The Red Canary

Superb fried chicken: succulent & flavorful. Other things not too memorable, though I don’t remember anything being particularly off. The outdoor space seemed nice, but the day I went, impending rain forced us to move indoors, which was very dark. Liked the tall ceilings though. It wasn’t very busy on a Friday night.

The red canary
About twice a year, one of my coworkers puts together a pub crawl. He’s really good at planning them, focusing on one area and exploring the different vibes. Thats how we discovered this gem. Red canary was the third bar on our list, but bf and i skipped the second one and headed here for food.
On fridays, they have $ 1 oysters from 5 – 7. We saw the sign and instantly started watching our watches. Walked in at 6:55. Got a table. The waitress came at 6:58. Told you, we were watching. Literally, the first thing out of our mouths was, «are we still ok to order oysters?» And we were. Bliss. Our favorite. So we ordered 10, half raw, half barbecued. Have you eve had barbecued oysters? Come here and try them. So good! And the oysters were good quality.
We moved on to the appetizer menu and settled on the crispy duck flatbread. Topped with mozzarella, poached apples and baby greens. It was pretty delish. Bf loved it, even though he hates apples. We decided to wait till the rest of our group arrived, but then ordered the herb stuffed Cornish hen. It was amazing! So juicy and flavorful. By this time (so much food) we were too full to really eat the sides, but I didn’t really feel like I was missing much. A couple of the potatoes were slightly undercooked, but the spaghetti squash was good. However, they were nothing compared to the bird.
Ok, enough about the food. The beer and wine list was pretty good, although I always think its strange to see cans in a super nice place. I know they are classing up canned beer and its a preferred method because it keeps out all light, etc, but still. I had a perry cider. Tasty.
It’s really pretty inside. Warm wood, exposed brick, chandeliers. There are these HUGE booths along one wall. We had 6 people in ours and we could have easily fit more, but the rest of our group sat in this lounge-​y area. There’s also another entire section in the back of tables. They have a patio, and I seriously can’t wait to come back come summer.
Service was great. The waitress was helpful and on top of things without being there too much. Our waters were continuously refilled, as was our popcorn bowl. Ooooo. The popcorn. Can I please know what the topping is? We went through bowls of it.
The only thing is, I worry about this place. It was so great. We loved it, and will surely come back soon. But we were there between 7 – 8:30 on a Friday night and it was empty. There was like one other table. There was no reason for it to be so slow, other than its in an oft-​overlooked location. So we need to raise awareness!

A few years ago I came here for my birthday (along with 20 of my closest friends) and we had a blast! The patio is an awesome place in the summer and this restaurant is great for big parties.
The thing is, it’s in a weird location and is hard to get to. In addition, the food is decent but, by no means, amazing for the inflated prices they charge. The drinks are interesting and strong but altogether, the experience isn’t worth the big bill at the end of the night.
I DO love the single stall bathrooms though. Oh… and the bacon stuffed dates may be worth a visit by themselves!

I went here for a work get-​together. pretty fun place… nice and spacy and they have a nice patio outside.
the service was ok – the wait staff was decent but the bus-​boys and water-​fillers were kind of pushy — literally. granted, we had somewhat a decent crowd so we were standing around on the aisle a little bit and this one guy kept pushing us out of his way. we thought that was interesting.
other than that, it was good.
BATHROOM REVIEW!
So this place has a unique setup. they have individual private stalls, and no designated bathrooms for women and mens. what you’ll see is a cluster of closed doors — some marked with «M» for Mens, others with «W» for womens. What you’ll find inside is the typical one-​stall bathroom — toilet and sink. I’m not sure if there really is a difference between the mens and the womens — its not like the mens only had a urinal. They were somewhat clean, although the locks were controlled with a latch. Me being a germaphobe, I dont like touches latches when exiting. If there is a way i can just use my elbow to open the door, that would be better. Inside the bathroom, it was decently clean, with some mildew on some spots. SOooo… sit or squat? I saw sit… but lineup the toilet seat with TP first.

