Firkin & Pheasant

I went here a couple times months ago and there are things I can’t get out of my mind from that place. First, its an Irish pub so you know what you’re gonna get like great beers. I am a huge fan of Guiness and anything! Half and halfs, black and tans, black and blues, and the one I experienced there for the first time, red velvets… Yum… It was sooooo good. Imagine a crisp sweet cider beer making love with a dark lager… It just tastes great and goes so well together like peanut butter and chocolate (thanks Reeses!)
The sweet potato fries are delish and I had this chicken pot pie like thing that used steak instead of chicken. I think the main attraction are the Scotch eggs!!! Its a hardboiled egg that’s wrapped with bacon, breaded and deep fried… Pardon my laanguage but it was an orgasm in my mouth. The dipping sauce that comes with it is the icing on top of the cake! It has hints of apple in it and paired well with my red velvet.
I definitely had a good time there cuz of great friends combined with great food!
When you stop by there make sure to have some Scotch eggs so I can live vicariously through you =)
P. S. That’s sad… I just realized this place is dunzo… On to the next one…

Met my sister-​in-​law here after a visit to the Lincoln Park Zoo for some dinner and drinky-​drinks on a Friday night. Walked in thinking it was a bar… and it kinda is. But its a totally upscale sports bar with rockin’ cuisine!!!
I wish we lived closer because it’s that good! A truly wide variety of options from Hot wings to cheeseburgers to Chicken Piccata, baby! Awesome beer menu for those beer drinkers out there. And a crappy beer night to boot!
I enjoyed the Chicken Piccata and my mouth just filled with saliva while I’m writing this and thinking about how tender the chicken was. I don’t even like mashed potatoes but their’s are so yummy! Fresh veggies to top it all off.
My boyfriend enjoyed their Firkin Burger and fries. It was cooked perfectly and the food was served fresh. The fries are served in a little paper bag to really make the whole dining experience a little unique.
Service was great and I loved to see the teamwork between employees. For a bar/​restaurant in the city, the prices were very acceptable. Street parking only and a lot of other things and shopping to do while in the area. If I ever moved to the city, I would make sure to be within walking distance of this place!

I’ve never been big on eating at bars, but I must say that I enjoy coming for a meal at the good olé’ Firkin & Pheasant.
It’s never too loud, and it’s big enough to where you feel like you’re not being crowded by others. They have a good selection of food and the prices are pretty decent.
I love their fries and am a fan of their fish sandwich and black bean burger (both are served on pretzel rolls which are so yummy).

I totally admit, the only reason we walked in the door is because the name is fun to say out loud. Happily, there is more to this place then an excellent name.
When we sat down the waitress appeared and asked if we wanted anything to drink, as standard procedure. My husband learned about 3 weeks ago that he has a gluten-​allergy, so we asked if they had any gluten-​free beer. Our waitress just lit up and excitedly told us that yes they did, they just got it in, and it was so new she couldn’t remember the style of beer it was. It turned out to be New Grist Beer, a pale ale, which he quite liked.
Aside from the beer, there were some gluten-​free entrée items, and he loved the beans & bangers & mash, while I really enjoyed the Guinness steak and mushroom pie. Everything came in generous, tasty portions.
Our server was a total sweetheart, and we had an all around great time!

Went here on Saturday night because they offered my girlfriends a wristband deal for their birthday party. $ 25 for well drinks and Miller/​Bud bottles from 9PM-​1AM. It was actually a great deal. The place was small so not terribly crowded, except for our huge group. It was a run of the mill pub and the staff were very accomodating. My only complaint was that they could have used another bartender because there were only a couple of people working. But they were quick and helpful so not too bad! It was actually a great place to have a party where we could all enjoy ourselves and still hear each other talk!

good food. crap service. I’ve come here a few times and whenever there more than 10 ppl at the place, service goes down hill fast. The staff gets super stressed out and overwhelmed. I think they need to hire a couple more ppl especially on big bar nights (ie st. pattys day). I’ve been
for about 40 min waiting for a menu! shame on you, I guess you don’t want a bigger tip.
otherwise, foods pretty good. really like the French dip and Irish nachos. Trivia night isn’t too bad either.

