Chief’s Pub
502 N Western Ave, Lake Forest, IL, 60045
Chief’s Pub Menu
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Visit below restaurant in Lake Forest for healthy meals suggestion.
Visit below restaurant in Lake Forest for healthy meals suggestion.
Visit below restaurant in Lake Forest for healthy meals suggestion.
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Address :
502 N Western Ave
Lake Forest, IL, 60045 - Phone (847) 234-3444
- Click To Get Directions
Opening Hours
- Mon :11:00 am - 1:00pm
Specialities
- Takes Reservations : No
Delivery : No
Take-out : Yes
Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
Good For : Lunch, Dinner
Parking : Private Lot
Bike Parking : Yes
Wheelchair Accessible : Yes
Good for Kids : Yes
Good for Groups : Yes
Attire : Casual
Ambience : Casual
Noise Level : Loud
Alcohol : Full Bar
Outdoor Seating : No
Wi-Fi : No
Has TV : Yes
Waiter Service : Yes
Caters : No
WE SERVE THE FOLLOWING STATES
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Alison R.
Nice spot. Didn't try the food. Drinks were regular. Nice beer list. Staff wasn't overly friendly but was pretty on top of stuff. Clientele was great for the Blackhawks game, very enthusiastic! Lots of tvs. Cool decker with exposed brick and large wood bar.
(5)Erika G.
Standard Lake Forest issue sleek pub that looks old, but is in a strip mall. The fireman theme is cute, and the bartender was friendly. Nice glass of wine for $8. Everything pretty standard and suburban with no surprises. I prefer surprises. Carry on.
(3)Susan S.
Good basic food. The service was good. It was very slow. The fireman paraphernalia is fun to look at. Recommend as a quick stop .?
(4)Ashley V.
Buyer beware!! They serve 13oz Guinness, and try to pass it off as a full pint. The bartender denied it to my face, even though the Guinness glasses LIST the ounce capacity on the side. $6.50 for less than a pint is offensive. We ordered the potato skins (acceptable), Caesar wrap (pathetically small), and the turkey club (skimpy). This used to be a favorite meeting place for our group, but we probably won't be back, now that they're skimping on our pints!
(2)Brenda W.
Horrible service. Waited one hour for an order of 6 boneless wings and cheese fries. No one came to take my order for 20 minutes, got a new waitress, she forgot to bring the cheese with my fries, wings barely had any buffalo sauce on them , and no one came with the check even though I was clearly done with my food. Not coming back. Not worth your time.
(1)Barbara T.
Stopped in yesterday prior to a nail appointment and ordered a Makers Mark Manhattan "on the rocks with extra bitters".............I was charged $14.00!! When I inquired about the amount she stated.....it is our new pricing system, we double charge for the extra shot, and for the vermouth..... I never ordered a double shot and since when are you charded for vermouth? Never again. Great Marketing move!
(1)Leigh M.
Great ambiance but horrific service, no customer consideration pure idiocracy!!! Would not darken their doorstep again.
(1)Stacy O.
I'm genuinely surprised I haven't written a review of this place yet, as it's a frequent option for after work appetizers and drinks. That said, it's a location of convenience more than of choice. The menu has a ton of options upon first glance, but they're all derivations of something else on the menu (e.g. taco salad/nachos/quesadilla or tuna melt/tuna wrap/tuna salad or bbq chicken sandwich/bbq chicken wrap /bbq chicken pizza). Little is original and less than little is fresh. When I asked about the garlic turkey burger, the server told me the turkey patties are frozen and pre-seasoned. For $9, I expect better than what I could buy at GFS in bulk myself. They don't specialize in anything unless specializing in being generic and non-descript is something. The service is consistently poor. At today's lunch, the server said a grand total of 15 words to our table. The emotion she put into drawing a smiley face on our final bill was more energy than she'd demonstrated during our 45 minute lunch, including the half-hearted explanation that they ran out of sweetener. She was also wearing a tank top. While I don't know that there are health code regulations against this, having her armpit in my face while she reached across the table to serve someone else was less than appetizing. The beer selection is weak unless you like domestic carbonated, malted water. They do typically have a Goose Island selection on draught so there's that glimmer of hope when happy hour lands there next.
(2)Jeseca K.
