Cortland’s Garage

Went for a Birthday to play Music Bingo — DJ plays a song and you cross off the list of the singer/​band — and had a great time. Had a great time. The Emcee was hysterical and really made it a lot of fun.
Would go back for another night out as well. Patio seating is available, but we were too large to sit outside. Good bar food — Wings, Chips/​Dip, Quesadillas.

Well, it’s been a couple years since my last review, and this is the first time I’ve been in here in about 8 months, so time for an update. I took my fiancé here about a week ago for a small get together to celebrate a friends birthday. It was a Thursday night. Place was busy, but not slammed. Food was so so. But my biggest complaint– the service! It truly sucked! The waitress acted like we were none existent. Rarely checking on us. I had to keep going to the bar to place orders. I didn’t recognize any of the staff this time around, but I did notice they would all just kinda standing around talking at the end of the bar instead of tending to customers. Huge turn off. I can’t see my myself going back again anytime soon.

Great spot for above average bar food. They roll up the garage door on nice days, and you can dine half outside. We happened to come on an evening when salads were half off, so our meal ended up being a steal. I had the BBQ salad and it was a healthy portion as well as delicious. A nice mix of ranch dressing and BBQ sauce and really fresh ingredients. There were lots of TVs so we could watch the Cubs game, but we left at 7:00 and it was already filling up. Not the biggest venue, so I could see that being an issue on weekends. Can’t wait to come back and try a burger.

Well apparently someone has a card skimmer at this restaurant. After using a new CC for the first time, I had a fraudulent charge not one day later from being at this place. Only time I ever got to use it…
Pro Tip: Use cash… Or better yet avoid this place

So i went in for a late lunch and sat at the bar. The bartender was very nice but harried as can be as she was the only one in the front of the restaurant serving all customers. She was understandably scrambling to keep up with everything and finally was able to take my order. I had the BBQ chicken sandwich which was excellent although a bit light on the BBQ sauce. So, I asked for extra BBQ sauce which they were happy to give to me. When the bill arrived, imagine my surprise to see that i was being charged 50 cents for the «side of BBQ sauce!» Now 50 cents is not a big deal but first, it is a BBQ CHicken Sandwich so why would i get charged for BBQ sauce and second, why not tell me there woudl be a charge before bringing it. To me, charging anything for extra sauce is the definition of «chutzpah» and really shameful. I may go back because the sandwich was good and the place is convenient for me but to turn me into a frequent customer, the service woudl have to improve (no fault of the bartender) and they would have to stop being cheap on something like BBQ sauce … ridiculous!

For a local pub, the food is outstanding. We ordered via GrubHub. Ordered French Dip. My only negative would be too many mushrooms to meet ratio but still very good. Burrito was great, fries are excellent as were the onion strings. Not cheap at all, but for a once in a while order for great pub food, I would highly recommend.

Definitely my Friday spot. ½ off appetizers and great beer prices. Service is fantastic as well. There burgers live up to there reputation and the bar has a neighborhood feel that seems to be lost in other water holes. Trivia night is always fun as well.

Came on a Tuesday night… appetizers half off! Tried the fried mac and cheese. all I can say I ah-​ma-​zing! Ordered the Courtland burger well done. loved that it wasn’t burnt and it was huge. Was so full after! Also bottles of wine were half off! Couldn’t be better! The waitress kinda sucked that’s why they lost 1 star.

I have been to a few Sunday Fundays at Cortland’s and it’s exactly what you’d expect and want a neighborhood sports bar to be-​good beer, good food, and good people. Great place to meet up with friends and watch the game and grab a beer and a bite. There are a ton of regulars so you know it’s a consistently good place. I actually like their mimosas too, surprising I know! The servers here are hilarious and will make your time at Cortland’s very memorable. I think my friends know them all so we always end up with some Fireball shots at some point. FYI-​Fireball and mimosas do not mix well together.

Went to Cortland’s Garage with a group of 6 on a Friday night. Was excited to try their burgers after trying them at Burger Fest the past couple years!
Service was extremely friendly! We had multiple servers check on us while we were waiting for one last friend to show up. Started with the mac n cheese fritters which was a perfect bite sized app for 5 people. I went with the 18^th street burger, which had carne asada, guacamole and caramelized onions on it among other things. Really good! The patty itself wasn’t amazing but the rest of the ingredients plus the ciabatta bun more than made up for it. I went with the tater tots for my side, which they give you a TON. Much appreciated Cortland’s. Tots are the best.
This is a great, low-​key neighborhood spot that serves good burgers with great service. Will definitely stop in again!

Not bad for a bar/​restaurant for some hearty American food and drinks in wicker park. We had a fairly large group but were still served well– which is how it should be! The waitress was friendly– but slow with our orders– and so accommodating with our demands.
Buffalo chicken salad: good thing the dressing was on the side because otherwise the buffalo sauce mixed with the dressing would have been way too saucy for my taste. Otherwise a good salad and decent size for an entrée salad.
Tater tots: mmmm dangerous! Perfect after drinking munchies and a large portion as well.
Overall, not a bad place and pretty crowded compared to the other venues in this area! Not amazing food quality but hey it’s a bar!