The Firkin Burger is serious! The damn thang was done on it this Wednesday evening!
The Firkin burger includes bacon, jack cheese and bourbon chipotle onions. Really good and mad juicy! I also had the sweet potato fries which was great as well. They came with a chipotle mayonnaise. Not as many fries as I would have liked but were good anyways.
I had three mason jars of some IPA that I don’t remember the name of, but it was high in alcohol content… Im a little nice right now.
The bar itself is a Mich St. bar and is pretty cool. TVs at every angle and many booths and high tops. I heard they serve a pretty good brunch, by the way. I like this joint!

As a bar, there’s nothing really about this place that makes it distinguishable. I’ve been here a few times for Hawks games and meh, it was ok.
However, I ate here for the first time last Sunday (trivia night, my friends and I have become regulars) and recently discovered the Grilled Cheese/​Tomato Soup combo. TO DIE FOR. About 15 min after we got our meal, we were all members of the clean plate club so if you’re looking for good pub grub, check this spot out.

So, I have only had drinks here, so my review is based on that. Nice bar/​restaurant. A good place for a more calm evening. We went here first on a Friday night before going to more «alive» bars in Wrigleyville. They had good specials and in general, had a good time.
The server was a little slow, but other than that, everything was pretty good. I would probably come back again to have dinner and drinks. It seems more fitting as a dinner and drinks establishment.

Come here for the Breakfast of champions: mimosa and sweet potato fries. It’s what gives me my hot physique. Forget working out. It’s cold. Sweet potatoes are good for you and OJ has vitamin C. You’re welcome.
Oh, you want more?
When I am not Jack Lalaning it, I have time to consider the F&P is a fun place. If you’re a sports fan, you’re in luck. The entire perimeter of the main room is covered in TVs. If you want to see a sport that’s not beaming into this corner of Lakeview, it’s, likely, not being played. The service is really really nice. I can imagine that being a place that specializes in suds, burgers and has an English name (on this corner of Lakeview)… it might attract a crowd that can get a bit lippy… or sloppy. Or, both. Not once have I ever encountered a server who was anything but friendly, cordial and helpful. I think that says a lot. In fact, that might say it all.
Hmm, no. It doesn’t. This does: mimosa and sweet potato fries. Breakfast of Champions.

I’m a sucker for a red velvet banquette.
I was pleasantly surprised at the interior of Firkin and Pheasant, which was English pub meets red velvet. I was digging it a lot. And in Lincoln Park?!? I can’t imagine the Chad’s and Trixies doing jaggerbombs here.
I ordered the Mediterranean pasta salad and asked for the goat cheese to be substituted with blue cheese… because goat cheese is icky. Blech! The waitress assured me it wouldn’t be a problem, but the cook never got the memo. After I sent back the icky goat cheesed salad and my fresh salad arrived, all was good. It was a decent salad. The cider was yummy and Firkin and Pheasant turned out to be a delightful place for a late afternoon girl’s lunch.

Here is what I recommend: come here on a weekend morning before heading to brunch and drink a $ 4 bloody mary or two, outside on the little sidewalk patio. Otherwise it doesn’t look like a very interesting bar.

Little outdoor patio… YES PLEASE!
Stopped her to get my drink on to recover from a massive hangover. Its a beautiful day and I am dying from all of the booze the night before. We grab a seat outside and the waitress bring us some bloodys… YUM and SPICY, like I asked!!! We got the pasta salad which was pretty tasty. I just wished there was more noodles and less lettuce. I will be back for a good bloody sometime soon. It did the trick. I felt like a million bucks after… now to repeat the cycle

