Branch 27

They are closing today…
Went in for brunch around 12:30. They didn’t have coffee brewed, didn’t have bacon, Canadian bacon or steak.
Because the dish I ordered was missiñg half the ingredients, I asked for fruit to accompany my plate of just eggs…
How annoying to find they charged me for substitution, EVEN THOUGH they didn’t have any of the ingredients of my dish in stock…
This review probably doesn’t matter as they are closing their doors today, but as someone who went here for years and had enjoyed it… The last hoorah today left me with a terrible memory of the place.
Their burger is really good though, that will be missed.

I am a librarian so spending Valentine’s day in a former public library was divine. Granted the former library for Ward 27 has since moved and expanded, thus alleviating any internal struggle about enjoying tasty food on the repurposed tables of little readers’ souls.
While this is not the most romantic spot for V-​Day, the special menu was great, and the drinks were strong. I can’t wait to visit again and try out their regular offerings.

Popped in here for a quick bite and a couple drinks.
Super friendly and fast service. Sat down right away and had a server giving us menu’s and asking what we wanted to drink within a minute.
Our server helped me decide between two things I was pondering over for dinner. She picked the turkey burger for me and she was right on with that decision. Turkey & Poblano Burger with chipotle aioli, sliced avocados, and hand cut fries. It’s probably one of the better turkey burgers I’ve ever had. Most are bland. The poblano peppers kick this up a notch and make it delicious.
Great little spot for dinner. Fast. Friendly.

Came here for brunch with a girlfriend on Sunday after my hungover yoga class. I needed something big and greasy to set me right and the burger here did just that! I had a delicious burger and subbed a salad for the potatoes. That was a great choice cuz the salad had feta, cucumbers and a delicious dressing!
The bloody mary was fine, tasted like it was straight out of a jar, definitely nothing special but it was only $ 6.
Our server was super weird, he might’ve been high… mostly likely high. He couldn’t remember anything we ordered, wasn’t sure what the kitchen had in terms of cheeses for my friend’s omelette and couldn’t answer any of our basic questions.
I thought it was a little pricey, I spent almost $ 30 on a burger and a bloody but I can see coming here on a weeknight for one of their mussels and brew or burger and brew.

LOVE! It’s a Hopleaf-​esque bar in West Town.
$ 5 Modelos, and Baja fish tacos. Yes, please! Yummy white bean hummus, okay, that too!
Friendly, adorable bartenders and a great owner. I will so be back.

I work nearby, often later at night, and the boyfriend and I often stop in for a late dinner and/​or drink.
The food is consistently interesting as well as filling and not greasy (like most bar food) and the beer list is impressive but still comfortable. I love their varieties of wine, too, when I’m going through a wine phase.
Summertime is so pleasant, when the whole front of the restaurant is thrown open to the warm air, and in wintertime it’s cozy and welcoming.
We’re so lucky to have such a great place within three minutes’ walking distance!

Very tasty brunch! I went here on a Sunday after church (around 11:30) with 3 other people and we were seated promptly. I had a mimosa which, for $ 7, was not too shabby considering they weren’t stingy on the champagne and used fresh-​squeezed orange juice. I also had the salmon benedict, which was to die for even though I am normally not a benedict fan; it is a must try! Overall it is a little pricey, but restaurants with this type of atmosphere and located in a hipster neighborhood usually are.

To avoid long lines in the more popular or heavily frequented brunch spots, finding a solid bar brunch spot is like finding money in your back pocket. We came here because of the location and I was motivated by the incentive of the Drink Deck coupon card. We were seated right away even though it might have been 11:30 already on Sunday. Our waitress was very energetic and helpful with recommendations. I got started with my $ 6 bloody mary. It was very solid. I’d certainly come back here for another. I got the Salmon Benedict, which was very delicious. The potatoes here are crispy and just awesome. 3 out of 4 of us finished our plates, and I would be included in that Clean Plate Club. My sister and I even split the Lamb Pecorino & Pear Sausage, it was tender and tasty. I also tried a bite of my sister’s Chicken Fried Pork Belly, which was pretty damn awesome too. My boyfriend and I both agreed that it was dangerous knowing that the place is so close to us. I’d like to come back and try some of the dinner menu items and daily specials as well.