This is a great pub with better than average bar food and amazing specials. On the Wednesday night that we last went, they had $ 1 off all beers and $ 10 vodka lemonade pitchers, but there seems to be other great specials every day of the week. They had also just started Geeks Who Drink trivia, but unfortunately we missed the beginning by a few minutes. The draft list is long and full of variety, including many local craft beers. The food comes out quickly too! We ordered the mezze to start: a trio of hummus with pita. The salads are fresh and the burgers, sliders and sandwiches are served nice and hot and tasty. It’s a great spot for locals and I will definitely be back!

I’ve been here a few times, and I really like it. The food is always good. The burger was unexpectedly one of the best burgers I’ve ever had! Drinks are good and service are good. The area is nice, and it’s never over packed or empty. (Except for Hawks games) lol

The «garage» has consistently served up decent bar grub with nightly booze specials for years. They also offer themed nights like, trivia or maintaining the Chicago wide (thrifty) Monday night burger special. It’s clean, enough and maintained, better than a lot of bars that have been operating as long. A good local spot to catch a game, grab a bite and a couple drinks. Within a radius of this bar there’s only one other that could match its comfort & offering, which is Lottie’s pub, but Cortland’s is the better.
This area of Cortland is pretty sleepy. It’s almost untouched in a way. A bar or restaurant can either thrive or dive based on how they’re dishing up the comforts. Taking a cruise down Cortland (any given night) and you’ll know right away, which are the most popular. (Not to be taken as a knock against the pizza place next door or Bucktown pub; a great spot for karaōke, beer garden or drinks with CTA riders.) When the weather is warmer and drinking starts earlier in the day, the area will be flush with visitors.
At the garage, it’s great for meeting friends, a bar date or having a couple drinks /​meal solo. Since it’s off the beaten path, I haven’t bumped into many singles on the prowl.

Always wanted to try this place. They have good Mon-​Thur specials 5−11pm. Mondays are $ 5 «Your Street» burgers, so named because the rest of their burgers have a theme and a street name like nearby Paulina.
I had some business in the area and stopped in about 4pm and ordered a beer… that they didn’t have. I am somehow the guy… THE GUY, dammit, who picks the one beer on the list at places that they’re out of. Well they were out. I got a light easy Stella instead. Oh yeah, drafts are $ 1 less on Mondays too. Went to grab the burger but the gal informed me of the 5−11pm fine print. So I finished my beer and tipped her a $ 2 bill which she liked and hoofed it over to the auto body shop to pick up my not-​so-​well-​repaired blue beast, resolving to come back and get that burger.
Get my car finally and drive back to Cortland’s and it’s a much more bustling scene now. Sit down at the bar and order another beer that they’re OUT OF! Aghgh! Get a Negra Modelo, don’t lime up that biatch! Order burger medium rare with Merkts cheddar. Burger was delicious but I think it was more due to the cheddar. The burger itself is cooked right and a good size but doesn’t have that much taste as another reviewer said.
I’d come back. It’s on a cute little stretch of Cortland by the Kennedy that has several other little business I’d like to try out.

Yet another establishment that makes me happy. Food is good. Service is good. Beer is good. Draft offerings change but there are always a few worthwhile options. Prices are not bad. Atmosphere is good.

This place is a great place for happy hours on Fridays. BOGO appetizers; love the mac and cheese bites, the guac, and hummus are fantastic.
The wine list is decent and worth to buy the bottle if sharing because of the price difference.
Overall a good place to socialize after work.
Tip: their credit card system has been having problems lately. Make sure you check your statements so that the correct amount was charged.

Went for lunch one day, it was quiet and we were waited on by the bartender. She did an ok job. I had the turkey avocado & bacon. I asked for no bacon & it came w bacon anywAy. Other than that the sandwich was a good one. The fries were fine.
They do have lots of tv’s so it should make a fine sports bar.
I did like the atmosphere of the place.
Give it a try if you’re in the area.

A Hop Skip and Go Naked venue. Good place to meet guys. In darkness, plenty would look fabulous. A neighborhood bar.
Good value for $$. Effort to a balanced meal. Common Menu. No trek necessary.
STEAK N EGGS ($ 10) — its not bad, but nothing special either. Steak size is proportion to the plate in relation to potatoes, eggs and some mushrooms.
BOTTOMLESS COFFEE — nothing special. Specially brewed from the Mr Coffee machine and coffee grounds is from the silver foil. We have seen those before…
SERVICE — pleasant with a sense of humor that is attentive to hot coffee top off.

Margaritas were weak. Service kinda sucked. Chicken tacos were better over the steak cause the steak had no flavor.