Ethyl’s Beer & Wine Dive

This place is great for the food truck summits each week in the summer (and possibly winter?) There is beer galore inside and you can bring all of your amazing food truck finds into the place to eat! I also love it because it’s within walking distance from my work. Gotta go there for brunch sometime, though, because the rest of the food on their menu sounds AMAZING!

If in fact the place shut it’s doors, It’s EASY to see why. The change of interior, More uppity-​Less divey. The con artist who ran the place, In fact I seen one of his cavalier photos. The menu selection was less broader in selection, And on top of that, More $$$$$$. Adding salt to the wound, NO MASHED POTATOES. What was even worse was all of the former Stanley’s employees were non-​existent. Plus there was one bartender who was less than welcoming.
The place is closed for good, And I WON’T miss it, PERIOD.
P. S., The cops not frequenting the place as customers, Was ALSO a definite sign of Ethyl’s inevitable failure, Sealing it’s sorry *ss fate.
P.P.S: Another reason why Ethyl’s failed. The bartender who looked like a correctional institute inmate that came from those personal ads.
P.P.P.S: ONE MORE THING… It seems like the listing for beers was similar to the labeling & marketing in a Communist country. Yet labeling it without the specific brand name, As opposed to leaving it blank.

Thought I’d go here before a show at the UIC Pavilion. Think again. Closed.

I lived down the street from the Stanley’s in Old Town for many years and loved everytime I had a chance to grab some of their home cookin. Shortly after I moved to the West Loop I was ecstatic to find out a new Stanley’s would be opening up in my new hood. The West Loop Stanley’s was never quite as good as the original but this Ethyl’s place is awful in comparison. It’s a shame because the West Loop is in dire need of places like Stanley’s where you can have a few drinks, watch some games, and have a meal that isnt either a burger and fries or foie gras.

Some weeks after work you and one of your bestest work girlfriend need a happy hour. You know, a beer and some conversation that does not revolve around your occupation. The decision to go to Ethyl’s went like this: «Can we drive and park there?» «Will it be virtually douchebagless?» «Will the drive take less than 15 minutes?»
Amazingly, Ethyl’s met our expectations and then exceeded it by having astoundingly tasty chili and a great selection of beers… and easy easy parking too. I’ll be back, for serious.

Is it me or is Ethyl’s «Dive» Bar way less divey than Stanley’s was at the end?
Truckin’ Thursdays is an amazing invention. I love that it is close by so now I don’t need to chase trucks around the Loop at lunch.
My ‘rents and I came here for a late dinner a couple weekends ago and sat outside on a bench and it was delightful. We split pulled pork nachos… that is a party size platter they have going on there. Even with three of us we barely made a dent. My mom and I split the massive 12 ounce burger and then I went home and passed out from a food coma. My dad had the UIC Flame burger and said it was top notch.
Good, diverse beer menu… a bunch of which are served in cans. Including a beer called SUPPER CLUB. Which has a quote on their logo that says «Not Bad.» Love it.
Dive? Not so much. Okay neighborhood spot to get decent food and a drink? Um, sure.

We were at Ethyl’s last night for my boyfriends work happy hour. Located in West Loop, Ethyl’s makes you feel like your at a backyard graduation party (with an awesome beer selection) and not downtown Chicago. Really fun place to go with a group. There is a large outdoor space, in the parking lot, with bags, ping pong, and other misc. games. They have a full food menu, I only tried the mac n’ cheese which was really rich and delicious. Ethyl’s is a nice escape from the normal, pretentious spot in the city and I’d say a super fun place to try on a summer night in Chicago!

I really like this place — just off the blue line, with great food and beer. We came for Food Truck Thursdays (each Thursday this summer, a selection of the city’s food trucks come together in the parking lot), but arrived a little late so all the food was sold out. Oh well! I had heard good things about Ethyl’s, so I figured we weren’t completely SOL.
We grabbed a couple desserts for later — key lime pie and a banana-​chocolate-​caramel cupcake — from the trucks and got a seat on the patio. The service was a little slow, but friendly. My date and I split pulled pork nachos (yum, but like, really large) and a fried walleye sandwich. Both were good, but the portions were huuuge. There were a few other things I was interested in trying — the mac and cheese, a lot of the salads, and the chicken and waffles. A couple of beers later, we were full and tired and satisfied.
A great little night out on the patio, plus good people and dog-​watching. I recommend.