Brunch done well. Friendly staff, good food, casual environment.
Cinnamon roll (I sampled a taste) was amazing and I wish I had thought to order it.
Smoked salmon benedict was great and was a tough choice since many of the other other menu options looked really great.
Mimosa– bonus points for not being stingy with the champagne.
Parking in the area wasn’t terrible.
Overall, a good experience and I would return for brunch and to check out the dinner options.

Every time I go back for brunch it just gets worse.
Thank god the bloody’s are good… because brunch is not good.
Dinner is OK… no major issues there.
But they need to fix brunch.
Last time we went — braised short rib was SOOOOOO dry my husbo went through three glasses of water trying to finish it and just ended up wrapping it to go — He said it was horrible.
I had the carnitas quesadillas. My theory is if a food is overly spicy it means it tastes like doo underneath all the spiciness. My theory stood true to this dish.
I love Branch 27 — I really do. But every time we head for brunch we know we’re making a $ 50 mistake.

I had my birthday here over the weekend. Worked together with Gdine to reserve a table for 16 people, which was waiting and wonderful when my party arrived.
Now, with Gdine, I understand that the menu is limited… so I expected that walking in. And for $ 20/​person I wasn’t expecting the moon. But being with a party of 16, I got to see just about the entire menu and try a lot of different things too.
Here were the winning appetizers:
By far, the steak tartare was my personal fave. Capers added a hint of salty and a raw egg on top made this an ooey gooey treat.
Other hits within the party… any of the flatbreads. Most people preferred these to their entrée. And the wings were just the right mix of spicy and sweet.
The losers:
Empanadas. You get one. It’s a significantly smaller appetizer than all of the rest. Kind of a bummer and not really explained so that you’re under the impression that you’re only receiving one. I’m pretty sure most people in my party were expecting 3 based on the way the server described it.
Winning entrees:
Any pasta dish. Between the tagliatelle, that I’m pretty sure was homemade to the risotto, the overall consensus on this was YUMMY!
Losing entrees:
Burgers. Turkey or regular burgers. The turkey burgers were dry and flavorless. Even a slice of cheese would’ve helped add to this. And the regular burger… people preferred the toppings to the burger. The fries though… A+.
The hangar steak salad. I ordered mine medium rare… which is how it came. BUT… it was like they had just pulled it out of the fridge. The meat was cold and I could barely chew it. Had I not been w/​a party of friends, I would’ve sent it back. The rest of the salad would’ve been nice, but the amount of toppings versus the size of the salad just wasn’t the right ratio. Two bites… blech. Done.
Winning desserts:
BREAD PUDDING! Mmmmmmm… moist and just the best. Reminded me of what my dad used to make when I was a kid. And served piping hot with oozing, melting ice cream.
Losing desserts:
Oatmeal fruit crisp. I think it was strawberry pecan? The berries were probably frozen and weren’t even remotely tasty. Didn’t taste a single pecan. The oatmeal part was crunchy and sweet… but the berries just ruined it.
For those not familiar w/​Gdine… it’s a great way to get together w/​a group of people, everyone pays ahead of time… including tax and gratuity. So, going in… the server already made his tip. But one server for 16 people didn’t cut it, in my opinion. And… for the amount of drinks we added to our already paid for dinners, this guy’s mediocre service banked off my party. We often waited for people to get the rest of their food while others had hot plates of food. He never asked us all if we wanted dessert, just quickly brushed through the crowd. Our wait time between entrée and dessert (for 3 desserts) was super long… and for a birthday dessert, he charged me without even asking me what I wanted. Was whole-​heartedly disappointed in his service.
I think I’ve said this before, but I’ll say it again… there’s too many GOOD restaurants in Chicago for me to give this place a second try.

