Southport & Irving – SIP

The atmosphere is amazing! One part of the restaurant is the bar and the other is the restaurant. It’s perfect for a date thank to the low lighting. The menu itself was smaller so not a lot of choices. The service was amazing and our waiter was so nice!
The food was great and bad. The lobster grits was fantastic! We also ordered the duck duck goose because they ran out of pork chop unfortunately. The waiter recommended it because it was unique to the restaurant. It was definitely unique. It was a pâté so it was an odd texture and it weirdly stings… The duck meal was also cold so that was really unsettling. But it’s honestly probably because I don’t have a finer palette — definitely not the restaurants fault. I’m personally not a fan of the duck course. DEFINITELY try the lobster grits! The riesling was great! My boyfriend ordered a beer and they put it in an adorable glass shaped like a beer can!
Hopefully you enjoy this place too! I’m a fannn!

Great beer on tap –Cicerone approved, bartender holly is great, no nonsense personable gal.

We walked in at the Irving entrance with an empty two top right by the door, but we’re told to go past the bar and down the hall and over to the host stand at the other entrance on Southport, where they eventually led us back to the empty two top we passed at the entrance on Irving.
There is something off about this place. The food is good enough for it to stay open, but I don’t see it becoming a hot spot ever. The overall experience didn’t match. When we were seated at that two top, I was asked to mind my step over a stack of magazines which was there to cover an exposed vent right next to the stool, that, had the table not been slanted, a few mimosas later I would have definitely forgotten the hole was there and stepped in it. But once we sat down we saw the table top was so slanted a drink probably couldn’t have been placed on it without it sliding off. They said it was the only table they had available, as if that made it suddenly acceptable to use. We said we’d wait, and were re-​seated elsewhere. I didn’t see them try to seat anyone there, so either we confirmed its an unacceptable table, or maybe we just look like assholes who deserve that kind of seating.

Very good experience. Took my mother, father and fiancée out to dinner here and had a wonderful time. We were seated at 9:30pm in a fairly crowded but cozy bar and taken care of by the bartenders. All in all the service was pretty good considering the amount of people in the room.
My father is a standard light beer drinker and the beer menu (craft beer focused) was difficult for him but we ended up finding something that he could tolerate! I had an old fashioned which came out quite nicely.
The food:
I had the perch which was served without any tartar sauce or dressing whatsoever which I thought was interesting until I tried it. The seasoning and the panko-​breadcrumb based crunch on the crisp crust was fantastic! Served alongside a seasonal veggie salad this dish was excellent!
My mother had the burger which was really splendid. The white cheddar mixed with blue cheese coupled with a medium finish made the burger VERY savory but excellent. The fries were not overdone (was worried based on other review) but seasoned and cooked very well.
All in all, I’d go back I think SIP is just starting to hit it’s stride!

The most apt description I can come up with is an American brasserie or upscale bistro with lively jazz music on certain nights. Cocktail menu was ambitious and didn’t bother to pander to more ubiquitous recipes whereas menu emphasized the earthy and hearty with a few deviations into more international or fusion preparations. My cocktail was solid and my food (duck cassoulet) was satisfying without being impressive. I enjoyed the atmosphere on the bar side of the restaurant despite the main dining room being occupied for an event. Lots of dark wood and dim light. I’m more likely to return for a drink and music than dinner.

My bff’s and I came here on a Sunday, my birthday, 11 – 29 and we sat from 11:29am until 3:30pm, the bottomless mimosa’s had taken over our bodies and would not let us go, lol. The staff was great, very attentive, our waiter, I believe he had a Frech accent and he was just dreamy to look at, gave us a coupon to you use on a return visit. The mimosa’s were great, strong, but not to strong. All the food was great, EXCEPT for those hard, bland beginets of the day. Those were disgusting. The cream/​sauce that accompanied them was great, but those beginets were awful. The bff’s and I will be back, hopefully before our coupons expire.

Nice ambiance and service. Food was good but not great. Menu is limited. Cocktails were good.
Burger is definitely rich. So don’t plan on getting anything done after the meal if you get it. Cheese and meat platter was a good appetizer to share with the table.
Live music, guy playing a base, was a nice bonus to the dinner.
I would probably stop in here again. But it is not worth going out of the way for.