I came here as part of Pi (e) day for the Chicago Nerd Social Club. The place seemed like a typical Irish bar. I ordered off of the special Pi (e) menu where most things were 3.14 or a multiple thereof. I got the Guinness and mushroom pie for 9.42 (3.14X3, get it?) and a Magner’s. The food was pretty good but the service was so-​so. The Nerds had an area roped off and our waitress seemed more than a little annoyed about it. Obviously, she didn’t like the idea of pulling a private party.
My date ordered tea-​much to the annoyance of our server and it was hard to flag her down. The clientele outside of the nerds seemed like a weird mix. A lot of the guys wearing skin tight green t-​shirts for the St. Patty’s Day weekend who were just loud for no reason followed by an older crowd. If it wasn’t for Pi (e) day I wouldn’t have thought twice about coming here and now that it’s over I won’t be coming back.

Firkin & Pheasant is proof of one of the reasons why I decided to check out of LP and head out to Bucktown/​WP. There’s just little ingenuity and variety apart from sports bars and grille’s in the LP, and Firkin & Pheasant wasn’t even a good one, and I’d much prefer the likes of Trinity or Kincade’s.
This place was less than half empty on a Saturday during March Madness which speaks for itself. The beer list was poor, however, they did have Alpha King on draft which was the bar’s saving grace. There wasn’t anything out of the ordinary that made this place memorable besdies the fries.

3 stars — because it is a bar… it isn’t fine dining. This doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy it, it was good.
It was 6:30pm on a Saturday night, with a few tables open. They pushed 2 high-​tops together for 7 of us back near the kitchen. We took our relatives visiting us, which includes 3 kids between 10 – 13 years old. It did have a little more «bar» atmosphere than I thought from the outside, but luckily was friendly enough for the kids. The music was a touch loud, but they had Olympics on the TV. Atmosphere wasn’t as special as I hoped though, only 3 stars.
The menu itself looked like cheap mass-​produced chain restaurant plastic, which my husband thought was tacky, but the items on the menu were to be expected of irish-​like bar foods. Prices, very reasonable too. All your regular bar foods including hamburgers, wings, chicken sammich, fries etc… but with added irish flair such as scotch eggs, bangers and mash, cottage pie, steak n mushroom pie, fish n chips, etc. And a good variety of beers of course!
We started with 2 half price order of wings, cajun and bbq, and 1 half price cajun crisps (homemade chips). GREAT idea — the wings were all tasty and meaty, and I loved the crunchy and chewy crisps. Fantastic.
Around the table, everyone enjoyed their individual meals, with the only exception of the fish-​wich. The fish was bland and tasteless and EXTRA greasy. Otherwise we all polished off, or were happy to box up what we couldn’t eat. All the happiest eaters ordered: steak/​mushroom pie, roast beef dip, foot long hotdog, grilled cheese and tomato soup… with some heavy oohhhs and aaahhss over the tomato soup which was topped with a little goat cheese. Overall, I would say the food was close to a 4.
What sealed the deal was the service. The owner and waiter came to our table often, complimented the kids on their manners and was just generally nice. At the end the owner took all 3 kids on a tour of the kitchen, freezer, keg room, and pantry. They loved it! Maybe even more than the Art Museum earlier that day ;)
Yea — my 100^th review :) Happy Day!

Was at Firkin and Pheasant for the first time last night for their first anniversary party! I can’t believe that I haven’t been here before. It’s a casual atmosphere, but warm and comfortable. The owners are so hospitable and welcoming. The bartenders were friendly and promptly served us.
They have trivia nights on Sundays now. We’ll be going back to check that out!