I want to conquer the drink list… I just wish the ice was a little more, I dunno, artisanal? How douchey of me…
We were lucky enough to snag an outside table here around 11pm, when pretty much most of the tables were occupied by other imbibers and revelers of the night.
Love the outdoor patio, a good mix of dark and light and picnic table. I love picnic tables.
I also loved my drink. .:The Rockefeller:.
Woodford Reserve, muddled blood oranges and brandied cherries, brown sugar vanilla simple syrup and Angostura bitters.
Sounds like a fruit cup with alcohol in it, but it was nice and strong with a touch of sweetness on the finish. But like I said, a giant ice cube would really complete the drink, IMO.
We made it through one round and had to go inside, Olive our lovely Irish server led us and gave us a couch to sit on and I played photographer with my eating/​drinking companions Mel and Britt C.
I would love to come back here, either for the brunch, or just to drink my ass off.
Probably just to drink my ass off, who am I kidding.

$ 1 oysters on Fridays, beautiful décor, great patio, large enough so that you don’t feel like you’re stepping all over people.

Second trip to Red Canary and I can confirm that it’s such an underrated brunch spot. Bottomless bloodys, super sweet waitresses, and chorizo chilaquiles. This is my go to place to work off a hangover.

I came here for a late night celebration for my 30^th birthday with about 20 people. This place is SO much fun! it wasn’t overcrowded which was awesome, and there are so many areas to lounge away at. The outside patio is so great too. I just really loved the atmosphere of this place, and it becomes pretty bumpin later in the evening with the DJ.
The only caveat was that they forgot our reservation. this of course was really frustrating considering we had talked to them THREE times in the previous two weeks about our party. Luckily for them my friends like to be fashionably late so many of them were not there, and so for the small group of us who were, we were able to just wait in the outside patio. However, we did not get our reserved area until 45 mins after we were supposed to. They were very nice and tried to get together as fast as they could, but still an annoying situation. It all worked out ok though because it was overall a fun night.
The other disappointing thing is, while all the people who work there are very nice, they’re not the smartest of people. I know that is a really mean thing to say, but it’s true. It’s not that their ditzy or anything like that, but they just say things that don’t make sense and are very spacey. This did come to our advantage though, because they ended up giving us so many free drinks throughout the night that we never asked for.
Anyway, all of that really didn’t matter because it was a really fun place to hangout and all my friends and I had a great time. I definitely would love to go back — also i hear their food is delicious!

I had high hopes for Red Canary. I went with a coupon for an appetizer, 2 entres, and a dessert. The shrimp app had literally 3 pieces of shrimp — very dissapointing. My short ribs entre was pretty good but my boyfriend said his seafood pasta didn’t have great flavor and it gave him an upset stomach for pretty much the entire next day. The chocolate lava cake to top of the meal was fine — nothing I haven’t had before. The service was decent but little things didn’t seem quite right. For example, there was no salt and pepper on the table and when I asked the bartender for some she gave me a pepper that was all stuck together and wouldn’t come out.
On top of the meh to bad food it was expensive. I did have a coupon but even just to tip appropriately and with our 2 beers added we paid way more than the meal was worth.
They informed us that they are working on a new menu — maybe that will be better.

It’s hard to figure this place out.
Pretty big place, that can host parties, events, etc. It really doesn’t have the vibe of a local, neighborhood hangout. Seems a little pretentious based upon the times I’d been there.
Can’t comment on the food, as I haven’t tried it.

Went to dinner tonight for Restaurant Week. The staff was very attentive, not pushy, and offered great recommendations. The food was fantastic, creative, comforting, and the portion size was great. The signature cocktails were delicious. The space is warm and inviting, dramatic but not over the top, comfortable but not stuffy. I was completely in love with the place until I found the bathrooms. The set up is good, about 6 private bathrooms. But my bathroom door was broken and the knob on the sink was broken off the sink. I went into another bathroom to wash my hands, where the mirror was broken and there were paper towels all over the floor. They also didn’t seem very clean. Didn’t match up with the rest of the restaurant.
Would I go back? Yes. But I would probably use the bathroom in the Starbucks down the street.

