Thirteen Pins Tapas + Bar

Walked in and walked out! Don’t even think they have a kitchen! Nothing but thugs and illegal activities! I Don’t know how they are allowed to operate an establishment.

Great little place to host a small party, inexpensive drinks and they let us bring our own music.

This place is disgusting. There were ants crawling in our food. The waiter noticed the bugs and was completely creeped out by them. The restaurant still charged us for the bug covered food. The Health Department needs to inspect this place. The floor was covered in some sort of sticky goo in a lot of places. Even though we ate here on a Thursday afternoon the owner was still drunk from the night before and stumbling around the bar. Someone forgot to order a bunch of supplies so they were out of a lot of food and napkins. The place has gotten more sad and shabby looking over the few years that it has been here. Do not go here unless you want to be charged for bugs in your food.

This place was awful! We were the only people in here unless you count the patrons that were playing some electronic games behind a red curtain near the bar. We had come in for dinner so ordered a few items from the menu. While waiting the server asked what we wanted to drink. My husband had a diet coke (poured from a 2 liter bottle) and I just had water. The bar apparently had no running water so my water came from a plastic bottle — fine but I wish she had informed me that it was $ 2 per bottle before she refilled my glass 3 times! All of the food was overcooked almost to the point of being inedible. Small portions too. Overpriced and underwhelming. I’ll never go back.

Just ordered carry out from here, never again! The portions are not even enough for one person and the food was super, super salty! I don’t see this place staying in business much longer! Very very dissatisfied!

Terrible Food. Delivery took almost 2 hours

My Filipino husband was really excited to try this place, so we stopped in to place a carryout order. We were the only people in the entire place on a Saturday night. That right there should have been a red flag. It took 30 minutes for an order of tapsilog. What he got was a few really dry strips of meat with rice. I have never known him to be so disappointed by Filipino food. We won’t be back.

I came here a long time ago when they first opened. I was pretty excited to have a new restaurant in my hood. They had local art on the walls and it had a cool vibe. The food wasn’t bad, but not that great either. I went a couple more times for drinks and had a so-​so experience.
Then I returned for dinner last Tuesday and boy was I disappointed. I honestly don’t know how they’re still in business. No one is ever in there! I arrived and smelled cigarette smoke. (Later they sprayed some air freshener which grossed me out…) It took a while for the waitress to come over and take my order. When she brought our beers the caps were still on and she didn’t ask if we wanted glasses. Amateur hour? I don’t really care about the beer glass, but with there being only two other people in there, you think they would’ve gone the extra step.
When we arrived, there was no music. Then they turned on the radio like full blast so my friend and I could barely hear each other. For a place that was super slow, it was just totally out of place for there to be blaring music. We asked her to turn it down and when it didn’t happen she said she didn’t know how to turn it down…
I asked what tapas were the most popular. It took her a minute to say «everything is good.» OK great. Whatever. When we were ready to order, my friend tried to get the waitress’s attention. She was over at the bar and saw him waving. She stayed behind the bar and rudely asked «what?». She finally sauntered over to our table and that’s when we decided to just pay our bill and head over to olé reliable Golden Nugget across the street.
Recommended alternatives nearby:
Food/​Drinks:
— McNamara’s
— Smoque (BYOB)
Food:
— Hot Woks Cool Sushi
— Shokran Moroccan Restaurant
— Golden Nugget
— #1 Chop Suey
Drinks:
Joey’s (if you’re desperate for a cheap beer)

After leaving another bar on Irving Park road we were stopped by someone who was having a smoke outside this bar. They told us that we should come in and that they weren’t working tonight but the current bartender would take care of us. As soon as we got in we never saw this person again. We ordered a round of drinks but this place is cash only and does not have an ATM. After going out to get cash we had a few drinks.
During the downing of my drink I was able to get a feel for what this place was like. It is a 2 am place and we had arrived around 1:30 so it was getting ready to close. The only people that were here, maybe about 10, were all sitting around the bar. The front area had tables and chairs but no one was sitting in them. On the left is the DJ booth and to the right of that is the bar. They were playing club like bachata music but no one was dancing. Considering it was a Friday and close to closing I would have expected a decent amount of people to be ending their night out dancing. This was not the case. After our beer we left. I would have to come back maybe a little earlier to see if this place ever gets busy. It has potential to be a good dance spot but if no one ever comes that is kind of strange.

I’d rather eat out of a dumpster in the ghetto on a hot summer day.

Track that was spinning as we waited for our table. «I’m horny, horny, horny, horny» For real, no bullshit. You’d think it was a gay club and I kind of hoped it might be so we could ass up on some cheap booze. However, it was not.
It was an arduous ordeal. Lackadaisical service at best. The food. well, couldn’t wait. Couple pricey drinks and then just bounced.