I am really liking this place. Not a typical pub, a bit nicer but you can definitely have a lot of fun here. It is great for lunch and typical pub nights. There is a lot of great things to look at and see. Great spot in Lake forest. The menu has a lot of variety from typical pub food to more healthy salads and wraps.
(5)Jennifer H.
Chief's is your good old-fashioned neighborhood bar. Started by a previous fireman chief, this family friendly place serves typical bar food. You'll spot families with their kids here as well as guys catching a game and having a beer. Shoot -- my husband and I have even caught some of the World Cup soccer games here (not the most popular sport in the States) but they had it on. The service can be slow at times but come on -- you're at a bar people! Also, don't expect fine cuisine. Again, you're at a bar people! But do expect a great burger and BBQ chicken. It's a terrific place to meet up with friends in a casual setting or grab a relaxed dinner with the kiddies.
(3)Reeder J.
I'm a fan. Place does what it was designed to do. Good pub food. Lots of TV's. Decent beers. Great place to watch a game.
(4)Jennie E.
A great neighborhood bar! The decor is great, with fire fighter attire and pictures! There is a wide variety to choose from the bar and the menu is a bar menu, with a upscale flare. The service was helpful and friendly. The burger I ordered was fantastic. I just wish they were not out of the onion rings at 4:00PM on a Friday, which I have read were fantastic.
(4)Rebecca R.
Chief's Pub is a great place to take someone who doesn't know what they have a taste for on a casual night out. It has a nice sectional to block the bar section from the dining section. It is nice if you want the pub feel with a little less noise and space from the bar. The staff was very friendly and the place was very clean. If you want to head out, but don't want to miss a game, no worries because the place is lined with huge flat screen TV's. I ordered a southwest chicken wrap and a fajita wrap over my two visits with a side salad in place of fries. I can tell you that both times the portions were more than generous and very good. If I had to choose one, I would pick the fajita wrap as a winner in taste. The other people I was with ordered a BLT, hot dog, and burger. It seemed that everyone agreed that it was typical pub food and nothing to write home about. This is a great place to grab a casual drink at the bar, chill and watch a game with some typical pub food, and take someone who just can't pick what they want to eat because of the size and variety of the menu. Nothing awesome, but will keep it on my list of options in Lake Forest.
(3)Ralph S.
Fantastic place for lunch. Food and service was excellent and modernly priced. The onion rings were perfect! I ordered a Tuna Melt for lunch and a Ruben for lunch since I'm here on business, Have to say it was the best Ruben I've had in years! The story of the Back Bar has an interesting story and is beautifully carved. Don't miss this while visiting downtown Lake Forest, Il.
(4)Nataliya A.
I went to school in lake forest and now visit some coaches and professors once in a while and I am happy to always head straight to chiefs. I always get their wraps now, they are very good! I usually go for the tuna salad wrap now. The sweet potato fries are good here, but last time I was here they were out...odd but okay. The menu does have a big selection for everyone's taste buds and everything is always very appetizing...as much as bar food can be.. Even though, I gatta say this place isn't as greasy or icky as some bars. The wraps I get don't taste like bar food. They used to give these delicious pickles with your meal but now you have to ask for them, they are still free. If you are a pickle lover like I am I would suggest asking for one. The service is not amazing, but it's never bad. The staff is always super nice but some of the girls can be airheads and spacy at times.. they will turn on a specific game on the TVs if you ask them to... I've watched many tennis matches here. Don't expect a 5 star quality of a place, but being a bar, they do a pretty great job. Just a heads up, the parking lot can be insanely packed, but don't make that your determining factor not to come here, circle around and you are sure to find a spot..
(4)K G.
Love the pizza. If your tired of thick, stuffed Chicago style or chewy New York style slices, then you'll love this thin, crispy crust. We love to call in and pick it up on the way home for a quick meal during the busy work week.
(4)Stephen G.
Service is getting worse. Food is great. Atmosphere is great. If they don't get the service thing figured out soon i'm not going to be coming here a lot. Be prepared to wait for EVERYTHING.
(1)Mike R.
Staff Needs Training My family went for an early dinner, about 5pm. The place was empty except for the bar area. There was one other family in the seated area. The entire wait staff was at the end of the bar talking and serving friends. Two wait staff walked by our table, after about 15 minutes we left since no one was willing to wait on us. We will not be going back.