A couple weeks ago my friend and I needed to find a bar between our two apartments to meet at, and Firkin and Pheasant fit the bill perfectly. Bonus: Thursday nights are half price wine night. Score! Added bonus: it’s a Spartan bar, and my friend is an alumni. Double score!
When I arrived (first, natch) the host let me pick where I wanted to sit. I picked a booth in the front, and quickly sank into the plush red velvet… but as I waited for my friend I was kind of confused by the décor. Everything about this place screamed «neighborhood pub» but the décor was… so not that. While the plush red velvet booths were nice, it just didn’t «go.» You know what I mean? The carpet looked like it belonged in a casino somewhere. But for cheap drinks, good food, and good service I can overlook some interior decorating issues, and luckily F&P helped me out in that area. Also, the music was awesome — it was all 80s and 90s music, but GOOD 80s and 90s music, if that makes sense. I was a happy camper while I waited, and might have even taken a few «ooh, I need to download this song when I get home» notes.
When my friend arrived she ordered up a half price malbec that she was pleased with, and I stuck with vodka because… well, I needed it. My drink was generously poured, and for that I am always grateful.
As we perused the menu a few things looked good, but the burger on a pretzel bun caught my eye. I can never pass up a pretzel bun. Then my friend said something brilliant: «I’m going to get the sliders. I know it’s the same amount of food, but I feel less guilty that way.» Brilliant plan, friend. So we both ordered sliders, hers with a side of tater tots and mine with a side of waffle fries.
So, mini burgers on pretzel buns might be the best thing ever. They were presented well, and they were damn delicious. And the waffle fries — oh man. I LOVE crunchy fries. Love. Soggy fries can go somewhere far, far away from me and stay there. But F&P has mastered the perfect amount of crunch and salt. The waffle fries were the most perfect fries I have eaten in ages. Love.
Our server was great — she perfectly balanced checking in on us and leaving us alone to chat. Plus, our booth was in a weird place that our server couldn’t even see unless she came to our table so the fact that she never once forgot about us was awesome. Thumbs up on the service.
Overall, while it has some interior decorating issues, the service, drinks, and good food make up for it. They have great drink specials during the week, so I can see myself coming back here.

The Firkin & Pheasant is a cozy little English Pub in Lakeview. They pour a mean pint of Guinness, and the food is pretty much what you would expect from a bar. The service was wonderful and it looks like a great place to hoist a few pints and watch a ball game.
The interior is wonderful, it really gives you the feeling that you are in a English Pub.
Firkin & Pheasant is a bit pricey for your typical bar food. Two entrees, appetizers and a couple of pints turned out to be $ 65.00.
I had a good time at the Firkin & Pheasant. I would pop back in if I“m ever in the area and have a hankering for a burger and a pint.

I have to give this place 3 stars because… well, I’m still not sure yet.
I went with a few friends last Saturday night and got there around 10:30PM or so. We walked in and saw beautifully designed carpeting and thick, comfortable-​looking red booths everywhere. I immediately thought of the time I visited Elephant and Castle when I was in San Francisco last year, which was more of a restaurant with a bar as opposed to a bar that just happens to serve food. Maybe our timing was bad and we missed a huge crowd earlier, but this place didn’t seem like your later-​in-​the-​night go-​to bar.
The waitstaff and the host were attentive but obviously jumpy and nervous. We chatted for a minute with the manager (possibly — not sure) because one of our friends in the group was Canadian and had frequented this particular bar up in Toronto. We then asked the host if the seating was open and we could take the table closest to the bar, and he jumbled over his words a bit before the manager stepped in to let us know it was ok. I understand that you want to make sure everything is perfect and presented well to your customers, but I felt like the guy would have passed out if we would not have gone to our seats any quicker.
We took our seats and checked out the menu. The beer list was what was expected but nothing too impressive or out of the ordinary. I had to act quickly so I just ended up with a 312. The food list looked pretty good — and decently priced — but we opted out of that this time around. The scenery was pretty varied — again, high-​class decorations adorned with flat screens around the tops of the walls. The music was a random mix of Top 40s from the early-​mid 2000s (nothing really new) and was not overbearingly loud, but a little too quiet to keep everyone alert. The groups of people varied quite a bit — a couple people on dates, a few groups of late-​20-​somethings, a group of college kids sport DePaul hoodies, etc. It was nice to get a good variety of the old and young, the rowdy and the quiet, the partiers and the social drinkers.
After another beer and 2 rounds of shots, our tab came to about $ 60. Not too terrible.
I wanna give this place another try after work or for a weekend dinner. I have a feeling it would be quite a different experience going during a peak time.