Oh wow, they have almost bad everything, except for the patio.
Slow service and below average food. So go when you are not in a hurry, can chill, wait for 15 minutes before you see your server and enjoy the patio.

I was a bit hesitant going here knowing some of the review. However, we went for a Sunday brunch and had a wonderful meal. We walked right in and got seated. (This is huge because finding a brunch spot without waiting can be a bit difficult).
Service was ok friendly and helpful. My one complaint is that the service was slow and they did not seem very busy. I had the eggs benedict which was nice and our table split some bacon and pancakes (yes, you can get pancakes as a side order which I love!). Overall, I thought the food was very good and they gave you a good amount. You were full without walking out thinking you are going to die.
Overall I was pleasantly surprised! We will try it again. It looked like they had a nice patio which will be nice once this weather stays nice!

i think i would’ve liked this place much more if i wasn’t so tired and had a headache, so my review may be biased. a restaurant in the day, lounge at night. it seems to be in a random secluded area, but our friend had an event there with her fellow university of chicago peers. downstairs, there were a handful of people sitting in booths sipping on drinks.
the restrooms were really cute, and located in the back of the first floor. walked up some steep stairs to the lounge/​bar area. very packed with all the students, and a waitress approached me right away to get our drink order. she brought it back shortly, drinks were regular bar price (although mine were a little more expensive than at the bar).
really good music playing the time i was there, especially a lot of dr. dre/​tupac, my favorite. had a good vibe, and a side area of a handful of couches and tables

$ 1 beer!!!
Nice décor, quite empty on a Thursday nigh — so good place to host a large group of your own!

What a great space. The interior is sleek and cozy, and that patio out back is right up there with some of the best in the city.
But on this visit– the food just didn’t cut it. It’s billed as «comfort food» and given the night we were having, we needed a little comfort!
We ordered the fried green tomatoes to start and they were just okay. We also split the mac and cheese (good but I’ve had better) along with one of the flatbreads and the fried chicken.
The flatbread was a joke. It barely had any toppings on it, and the spinach instead of being sauteed, was just put on top. Uncooked and unseasoned. The boneless fried chicken fared a little better as the mashed potatoes under them were quite good and were drizzled with truffle oil. But when menu’s say fried chicken– I was expecting it to be on the bone, not a boneless chicken breast.
The best thing of the night? The root beer float I had for dessert!
Great space. Mediocre food.

I am bound and determined to try every single outdoor patio in Chicago before the summer ends (sniffle, sniffle) and now I am able to cross Red Canary off my list.
Came here Friday night. The outdoor area is lovely. It’s in the back of the restaurant, which for the neighborhood, works better than a sidewalk patio. The area was lined with trees and soft lighting and the tables were spaced nicely apart.
The crowd was varied. There were people on dates, groups of women, and also a large group that appeared to be celebrating new parents as there was a lot of «pass the baby» going on. I thought it was an odd place to bring a newborn but thankfully the crying was at a minimum (the baby’s, not mine).
We started with raw oysters, which were a special of the evening, priced at $ 1/​each, which isn’t bad. To that we also ordered a martini and sangria.
The drinks were good — I’m not sure the sangria was «Chicago’s Best», as declared on the menu, but it was good. We asked our server for mignonette sauce for the oysters, which is a standard accompaniment, and she had no idea what it was but knew that they didn’t have it. We also asked for horseradish but they didn’t have that either, which I think is strange, considering horseradish is a pretty standard condiment. Apparently not.
Next up we shared guacamole and chips and macaroni and cheese. I know it’s an odd pairing but we were in the mood for guac and since the mac and cheese has gotten some praise, we were also compelled to try that as well. I liked that you could order the guac mild, medium, or spicy. We ordered it medium and it was exactly that — it had a kick, but nothing overpowering, and the chips were hot, crispy, and salty. The mac and cheese was pretty bland and the noodle they chose didn’t really hold the sauce very well.
We had a few more drinks and the server enticed us into ordering a warm brownie dessert, also on special for $ 1. It was pedestrian as best, but since it was only $ 1, I hardly felt robbed.
Service was ok. It seems they have trouble with numbering their tables as stuff kept appearing at our table that we didn’t order. After the third time, it was comical. The server also was a little pushy and kept coming by when we said we weren’t quite ready to order and asking us if we were going to order more food. I thought it was a lounge — I didn’t realize we were being required to order full meals.
In the end, I liked Red Canary just fine, but I didn’t love it. Although I did notice that they serve fried chicken so I’m sure I could be talked into going back for that…

