Flight 1551

I came here a second time only to find a giant bug in my wine. They were apologetic, but also mainly insisted it must have come from the bottle, and not the glass. Frankly, where it came from wasn’t my main concern.

Not the greatest. Come here for a drink and the ambiance and then wander about your merry way through old town
We got a bottle of red wine– very nice, from Oregon, which surprised me. The ambiance is upscale, pictures on the wall, a wavy wall and carpeting under the table. There is bar seating and there are a couple of screens above the bar. Music not so loud that you cannot hear the other person.
The waitress asked if we would like dessert and we made the bad choice of saying yes. DO NOT GET THE TRUFFLE FLIGHT there is a purple thing on there that is awful! Literally. The desserts themselves were really small, but I say this since Chicago is known for large portions. Were I in another city I would have been expecting it. The donut flight is better, but do you really want donuts with your wine? Sigh.
Waitress was attentive and service is good.

Classy place with good service. It’s a great place to grab a couple of glasses of wine especially during the summer on their patio. If you have a really small appetite food is pretty good but not great. The portions are minuscule for 10+ bucks. even for Old Town. The pizzas are probably the best bang for the buck.

I don’t know where to begin. The overpriced beers? The overpriced mediocre (at absolutely best) food? The cold food?
Let’s start with the food. To put it simply this food sucked ass and the portions were microscopic. I paid $ 18 for a cold scallop (note the singular form) and a piece of beef sinew (the chunks of cow tendon were tasty, not) served on a piece of mushy shit placenta (I know it’s polenta). The portion was, in the most literal sense, microscopic. It was BARELY warm and not to mention the scallop was gritty.
Alcohol prices were steep but it’s Chicago so I won’t complain.
Bottom line: DO NOT COME HERE UNLESS YOU ENJOY PAYING HIGH PRICES FOR DOGSHIT FOOD. THIS PLACE IS AN ABSOLUTELY, POSITIVELY MUST-​MISS.

This place has never been more hip and fun. Flight 1551 is like a fine red wine, it gets better and better as it ages.

I’m so disappointed in myself for not trying this place sooner. I’ve been here twice now and I think its definitely a place I’ll try again. There are flights, glasses, bottles– whatever you want of wine. Pretty good selection, carry a few of my faves which is always nice.
The menu offers a lot for a «wine bar.» the flatbreads are amazing, I would recommend getting them to split! The service has always been good, even with larger groups. I wish they had more space, though I’ve never waited and they will take reservations! Definitely a nice place to have in the middle of Old Town. Yay!

Went here for the first time on a Thursday night at 8:15, after extensively reading the Unilocal reviews. If the person you’re meeting is late, you’ll probably want to wait on the steps outside the door as it gets pretty crowded inside.
Despite the crowd we were seated right away inside and our server was very friendly, as she apparently always is. The wine flights have cute and creative names which I appreciated and come with a nice description so you know what you’re drinking. Didn’t order any food, but I’ve heard the truffle pizza is great so when I go back I would a) try that, and b) sit outside for a change of scenery. If I were on foursquare I would definitely check in here.

Pâté and foie gras platter became dinner. Yummy! Perfect in every way including the itty bitty thinly sliced grilled french bread.
The same waitress, Eleonor, delivers the same impeccable service.

I’d like to review the food but I never got to order!
I had read other reviews complaining about service but since the menu was what I was looking for I decided to go anyway. After waiting w/​waters and menus for at least 10 mins to get in our drink order, I went to the bar and asked if he knew who our waiter would be. He said he’s send someone right over. Nobody came, so we had to leave:(
I really wanted to try the food, especially after fighting traffic for a parking spot!