Really 3.5 stars. Despite the food being good on the whole, I came away fundamentally unimpressed by this place. My main problem was both the drink and food menus felt very limited. They offer a variety of choices, but almost all with the same flavor profiles. I usually go for sweeter cocktails and saw almost nothing on the menu that fit the bill.
As to food, the mac and cheese had good flavor (although some wanted more seasoning) and was a little runny for my taste. The burger was rich (as our server warned me) and came with a bucket of well-​cooked fries that I barely touched because the burger was So Much Food.
Service was delightful and the atmosphere is great for the holidays. The musicians were loud enough to be heard in every part of the room (more folk than jazz) but we had no problem carrying on a conversation.
I would probably not suggest this place, but would have no objection to returning if a friend wanted to go.

My friends and I returned for our 3^rd annual holiday brunch here and, as always, the food delivered as did the dining room service. However, a couple of us arrived early and were directed to wait in the bar till the rest of our party arrived. There we enjoyed a mimosa, but were never told that it would not be bottomless. We had to pay our tabs and start again in the dining room. Be forewarned! Don’t order till you’re seated.

We recently hosted a dinner for my wife’s birthday at SIP. The space was classy and immaculate, the staff was incredibly helpful, and the food/​drinks were delicious. Definitely recommend the cheese board (it’s huge!), the mac & cheese, and the onion rings. The onion ring korean bbq sauce made for an interesting riff on a classic comfort food.
We’ll definitely be back soon — likely for their late night BRUNCH!

Everything was perfect: staff was attentive and with a fun attitude, food and drinks finger-​licking good and the life act was also great.
Certainly we will be back!

French/​New Orleans inspired brunch menu is decadent here at SIP.
We had a group of four, and started with a shared plate of beignets. Their beignet is made with sourdough dough giving the beignet an extra crunch and a denser dough. If you’re familiar with what traditional beignet is, think a little chewier rather than fluffy. It’s topped with fresh homemade whip cream and a drizzle of molasses. There’s three to an order so plan accordingly… these are so good that your friendship may end if somebody doesn’t get one.
For my brunch entrée I ordered their Buttermilk Biscuit and Gravy with side of eggs. The eggs are extra but worth it. I love a hearty breakfast, and this dish hit the spot. The gravy wasn’t too think or too meaty. They sauteed in brussel sprouts and diced carrots in the gravy too giving extra color and texture. The biscuit is dense, rich, and buttery. I didn’t have to add any additional butter to it.
I walked out ready for a nap after this meal (aka. happy and full).

I absolutely love the location, the atmosphere and the ambiance. The staff is super friendly and eager to assist. I wish the food selection was a little better for brunch. I didn’t find anything that was appetizing. I chose a latte which was very bland. The food, scrambled eggs (overcooked), sausage — they should document that this is pretty spicy (I don’t care for spicy) and potatoes, why must they be showered in a million sliced peppers, sigh!!! I wanted to like the food, I truly did because I really liked the appearance and would’ve liked to come back for more. My search will continue for a good brunch place.

I think I found my new favorite place. The ambience was lovely, evocative of what I imagine classy speakeasies used to be — relaxed, yet elegant, with jazz classics playing in the background. We ordered wine at the bar before going back for a table and marveled at the bartender’s precision and attention to detail. Then at dinner, we had a wonderful server who guided us through dinner. We enjoyed some happy hour cocktails, then noshed on the Duck Duck Goose (get this) and a wedge salad. Our meal was hanger steak and lobster grits and both were incredible.
I wanted to stay longer. I want to go back often.

Upon entering you can tell that this place is going to have a hyperinflated reputation and to will not meet the expectations set forth by its appearance, ambience, and menu.
They have a «chic» appearance that blends with a gastropub. It is comfortable, and the staff is well prepared. But the food falls flat on its face. They have blah fries, their steak is crap, their masala chicken is bland, and they have bad desert choices. Its not 1 star because they tried, but that’s all they did was try.

