahem.

Seating was a bit odd, but once taken to the regular seating… it was a nice change. After seeing menus and being greeted, we waited an additional 10 min for our waiter to come get drink orders. The food, which large in size, was more of the cold nature than a flavorful meal. Both of us had the French Toast, which by the description sounded like a treat, came out tasting like French Bread with an egg on the outside; cold syrup and no butter accompanied. The strong coffee was a nice treat from most eateries that water down their java, but it wasn’t nice enough to overpower the lack of service to our table.
If you can skip this joint for another place to enjoy your brunch, I would.

Twisted Spoke calls themselves a «family biker bar». Now, I’ve been in a few biker bars in my time, and they don’t quite feel like this. But no matter. If you’re feeling like you need to let our your inner Harley, this place on Clark, on the southern fringe of the Wrigleyville bar scene, fits the bill.
I’m particularly fond of their Boss Hog sandwich — a fabulous pulled pork sandwich. But their burgers and other sandwiches are good, too. I like the bar area, with its beat-​up comfy booths, but the best part is the outdoor seating area when the weather is good. (I’m not too fond of their other dining rooms, which has rather uncomfortable plastic chairs).
The staff is usually heavily tattooed and/​or pierced, but you shouldn’t be surprised about that from a place that has a Saturday night tradition called ‘Smut & Eggs’. Food is solid, usually comes out very quick, and is quite tasty. I’ve even taken my mom here a couple times, and she likes their food (although she prefers if we sit outside!).

Good place. At first I really liked it because of the great story that came out of being surprised by the porn. But after the shock of that wore off I realized it was a great experience all around.
The waiter was fantastic and bought us a round of shots since we were Bush Bashing. Always a good thing.

My favorite experience at the Spoke was when we went and nobody knew what Smut N Eggs was so we sat down and started boozing and then there was porn. And nobody knew why, so we asked our waiter, who was the coolest guy ever, and he said «Yeah that’s porn»
So we stayed… pervy isn’t it?