It’s not a dive… A dive is a place that doesn’t look too good, but offers great deals in drinks or has great food at a cheap price. This place has above avg food, but is expensive and their can deals are also expensive. $ 4 PBR cans, c’mon really?! The food is good and the service is excelent, but a place that «advertises» as a dive should really know what a dive is.
And yes, this is my first review on Unilocal.I felt that strong about Ethyl’s Dive lol.

The switch from Stanley’s to Ethyl’s was a good move. The staff is attentive and friendly and they have bartenders that know how to mix classic cocktails. The food is a good reason to visit Ethyl’s, but there’s also Food Truck Thursdays, where they invite local food trucks and you can pick and choose from local favorite Meaty Balls, 411 Empanadas, Flirty Cupcakes and more. Ethyl’s allows you to bring the food into the restaurant to enjoy with a delicious beverage. This could be my regular hangout spot. I’m not a beer drinker, so the cans aren’t a reason for me to pass on Ethyl’s.

Awesome food, great staff, good prices, cool place inside. Great place with off-​street parking. Recommend the Walleye sandwich.

Someone call the High Life Guy! This place needs its High Life repo’d.
If you’re gonna call it a dive, you had better well make it cheap. Cans are nice, but if they’re not cheap, you’re still failing at your «dive» moniker. $ 4 for a can of PBR or Schlitz or Blatz doesn’t fly in my book. And that’s as cheap as their menu gets.
Beyond that, someone really needs to give the management a class about beer and writing beer menus. When we asked the bartender for his recommendation, he said «I really like the Blonde.» Which blonde? He didn’t know, just pointed to it on the menu, where it said «Blonde.» By whom? From where? Mystery. We came to learn it was Shiner, leading me to relish my choice to pass on that recommendation. The list of cans is pretty long, but they are all labeled as «American P.A.» or «I.P.A.» with no brewery name, making ordering pretty impossible. And when we noticed Half Acre boxes above the bar and asked, the bartender realized they forgot to put their three Half Acre offerings on the menu, even. Oops.
I’m from Milwaukee, I’ve lived in Baltimore, I KNOW a dive. This one ain’t one. But they do get a star for having a shuffleboard game.

The latest reincarnation of the space once known as «Stanley’s» is now Ethyl’s Beer and Wine Dive. Now owned by the same people who bring us Francesca’s, this «dive bar» is a dive in name only!
Gone are all the kitschy signs and «memorabilia» that once cluttered the walls and in their place there are nice booths and tables, and bar stools that seem to nice for a self proclaimed dive bar.
We sat at the bar (the only thing I recognized other than the bathrooms) and ordered a beer. Beer comes only in cans in this place ($ 4) so know that you will be drinking all of your favorites with that slight metal tang that comes from drinking out of a can.
The menu is interesting. I thought they might have some Italian food given the ownership, but you wouldn’t know that they have Italian roots given the offerings on the menu. If you want a pizza, though, they will let you order take out which is amazing for a place that serves food!
I ordered, based on the bartender’s recco, the «Barbecuban» which was their take on a Cuban sandwich ($ 9). Quite tasty although a little heavy handed on the mustard, in my opinion. It had a unique flavor as there was BBQ pork in the sandwich which gave it an extra zip.
Plenty of appetizers from cheese curds to nachos and entrees ranging from salads, to burgers., all which looked good as the people around us devoured them.
All the things I liked about Stanley’s are still in place, «Corn hole» bags out side, patio seating and friendly staff. Drew, the bartender, was great, telling us a little about the place and genuinely inviting us back which was appreciated.
Check out one «dive bar» that in effect is really not so «divey» after all!

Beware of negative reviews from someone who only has one on Unilocal,that reeks of someone from the competition.
Honestly, not really sure where the bad reviews went to eat, because surely it wasn’t the same place where I had a fantastic meal last night. I had the cheese curds to start which were awesome and then the Cuban sandwich which was extremely good. I had a few beers and a signature cocktail which was also good. It’s not really a dive bar since the food is much better than average, seemed more like a gastropup in a dive bar setting. I dont think they built this with an aim at the UIC crowd but more with the goal of satisfying the full time residents of the west loop. I will be back for sure.

