The Grid

Pretty great! Stopped in tonight for the first time (I received a gift card after the Taste of River North last year and thought to finally use it), and had a few cocktails and the mussels. The cocktails had names associated with the city, which I appreciated being a Chicago native. Also the restaurant's name brought a smile to my face. The mussels were very flavorful. The service was good, nothing spectacular, but solid. The place wasn't very crowded and the seating was comfortable. I'd definitely return.

Came here for a buddies going away party this past Saturday and I could not have been more pleasantly surprised. I was looking for a place that wasn't too crowded, had good music (hip hop) and good drinks. The Grid delivered on all of those! The best part is the music videos to the songs playing were being shown on all of the TV screens. Def a fan and will be coming back.

The Grid is my go to hangout. They have the best drinks. I really wish I could remember the name of this whiskey drink I had but it was amazing. I think it was so amazing I had a few too many that night and clearly forgot it's name. The staff is always so nice. I like to come in before it gets too busy and relax with friends over a couple drinks and then once people start to come in and the music turns up we're ready to dance :) The Grid has the best music. I always love what they have on. It's a great mix. It's a pretty fun laid back crowd not clubby but there are some people dancing around!

I had the opportunity to go to the Grid to watch a bears game recently. The atmosphere is very warm and welcoming. They have big seating areas with modern fireplaces. The service is superb and friendly. The food was of top-shelf pub food. Fantastic!

Although the food was a pleasant surprise, the overall experience was very uneven, revealing a serious lack of managerial oversight. Settling into seats at the bar prior to an early dinner, we first noticed that the smudged bar top was in serious need of wiping. The wait was not too long for service and our cocktails, but upon my first sip my drink tasted as if a dog had licked the glass! Although we were in no hurry, it was annoying that our empty glasses were overlooked for some than 10 min. My second cocktail (same drink) didn't taste like a wet dog but was noticeably less full. During this time we noticed support staff begin to pour drinks between their regular duties hauling liquor and washing glassware. Eventually a hipster bartender arrived nonchalantly, coolly apologizing for being late, but not in any hurry to help out. Moving to the dining room, our hostess was friendly and professional, but the same could not be said of our waitress. I ordered a pint of draft IPA that she said was "from Belgium" (!) and yet she returned with a can. She insisted that's what was given to her at the bar, apparently unaware that can ≠ draft pint. She returned with a pint of beer that didn't seem very fresh (see below). As my wife inquired about the pizza, the waitress snapped back in a condescending "What's your question?!" The food was actually decent. We ordered a margherita pizza and their over-the-top burger. Both were good, and it took effort to resist finishing all the fries accompanying the burger. And finally, when the check arrived, my pint appear as the can of beer the waitress first brought to our table. Had she simply poured the can into a glass??

Very cozy and intimate place on the west end of River North. You get here, walk down into a basement and find yourself in a room with magnificent fireplaces, and cozy seating. One downsize is that if you don't come early enough, it would be hard to find a place to sit . There's a lot of standing room, and the music is decent. The bar is a bit small, and service can be slow. This would be the bar you hit at the end of the night to just sit and chill.

This is a very nice restaurant that is not pretentious. I've only recently realized that this quality is what makes a nice restaurant a great restaurant. Joe and I came here for Restaurant Week 2013. First of all, the Restaurant Week menu was a fantastic deal. Second, the food was excellent. Like, really excellent. It's very fancy food that tastes just as good as it looks.