I had dinner at Branch 27 on a Thursday lured in by their chicken & waffles special on Thursday nights plus I had a $ 10 coupon from a Unilocal event. I totally forgot my coupon and ended up not getting the chicken and waffles… but all the more reason for me to go back again!
I was a little iffy about taking my friend here when he was in town because of the mixed reviews. I’m so glad we went despite reviews because we both thoroughly enjoyed our dishes. The restaurant was pretty dead when we arrived at 630 although the bar section was more poppin’ with people scattered throughout. Our waitress was so cute & quirky and provided us great service during our entire time at Branch 27.
I had the Asparagus Risotto and absolutely loved it. The risotto was cooked perfectly and the mushrooms, truffle oil and pecorino all blended well together. It was a pretty big portion for $ 17 — I was able to take my leftovers home and eat it for lunch the next day. Score! My friend ate the crispy pork shank ($ 20) and he was in love with it, gobbling up every last bite.
Branch 27 has a Unilocal Check In offer for a free bread pudding — the one everyone raves about! Completely free! Score #2! The bread pudding is everything they say it is… moist, crumbly, and packed full of flavor. I’m usually not a fan of any dessert that doesn’t have chocolate in it, but this bread pudding satisfied my sweet tooth!
Without a doubt, I’ll be back to Branch 27 and recommend others give it a try as well! Our total bill for two entrees, a draft beer and an espresso came to $ 48 without tip. Not too shabby for a nice dinner!

Love this place. Wasn’t expecting anything. It is really one of those joints when you’re eating and you’re thinking, «Hey, this is a nice little neighborhood spot.» And then when you go home, you start thinking, «Hey, I wish we had one in my neighborhood.» And then even later on, when you are writing your Unilocal review, you are thinking: wow that was a good dining experience.
I had mussels and fries (an appetizer) as my meal. My friends wanted to «family style» it but I hate doing shit like that so I said no. Well, they literally gave me a pot of mussels. There had to be close to 3 dozen of them mollusk motherf***ers in there. And I ate all but 5. One wouldn’t open. I think someone snagged four from me.
Chicken wings were awesome. Girlfriend’s risotto thing was pretty good too. Free bread pudding with a Unilocal check-​in and that was probably the second best dessert I had on the entire trip. So good.
The spot itself is super neighborly, quaint, romantic even.
I should give this place five stars.

Really good chicken wings. They are expensive for the amount you get, but they are prepared in a very similar fashion to the Korean style fried chicken you can get at a place like Crisp. Pleasantly surprised.
Their flat bread and mussels were also very good. This is a good neighborhood spot with a solid beer selection, a good amount of TVs in the bar area to catch a game, and a very formidable menu.

Okay, I admit it; I don’t know how to eat the Branch 27 shrimp roll. It’s served piled high with shrimp and those suckers are slippery little devils. When I first raised that sandwich to my mouth, two of them leapt off thoroughly splattering my shirt with a sriracha cream sauce. So much for my efforts at appearing suave and sophisticated in the company of five pretty girls and one semi-​pretty guy. Before I was done with the roll, several more shrimp had hit my shirt and then the ground.
To overcome my embarrassment I chose to drown it in drink. Branch 27 made that easy. They have some great beers on tap like Bell’s Two Hearted and Oberon. By the time I was finished with those libations, I really didn’t care that I was wearing a soiled shirt.
If you are on a date, trying to impress someone, or simply would like to keep your clothes clean, stay away from the shrimp roll. But, it would be a pity to miss out on the sandwich. Based on the feedback from my dining companions, it maybe the tastiest thing on the menu. Perhaps you may want to sneak into B27 by yourself and try it out. Don’t forget to say hi to me. I’ll be at the corner table, facing a wall, wolfing down a shrimp roll by myself.

