Joey’s Brickhouse

Been hitting up drunk brunch for years & I love it! So distraught about the closing, hope it comes back around.
Until then, what are my options for starting the Saturday off right? Good food, cheap drinks, and oh the scenery!

I’m very sad to see Joey’s gone… They had GREAT fresh, warm doughnuts with powdered sugar and dipping sauce and $ 1 Fat Tire cans… on Fridays…
(tears)

Admittedly I didn’t come for brunch or dinner on a weekend. I met a couple friends here for drinks and appetizers on a Wednesday because we knew we’d easily be able to find parking nearby.
For drinks and conversation after work, it met my expectations. It was pretty empty but for a Wednesday night I didn’t need a «party» vibe. We sat at the bar and the bartender was attentive and friendly without hovering. They had a special on 24oz drafts and Skinny Dip on tap so I was happy.
The bagel chips and artichoke dip were delish. I wasn’t crazy about the flavored butter and bread but my friends liked it. I ordered matzo ball soup like the good shiksa I am and thought it was pretty good. It came out in literally 30 seconds so that was nice but expected since the place was empty.
I love the chalkboard wall in the bathroom. What a fun idea! Every time one of us went in there we added to our mural.
So, the food wasn’t anything spectacular but the service was good and the chalkboard fun. And for 2 appetizers, soup, and five 24oz drafts, our check came to $ 28. That’s enough to get me back for another happy hour.

We thought Joey’s was closed on Sunday morning at 10:30 a.m. That’s how empty this cavernous space was. That probably should have been our first warning to the mediocrity that was to follow.
Before I get into the faults, I have to say that the house-​made bread is great and the bite of my friend’s made-​to-​order omelet was delicious, but the rest was decidedly meh.
I had the crab cakes benedict. Typically, the crab cakes replace the bread in this dish, but Joey’s included both. It was so stacked and heavy that I could barely even think about eating the second half. One of the two eggs was slightly overdone, but the other was nice and runny. The Hollandaise sauce was slightly filmy on top, which indicates to me that it was sitting there for a minute or two before it reached our table. The crab cakes were OK on top of tomato slices and fresh spinach, but there was definitely a temperature issue going on… not so hot. Toast=awesome (some kind of hybrid biscuit-​focaccia-​toast). The fried potatoes were piping hot and pretty good (I put a bunch of salt, pepper and hot sauce on them though).
My BF’s biscuits and gravy were fine, but didn’t impress. He ordered some house hot sauce, which I used as well. It tasted like very slightly spicy, runny (but mostly sweet) ketchup… and looked like it too.
My friend’s made-​to-​order omelet tasted great (made by Joey himself, who seemed very friendly) and I felt the sting of food envy. My other friend’s Ahi tuna salad was OK too.
Our server did his duty and refilled glasses of water promptly, let us know when our friend should go get his omelet made, handled our check well, etc. Now, I obviously can’t fault the guy for being shy, but a smile wouldn’t hurt on a Sunday morning.

I’ve lived down the street from Joey’s Brickhouse for years and had never been but thanks to Groupon, finally paid the restaurant a visit.
We were seated right away and although there were no more patio seats left and I had my dog in tow, they let us sit in the big window table and tie the dog right next to us. Our drinks were ordered and delivered right away and our food order was taken promptly as well. The busboy even brought a take out bowl of water for my dog without me even asking! 5 stars for service!
And then the deductions start…
Seared Ahi Tuna & Avocado Salad to share as an appetizer. There was absolutely NO flavor to the salad and could have used a few more toppings. Minus a star
Triple Vesuvio Purse — we were warned that it would take a little longer for this to cook which we were fine with except when we started dining, the fish was much too dry with a very bland flavor which forced us to douse it with lemon. The spinach under the fish was also much too mushy. Minus another star.
Spaghetti & Meatballs with Sausage and Parmesan — I’m guessing that they left the completed pasta dish sitting under the warmers while they waited for the fish to finish (which they could have timed better) because when we ate it, the noodles tasted overcooked and once again, mushy. The meatballs were way too salty and the sauce was nothing special. Minus another star.
All in all, great service. horrible food. I’m willing to forego service for food but not vice versa.