(1)Taryn T.
I was hoping to trade suggestive glances with handsome men when I went here with my girlfriends, but alas, the Lake Forest drinking crowd seems to be limited to the older and balder variety. Lots of flat screens. Decent selection of salads, burgers, sandwiches and wraps. The food is average quality - I felt like my $13 taco salad was overpriced given how bland it tasted. I would come back, but only for drinks and only when I'm visiting friends in the area.
(3)Michelle S.
Food is pretty good and well priced. $6 large thin crust pizzas on Sundays!!!
(4)Ryan K.
I go here at least once a week, seeing I now live down the street. The food is great (pulled pork, pizza, chicken salad wrap, etc) and the service is really friendly. It tends to be more of a family bar or a mid 40s hangout, at least during the fall/winter months when college kids are away at school. Although the crowd is all over the place really. Sometimes you can catch a lot of younger people in there particularly when there are Cubs/Bears/Bulls games on TV. The bartenders are all women and for the most part really fun to talk to and easy on the eyes. If you are in the area, stop by for some food, it is definitely worth it. Best nights to go in my opinion (if you want to sit at the bar) are Tuesday and Friday (best bartenders work there those nights).
(5)Cullen H.
Food is ok (volunteers get 10% off which is awesome), beer is cold, bartenders are always very nice. I've heard them complain about the owner a bit; he is a real cheapskate apparently. It is starting to show too: they don't have real hot sauce, some of brand alternative. And serve Pepsi because it is cheaper. Also been asked to leave at 11 on a Saturday night. (although to be fair, I was there on a saturday night...
(3)Alex K.
I've never eaten here, only drank. a lot. Whenever us ex-LFHS-ers make our way back to LF for holidays, we always seem to end up here. It beats the Lantern out by a looooongg way as Lake Forest's best bar (1st place out of 2 places). And it makes it seem like we don't need to go to Highwood like we used to.
(4)Jim C.
Good, a bit pricey on drinks, but fits the local clientele very well. Can be overrun with kids from 6-9 on occasion
(3)Tom A.
My short and sweet review: Despite the location (in a strip mall), I was pleasantly surprised by Chief's. The burgers and nachos were delicious, the beer was fresh and the atmosphere was lively. Lots of TVs, so a great place to watch the game. Service was a little slow, but I enjoyed the food enough to disregard some minor hiccups. THE SCOOP: If you're going to be stuck in Lake Forest, this place is a decent alternative to the other pub-type restaurants.
(3)Chris T.
Place is terrible... I hate writing bad reviews but I could not help myself. Went their for lunch about two weeks ago and could not stop thinking about how bad it was. First, the waitress told us to sit where ever we like. So we did, thinking she was going to bring us a menu. Well at least 5 minutes passed before I got up and asked the waitress for a couple menus, since i literally had my back toward their stand closer to the back. Im sorry i forgot to add that after we looked over the menu it took here closed to 10 minutes for her to ask us what we would like to drink. So naturally we thought we might as well order also before we never get our food. Honestly the food was not good. I ordered the Ruben and the corn beef was literally shredded into microscopic pieces. Now I understand people are cutting back, but all i tasted was the bread and 1000 island dressing. Not a fan...
(1)ak p.
Good little neighborhood pub, with fire house theme decor -painted like fire house, photos & fire gear throughout. The food is your most basic bar food- certainly nothing out of the ordinary but good enough. In short, a good family friendly pub the decor gives it an edge a little more fun for the kids, but you are not going to feel like you are in a "kids joint". Also a good place to watch a game & grab a beer.
(3)Mark A.
I cannot believe no one has written about the wings here yet. they are unreal. my buddies come from the city to golf at Lake Bluff Golf Club with me and we go to this place RELIGIOUSLY after our round. After a while my buddies noticed that I would get the wings EVERY time. There is a reason for this - wings are the only thing I have ever gotten to eat at Chiefs, and they are the only thing I will ever get. I do not know what they do to these unbreaded, tender pieces of magic, but they are god damn masterful. By the end of golf season, we would have a table of 4 and each of us would be getting 12 wings. golf season is now over, but the wings are still DELICIOUS !