Not sure what’s with the hating on this place. Food and drinks are pretty average priced for a tapas restaurant or a bar… actually no– they’re pretty cheap for tapas.
Love the mussels and adobo, veggie dishes are very good, ginger chicken and pancit are delicious AND I was surprised to find that I liked something as odd-​sounding as diced fried pig’s ear! Other items I wasn’t as keen on, but still not bad by any stretch– just not my taste. But for about $ 40 i can fill up on good food, spend time around good people AND get thoroughly drunk– not bad for a night out!
Perhaps the problem is when people hear «tapas» they expect they can play at being food snobs while eating rich Spanish food and drinking expensive wine OR they’re thinking it’s like dim-​sum because its Asian– small plates for very cheap. (Which is funny because i notice many of the negative reviewers are also being kinda cheap– complaining about Groupon… and as I’ve noticed Groupons have similar problems with other eateries… so it’s not so much the restaurant as it is Groupon perhaps?)
This is Phillipino home cooking on a small scale– come excepting that.
Now admittedly the space is a bit awkward (it runs as an event space too– dj’s spin here on weekends it gets loud after 9ish and they remove seating for a small dance floor) and the atmosphere is decidedly different– but that’s really not a bad thing! The staff is awesome and the owners really try to give local artists and musicians a place to show off their talents.
Very much a neighborhood spot, perhaps with ideas and ambitions too big for the space provided sometimes– but still– love this place!

I will never go to that hell hole again.
The owner, Regina, is the worst business owner I’ve encountered in a long time. The bad reviews are true. She hired a DJ to start at 10pm, but still had some Christmas singing and holiday entertainment until almost 11. This deterred people coming in for a night club atmosphere. They came by, saw the family reunion going on and left. By the time the DJ could start playing, there was not a single person in the place, and no one showed up for the rest of the night.
Regina actually got into the DJ’s face, and refused to pay her at the end, trying to charge her for a couple drinks and tapas that were supposed to be comped. Instead of working things out, she almost caused a fist fight, like a caged dog that got loose.
Watching the hole thing unfold was so disappointing. This was not the first time Regina caused a fight to get out of paying the entertainment. She’s been known to pocket money from the bar, instead of ringing it, so that the entertainment doesn’t make their commissions.
Generally, the food is extremely overpriced for the tiny portions. The location is terrible. They don’t give a crap about their customers, treating them like they’re doing you a favor for even bothering with you.
They’re about to under. If I could give no stars, I would.

I do have to say the mussels here are pretty tasty. The rest of the food here is just «okay». I have been here a few times and have ordered a few different things. I do think the food is a little over priced for what it is.
However, my biggest complaint is feeling like I’m being ripped off with the bill.
First time here I ordered two different tapas, each time a basket of bread was brought out with each dish. Please note that I did not request these baskets of bread, I assumed they were complimentary. When I got the bill I was charged $ 2 for each basket of bread. $ 4 for two baskets of bread I did not order or eat? I looked at the menu after getting my bill and NO WHERE on the menu does it state bread is an extra charge!
Second time I went there, I specifically told my server I didn’t want any bread.
I knew better this time! So when it came time for my bill, I was given a receipt that was not itemized. I asked for the itemized receipt and when I got it… there was a charge on the bill for an item I did not order! I don’t know if that is any indication of how they run their business there, but I definitely won’t be back.
So if you are thinking of trying this place out, make sure you take a good look at your bill before paying.

This barely qualified as a dining experience to be frank.
We had a groupon to use up, so we went for dinner around 7PM. We got water, although only two of four guests had their water poured, and three of four guests had water glasses. Then we got bread. There were three slices of bread for four people, and the olive oil tested like it had been in the bottle for months. No salt and pepper, cheese, anything else.
We ordered drinks. A beer, a martini, and a vodka & soda. After a spell, we were informed by our waitress that they were out of soda and that particular beer. When I asked what carbonated beverage they might have, she explained they had a party the previous weekend, and they were still out of a lot of things. Um, OK. So I got a glass of wine, and another got a different beer.
All things would be fine. Except, honestly, the food was terrible. Half of the dishes I could have made better at home. We got all sorts of things.
Mini rolls– they tasted like they were from costco and cut in thirds. Then placed on a plate and pared with orange marmalade from Jewel.
Crispy chicken– this was probably the best dish. Not warm though.
Adobo– NO flavor. None. And the server spilled the sauce all over someone.
Tortang-​Talong– this was not edible. A slice of badly seasoned eggplant with cold eggs.
Drunken pasta– the pasta sauce tasted bitter. It also was barely edible.
Short ribs– tough, again not warm, but the seasoning was OK. Barely any on the plate.
We also ordered a shrimp dish, but couldn’t tell you how it was, because it never showed up. The chef appeared to just come out and sit at the bar after cooking, despite us not having been served all we ordered.
We also were given a few dirty plates.
I also have to add that the ambiance of this place is bizarre. I felt awkward the entire time I was dining there. Shabby décor, mismatched furniture, speakers piled up against the wall. It might be fine as a coffee shop, but for an evening dining experience, it was sad.
I would not recommend going. We wanted to check it out for a while, since we live in the neighborhood. Something kept us from going. We should have listened to our instinct.