Having lived down the street for several years now, Joey’s Brickhouse is in the regular rotation of casual restaurants.
I’ve stopped using Unilocal exactly because of the negative reviews below. They are simply not fair assessments of a particular business. Not everyone should be allowed to criticize an establishment.
Joey’s Brickhouse is definitely not Alinea, Moto, Charlie Trotters, or even Browntrout. However, Joey’s is not pretending to be a gastronomic powerhouse, and serves up good casual food in a casual atmosphere. If you are looking for impeccable service and daring crazy food, for the love of humanity, go elsewhere.
On the same note, for the love of humanity, if you can’t be objective on Unilocal,then just stop Unilocaling already!

Based on some of the reviews, my wife and I were wondering if we made a mistake going here with my GroupOn deal — would I get the stinkeye? Not at all, my dinner here last night was terrific.
Our server was outstanding and the place had a nice, neighborhood vibe. The bartender wasn’t skimpy with the alcohol in our drinks. Sweet.
The food was very good — nothing fancy, but delicious and in generous proportions. We split the Morelli salad, which was perfectly-​dressed and fantastic. Went w/​comfort food entrees — lemon pepper chicken under a brick and a braised lamb shank with noodles and wine stewed tomatoes — both awesome. And yes, anyone can make rice krispie squares, but there was something retro cool about it, and the chocolate, strawberry and caramel dipping sauces added a nice touch.
This was my first time at Joey’s, and wonder if the neg reviews were more about how the AYCA brunch is handled? Can’t speak to that, but for a casual dinner, thought Joey’s was great — we’ll be back.

Went here last night for dinner. Enjoyed the Jewish and Italian comfort food. Service was uneven. But the drinks were great.

I’ll admit right off the bat that I’m reviewing this for their brunch… and while I get that it isn’t their «specialty», pizza isn’t available during brunch.
I stopped in with two other girlfriends on a Sunday morning; it wasn’t at all busy and we got a table right away. I was a bit disappointed with the limited brunch options but went with the french toast; one friend ordered pancakes, and the other a salad. Despite it not being busy, it took quite a while for our food to come out and when it did, it was not at all delicious. My friend’s pancakes were like flat frisbee discs and completely burned on the bottom and outside edges; they were also in a bowl… an odd choice given that they typically require cutting. My french toast was also a bit on the darker side; I ate them anyway since I was hungry from a work-​out.
The experience was one star but I added on another since they comped the pancakes and I did like the banana bread bites they give you while you wait for food. Either way, I’ll never go back… I spent the entire day feeling robbed of a good french toast experience.

Allow me to set the scene:
Walk in.
Everyone ignores us.
Busboy feels bad and finds us a table.
Seated outside for breakfast.
15 minutes goes by. No greeting from any staff.
Frazzled man walks by the table.
«Am I your server?» he asks, seeming confused.
That, sir, is a very good question.
The remainder of the experience was much like this. Very very poor service. Order drinks. Lots of impatient waiting. Order food. Still no drinks. Food comes out wrong. Send it back. More waiting. Food returns correct but cold and mushy. Inedible. Waiting, while looking at gross food. Server returns.
Server: How’s breakfast? Great?!
Me: Actually not very good at all.
Server: Sh***y, huh? Hmmm.
Yep. That saved the day. Not.
After more waiting and a hurried excuse as to why our experience was so awful, he sent us on our way. I wish I could have left him one Unilocal star instead of a tip. Seriously.

I’ve been going to Joey’s Brickhouse for about a year now and that is why I am choosing to write about it for my first review.
Joey’s Brickhouse is my absolute favorite restaurant in Chicago. The menu is unique and nothing I have ever ordered has disappointed me. The best three times to go are Mondays when all the alcohol is half priced, Tuesdays for all you can eat pizza (the pizza is AMAZING) and for Saturday morning $ 12 all you can eat brunch with $ 1 drinks. They also recently changed the all you can eat brunch to a family style menu which is great for a small or large group because they size the portion in accordance with your party.
In addition to the great food and great deals Joey’s offers the atmosphere is unparalleled. I walked into brunch on New Years Day to lively staff and customers welcoming me and cheering with their noisemakers and decorative leis.
I highly recommend Joey’s Brickhouse and hope you get to try it sometime!

