Dive Bar

Came here with a Groupon to give it a try. And I’m glad we did. The food was amazing. The prices were very reasonable and the portion sizes were large.
The speciality drinks were nothing I would get again.
I ordered the peeled shrimp boil and I plan to come back again just for that (it was amazing!)
If you are looking for amazing seafood and good service stop by. Also check out Groupon to save you some money.

Go here for cheesy tropical drinks and that’s about it. The food was meh with dry chicken and over fried fish. But the drinks are fun and getting a big group bowl drink was a blast. Also know that if you go here you are going to smell like fried seafood all night long and carry that smell with you if you go out after. I wont’ be going back any time soon!

Love this place ! Amazing fried chicken, good waiter — and the owner stopped by our table. Music varies between 60s Motown and 80s Bön Jovi. Great addition to boys town

Cocktails are amazing. The bar has a really cute Tiki vibe, without the wait or crowdedness of three dots and a dash. I’ve only eaten here once and I had the grill oysters, which were so delicious, I ended up getting another order.

Oysters were shucked in shards. They should be ashamed to charge premium prices for them. Lobster roll was pathetic. Oily, meager. Again to much for so little. Felt like a gay frat house place to drink and not a seafood establishment. Friendly waiter and good service– but something is wrong in the back of the house. I predict failure. Good riddance. PS: guy came up said he was the owner. Asked if everything was ok. We said um ok, sorta. He returned to his pals… sad, very sad.

#129
Dive bar – well…
We entered on a Friday afternoon to kill some time while moving between sightseeing expeditions. A pretty cool cabbie told us about this place, so we thought, «Okay, why not?»
We love Bay Area dive bars, and thought this place would live up to its name; however; to our chagrin, we found out «dive bar» meant more of an aquatic theme rather than a hole in the wall like we are used to. None to worry, it was still great.
After a quick greet, we were seated and offered menus, drinks, etc. The service is really on par. I liked that.
This place has a major selection of alcohol, or adult beverages, so that you can forget about the wind and the chill, and get down to business.
We decided on some tuna nachos – yeah, I get it, weird sounding, but very wonderful in taste. I also had the soup, which was supreme. Our cocktails were divine and our server was really friendly. I forgot how cool Chicago people are until I returned after all these years.
I will say that the décor, the ambiance and the friendly service make this venue a worthwhile adventure. Seafood at its best in this part of the west – haha – that rhymes.
Stephani Smiles for the Dive Bar ;)

Service — Great service. I visited on a Friday early evening. I sat at the bar and the bar tender was very personable, friendly, understanding, and gave great advice with drinks and food.
Food — I haven’t been here since I moved south a few months ago so I don’t remember what I got. I remember the food was delicious though. It was rich in flavor. Honestly one of my favorite sea food places in Chicago.
Atmosphere — The atmosphere is sea food and beach which they capture really well. It is different from anything else I’ve seen in Chicago.
Service — ²⁄₂
Food — ²⁄₂
Atmosphere — ¹⁄₁
I would recommend.

I loved this place with its Seafood theme! The menu and originality drew me in. The staff and delicious food will assure my return. They were very welcoming and genuinely kind.
I was in a soup mood so I ordered the Lobster Bisque soup. It was fresh, hot, smooth with slivers of green onions, and finely grated Romano cheese. After that, I dove into the Blackened Shrimp Po’ Boy sandwich, with its seasoned bite-​sized shrimp, diced tomatoes, shredded lettuce and Hollandaise sauce. Simply superb. It was accompanied by delicious curly fries done differently; thick, crispy, but light and non-​greasy with a signature, spicy ketchup on the side. They were wonderful.
I met the owner, who caught me logging on to Unilocal as he approached to assure I was satisfied with my meal. He was also excited and thrilled to see me writing a review!

The coconut shrimp had a heavy tasty breading, the tuna nachos were AMAZING, and the crab cakes were tasty and meaty.
Funny how awful service makes you never want to go back to a restaurant again. After waiting 10 minutes (no exaggeration) we had to ask for menus, and he took over 5 minutes to bring them. Each time the waiter clearly forgot to order our food, he had a different excuse — even blamed the kitchen for burning the shrimp. Good thing I was with good company, because ordering 2 drinks and 3 appetizers took over 2.5 hours with the horridly slow service. Not sure I would consider coming back because of this — unless sitting at the bar — which was shown to provide amazing customer service. This patio is a no-​go.

AVOID AT ALL COST!!!
We went this past Sunday to give the restaurant a second chance and still were underwhelmed.
We ordered the lobster roll and the roll was burned with very little lobster in it (like 4 small pieces), We also ordered the fried chicken and asked for all dark meat, they gave us just legs (um does the cook know that the thigh is also dark meat??) The chicken was cold at the bone and the meat was dry. This tells me they had it in a warming tray then just flash fried it to make it appear to be cooked to order.
Overall not worth the $ 50 we spent here. ($ 14 for Chicken legs and $ 14 for burnt toast).

