Chop Shop

I came here this Monday for restaurant week with a friend. It was very quiet upstairs, probably 6 tables full or so. The waitress was more than sweet. We had butternut squash soup with was flavorful and delicious.
We both ordered the burger. I ordered it medium well and it came totally burnt on the outsides and not even slightly pink inside. I asked the waitress how pink would medium be and she said they were usually pinker than most places. I had heard how great the burger was so I was very disappointed with what I got.
The service and desserts were outstanding! We had the chocolate porter cake pana cotta, both were amazing.

Visited Chop Shop with some friends because there were some great reviews and we knew Restaurant Week was kicking off. The restaurant itself looks awesome, comfortable seating and great presentation on their menu. We ran into quite a few problems, however. Starting from the top, upon sitting down I didn’t receive silverware/​napkins then wasn’t brought water till requested. I arrived to meet the party which was already seated so no problem that happens. After ordering a coffee, I noticed there was lipstick all across the mug, gross but hey mistakes happen… After this, it sort of piled on.
Our party of 5 each went with some drinks before ordering; wine, Coke, mimosas, etc but we had to request multiple times for some. We then went with the Restaurant Week menu which is a $ 22 special that offers 3 courses and finishes off with a cookie cake/​ice cream dessert which was basically the motivation for all of us to even order it. Upon receiving our first course, 3 salads and 2 soups total for the party… No spoons for the soup! After requesting, party members needed to sit for about 5mins before getting to even start their soup. That ended up having a nice chilled finish to it.
We agreed that the 2^nd course was solid. We had the steak and some had the pasta.
Now, the coveted and sought after Cookie Cake/​Ice Cream 3^rd course! We were so excited!!! Unfortunately as we finished the 2^nd course, we were informed that after the hour and a half we had been there, there was only 2 cookies left and that we could instead substitute some cheesecake or ice cream options. 2 people agreed on the cookie while the rest received cheesecake. After about a 15min wait, we were informed that the cookies were out. Ouch. So we all got cheesecake while one received ice cream, which ended up being half melted when she received it. At this point we were all pretty bitter about being let down on the final course. The cheesecake didn’t hold up, you could tell it was pulled straight from the freezer but understandable because they had to option to that after being cookieless (I just made that word)
The wait time on the bill ended up being 35mins which is ridiculous.
While we understand that what we got for how much we paid was a deal, you also go to restaurants for the experience. They knew it was restaurant week and it was a great way to drive traffic into the door and get new customers, which the food was delicious, but nothing held up on the service end however. We all agreed that it was wrong that we be locked in for a $ 22 meal then let down at the end combined by poor service.
We’d recommend to anyone who would like to try Chop Shop, go! I hope this was just a hiccup and we had a tough go with service, but if it happens again to others, shame, shame, shame.

Delicious turkey blt panini. After some confusion likely miscommunication by both parties I finally got the sandwich I wanted. Service was excellent. They made sure that I was satisfied and it was yummy. Thanks!

Went In f for dollar Oysters on a Wednesday night. Met Chellie the bartender who was awesome and looked after us. Great deal and an interesting spot. Function rooms and a butcher on site. Have been back as well

Not so good. Reservations made… Sat an hour later. Hostess wanted to argue with us about why and simply said it wasn’t her problem. Drinks ok, but not special.
Sadly, for a restaurant week participants would choose something else. Customer service not good at all and the rest of the experience mediocre.
Lots of other places to go… I would go there…

Had a great experience at Chop Shop. It was easy to get a reservation on a Friday night and we arrived and were seated upstairs. The atmosphere upstairs is really cool– dimly lit with the ambiance of busy North Ave and the train out the window. I had one of those, «I really love Chicago» moments as we were seated right by the window.
Food was very good. We had the spinach artichoke dip to start, which was almost like a kale dip. It was very heavy on the spinach (which we liked) and felt less into my lips/​straight to my hips than your typical creamy and cheesy spin dip. We shared the parparadelle, the strip steak, and a side of brussel sprouts. The steak was good, but I probably wouldn’t come back and order a steak (many other good steak places in Chicago). The brussel sprouts had very little flavor and I could have done without them. The parparadelle with a pork ragu sauce and sour cream was the star of the show. Amazing!
Our service was exceptional and the cocktails were great. Such a great Bucktown/​Wicker Park spot. Seems like a good place to bring out of town visitors to as it is affordable, not pretentious, very yummy, and very Chicago feeling. Will definitely come back!

My husband and I both enjoyed our meals! Excellent food and we will definitely be back next time we are in the area. We started with the charcuterie sampler plate which had a variety of cheeses and meats from the deli. They also had a great selection of beers on draft and some unique bourbon cocktails which we didn’t try but sounded great.
We both had a dry aged sirloin that had a phenomenal taste and was cooked perfectly. I would say stick to ordering meat here since the concept is a butcher shop and restaurant however I didn’t try anything else to know what it would taste like. Service was great and speedy and although quiet at first, the restaurant was busier around 8pm, but it’s a unique eclectic style place so I expected it to be happening on a Saturday night.
Great value For the price we paid and honestly a better steak than what you kind find downtown at one of the high end steakhouses. The Chop Shop is definitely underrated!