If Joey’s could get a 2.5, that’s what I’d give it. The atmosphere and service were fine, and the drink specials were poppin too, but that’s where it kind of ends.
My matzo ball soup was lackluster, and I’ve eaten a lot of matzo balls for a black girl!
My meatball lasagna was room temperature at best, which I find to be a cardinal offense. Hot food should never be served cold. EVER.
Finally, we got the 3 chocolate fondue. I don’t know about you, but to me, fondue means hot chocolate that’s heated up, with tasty treats to dip inside it. Not cold Hershey’s syrup with hard marshmallows and rice krispie treats. The strawberries they gave us with it were friggin FROZEN (they thawed them, but how are you going to serve me a thawed out strawberry for fondue).
They just barely got the job done, but I’m not coming back.

updated review for «tuesday special»…
note that the «all-​you-​can» no longer includes draft beer. instead, $ 12 will get you overdressed salad and hearty pizzas with rice krispies AND *new addition* banana bread for dessert. you can «add-​on» $ 1 miller lite bottles — still not a bad deal. my 6-​top was pretty stuffed after 4 pizzas — they were very filling but i must say they weren’t as flavorful as they were during my last visit. we tried out (2) of the sauce options — garlic and olive oil and traditional marinara. both were very bland. the salad was just the opposite — way over the top in dressing. luckily the krispies were still yummy!
at around 9pm, the lights dimmed and the music turned from cheesy early 90s to techno. it obviously got harder to hold a conversation and the scene was very strange given there were a few families in the house…

So i came here once for dinner, and for that particular meal I won’t be back. Overpriced, underwhelming food. Our bill was enormous and the service was spotty at best. Skip it.
But… why the three stars? Two reasons.
I came here late one night… shall we say… delicately sauced. Suddenly there was free food on the bar and I was a happy camper. I’m not sure how often they do this, but I know Tuesdays it’s $ 12 all-​you-​can-​eat pizza. For a girl like me who orders the 20-​oz porterhouse on the first date (he’s paying, isn’t he?), this is delightful. Nice specials — and I’ll give a star for that.
The other two are for the Saturday brunch. What a novelty — you pay $ 12 and it’s all-​you-​can-​eat… but not crap from a buffet that the hungover schmuck at the next table just sneezed on. Nope — you order from a menu! And you can keep ordering and ordering until your waiter looks at you askew and your pants start to feel snug. Drinks are a buck, and coffee is self-​serve from the bar (which, when hungover, can seem like an awfully long walk just for coffee, but at least you don’t have to wait for refills). Next to the coffee were some free pastries… nice touch.
So I’d skip Joey’s for dinner — the concept is nice and the sense of humor is refreshing, but their servers are lackluster and the food is insanely overpriced. $ 18 for paella? I’m way too poor for that.
Walk a half block to Coopers or to the next light to Harmony Grill @ Schuba’s — I think both trump Joey’s.

I second the other review which said, «good not great» but then I thought about it and now think, better than good, but still not great.
When our pizzas arrived I immediately thought of DiGiorno’s. It’s exactly that. Although it is cool that they offer three sauces including a spicy marinara which even for my spicy needs was enough that I didn’t have to add more crushed red pepper while eating.
We came for the $ 12 all you can eat deal which pleased us greatly, the pre made salad was refreshing but I wondered how fresh it was when I saw a few pieces of lettuce that were soggy and browning. The deal enabled us to order different pizzas and try each others. If you can manage to knock those out you can order more, although they try to fill you up on salad. That night they also had specials on Long island iced teas for $ 5. Cheap low end booze was used in those bad boys, two of them were more than enough and I was buzz-​in. Next day I was reminded of the cheap booze with day long migraines and bad stomach (Which only happens when I have no name alcohols). Street parking is possible most of the time and it was pleasantly busy for a weeknight.
Almost forgot, at the end of our meal deal the waiter brought fresh made rice krispy treats! Warm, slightly gooey and good.