Great food— especially the boomboom shrimp. I’m not a fan of fried chicken usually, but if you like fried chicken, this would be the place to go. It’s not too breaded and chewy, but crispy and juicy on the inside. Can’t beat $ 1 oysters either, which is valid on weekdays from 5 – 7. The $ 5 drinks are great as well— a nice touch of paradise in the city. Bathrooms here are kind of weird, somewhat of an industrial feel, and a bit dingy, but I guess that’s why it’s called Dive Bar?
Would have given this place 5 stars if the server hadn’t charged me an extra $ 7 for his tip when I indicated on my receipt that my friend was picking up the tip for both of us. I would have gone back to this place if it wasn’t for that.

Love the design and atmosphere of the place, but the food and drinks all sound better than they taste, and the service was awkward on a Sunday afternoon.
Shrimp and grits — the grits was a tad plain. would be amazing if they mixed in some Parmesan.
Chicken and waffle — the chicken was fine, albeit a tad over-​fried, but the waffle (supposed to be sweet potato waffle) was very dense and soggy. I wish it had more crispiness or fluffiness to it. It also comes pre-​syrup-​ed, but I definitely could’ve used more!
Crawfish omelette — tried a small bite but this one looked like a winner compared to the others
The best item of the meal were probably the thick curly fries. So crispy and just the right amount of potato-​y. Too bad as a side there are so little pieces of it. P. S. ask for the sriracha ketchup. Yummmm!
Overall good place for a group get together or girls/​boys outing with fun drinks (they’re not that strong but do look cute for pictures) but I wouldn’t come just for the food.

Who lives in a pineapple under the sea?
I DO NOW!
Dive Bar is a bar named for its under the sea theme. I was texting my friend in NYC looking for something to do on Monday, and she sent me a picture of a drink in a Marlin cup. I was intrigued for the following reasons:
1) I LOVE FRUITY DRINKS
2) It was hoo-​mid and tiki theme was acceptable
3) who can turn down a theme bar? NOT I
So I pressed onward! I was instantly obsessed (not just because I am a closeted Yankees fan in Chi-​Town and they had the game on). I was less concerned with what was in my drink and more concerned with what my drink came in. As you can see from my photos, I drank from a Marlin, a Whale and a Parrot throughout the course of the afternoon (before and after the Cubs game). My friend was texting me directives on what to drink from –we were having a virtual Memorial Day party.
Drinks were strong, yet they did not taste boozy. As such, I’d say they were expertly crafted. The marlin drink was the best — it was gin based so it was on the light side and was rather refreshing in the heat. Fear not! The barkeep said you can have any drink in any cup! And for $ 10, that Marlin cup can be yours to bring home.
I needed food too so I tried the coconut shrimp. How delicious! It was cooked perfectly and the sauce was slightly sweet.
The bathroom is like the inside of a shipping container. It’s pretty cool. It keeps with the theme of the restaurant.
Dive Bar, this is the beginning of a long and beautiful relationship! Xoxoxox

This place has a great theme! The drink menu was incredible! All kinds of fruity masterpieces awaiting a taste.
I did manage to try the boom boom shrimp in between. It was quite tasty! The shrimp was a perfect cross between crispy on the outside and moist and succulent on the inside.

One of the best brunches I’ve had in quite awhile exist here!
I got an email from urban daddy or something like that highlighting the brunch menu here… I thought it was interesting. I have driven by this place for a few months as its been open since Feb… I thought it was just another dive bar calling itself Dive Bar lol. I had no idea this was a seafood joint.
Came by this past Sunday (you can make brunch reservations on Unilocal) to check out the brunch. It was nice out side so we grabbed a table on the two table patio. Our server Zack was more than cool in regards to going through the menu, pricing options as well as whats good and whats popular on the menu… he was very funny also. He let us know that if you got an entrée and a signature drink, bottomless mimosas were free. WHAT??? Sign us up… lol
I knew I was going to get the SOS Omelet before I got there. This omelet was amazing (I don’t use that term often) as I got it with egg whites, crawfish, shrimp, cheese, onions and tomatoes along with hollandaise sauce on top. One of the best omelets Ive ever had. the shrimp and crawfish was something special here. My friend got the shrimp and cheesy grits which was delicious and just as good as my omelet. I was told by other patrons that the Fried Chicken and Sweet Potato Waffles is awesome as well. I got the Rum Runner as my signature drink to get my bottomless mimosas which were a nice size and made for a very good buzzed Sunday afternoon. The Rum Runner is very good and makes you feel like you are on a beach in the Caribbean. It contains a couple of different rums, grenadine, crème de banana, simple syrup, pineapple juice, orange juice, lime juice and seasonal berries.
This place is good for the area as its something different and not just another dive bar.