We went to Red Canary this past Saturday night for a bachlorette party and we sat outside in the gorgeous patio area! We had a very large party and both the hostess and the waitress did an excellent job! They even stored our champagne (for the limo ride after dinner) in their fridge for us! The service was excellent!
The meal was DELISH! We started off with the Mac & Cheese, and OMG, I couldnt stop eating it. It was truly divine! For my main course, I had the fish tacos, which were out of this world. They are served on an actual floor tile, which we thought was pretty funny, and the taco consisted of a rare super white tuna with a mango salsa on top! I seriously ate all 3 of them they were so good! I had a martini with dinner and it was very well made. Not to mention, the price point is very reasonable.
I am definitely coming back to Red Canary for both dinner and drinks and to sit in the outdoor patio!

I’m so sad to be writing this review. I really liked this place the first time I went there, and now I know they’ll never see another dollar of my money.
The first time I went I was very impressed. The place is huge, with a nice out door patio, great music, and good drinks that are not overly expensive. My friends and I had so much fun that we thought maybe we should have a birthday celebration there.
My friend spoke with a planner via e-​mail and over the phone, who told her that we didn’t need to do much of anything to plan an event there besides give our name, phone number, the number of attendees, tell them which space we wanted to reserve and tell them if we were going to cancel.
A week later a friend, of a mutual friend of ours, yes that’s a friend twice removed who I’d never actually met, decided to have a party there also, which happened to be on the night that we were going to finalize plans in person. We went early and decided to have a drink before people started arriving. The bartender was pretty rude when we came in and all but asked us what we were doing there.
A number of other «interesting”/ shady things happened that night, but once my friends and I finished the bottle of wine we bought before the other party arrived, and we’d paid our tab, 2 of the 3 of us left. Apparently someone forgot to pay their tab that evening, and even though we paid our tab and left a pretty nice tip, the event planner informed my friend who I was planning my party with that we could no longer hold our event there because they didn’t want «that type of clientele». After my friend explained it was our first time meeting almost everyone that was there that night, and offered to put a deposit to secure the space, they refused. So were we refused because our money isn’t as green as everyone else or because we are «that type of clientele»? I don’t care to find out. I won’t be back.

I liked this place. It’s about time something like Red Canary exists in Chicago.
It’s not a nasty club with smoke machines, people grinding, fights and bad music.
It’s not a gastropub with food whose names you can’t pronounce and whose prices make you wince.
It’s not a sports bar filled with bros and trixies.
It’s not a pretentious watering hole at some hotel or hot address in River North.
Since I’ve listed everything the Red Canary is not, I’ll focus on its redeeming qualities.
This place is good for drinks. Not everyone is into fancy places, but there are times when you have guests you’d like to wow or just feel like doing something upscale, with friends, or a date. Red Canary is prefect for this.
I came here late for a a b-​day party. No food, but the place was right. The crowd and music was diverse — late 80’s and early 90’s hip hop and dance hits to reggae to trance.
The crowd was a bit more on the mature side as well — no Cubs hats, aviators, or Ugg boots in sight.
The location is also great. That stretch of Milwaukee is pretty quiet quiet, thus parking and traffic isn’t tight. It’s also close to the Blue Line Chicago stop — I realized long ago good things exist elsewhere beyond the Red Line…