I was in Chicago for the NeoCon convention, and it is always my favorite time of year. This year was pretty hot and humid, and even my being from AZ, I was hot.
One Saturday we decided to step out and attend one of the local art fairs. We do not usually do the ‘touristy things’ as tourists are extremely annoying. So were strolling through this lovely art fair, where people are displaying amazing works of art and I am really happy. We stop at a few shops and make a few purchases. On our way out, we pass Flight 1551. We stopped outside to view the menu and one of the staff actually came outside to greet us. I am sure they usually have the doors open, but this was a very hot day and I was grateful when I walked in to see it was a frosty experience as we were pretty hot.
We ordered a lovely Bordeaux and had on of the flatbread pizzas. This pizza was amazing. It was made by hand, and you could really tell because the pizza was a little misshapen. Not round, not perfect, but perfectly delicious nonetheless. The sauce was amazing, ripe tomato taste, hint of garlic and covered in melted fresh mozzarella cheese, served on a wood cutting board. The crust was amazingly thin and super crispy. It was perfect.
The service was great, staff as friendly. The build out of the restaurant was trendy, contemporary and beautiful. I wondered what it must look like at night, I assume a sexy romantic vibe must take over. I would surely take a date here.

A quieter, more grown up place to hang out in Old Town. Great, laid-​back atmosphere, just the right amount of lighting, an intimate and cozy space. Our server was attentive and took good care of our large party.
As you can imagine, plenty of good wines to choose from and some affordable options. From the appetizers, I sampled the chips and oysters – both surprisingly good – I guess I wasn’t expecting a wine bar to have good food. Good spot for a date or girls night.

Jeff and the team that run this place have done an awesome job.
I noticed that a lot of women hang out here.
Like that is a bad thing :) If you are looking for PBR specials to relive your drunken college days at UC-​Santa Barbara then this is not the place.
If you want to chill with your frinends maybe learn more about wine (by drinking it of course) then this would be a good place. You will feel welcome right away. Plus they have pizza :)

We had a nice weeknight dinner at Flight 1551. It is a great addition to the Old Town neighborhood. I would recommend this place to anyone looking for a swanky date spot, or for a group of girls looking to drink wine and share small plates.
WINE: my friend and I tried 2 different wine flights. Honestly didn’t even feel a buzz after my flight, and flights are $ 15-​$ 19. Next time I would get wine by the glass. Also, all 3 of my wines tasted the same? My friend seemed to enjoy hers…
FOOD: great! We had the bacon wrapped dates (MUST try, best I’ve had), Grilled
cheese flight (also good) and Rocket salad. Next time I would try a flatbread pizza, they looked tasty.
ATMOSPHERE: we got the very last open table at 7:00pm on a Thursday. There is no hostess, and no direction, so it was confusing on where to sit… The bar was busy and many people were standing with their wine. The room is dark and candle lit, but also loud, so it can be hard to see and hear your date!
In the end, our night ended up being $ 40/​person, which is very pricey. I went to 5 star restaurants downtown for only $ 5 more. However, Flight 1551 seems to have a good thing going and I look forward to trying it again.

Flight 1551 does deserve a better light. Granted, I can see that it has a little more work to do on both efficiency and menu-​options; I am happy with the work in progress.
I particularly enjoyed the pizzas. We were a party of 8, so I got to try the truffle, pesto, sausage and bacon & egg along with three different wine selections. Out of the pizzas, the pesto and bacon & egg were spot on. The pesto was light and aromatic, while the bacon and egg was very savory. The fried egg (still runny) and the pine nuts brought a lot of depth to a simple thin-​crust.
We were served by a serious sommelier who knows his wines. We selected the pizza first and asked him for his recommended pairings. Overall, we had a great time.