A friend and I came on a weeknight and thought it had a comfortable and cool environment, especially for neighborhood. There was a couple at the bar, but other than that it was just the very friendly owner (I’m assuming) and one server. It has a very gallery-​café atmosphere, very open, we immediately felt comfortable.
The service wasn’t bad and the dishes came out promptly one after the other without much wait, but again, we were the only table when we first came in and shortly after there were only 2 more tables.
The calamari was a decent portion, but a little tough. The croquettes were lacking SOMETHING, anything, a sauce, a little saltiness, they tasted bland. The Caldereta was a little chewy, I would pass on that.
The bruschetta was fantastic; tomatoes, mozzarella, avocado (yes) extremely fresh, with a little pesto spread. We also had the chicken wings which I also recommend. We also had the sangria, which was not bad but not noteworthy.
Lastly I should mention, they have a Groupon AND they have specials, Groupon is not valid on alcohol and not valid on the $ 5 special pricing on small plates during the week.
I don’t mind these stipulations, but–
1) We weren’t made aware that the Groupon couldn’t be combined with the $ 5 small plates special
2) They advertise $ 5 small plates, but NOT ALL the small plates are $ 5. We had to ask about that, and we were told «Just the $ 6 & $ 7 ones.» We ordered some that ranged between $ 6.25 — $ 7.25 (only a couple items were exactly $ 6 or exactly $ 7) and for some reason only one of our plates was discounted, so, it isn’t very clear exactly which ones are on special.
All in all it wasn’t a bad experience, but I’d just as soon try some place new next time rather than rush back.

I was looking for a Filipino restaurant to blog on my food journal and Thirteen Asian Tapas popped up as a recommendation. For a first pass, I decided to get something to go because I was not certain that during the time that I had placed the order if the restaurant was going to be filled to capacity. Much to my surprise, it was empty. The person behind the bar had mentioned that the restaurant gets a lot of business through the week. Then again, it is the Irving Park area that isn’t close to Lakeview where all the action is.
I had ordered three dishes: adobo, ginger chicken, and inasal. All three were nicely priced and delectable just the same. As tapas goes, the portions were small along the lines of a lunch portion. They were not bite size, though.
Because my food blog is lacking in Filipino representation, I shall have to return for the on-​location dining experience because the food that I had was noteworthy enough to mention on the blog. Plus, I will have to photograph the experience. For take-​away, I was pleasantly satisfied.

Yuck. Bad service. Bad food. Dirty restaurant/​bathrooms.
Only 1 server on a Friday night. Pretty sure no one that works there actually knows anything about their cocktail list. Stick to beer, chances are they will still bring you the wrong kind…
We ordered 2 tapas to start. Neither impressed, 1 was actually gross. Ordered 2 more, pretty much the same thing. Although we were still very hungry we decided to cut our loses and stop ordering food here and just go home and eat something.
The entire experience was very awkward and confusing.
I will not be back again, ever. Sorry…

I really wanted to like this place, and I did initially. It’s new in my neighborhood, an area that could benefit from more restaurants. However, Thirteen Pins could step up things in many different ways.
Portion sizes are ridiculously small. I love Filipino food and went with a Filipino friend here, and we were both disappointed for what we got, especially my friend (no tocino anymore on the menu… tsk tsk).
Most $ 6 «tapas» dishes are mainly beef or pork, and done up very small. Still, the Adobo chicken was delicious. I just wish I had more.
The $ 8 sauteed shrimp were fantastic. However, we hoped we could have had more than 5 little shrimps.
The croquettes were a joke, though. TWO croquettes for $ 6, both the size of hush puppies from Long John Silvers, and both cold on the inside.
The service was what you’d expect from a college-​aged server; neither friendly nor rude. Meh.
I’m glad we had a coupon, otherwise we did not eat anywhere near $ 30-​worth of food.

Poor 13 pins, getting hated on. I completely disagree with the reviews it was dirty. Absolutely, untrue. The downfall of this place is it suffers from a little confusion and lack of patrons. So no, it’s not serving Spanish tapas. They’re Filipino small plates. And yes, it’s fairly new and might not have worked all the kinks out. And maybe the water tasted a little funny, but they serve root beer, how cool is that? The way I see it is all this place needs to do is pick a direction and go for it. I’d love to see a real Filipino restaurant in my area. We have such a large population, but it’s so hard to find pancit outside of my church’s parties. 13 Pins, forget the liquor license, small plates, and nightclub theme décor. I say go wholly Filipino.
As for everyone else, don’t go expecting Linea food or décor. It’s a new mom and pop place that still needs to work out the kinks. Just check it out!