(4)jim h.
Went there for dinner a few weeks ago on a Sunday evening. It was not very crowded so we picked a high top in the bar area. My wife had a wrap, my daughter the same and I had the 3-11 burger. All of our meals were prepared well and the service was also good. There are a lot of TV's throughout so it would be a nice place to watch a game. I will be back when I am in the area.
(3)Carolyn G.
Often, when I order a burger "medium", it comes out closer to "well done". I am happy to report that his was not the case at Chief's last night! My "medium" burger was, in fact, cooked "medium", just the way I like it. The fries were crispy, and the water was refilled when necessary. Actually, our service was pretty good considering how busy the place was. My one issue is with the noise level. Get that many people in a pub at one time, and noise takes over. It was difficult to talk to the others sitting at our table, but really, who goes to a pub to talk? In these rough economic times, I'm glad to see that folks are still going out, having a good time, and supporting local establishments. Chief's seems like a great asset for Lake Forest, and I hope they continue to thrive. I will happily frequent this pub again in the future.
(4)Ryan S.
I have been here once, for some late night drinks with a friend. We actually stumbled over to Chief's after being bored to tears over at The Lantern, the other half of Lake Forest's bar scene. I must say, Chief's Pub is in theory a much cooler bar than The Lantern. It has a more modern feel to it, the firefighter theme works, it seems larger and more spacious. The bartender that served us that night was a young female, conversational, and fun. Unlike the previous bar where the bartender was a shrewd woman who had no interest in seeing how our night was, this bartender found the time to start a conversation with us and that little moment was enough to make this place feel a little less snobby and a little more human. My friend and I slammed some beers and hard liquor, not exactly cheaply priced but not overly expensive, and the place began shutting down around 12:45. They close at 1 apparently, even on Saturdays. We didn't try any food so I can't comment. Although the guy next to us order patch after batch of I believe chicken wings so they either must be good or he had a tapeworm. This place wasn't as busy as The Lantern, and the location isn't as ideal. It's on the southwest corner of the downtown Lake Forest district as opposed to the middle of the south end of the Lantern. You can walk from one to the other. There are large flat screen TVs all over the place, much better than the Lantern's set up. Again, the atmosphere of this bar is more upscale, modern, and "cool," if you will as opposed to The Lantern's homely, local vibe. I'm not sure if it's town ordinance that they have to close at 1 on a Saturday, but that was kind of lame. It wasn't as busy as I would have liked to see the place, but we definitely got plenty of attention from the bartender which was appreciated. We left a healthy tip. I will return to Chief's Pub only because it is a much better bar than The Lantern, which isn't difficult to be. The high ceilings are definitely off-putting though. The location - in the CVS plaza - is a little far for me. And it's a bit more expensive than The Lantern...but worth it.
(3)Lauren L.
Good food. I love bar food, and this place had it. It also has a full bar, I recommend the pizza as well, it's a good thin crust. The problem with it seems to be the service. I liked the manager/owner who greeted us. However, the hostess had an attitude, the waitress forgot our drinks, and brought the appetizer out with the entree. I also don't enjoy going to a bar at 9:00pm on a Friday night and have 5-year olds running around. I know that's often what you get in the suburbs, but I don't like having a drink with screaming kids.
(3)Elle J.