I have wanted to try this neighborhood restaurant for awhile. Recently, I was in the area so I did. I was there early so I had plenty of tables to choose from.
This is not certainly not the Mexican restaurant that it used to be. The place was totally remodeled to a beachy theme. On one side of the restaurant is a row of tables and on the other side is the bar and the open kitchen.
Spencer, had greeted me shortly after I was seated. The drink menu is extensive so you can find a drink you may want. I had opted just for a Sprite.
I had ordered the four (4) piece chicken and the Matchstick Fries. Since I was the only guest there, my food was prepared and brought to me within 10 minutes. The fries were nice a crispy and the chicken was more on the broasted side. No problem with me. I wish the chicken was a little juicier, however, it was so good. Spencer checked in with me throughout the meal. Always made sure my sprite was filled.
Kassondra, Manager, had stopped over and chatted with me for a while which was great! She made sure that I was having a great experience. I see that she enjoys her job.
For dessert, I wanted to try a slice of the Key Lime pie. It was fantastic.
Overall, I enjoyed the food and my dining experience. I would return and recommend this restaurant.

Think Three Dots and a Dash, but the tiki bar in a tiki hut is now a yacht in a marina. (No but really: the back room walls used to be on the inside of a yacht and the bathroom is an old shipping container.) Dive Bar has an expansive cocktail menu serving the classic fruity drinks (mai tai, bahama mama) as well as some soon-​to-​be new favorites (lava flow, banana hammock). All of these doubled drinks come to you inside a crazy fun-​shaped cup. (Somehow my Blue Marlin tasted even better when I saw it accompanied with a blue marlin mug.) If you’re in a group, you can purchase a sailor bowl, which will make any group merry and jolly real quick. Don’t care for cocktails? There’s plenty of beer, daiquiris, pina coladas, wine, mojitos, and hurricanes to go around too.
To sum it all up: everyone can find something to drink at Dive Bar, and you won’t have to wait three hours in River North for it.

TL;DR Dive bar with seafood restaurant prices
I’m struggling to decide if this is 2 or 3 stars… As an avid scuba diver I was quite psyched to see a ‘dive/​nautical’ themed restaurant move in on Halsted. Yes it’s new, but I like my seafood so it was worth a try. It’s not a big place and so when we went 10 days ago it was worth getting a reservation for Friday night. Our servers were really sweet and very patient with us as we tried to decide on food and drinks.
Drinks are pricey, they are all $ 13 each. Yes many of them come in festive glasses but this isn’t Wood, which is my favorite place on Halsted to shell out for $ 13 (but really good) drinks. I had the summer lei and he had the negroni. I’ve had better leis (hee hee) than this and so I definitely did not want another. No sir.
We started with the clam chowder which was fine, but for $ 8 it was a meager portion (think Oliver!) and for that money you get a large bowl of really good chowder at New England Seafood on Lincoln. We then had oysters (yum), crab cakes (also $ 8, the crab cakes are really small but the corn salsa and romaulade were awesome), and then the fried chicken ($ 10 for 4 pieces). I’m not a fried food fan, so I thought the chicken was good but I thought the biscuits that come with the chicken were better.
The kitchen is super small. Almost too tight to fit 3 guys in there. Also the bathrooms are in the middle of the restaurant in reclaimed shipping cargo cars. There’s no way to tell if someone is in there or not other than to try to open it.
I think the biggest disappointment were the drinks, I wouldn’t pay for those again. I think the food is fine but I think some items have some kinks to work out.

I’ve been waiting for Dive Bar to open so when it finally did I had to make a bee line there. The drinks are creative and delicious. The food is good, but the menu is a little limited and my friends wish that more fish options were available (i.e remove the burger sliders and add fish sliders). I will definitely be hitting up Dive Bar again for sure.
Food Recommendations
— Fried Potato Salad is a must try!
— Party Calamari
Drink Recommendations
— Mango Raspberry Pina Colada gets two thumbs up
— Dark & Stormy
— Pink Flamingo

Wow, what a place. I came here yesterday for their soft opening and I absolutely loved it! Dive Bar is a nautical-​themed eatery, boasting seafood as well as comfort food such as fried chicken and cajun macaroni and cheese. The food is served tapas-​style. Everything there was cooked to perfection. The fried chicken was so juicy and tender. The mussels were delicious as well. They serve some with a bit of curry to give it a kick. My favorite entrée was the Boom Boom shrimp. It’s a breaded shrimp with a kick, topped with cilantro.
Since it is a nautical-​themed bar, there are many tropical, eclectic drinks to choose from. They carry over 150 different types of Rum (that’s a lot of rum!) and make all kinds of wonderful creations. My friends tried the Rum Runner and absolutely loved it. I had a strawberry banana piña colada and a mango raspberry daiquiri. Both were amazing! They were the perfect combination of sweet and strong.
Our server, Zach was awesome too. He tended to our every need and even went above and beyond what he needed to do for us. The owners, Stu and Jon came out to greet us and they were both so kind. They were genuine and welcoming to all the guests at the restaurant. I will most definitely be frequenting this place. Great food, great location and great people!