I’m with Lauren P., this place gets a big ol’ «meh.» Yes, the neighborhood was in need of a wine bar. Yep, the décor is sparse, modern, yet appealing. Our bill wasn’t terrible. But I have a few issues.
First: noise! It’s a cavernous space and when full (any time after 6pm apparently) you must shout to be heard. What would have been a good date spot is spoiled unless perhaps you don’t plan on talking to your date.
Second: service. I get that this place is new and therefore crowded. But we stood and stood and stood without anyone acknowledging our arrival. Assuming there was no hostess, I pushed my way back to the bar to catch a bartender’s attention and point to the only open table. He nodded that I could go for it, so my friend and I sat down at a table for four. A server immediately rushed up to ask if we were expecting two more people. Nope, but I politely told him the bartender said we could sit there. He hesitantly agreed that yes, we may stay. At this point the hostess showed up and cast unhappy looks at us for the rest of the evening. Our server took our order but did not ask if we’d like more food or wine. They wanted us out.
Third: food. It was a mix of inedible, edible, and delicious. I ordered the chips, which come in a cone with two dipping options. ¾ of the chips arrived broken into tiny pieces! It was like paying $ 5 for the bottom of the bag of Lays. We gave up trying to dip broken chip fragments. I also ordered the chorizo stuffed, bacon-​wrapped dates. THOSE were fantastic. Order those. Finally, the grilled cheese flight. You get 3 kinds of sandwiches, halved. 2 of the 3 were good but nothing to write home about. The third was doused in lemon zest. Yuck yuck yuck. I managed two bites and gave up. My friend took one bite and threw in the towel. On the plus side, we didn’t have any issues with the portion sizes. It’s tapas — don’t expect an Olive Garden-​sized heap o’ food and you won’t be disappointed.
Fourth: wine flights. I had the Homeslice (red) and my friend chose a flight of white. Both contained two nearly identical selections. I understand the dynamic of a flight is meant to be complimentary, but they very well could have poured me two glasses of the same wine. I’d like a little more variety please. Otherwise I enjoyed the wine quite a bit.
In conclusion, I probably won’t be back. Mediocre food (at best), questionable hospitality practices, and deafening noise levels. Meh.

A friend and I headed to Flight 1551 on a Friday evening after work. My first impression was that the décor was a bit stark/​uninviting compared to what I had envisioned. I wasn’t a fan of the ambiance.
The menu was nice — a variety of wine flights along with more wines by the glass or bottle. It was a bit amusing to have a waitress explain a wine flight to us — really… do people not know what a wine flight is? She then wasn’t able to clarify whether one of the flights was red or white wine, which was surprising at a wine bar. We each ordered a different flight and enjoyed 2 of the 3 selections.
The chorizo-​stuffed dates were tasty though I’m not sure the chorizo added much to the dish other than calories. At the advice of our waitress, we ordered the meatloaf even though neither of us is particularly a fan of meatloaf. It was delicious — moist with a little bit of a kick — and the highlight of our evening.
If you’re in the area and in the mood for wine and small plates, drop into Flight 1551, though I wouldn’t recommend sticking out any sort of wait.

I chose to peruse through Old Town due to being denied dinner at Ruxbin. I used my Unilocal ap and look a look at a few options and noticed this wine bar. I wasn’t sure what to expect because the reviews didn’t exactly sound the best.
Needless to say, when I walked in at 7:00pm, me and my date were the last people to get open seating (which was interesting because the bar was absolutely packed). We sat down and the waitress gave us a moment to take the menu in. There wasn’t much of a choice for food so we settled on the Dates, Diablo Shrimp, and a spicy pizza (forgot the name).
The dates are a must. No question. I don’t care who you are, you need to order those things. The Diablo shrimp was also delicious; they used just enough spice to make the shrimp flavorful but still very eatable. The pizza was probably the most bland. Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t bad at all, but it certainly wasn’t anything I would be blown away by.
My date decided to get a white wine flight. From the sips that I stole from her glasses, they all seemed pretty sweet for just a regular white wine flight. It’s not like they listed any Rieslings or anything.
Me? I ordered a bottle. Hey, it was a Saturday night! Don’t judge! I ordered the Vallone Verta ‘Riserva’ 06. Not too bad. I was, however, looking for a darker, deeper, more flavorful wine, but since the weather in Chicago started to warm up, this refreshing red really brought a good feeling. Or maybe that’s just the wine talking.
Overall, I recommend to get there early as seats tend to fill quick. The place is a bit noisy so I hope you don’t mind speaking at a higher volume. Don’t go here if you’re looking to fill up on food. I’d go here to snack on something after dinner while enjoying some wine.