I guess this place opened a month or two ago, but I just heard about it last week from a coworker. Since I didn't feel like cooking tonight, we decided to check it out. You walk in and the place is cavernous... EXTREMELY high ceilings, even though the square footage isn't all that much (it's the end unit of a small strip mall). The decor is all firefighter stuff, from authentic used air tanks, masks, jackets & boots to really nice murals of firemen and fire trucks painted on the walls. The place is very clean (it IS new!) and has a nice atmosphere, but the voluminous ceiling results in a lack of "coziness" for a place that really isn't all that big. You kind of feel like you're sitting in a shoebox without a lid. Food is the usual bar/pub fare... fried everything appetizers, burgers, sandwiches, salads, etc. We got the combo platter for an appetizer - onion rings, mozzarella sticks, potato skins and jalapeno poppers. Cheese sticks and skins were really good, but the onion rings were just "eh". They seemed to be of the Oreida variety. Poppers were ok too. I had the turkey club and it was actually really good. Hubby had the BLT and said it was good as well. My son had the hot dog.. can't really mess that up. I'm really giving it 2 stars because of a bunch of quirky things that happened/that I noticed. 1) On the HUGE daily drink specials banner by the front door it said that Saturday is "Old Beer Can Night" (or something to that effect). We asked the waitress what that meant and she said she had no clue, but would find out for us. She never did. 2) Right when we sat down, the server brought each of us TWO glasses of water. Is that their way of getting out of coming back for refills? My husband finished both of his and they never did come back to refill his water - but they did refill his iced tea. 3) Mac & Cheese is on the kids menu, however they really don't sell it - apparently never have. Also, no paper kids menu/puzzle page or crayons. Bring your own "kid supplies" if you need to. 4) A few misspellings on the menu (giardinieras??) 5) Several tvs, on different channels, all with each of them having the volume on at the same level, so you can't understand/hear what any of them are saying - just a mumbled mess. They'd do better to mute the tvs and turn on some tunes. 6) Asked for a take-out menu on my way out the door, and was given one. Realized when I got in the car that NOWHERE on the menu is the name of the restaurant, address, phone number, etc. listed. How can that be? 6) On the apps. menu, they list "mini sliders" as an appetizer - ok, cool. I thought the pricing was weird though... $5.95 for 1, (who gets 1 mini slider as an appetizer???), $6.95 for 2, $9.95 for 4 and $11.95 for 6. Why give a choice? Just say there are X amount to an order and the price is ___. Maybe it's just me, but I thought that was just strange. Overall it was a so-so experience. Decent food (nothing horrible, nothing to write home about); servers/hostess who were more than friendly, but somewhat in the "duh" category; prices that were very fair (dinner, including apps. but no alcohol was $40.00). I guess we'd go back, but we're in no rush.
(2)Russ M.
I gave 5 stars to help balance the reviews. On its own, it is a 4-5 star bar-food place. But it is very clean. Also has much better drinks, MUCH friendlier staff than The Lantern. We hardly go to the Lantern any more, so I'm surprised it has 3.5 stars. The Lantern is just not that good. Chief's has a cool vibe.
(5)katie s.
SO glad there's finally a place in LF other than the lantern to head to at night. Had a great turkey reuben--i will definitely go back.
(4)Stephanie P.
I will never step foot in here again. I walked in sat at the bar to have a drink and the female bartender younger with blonde hair was so rude to me that I just left without even having a drink. I work local and will make sure all my co-workers, friends and family will never go to this place there are much better places in Lake Bluff
(1)Peggy F.
Good and reliable, and the best Lake Forest has to offer in the way of pub food at a decent price. The crowd is varied - parents with kids, young people meeting up, and people like us - a middle aged couple wanting a decent dinner. Its not perfect: a bit loud, could use candles on the tables and the waitresses are not always on top of it. But they are courteous and the food is generally a very good value compared to other places in town.
(3)Teri F.
This is the best little Pub. My son goes to Lake Forest College, so when we visit ,we always go to Chiefs. Very clean and beautiful inside and the bar itself is something to take in. Great food. I highly recommend eating and having a drink.
(4)Dylan M.
meehhhh....after reading reviews I was actually excited to check this place out but it's more a family oriented place than a bar/sports bar. Servers are inexperienced and nothing too special about the place. 2.5 stars
(2)Jim M.
Just stopped by for lunch and a couple of beers on this day after Christmas. The place was busy and yet they had only TWO servers working. We almost left then but decided to stick it out. The food was okay. I had their fried chicken sandwich that came on a tiny Kaiser roll. She had their half chicken salad sandwich with a salad. Meh. It's rare that I tip below 20%, but I left just 10% on this (final) visit. The waitress may have been having a bad day or something, and she wasn't rude per se, but she was not helpful or nice. She made us feel like we were old enemies; just uncomfortable and people shouldn't bring their problems to my table. No "thank you" or "how are things" and not a moment of eye contact even. The bill was quickly dropped off without asking if we were even done. I left my credit card for her to take and she ran it and eventually came back and just tossed it on the table. Seriously, not even a "have a good day." We both left wishing that we had gone to The Lantern, which is what we'll do on future trips back home when craving a burger and a beer.
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