Don’t waste your time. Now, I can understand the appeal of a Saturday $ 12 all-​you-​can eat brunch with $ 1 mimosas and bud light, but horrible service does not make this deal worth it at all!
By the way, their website says it’s $ 15 for food AND drink. I think it’s a ploy to get people in there, because they are well aware of the mistake, which has been up for at least a year. The food is just OK, the service is beyond bad. I’ve given this place 3 tries, and that’s it. I’m done.

Been here twice. But after my last visit a couple of years ago — I have never stepped foot in here again.
Imagine this — all you can eat buffet! Made to order — GREAT CONCEPT. But a concept cannot be successful unless you execute it properly. Who the HELL offers an all you can eat — but you can only order ONE item per person at a time? You order, wait. Food comes. Eat it. Wait for the server to come back again. You order, wait. Food comes. You get the picture?
In order to get a decent meal here, you probably have to wait a good 2 – 3 hours to get full.
Besides this, my friends and I enjoyed each others company by sipping on lots of mimosas on their tiny patio — we were there to hang out until the World Cup game that was starting in an hour or so — we were unfortunately asked to leave because they had to close up and clean for dinner. Don’t they have a GIANT wall sized screen for people to watch sports? There were a good 20 people there with chairs lined up inside like good schoolchildren waiting for the game to start.
Never again — Ms. Manager — you suck and have NO customer service skills at all. We knew the buffet had ended but we were WILLING TO PAY for more drinks and more food.

Since ive been on Unilocal ive never quite knew what a 3 star experience felt like. Ive always thought you either like it, or you dont… whats the in between for?
Well, the in between is for places like Joeys.
For every good thing you see, there is something lurking around the corner that is equally annoying.
The food is good, but your not going to be thinking about it later on in the week… Service is kind of slow, but not anger inducing slow… They have some decent nightly deals on a slightly over priced menu.
Not good enough to be on Check Please, but not bad enough for Gordan Ramsey to make a funny tv show about either.

I’ve been here a few times before (maybe 4 – 6 months ago) and while the food was okay, it was nothing special. Not really good enough to come back — we always ordered entrees off the normal menu.
However, when we needed to plan a surprise, last-​minute birthday dinner for my friend who lives in Lakeview and didn’t want to go far for her meal, we ended up here.
They didn’t have any trouble reserving a table for our party of 8 with little notice. It happened to be Tuesday, so we all ordered the Tuesday Special — all you can eat pizza, salad and rice crispy treats, and all you can drink draught beer. It was EXCELLENT, and only $ 15 per!
I’m very picky about my pizza, and this was SO GOOD. Fresh and delicious! Each small pie is cooked to order, with your choice of sauce, cheese, and two toppings. The salad that preceded the pizza was really good too. (It was their Morelli salad, not just some crappy side salad with iceberg and ranch.)
What really surprised me was that the all-​you-​can-​drink beer was actually good stuff, not some cheap crap. Rogue’s Dead Guy, Honkers Ale, and a Belgian White were among the ones I remember.
I don’t normally go for rice crispies, but these were tasty.
The only reason they didn’t get a 5-​star rating was the waitress — the previous reviews about the lax service are spot on. The place wasn’t busy at all, but our waitress forgot drinks, left us waiting, made us repeat orders several times, etc. She didn’t seem to be really paying attention, but was happy to wander off and chat with the other servers. Lame.
All in all, a really fun experience, and I’ll go back with friends for the kick-​ass Tuesday deal, but the entrees and service can leave a bit to be desired.

My Joey’s Brickhouse visit was completely lackluster in every way.
I wanted something on the lighter side, so I ordered the blacked chicken salad, which was a massive bed of iceberg lettuce with some random veggies, corn, black beans and cheese thrown in. Totally blah, nothing exciting and missing something… FLAVOR! I know that grilled chicken salads aren’t the most exciting thing on the menu, but come on. A little effort would be appreciated.