Joining six friends here for dinner, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I expected it to be obvious that this was once a library (since that’s where the name comes from and all), I swear I saw more books on their website than in the place. I didn’t expect the interior to look as it did. That’s not meant to sound negative, the interior is quite nice — exposed brick, iron, dark wood, and warm lighting; I imagine it feels extremely cozy in winter.
We started out with drinks while we perused the menu; the drink menu is impressive, a wide array of craft beers, craft cocktails and wines. I opted for the Dark Horse Raspberry Ale, which I quite enjoyed.
When it came time to order, I struggled to choose between the spicy shrimp roll and the cast iron lasagna. When I asked the server about the two dishes, he commented that the shrimp roll was the heartier of the two. In hindsight, this should have given me pause; I typically view lasagna is stick to your ribs, hearty food.
My meal, the lasagna with eggplant, spinach, fontina, homemade pasta and served with a side salad was… forgettable. The portion of lasagna was quite small; I had envisioned a traditional square slab of lasagna standing at attention on my plate, but instead received a cheesy mess served in a small cast iron skillet. The taste and portion of my dish left me wanting more — unfortunately, not in a good way. My lasagna was rather bland and the cheesy top layer was overcooked — to the point that there were crunchy, bland bits of cheese (or maybe pasta). I was glad I traded my side salad for a companion’s edamame; the generous portion of edamame a few bites of another friend’s fries are really what filled me up. To me, this dish doesn’t come close to living up to its $ 17 price tag. A friend gave me a taste of the shrimp roll and after tasting it, I had some serious orderer’s remorse.
All in all, the nice space and attentive, friendly service throughout our meal isn’t enough to get me excited about this place (unless we’re talking about drinks only).
TIP: They have weekday dinner specials. The special the night we dined (Tuesday) was a burger and a Bell’s for $ 13.

I don’t have much to add since all of my dining companions pretty much summed up our experience quite well in their reviews, so I’ll echo that while none of us was disappointed, none of us was blown away by Branch 27 either.
I started off with a cucumber basil gimlet which was damn good… and very drinkable. Others had various libations of beer or different cocktails. One even had a split of champagne.
The menu has something for everybody: burgers, flatbread, and some seafood and vegetarian choices. I didn’t really know what I was in the mood for, so I opted for the burger and Bell’s Oberon special for $ 13 (even though I don’t drink beer I knew someone would happily take it off my hands). Others ordered mussels, lasagna, fish and chicken. We tried a good deal of the menu.
No one complained about their food, but no one exactly raved about it, except for the fish eater, who loved hers. That is, until the next day. Let’s just say that the fish she ordered has some unpleasant side effects. The mussels weren’t really traditional; instead of a wine-​based broth, it was more of a grainy mustard, which struck me as odd, and it’s pretty much a sacrilege to serve mussels without a crusty baguette for dipping.
As for me, my burger was cooked well beyond the requested medium rare, as was the other person’s in our group that ordered the burger. While it tasted okay, I can’t help but think how much better it could have been if it was cooked properly.
I think we could all agree that the hand cut frites were the saving grace of dinner. I think we all got to try them and they were delicious and salty.
For dessert we shared a few orders of complimentary bread pudding (thanks to Unilocal check-​ins) as well an order of s’mores pots de crème. I’m not a big fan of bread pudding in general, so I’m not the best judge, but it seemed a bit too sweet to me. I didn’t try the pots de crème, but it looked really good, and had bruleed marshmallows on top.
Our server was great. He kept things flowing, made recommendations, was helpful but not intrusive, and in general, was spot on. We appreciated him being on top of his game even knowing his gratuity would be automatically added.
Again, we tried enough of the menu to get a good reading on the food, and nothing was all that impressive. I wouldn’t rule out ever coming back, but there’s better choices in the neighborhood.

