Billy Goat Tavern Lake Street

Yes this place is SNL famous so I HAD to go. Albeit the spin off of the original I quiet enjoyed the food. The staff not as ruthless as the SNL skit because you CAN order breakfast! It was early sunday AM but I ordered a double cheezborger, cheeps and COKE for breakfast. You get to add all your own toppings (except tomatoes). I looked around and everything was clean and neat. Billy Goat has a small area in the back that looks like you could reserve for a game party (had a huge TV). A few other patrons were also eating burgers before 9am.
This location is around the corner from the Virgin and the Monaco hotels and if I stayed there again I would definitely eat at Billy Goat again.

Went there for Friday after work happy hour. Food was ok, I had a polish as the waiter recommended, but I am huge fan of there Billy Goat Dark! It’s a summer-​ish dark beer. Worth a try!

One of my favorite places to visit when I’m nearby at the Chicago Theater for a show. It’s far enough that it doesn’t get packed with the show crowd, but still close enough to be there in a jiffy. And I so appreciate that they stay open late, until 1am on a weekday!
I’ve never been a fan of their burgers — the bread is too hard & chewy. But the Italian beef was delicious, bread dipped in juice and all. Plus, you can’t beat the full bar.

We were from out of town for a show at Chicago Theater nearby. Seems like a place where locals go to talk and have drinks. A bottle of beer was $ 3.50. Had Italian beef sandwich. Lots of beef so didn’t leave hungry, but it was dry and lacking flavor. If it came with extra broth and sautéed onions mixed with the peppers it could have been good.

We had a quick breakfast at this place, cheese omelet and pancakes. Everything was delicious, portions are big and prices are reasonable! No people, there were just two of us. We got our order in 2 minutes, everything was fresh and just cooked! I think it’s a great place when you need to eat something good, kinda homemade and cheap.

Service was a little suspect, but the food was good and prices were legit for being in the loop. Great spot to grab a beer and something to eat because it is low key. Will be back when I am in the area.

Seriously, terrible service. The guys running the food counter were rude and acted like we were inconveniencing them. The bartender was no where to be found and when he did show he took his time serving his buddies who had shown up AFTER us, before even acknowledging us, despite another person at the bar pointing out to him that we had been there for several minutes WAITING and that he should serve us first.
The food was basic but good and cheap. I really hate wasting my time on jerks.

We came here because it had an average of 4 stars on Unilocal.Boy, were we mislead. I had the cheeseburger with fries and my husband had the Italian sausage sandwich with fries. First of all, the fries were extra. The burger was just a naked burger with cheese on a plain bun and nothing else. No lettuce, tomato, pickle, onion… zilch, nothing, nada, end of story. My husbands sausage sandwich was just as plain.
The food here is nothing special. The prices were reasonable, but we left there feeling dissatisfied. A couple of hotdogs from a street vendor would have been money better spent.
This place is definitely overrated.

Very casual, plenty of seating. Friendly employees and a good cook.
I have been here for breakfast, didn’t get the cheeseborger yet. I got a perfectly cooked 3 egg feta cheese omelet with a generous amount of cheese, hash browns, and toast. I finished off the whole 3 egg omelet. Dining companion got fried eggs, bacon and toast, which looked like it was perfectly cooked. You can see the cook make them to order on the grill. I also saw them make someone a gorgeous Denver omelet, which I will try in the future. Today they had chili for 2.95. I ordered some to take home. It was thick, well seasoned and a generous portion and they had also tossed in 3 packets of saltine crackers. I hope they have chili again. It seemed like it was a special today.
Also, unlike the SNL skit, and the original Billy Goat on lower Michigan, they have fries. Haven’t tried them yet. The chips are Vitner’s, which I consider a plus.
If you do get a hamborger or a cheeseborger, they do have condiments, they are off to the side by the cash register and you add them yourself.

I love this Billy Goat and go here all the time. Located conveniently by the L, it’s one of the few places you can still get a 3.50 draft beer in the area and get really cheap, yet quality food. They have a much wider food menu (polish, salami) and beer menu (revolution, argus others) than the lower michigan location. You can even get fries here (Shocking, sacrilege! but screw it, they’re good and hit the spot) And honestly the staff is much nicer here. And they accept credit cards unlike the lower michigan location. Service is always quick, and always room to sit down. I’ll definitely be returning often

My family and I came here for a quick lunch after touring downtown. This is fast food, very casual sit-​down restaurant where you order at the front and take your food as your number gets called out. Food was pretty greasy, but it was decent. I had a chicken sandwich but I thought it was just okay — nothing special about it. Salad was just a blend of veggies, nothing particular. Husband ordered a burger, but he said it was average.

An Anthony fan? Don’t do it. The burger was decent.
The service was horrible ! Are you seriously yelling at me because I don’t want to order a beer? Don’t push me !

Not much in the way of food, but the drinks were good. Burgers looked good. No fries though. They just received some new Svedka flavored vodkas and were mixing up some tasty looking drinks. The atmosphere was low key and a bit boring but it wasn’t the busy time of day so maybe it gets better at other times.

This place is great! Not sure what the negative reviews are all about. Are they expecting fine dining from a fast food burger joint?
We were visiting from Boston and the bartender Ben was GREAT! He recommended a double bacon cheeseburger with a fried egg on top … Yum!!!
We had fun chatting with him as well and he gave us some Chicago sports history while we were there!!!
He only busted my chops a little bit for wearing a Red Sox shirt!
They have a ton of pictures all over the wall of the celebrities who’ve visited there… and there are A LOT!
I give 2 thumbs up to The Billy Goat Tavern!
Hoping for a reversal of the «curse» some time soon!

Loved everything about this place. Great burgers, great fries, good beer selection and cool atmosphere.
Simple but effective.

I have heard the story of the Billy Goat at Wrigley Field, and I’ve been to the original Billy Goat Tavern on Michigan. This Lake location has the same menu and the same atmosphere (albeit higher up in elevation). The food is unimpressive, but you can get a pretty standard cheeseburger quickly so that’s nice. And they offer a student discount (15% with student ID). Given that Red Robin is right around the corner on Michigan, I don’t frequent Billy Goat very often. It can do in a pinch but isn’t something I specifically crave.

Been to the one on Wells and I like this one better with a bar area and much better feel. I know this sounds crazy but I also like the food here better. The double cheezborger hits the spot. It seemed small but actually filled me up. The prices are very reasonable for a quick lunch. If you want a good burger joint for a quick lunch, this is definitely the place to go.

Very typical of Billy Goat — greasy food, quick service, self-​serve pickles, onions, other condiments.
However, i love that this is a cheaper bar alternative in the loop. With limited bar locations in the loop (mostly $$-$$$ pricing), a $ is reason for a sigh of relief!
Also, whip out your student discount and you’re looking at a 15% discount :)

So glad they opened this location. Small but just right for me. Food is Delicious! Would highly recommend their breakfast. Great portion sizes. My favorite is the Denver Omelet. I also love their Children Noodle soup. Its homemade and you can order it even in the morning time. Last but not least, the scrumptious Greek salad. Fresh feta cheese and homemade greek dressing. So flavorful. Their Ribeye sandwich continues to still taste yummy. Yes, you hear the infamous phrase «Cheezborger, Cheezborger, Cheezborger!» but boy, there are so many other wonderful foods to eat there.

This place is legendary on so many levels but it doesn’t mean that they have the best food. It’s a bit hyped up. The burgers are fine but nothing amazing. Great spot to check out if you have never been– make sure to go to the original location if you do go.