Green Olive

Simply saying, either you charge 4.50 for a Modelo or you have holes in the bathroom walls. You can’t have both.

High school and grammar school reunion ever time I’ve gone lol. Bartenders at the main bar are all over the place and don’t have set sections. Drinks are cheap but not that tasty since they use well liquor when you ask for top shelf and then play dumb when you call em out on it. Waitresses are fairly useless once the bar gets semi full. I think they decide its ok to just kick it with their friends while on the clock and then complain about lousy tips. Here’s a tip, DO YOUR DAM JOB! They have a «No Hat» policy which is outdated at best but fine don’t allow ball caps but if someone is wearing a kangol or fedora style hat, use some common sense and leave him be. The door men are good but the lady checking Ids and complaining about everything once you walk in needs to go. You don’t want that greeting you when you walk in.
Truth be told I haven’t been to this bar in over a year partly because I live out of state, so for all I know the bar has improved. I doubt I’ll ever go back to this place unless I’m in a car full of people that all want to go there. Even then I’d likely suggest we go someplace else.

This out of the way neighborhood bar is a nice setting.

I only gave this place one star because it was my only option. In reality this place is a negative one million stars. I usually went here because a couple of my freinds were under age and needless to say they allow anyone in there. After talking to the owner a few times while there he asked me if I would be willing to bartend there because he knew I had bartending experience. Because of the fact that I had extra time on my hands I agreed. First off, this place should be shut down for multiple health code violations that I discovered while working there. The bathrooms are distgusting and are never cleaned, there is urine on the floor and walls and you can smell it from 10 feet away. I guess I shouldnt be surprised considering it is in Hegwisch, im sure there regular customers feel right at home. They offer a food menu. I discovered, after talking to «the cook» that the frying oil they use has not been changed in over a year. There are mouse dropping everywhere including on the cooking surfaces and I spotted mice on multiple occasions. As for the bar, upon being «trained» I was asked to save all bottles that would be considered top shelf or premium such as grey goose, patron, bacardi etc. Why would you save bottles you ask, so they can re-​fill them with well vodka, rum, gin, and tequila. The well that they use is Bellows which costs about 6 dollars a bottle. I do not understand how a shady buisness like this manages to keep their liqour license. I would say about 50% of the crowd is under the age of 19. While working, I attempted to kick someone out who failed to show proper identification, the owner LUIS DEPOZO explained this person was okay to stay there. I refused to contribute to illegal activity and did not return to work there. Overall this place is an embarrasment and should be shut down due to all the dubious activities.

Okay, if anyone is from the Southeast Side, be informed that this is the ONLY halfway decent place in our area that’s good for those nights when you want to stay local instead of heading DT or the Northside to party…
Anyhoot, with that being said, this place is essentially like «Cheers» and EVERYONE KNOWS EVERYONE here. Partying here usually turns into a mini-​high school and grammar school reunion. But overall, great spot… DEPENDING on the night. This place usually gets crackin’ when the owner (Joe Pope, brother of Alderman of 10^th Ward John Pope) decides to host special live musical acts and DJ’s. However, those nights are far and few in between. Which is why I only frequent this place every few months.
If you can’t make it to one of these «special» nights, the best nights to frequent are Friday and Tuesday nights. Friday is dance party night and Tuesday they have $ 2 Modelos on draft (Modelo is my favorite beer, btw).
Overall, the place is super cozy (plenty of tables and couches and cute décor), has a shuffle board, three large screen TV’s for game viewings, and hosts indoor bean bag sessions on Mondays (when martinis are $ 4…they basically make ANY martini you can think of as well. try the Banana Split martini… lethal AND scrumptious).
I’ve also hosted two birthday parties here. Joe (the owner) and his wife Marie were VERY helpful in helping me orchestrate everything. And were very cool about letting buy out the bar and letting my friends and family take over the place! lol.
Their food and catering are also very delicious. I recommend everything on the menu. Except for mozzarella sticks (the marinara sauce is generic) and «crispy tacos» (essentially, they’re those taquito things!).

The Green Olive is a pretty cool place that I wouldn’t necessarily expect to find in Hegewisch. I don’t know what was there before this place opened but I presume the Olive is an improvement.
It has a nice décor inside, not overwhelming or ridiculous in any way, very nice and understated; it maintains the feel of a neighborhood watering hole without being dive-​y while easily being a place you wouldn’t feel ridiculous looking halfway decent walking into. It gets pretty packed on the weekend, but that’s ok because theres plenty of room. It’s definitely much bigger than one would think from the outside.
The drinks are affordable, and there is usually some kind of special going on. I haven’t tried much of the food, and of what I have had was standard bar fare, but it was decent. Regardless, I feel it’s good to have the option for munchies, even if they are deep fried… it’s a bar whaddya expect?!
For where this place is located it’s a nice alternative to the local dives or driving northwards in search of a good time.
I have only two complaints: the Olive is in a residential neighborhood, so when it’s crowded or a weekend the parking sucks. Second, there always seems to be a squad car hangin around in front (the bar is on a corner) on Friday and/​or Saturday. I don’t know if it’s because of complaints from neighbors, a previous incident, or merely a preventative measure on the part of the CPD, it sucks to have to be slightly paranoid leaving a bar after having fun. I know thats not the bars fault so I guess thats a personal complaint.
Overall, its a good place in an unlikely location that not only succeeds but deserves to as well.