Since I live in the neighborhood I was pretty excited to welcome the new wine bar with open arms. I walked past it for months and gazed longingly at the windows and thought of the grapes that I would soon become familiar with. My first attempt to go was on Wednesday at 7:15, which was quickly abandoned when the wait was going to be 20 minutes (not bad, but I’m very impatient) and the noise level sounded like it was near damaging decibels. Mimicking what is sure to be my golden years, I opted for a Sunday early bird dinner attempt. Fortunately this time my company and I were in luck! I really liked the space and the chic vibe.
Upon reviewing the wine list, I was in love within moments. It had every varietal of red wine I could ever want, making it very difficult to order just one. The food menu I found a little surprising. It seemed less robust than what I expected, but regardless there were a few options that grabbed my interest. The bacon wrapped dates were huge and wonderful (blue cheese made them a little different than everywhere else), the Winter salad made me hope for snow, and the Truffle pizza underwhelmed. I think calling it pizza is quite the stretch, but I would order another flavor if I come back. Cheesecake for dessert was priced very reasonably and was delicious and hopefully made on site.
All in all, service was incredibly slow (but very friendly), which is not a big deal considering I wasn’t in a hurry, but if there are 3 tables in the place total, I would have expected something a little snappier.
I want to go back because I’m really hoping I can view this place as at least 4 stars. Right now I just feel kind of lukewarm about it. Fingers crossed it was just Daylight Savings/​hangover/​slow service clouding my mood.

I was really excited to try this place, but I was a bit let down by Flight 1551. Overall it was good, but I don’t think its necessarily worth the wait to get in here.
Take this with a grain of salt as I was there the week it opened.
Food:
The trio of grilled cheeses was really yummy, as was the cheese platter we got. The bacon wrapped dates and pizzas were also really good. The wines we tried were all good, but I felt like they were overpriced (as was some of the food). I guess I felt like it just didn’t stand out. It was good, but I felt like it wasn’t much cooler than Bin 36, which is definitely cheaper.
Atmostphere:
Nice place, cozy, modern. Good for a date and for conversation. Also think could be fun with a group of up to 6 people, but it’s crowded and doesn’t take reservations so you could wait forever. Feel like they easily could rearrange the tables to fit more people and have more convertible tables. While we were waiting around there were 4 tables with parties of 2 at tables for up to 4 people…
Business:
The place was SUPER chaotic, which is understandable when a place first opens. but it was pretty frustrating. The host who took our name told my friend 30 – 45 minutes. which became an hour and 15 minutes. He was pretty rude and we later found out he didn’t even write down our name, instead when we inquired what was going on and gave him the name he was like. oh yeah I wrote down «tall dude». That probably explains the extra wait…
We eventually figured out he bar was first come first serve, but no one told us it was seat yourself. or we also would have eaten a lot earlier. Once we sat down, our server was very pleasant.

This place was sort of average. We had no problem getting a couple of seats at the bar, though it was the right kind of packed, with some nice bustling. The bartender was very nice and provided a suggestion for a glass of red wine we both greatly enjoyed (the cesanese from Spain).
The trout brandade was not all that (I prefer the brandade at Avec).
The green salad with shaved egg on top was yummy and a healthy portion. And then the grilled cheese flight: If you’re into a little greasy goodness, this might be your place! I enjoyed it, although when my friend got to her last little sandwich, it was cheese-​less :(. Così è la vita!
So overall, I think this place is fine, good date night place and worth coming back to. Their service still needs a little bit of improvement (can we see menus? can we have some silverware, please? Uhhh, that’s our dish over here!), but it was an enjoyable experience.