Old School Tavern & Grill

This great spot is a couple blocks off the main street in Forest Park. Always easy to find free street parking and the outdoor patio is perfect for summer evenings. The Heirloom Tomato Salad is wonderful as are the burgers and specials. Great for Lunch or Dinner.

Went there for lunch today. Sat outside with the dog. My husband ate a pork belly sandwich which he could not stop raving about. My hamburger was delicious. I can not wait to try the other items on the menu.

This place is great. I walked in, sat down, and they attended to me right away. Their beer menu is extensive and affordable. Their signature burger is absolutely delicious. The staff are warm and friendly and they play different sports on their 4 flat screen TVs and represent every school known to man covering their walls.

Great atmosphere! I always feel completely at home here. I discover it on recommendation of a friend. I have driven past it a million times and for some reason, have not come in.
Food is exceptional. Far beyond «bar food» it is high quality, well prepared and reasonably priced.
This is a bar for grown-​ups. The noise level is low enough to allow conversation. The bartender is knowledgeable and pleasant.
This is my new favorite place.
I contemplated not reviewing it to keep it from being overrun. However, they are doing such a nice job making a pleasant, friendly and welcoming place, they should be rewarded with lots and lots of nice patrons.
Come. Be nice. Tip well.

I really love this bar. Good food good drinks at reasonable price. I would have given 5 stars if it wasn’t for what is possibly the worst hand dryer in the world. Seriously a light breeze would have been more effective than this cheap POS. AS much as I love this bar it makes me think that if they are this cheap with the hand dryer what else are they being cheap on.

Best burger in Forest Park/​Oak Park area along with great craft beer selection. Chili, chops, and pot roast are all really good as well. Love the friendly, relaxed vibe. Great neighborhood place to hang out.

I finally made it to old school last Saturday night with a friend. I had one of the best meals and the service was excellent. There prices are so affordable. I will definitely be going back soon.

I’m going to give them the pennant. We bopped around a lot tonight, and tried a lot of appetizers in Forest Park. Old School has the corner on an innovative specials menu and comfortable atmosphere; lots of locals with their kids and their grandparents… the kind of place you go to connect with your neighborhood. I’d love to see a bit more control over the food output (consistency?), but they’re on the right track. I’ve had a few dishes here that were outstanding; a couple of weeks ago the Thai mussels were delicious. Today they were tasty but not the same. So… Hone the recipes and keep the customer service… you’ll keep thriving, guys. Oxtails on the specials menu was a nice surprise.

Very laid back local joint with a solid craft beer list, well-​made cocktails, and tasty comfort food served in an inviting neighborhood atmosphere. The steak sandwich with horseradish sauce was cooked perfectly, tasted delicious, and was enough for 2 people to split. Can’t wait to come back!

GREAT food! GREAT beer & wine selection! GREAT atmosphere! What else do you need!!! LOVE LOVE LOVE!!!

Warm and friendly atmosphere. Excellent Tilapia Sandwich. (CLEAN BATHROOMS!)

Nice drinks and patio. Food was not very good though. We didn’t finish a single dish. Server was friendly though.

Went here for a Fantasy Draft and the staff was amazing. They accommodated all our needs (charging laptops, separate checks, etc) and were pleasant too. Nice big screens to view sports, good food (Pulled pork sandwich is a hit and the fries are insanely good) and a great beer list– both draft and bottle. I need to try the Pork Wings next time, but it would be great if they had chicken wings– that’s the only thing missing!

The service was extremely friendly. The poutine was amazing. Their burgers are delicious. It’s a bit out of the way from downtown Forest Park but definitely worth checking out. I may have found one of my favorite places in the area.

I went here recently with my boo and we bought the Groupon. I live close by and I’ve been wanting to go for awhile. We went in top grab some drinks after dinner. It was Friday night and the place was really empty. Even the patio. I think they’re in a weird spot. That’s the only reason I can think of as to why they were so empty.
Any who, we ordered the beer of the month. It was a brewery I’d never heard of so I was excited to try it. They didn’t have it. And the bartender said they hadn’t gotten it yet and she didn’t know when they would get it. I replied back that it was they beer of the month. She knew how crazy that sounded and apologized.
We ended up ordering fries and a mint julep. Both were pretty good. Was friendly but I kinda felt like I wasn’t apart of the crowd. The bartender paid more attention to her regulars (as she should’ve) but it still felt weird.
Their menu looked good so I will probably go back for dinner. But I was a bit underwhelmed overall.

This is a neighborhood gem. Great food, great service, and a nice out door deck. Definitely a place to try.

Upgrading by a star– we came here last night to have an outdoor patio dinner and were worried it’d be swamped, but for some reason it was totally empty! The entire time we sat on their lovely outdoor patio not one patron came to join us. I was worried that this would detract from service, but it did not in the slightest! Patty, our server was stellar at keeping our drinks full and making recommendations that were genuine when we wanted to hop around the beer and cocktail menu.
I ordered a burger and added provolone and bacon to it. There was no skimping on the bacon or cheese, which was amazing. Their fries were super salty, but good and plentiful. I was a lot happier with this food choice today!
Apparently their pork and brisket is popular, and they were all out of it when we went, which is a little unfortunate, but otherwise a super stellar visit! We had such a blast!

Solid local grub and beer place. Went with kids. Ate inside and watched a few college games. French Dip w/​lamb was decent – side potato salad is a must. Kids meals were meh? My spouse like the brisket, but not the best ever. We’d go back to drink beers and watch a hockey game with friends. Good crowd and vibe.

My husband and I came here for dinner on a Friday night since we live closeby and always wanted to try it. No wait or line so it was pretty easy getting a table. Our waitress was nice. It was kind of warm inside, and the table felt sticky. Maybe it was just the interior but it wasn’t as comfortable as how we wanted. It took a long while for our food to come. we were pretty hungry. Maybe because it’s a bar so food comes out slower? Not sure… my husband and I started with the chili cheese fries. It was good! It did take awhile for it to come out. then after the fries came out, it probably took another 20 – 30 minutes before our main entrée came out. Wish we got our food faster! My husband had their seafood pasta which he enjoyed. It was a big portion! I had their maxwell street pork chop. it was really good, too. Greasy but good. I asked for a side of potato salads… the potato salad was meh-​it could be better. My husband agreed. didnt like the salad. We were both full by the end of our meal.
Could’ve given a higher rating if our food came out faster. As for the customers, it seems to be an older crowd — late 40s-​early 60s that were dining there when we were there.

This place is ripe for a second look from me. We went on a non-​descript/​slow tuesday night. It was slow, warm, and friendly. The location is fine, right off of des plaines. The foot traffic was light in lieu of the crowded bar kitty corner from this place.
What I HAVE to tell you Unilocalers about — the brisket burger. Apparently on tuesdays they take brisket and mix it with ground beef and — BOOM GOES THE DYNAMITE. Never had I known of such a marriage. I want this burger in my belly everyday until I die… but if I did have it everyday I would die — coronary artery disease.
Anyway — get that burger now
End of schizophrenic message