I’ve only ever been to the deli so I can’t speak to the full menu, but I love this place. They make good quality, simple sandwiches on the cheap. I get the usual chicago italian beef and it’s amazing every time! And the staff is always extremely pleasant when I go in.

Still not totally sure I understand everything that is going on at this place! It appeared to me to be a deli/​restaurant/​bar with an event space in the back. My review focuses on the bar, as I came here just for drinks. I tried two of the cocktails: the Cran-​Cider and the Pumpkinhead (the menu on Unilocal is a bit older – check out their website for the most recent cocktail list). The Cran-​Cider was decent, although it sort reminded me of warmed up Gatorade (but in a good way?) The Pumpkinhead, however, was EXCELLENT! It was delicious, tasted like pumpkin pie, and had a roasted marshmallow on top! Amazing. Other than that, the service was good, and the bar had a rustic but trendy ambiance. Definitely a good choice!

Good food, butcher shop on premise. Good service, great bartender with lots of cool drinks.
Upstairs for some quieter dining. I loved the steak tartare, and had the Hanger Steak which was delicious.
I’ll be back.

This review is strictly for the venue/​event space.
I came here for a fitness workshop, and was wowed when I walked into the Chop Shop’s back room. It’s a pretty big room with an upstairs (and a patio, though it was fall in Chicago and raining this day). Visiting from San Francisco, we don’t see very many spaces like this. Most places are small in The City.
The food we had was good, and they also have beer taps if you’re looking to stop in for some brews and a sandwich.

We came in here for an impromptu (very) late lunch. The chalkboard menu board behind the deli counter looked good; I noticed a make-​your-​own sandwich option, and started looking at the soups before the hostess asked if we were there for dinner (it was about 4:40 p.m.). We said we were there for lunch, and she said that was cool, they were still serving lunch, and seated us upstairs. I was a bit confused at this point. I couldn’t reconcile having the deli counter downstairs with being seated upstairs; given the restaurant’s appearance upon entry, I assumed it was a counter-​service place, which is what we were looking for.
We received our menus, and neither the soup nor the make your own sandwich were on the menu. I started wondering if maybe you could order from the deli downstairs and eat there, since the menu we had didn’t seem to reflect the options downstairs. So I asked one of the guys behind the bar if the deli menu downstairs was different, and he indicated that the menu downstairs was the same.
I still don’t really understand the layout of the place or how it works. I feel like there was this nice little deli that lured us in, but we couldn’t order from it, and instead were whisked away and seated upstairs, where we weren’t afforded the option to order some of the items advertised
downstairs.
The service was fine, and the food was fine; I had the turkey sandwich, which pretty much tasted like turkey sandwiches I make at home (no more no less), as long as I buy Swiss cheese and French bread. My wife had a hamburger cooked medium, which was actually cooked well, and my kids split a turkey BLT with fries, which they enjoyed.
Ultimately, the food is serviceable but constitutes an overpriced meal for what it is when you factor in having to tip for service, when all you’re really looking for is a quick deli sandwich or cup of soup from the counter, which is what the front of the restaurant suggests. If that were the case, it would be all right: you could do worse for a quick deli sandwich. But you could do much better for the money for a casual dine-​in experience.
I still don’t get it. Is the deli counter portion of the restaurant just for looks? Seems like the place has an identity crisis. Is it a sit-​down restaurant or a deli? Just left the place feeling bummed, like I had been tricked or something.

I came for a baby shower, held in the event room towards the back of the place. So far, I’m impressed. The event area is large and spacious, easily housing a large party of 100 – 150 comfortably.
Beautiful interior. Rustic with soft yellow lights. Sexy masculine in my book, and definitely taking away the unsexy vibe of a butcher block. When you walk in, you’re greeted by the deli-​like front of the offerings of an adult version of gourmet lunchables.
Deli cuts, cheeses, and crackers littered our buffet table at the event. I’m not one much for meats and salamis and pepperonis and things… But these definitely had flavor. I’m just a little sensitive to salt, and these run higher than my palate calls for. The cheddar was sharp. The crackers were crisp. No complaints.
Spaghetti was a little too soft, and the sauce wasn’t wildly impressive.
Meatballs. Oh but these meatballs. They were massive, meaty, and complex in construction. A little overly large for my liking. You’ll need extra helpings of sauce to conquer your way through one of these babies. The meatball, made on a sandwich, was very very good.
Their cocktail menu wasn’t quite extensive, but impressive with its creativity. These options are pricey (12 – 15 range), but well worth it. Expect fresh ingredients and a strongly poured drink. I had the floating fire. There was coconut. Pineapple. Orange juice. Bitters. Fresh fruit on top. And my, was this massive. I was happy to cart around my massive tiki man and drink my way through the event.
I’ve heard the burgers are great, as well as coming here only for some drinks or cocktails. I’m sure to come back for dinner service sometime!