Fall supper club at Branch 27. I’ve got to say I was quite pleased with the experience. There were certainly some highs and lows to the evening.
After greeting everyone at the bar, my eyes were quickly drawn to the impressive selection of craft beers on tap. This is right up my alley and scored big points with me. Local brewers were well represented and I opened the night with Founder’s Dirty Bastard. This malty number packs a punch, Dirt Dog is not the one to be fucked with. NSFW (RIP ODB)
I wanted to sample a few of the other brews and was very happy to see the Rogue Octoberfest, round two. The beer and burger special of the night was the always solid Bell’s Oberon. Although my burger was overcooked (hate that) for $ 13 it’s a solid deal.
Branch 27is an open layout of exposed brick and we were comfortably seated with plenty of space. Our lucky 7 had an easy time chatting here and our server was never overbearing and very helpful with his input and suggestions. The menu was interesting and on certain nights you would be well served taking advantage of their specials, like the mussels on Mondays. The food was good and everyone seemed pleased, if not overwhelmed, with what we had. The large portion of fries that came with the burger were damn good and I had no shame in eating every. last. one.
We had a fun night here and I’m sure to return. I could easily see myself parked at the taps working my way through them.

Ahhhh, March.
The month is usually memorable for a ton of reasons — March Madness, St. Patty’s and the beginning of the endless cycle of birthday dinners/​celebrations. First up? One of my BFF“s (and former long-​time roomie) birthdays.
What better way to celebrate?
Mussel Mondays!
This girl has raved about this place for months and months now. Literally. Truthfully, it IS a great deal and all — $ 13 for a HUGE pot of mussels, delicious fries and a refreshing beer. Deal!
There are different mussel preparations to choose from and my friend and I decided to split the coconut-​curry. Delicious! Add in the crispy fries (with different aioli to dip ‘em into) and the amazing bread to dip in the mussel broth… and you’re in heaven. Seriously. Great meal.
We also split the Pumpkin and Seafood Stew and (be forewarned!) it is VERY coconut heavy. If you do NOT like coconut, you will NOT like this dish. Although the stew has a mixture of mussels, tilapia and crab (I think?), you, unfortunately, do not really taste it as you will be overwhelmed with the coconut risotto.
Our waiter was friendly and attentive overall… and so were the other waiters. Since my friend absolutely hates people singing to her on her birthday, I took it upon myself to ask one of the waiters if they would send over a dessert to her. Thankfully, they obliged and presented her with an individual serving of their signature bread pudding (complete with a candle!). And, being the nice friends we are, we proceeded to sing obnoxiously to her.
Birthday win!

This has sat in my «unfinished reviews» for quite some time… and I attribute my lack of attention to the fact that… I just don’t have much to say. However, y’all know me… and if given enough time, I can certainly pour out my heart on even the most mundane of subjects… so here goes nothing.
The name: Why? I get the historical significance, but it is inherently flawed. First of all, we already have a restaurant in Chicago that does quite well with «27» in the name (Nacional27), and so this should’ve been avoided. Especially when the first part of the name-​o-​quation is «Branch.» Branch is a boring kind of word. Yes, again I get the significance. But which would you remember: «Branch» or «Nacional?» I am betting on Nacional. However, the name is pretty indicative of the overall experience… a little bit, underwhelming, albeit it satisfactory.
Service: Fantastic. Not a complaint. Bar staff served drinks swiftly, we were seated when asked to be in the section requested (go Adam!) and dinner service was neither rushed, nor too slow. Very well!
Food: 3-​stars. The mussels and fries with aioli were quite good, and my Cobb salad was quite average, if not borderline «boring.» No «oomph» that I seek in my salad adventures. The brownie sundae was adequate, and made in-​house. All around, decent fare… but on this strip, they’ll have to do a bit better to wow the West Town crowds. I think it can happen, I have faith.
Interior: Very clean, dark woods… but also lacks a certain character. It runs the risk of being forgotten in this developing ‘hood, but with some finishing touches on the menu and ambience, I think they can knock it out of the park.
A decent spot to grab a cocktail, as well. The Bellini was refreshing and lovely… and of course the company was stellar!