Wow, I was extremely pleasantly surprised! went there last night for a friends birthday and was a little nervous because of some of the reviews but I can’t say a bad thing about it. Everything we ordered was beyond delicious (cheese curds and «special» deviled eggs are a MUST). The staff was so friendly and everyone went out of there way to chat or just say hi, but not being annoying or overly nice, just sincere.
I liked Stanley’s but I have to say I am glad they re designed into Ethyls and we’ll definitely be back.

Just a quick note to say that I think it is fantastic that Ethyl’s hosted the first of many to come thursday truck fest. Many food truck roaming around Chicago were there between 6pm and 9pm and their patio was open. You could eat off Ethyl’s menu or get something from any of the trucks and get your booze from Ethyl’s.
Wonderful to see that this establishment is not intimated by the food trucks.

Cheap beer, delicious comfort food, awesome patio. Will be back!

Ethyl’s, you complete me. After numerous terrible experiences at Stanley’s (completely rock hard burger, hair in my food) I was excited to give the new place a shot. And I’m happy to say it’s literally every thing I could ask in a bar and more.
We sat on the patio after doing the Warrior Dash (covered in leftover mud and all), and drank and ate and drank some more. There were 5 of us, and 5 more came and went throughout the night.
Food: way elevated bar food. Exactly what I love (if I need wings and burgers, I’ll go to West End or Beer Bistro).
–Cheese curds: to die for
–Frisee and Poached egg salad: egg was perfectly poached and salad was beyond perfect
–Nachos: huge
–Ethyl’s Burger: Way too big for one person, juicy and delicious
–Flame Burger: Almost too big for one person, see above
We all drank white wine spritzers on the patio and got tipsy. So, you ask, how much for everything above (5 people eating and drinking heavily and another 5 having a couple of cocktails)? $ 126! Go here now. Or actually, don’t. I want an open patio seat there for me!

Can’t speak for the inside, but the patio is a pretty nice place to hang out, despite being right on the highway. The mac and cheese is to die for, and the bacon and egg salad (with crispy pork belly) was delicious. I wasn’t a huge fan of the ribs. If you like dry rub, they might be your thing, but I prefer ribs a little juicier, even if they are dry rubbed.
Drinks were awesome, great selection of beer and terrific strawberry mojitos… I think that’s what it was… not to sweet, perfect. Great service too, she was a sweetheart and super attentive.
Would def go back.

I know I tend to get excited about new places when I first visit them, so I’m trying to restrain myself a little bit. Ethyl’s is in the old Stanley’s on Racine spot. Honestly, I never ate at the Stanely’s on Racine, but I’m not the biggest fan of the Stanley’s in Lincoln Park. Ethyl’s is a completely different menu, they have several sandwiches/​burgers on the menu, and a short list of entrees, including smoked baby back ribs, and chicken and waffles.
The beer menu is focused on a few drafts, including a couple of lesser-​known craft beers, and a nice selection of canned beers, including quite a few craft cans. I had a Clown Shoes Tramp Stamp, which is a Belgian-​style IPA, supposedly. I’m not sure what makes it Belgian-​style, but it’s very hoppy, and was quite delicious.
I ordered the smoked baby back ribs. They were glazed with some kind of chili pepper glaze, and were very tender («fall off the bone» tender, actually). The smoke flavor was there, but not overpowering, and the meat was not chewy at all, but still had a nice firm texture when chewing, it didn’t just fall apart in your mouth. It was served with a sweet chili sauce that was pretty tasty, with a somewhat Asian-​ish style. I would have preferred a more traditional BBQ sauce, or maybe a spicy BBQ sauce, but the sauce was good. It also came with a watermelon and jicama salad on the side, which was pretty good, and a nice change of pace from the usual fries or other heavy side you normally get when ordering ribs from another establishment. Overall, the proof was in the meat, and the meat was excellent.
I finished my meal with a Hop Slayer can from Onion Pub & Brewery in Barrington. This was a much more balanced double-​IPA style that finished the meal off very well. For $ 5, it’s a great value.
The service was great. I sat at the bar, and the bartenders were all very attentive and talkative, without being annoying. Good people.
I’m trying not to gush with excitement here, but I’m encouraged by the tightly-​focused beer and food menu, and the laid back atmosphere and good staff. The prices are reasonable, my full rack of ribs (no half rack option) and two beers came in at around $ 30 with tax.
I’m glad Ethyl’s is in the neighborhood. Things are definitely starting to look up around here!