I have only been here once and I did not get to try their food or drinks :(
I was here recently for a show, which it is a pretty huge space and was not too crowded and I loved it!
I definitely want to come back and try their food and drinks!

The food was GREAT, but the service was terrible. From being seated to finally leaving, our table was there for 2.5 hours. The waitress seemed really busy, and she made it known to our table. We were made to feel more of a burden than a group of guests.
To top it all off, right after we ordered food, our waitress said she was only going to take a limited number of cards for the check. So when the waitress brought us 1 check at the end, our table broke up the check to be applied to a few cards. But then she brought the check back and told us to figure out the math including the tax for each check total. Her excuse? Because she didn’t enter our orders per chair, she was «slammed» and didn’t «have time.»
Disappointing! I won’t go back.

Went here about a month ago before a show there. We were originally just planning on going to the show, but I heard from a few people that they had a decent restaurant. The food was good but unfortunately only lukewarm. The service was poor overall. It took much longer than it should have to get drinks, and it frequently seemed like the server was purposefully ignoring us when she walked by.
I may be back for a show, but I am unlikely to visit the restaurant again.

I would go back here on a breezy hot day just to sit on their quiet rooftop patio and sip some cocktails.
Last I was here I had the meatball sandwich which was OK… not the best sandwich ever but not bad at all. The bread was a little hard which made it harder to eat. I think the menu is slightly overpriced for what you get, but perhaps on-​par with the neighborhood.
Open for lunch which is a bonus as many other places in the area are only open for dinner.

The large raw platter is definitely not what is posted on the menu:
Large platter $ 50 for 12 oysters, 8 tiger prawns, 2 lobster claws
Only what we got (I uploaded a pic) was 8 oysters, a bunch of regular shrimp, and 2 lobster claws. And if you also count this, lots of shell in the oysters… very disappointing.
Later at dinner, we heard from the waitress to the table next to us that they were out of oysters. Now we know why we only got 8 instead of a dozen… but that is pretty ridiculous that they did not inform us in the first place. We didn’t complain before because we didn’t care for them after we had to pick shells out of our mouths.
At least the hanger steak and their house made pasta was good… but that’s about it.

I had high hopes for this place. The idea of a butcher, deli, restaurant, and bar rolled up into one drew me into trying out this place. I had dinner with my girlfriend on a Friday night here. It wasn’t too crowded, which was fine with me. For drinks, I had their Manhattan and my girlfriend had the Old Fashioned — I tried the Old Fashioned and didn’t like it, however my Manhattan was really good. The second one was equally as good and then I felt good :)
For an app, we had the pork belly — it was good, I mean who doesn’t like bacon, but I wish there was more meat on the plate. That was an expensive piece of bacon. For dinner, I had the grilled lamb t-​bone. It wasn’t cooked right at all. The seasoning (or lack thereof) was disappointing and although i like my meat medium-​rare to rare, this was straight up RAW. I realize this isn’t a steakhouse, but come on. learn how to properly cook your meat, especially when meat is suppose to be the star of your restaurant! For a side (which was extra) we had the seasonal veggies, which was actually the best part of the meal. I would have rather ordered 3 plates of the veggies in place of my lamb and I’m a meat over veggies kind of guy.
Overall this place is really expensive for what it is. They try to be fancy so they’re justified charging fancy prices, but they don’t deliver on the fancy food. Will I come back for the food? No. but I might stop by for another Manhattan.

Arrived Friday evening with a friend because it was warm out and we wanted to check out their patio after seeing a picture on Instagram that they put out. The following was an account of what happened.
8:10pm, arrived and was told there was a 20 minute waiting list so we put our name down and went to the bar. Peeked outside and saw a few open tables, which was peculiar. The indoor seating area was also all but empty.
8:35pm, we were sent a text message saying our table was ready. Was seated at our table shortly after. also noticed there were 4 tables open on the patio. we chose to give them the benefit of the doubt. around the same time, 2 other tables were seated in our section. maybe a large party had just left.
8:45pm, still no service from our server. i mentioned to my friend that if we aren’t served in 5 minutes that we should probably just leave.
8:50pm, a server finally comes to our section. she waites on the other 2 tables that were seated in our section, but for some reason decides to not serve our table. not even an acknowledgement of our presence.
8:51pm, left the restaurant.
There is so much going on in this place. You’ve got a deli, butcher shop, downstairs dining room, upstairs dining room, open bar, patio, and lastly, an event space. I can’t help but to wonder that maybe there is just a lack of focus. From reading the reviews, it doesn’t sound like any 1 particular area is done exceptionally well. The poor service might just be a testament to the lack of focus. I will most likely not revisit this restaurant, given there are so many other fine establishments in the general vicinity.