Service: 2
Food: 3.5
It’s a charming restaurant with cute décor. There are two sides to SIP, to the left is the bar and live jazz and to the right is the cute dining area. The dining area is a nice place to take a date or want to catch up with a friend. They had a string of lights and a seating area on the sidewalk. The restaurant itself 1920s candle light atmosphere and small vases of wildflowers which set the mood. The menu is had limited food choices but everything tasted pretty decent.
The ambiance BUT, the very, very slow service is its downfall. The restaurant was mostly empty. It took 15 minutes for 4 cocktails to come out. The cocktails were really strong but subpar. The servers visibly hanging out around the bar in the corner and drinking. Maybe the four of them were having an intense discussion about something? The server couldn’t be found most of the time and she couldn’t be bothered. Whatever the case, it took a while for our food to come out and it probably felt like an eternity because we were starving. Unfortunately they never brought out the meat & cheese market board I ordered to start. I think the server misunderstood me when I said I wanted to have sides to share as opposed to having them as appetizers.
We ordered: fried green tomatoes, cast iron skillet mac & cheese thyme with biscuit crumbs, potato samosas and the sweet corn elotes. The presentation was beautiful but justify the price for such small portions. All three smelled but did not heavily of garlic.
Fried green tomatoes: 3/​5, nothing to great to induce me to order it again.
Mac and cheese: 2/​5, it was really bland but the noodles had a great texture and I enjoyed the biscuit crumbs on top.
Potato samosas: 3/​5, tastes like just like regular potato samosas
Sweet corn elotes: 4/​5, it was good (not great) but I wouldn’t order it again since it was $ 7 for essentially one ear of corn cut into 3 drizzled with a garlicy mayo and sprinkled with queso and cilantro.
I ordered the butter head wedge with green goddess dressing, lightly fried cheese curds, cherry tomatoes, generous sprinkling of bacon and medium hanger steak. I enjoyed my salad which was more protein than actual lettuce. They were really generous with the thick cut bacon crumbles. The cheese curds were chewy and slightly cold but I still enjoyed it. The grape tomatoes were sweet and added a nice touch to the slightly heavy salad. The steak was good and well seasoned but room temperature by the time it came out. Would definitely order it again if we started with appetizers since its a little on the petite side.
The birthday boy also ordered a steak but as an entrée and his medium rare came out as rare but he still enjoyed it. Another person ordered the lamb t bone which came with a delightful chimichurri sauce. It was so good! I dipped my steak in the chimichurri and savored the garlicy, oily herby sauce. The burger looked good and the fry portion was generous but that was the largest dish on the entire table. I can’t comment on the chicken sandwich but the person who ordered it seemed satisfied.
tl;dr: ambiance is cute for a date, food is good but occasionally tepid, super slow service.

Great service and food! I ordered the Sip Steak Burger which was absolutely delish! Loved the flavors as well as the Parmesan-​seasoned fries that they were served with. One of my friends ordered the lobster grits and the vegan hazelnut chorizo tacos. The tacos were… interesting. We weren’t a big fan of the flavors and the dish overall; however, the grits were awesome! We were also served these complimentary pimento cheese topped crackers which were also very tasty!

I’ve heard great reviews and not great reviews for this place so I knew I’d just have to try it for myself. And let me tell you it was great. The drink menu reads like a short novel. The dinner menu was shorter than I would have liked but the food we got was fantastic. Our waitress was spunky and fun really making the experience a fun one.
We came here for dinner on a Saturday night and it was not busy at all. We got a table for 5 immediately. We all got some of their specialty cocktails. The list is long so I would advise asking for suggestions from your waiter.
We ordered food from their dinner menu and the only reason this review is only a 4 is because I wished the menu had a few more entrees to choose from. Nevertheless all of us but one got the SIP steak burger with an egg on top. Sweet baby Jesus is that puppy delicious. It also comes with a bucket of fries. A literal bucket. The other one in our group got the vegan chorizo tacos. I had a taste and I would say that it tasted vegan. But I would venture to say a began would love it.
Basically I can’t wait to go for brunch because I hear that’s their real specialty.

I’m pretty annoyed with myself… I had no idea how amazing SIP is until recently. Something this good so close to home? What is wrong with me?
We stopped in for brunch on Labor Day & were seated without a wait. I had no idea there was a huge dining room, I always just assumed it was the front bar area & that was it. There’s also a huge patio that is thankfully not on Irving Park, so it’s nice & chill. The décor is so cute inside.
We had a pitcher of mimosa’s & got down to business with some brunch foods. I had the Texas French Toast & the manfriend had the Lobster Grits. I ordered a side of cheese grits because why would you not? My french toast was amaaaaaazing, & the grits were great. I was worried they’d be too spicy because of the peppers in them, but they were perfect. I can’t comment on the lobster grits because the boy ate every last bite by himself. Rude.
In conversation with our waitress we mentioned we were out celebrating our anniversary & she very unexpectedly brought over a dessert for us to share… so kind of her to do so! Our server was great… very fast & very friendly, always there when we needed anything.
They’re quick with the coffee refills, too… always a bonus!
I’m looking forward to coming back for dinner & some of the live jazz.

I came here with my dad to listen to some jazz. The jazz was excellent, the food, not so much. We got the fritto misto which seemed to have more batter than seafood. There were barely any shrimp too. The empanadas were great and were the only good thing. The rabbit leg confit was way way too salty. We also got the burger and fries which was just ok.
I got their saffron old fashioned and suzette cocktails and my dad got wine. The cocktails were pretty good so no complaints there. Service was average at best. Our bus boy was really nice, our server seemed disinterested.