Hawkeye’s Bar & Grill

YIKES!!! What the hell happened here?! I’ve been coming here for a while and have always been a returning satisfied customer… Came in on a Saturday for a late lunch and our experience this time around was so disappointing!
My Boyfriend and I came in and decided to keep things simple. We ordered pretty basic food, nothing complicated. My Boyfriend ordered a plain cheeseburger — no lettuce, no tomato, just the patty and cheese — At no point did my Boyfriend have the opportunity to tell the waitress how he wanted it cooked… she never asked! Needless to say, the burger was overcooked! He couldn’t finish it. He’s 6’2″ and eats well, you know something is wrong when there’s food left on his plate!
Now my order was kindof the last straw! I kept it really simple, seriously, with an order of Nachos & an order of French Fries. First, EVERYTHING came out COLD… The Fries tasted like they sat out for an entire day, they were soggy, some were tough, what the hell?! Now the Nachos, you’d think… how the hell can someone screw that up?! This dish also came out cold as hell. And it wasn’t cooked all the way through– the fact that the dish looked like chips with cold beans and SHREDDED cheese on top– YES the cheese was still shredded, the cheese was never melted. What the hell kind of Nachos is this — a cold mess!
Take Note, According to GOOGLE:
Nachos — a small crisp piece of a tortilla, typically topped with «melted» cheese and spices.
I would have complained and sent it back but I can’t even imagine the kind of DNA I’d be ingesting after having an issue with an order… As a longtime paying customer this shouldn’t even be an issue.
One last thing, my Boyfriend and I were there for about an hour… I can’t even begin to describe how hard it was to get a refill on our drinks! It was pretty obvious that our waitress didn’t want to be there, the service was awkward, cold, and below the standard of what we have experienced before. It’s a shame and totally apparent, as of 1÷31÷2016 Hawkeyes only has 3 Stars and I can see why! I understand a lot of customers are college students — I’d suggest you pay attention to your standards & quality and keep in mind that local long time customers can tell when things are falling short! College students come and go, please get it together for the Local’s sake!
If this review was based on previous experiences it would’ve been better than 1 star… It’s a shame, hoping this place picks itself up!

Came here on NYE and it was great! Everyone was friendly and drinks were reasonably priced! Would definitely come back.

DO NOT eat here!!! I’ve gotten sick now twice on two separate occasions separated from each other by about 3 months!
They are not a clean place whatsoever and I personally witnessed one of the employees rolling up a joint on the L train; I’m not making this up!

Great locally owned neighborhood bar. Crowd is a diverse mix of UIC students and older locals, including a lot of professionals. Great for games /​concerts, as they have a big screen, a parking lot, and a UC shuttle.

Worst service I’ve ever had! From the moment my sister and I walked through the door to make a carry out order the host actually rolled her eyes at us. Really? Then when our orders were taken they were taken with an attitude. We asked for a manager to see why our order for 3 salads was taking so long and to let her know about our horrible service and we were actually given the excuse of she is new for the host. Where is being new an excuse for being rude! How dare you. To top it all off, I get home and my salad not only is missing ingredients, but it is swimming in water!!! I hope this place goes out of business!!! Terrible!!! If I could give 0 damn starts I would!!!

Really enjoy this place. Free parking lot is always a plus in a busy area. Very nice staff and really good food. Went there for lunch with friends.

A week or so ago I decided I would try Hawkeye’s over the weekend. It is a block away from my apartment and seemed somewhat popular. This was my experience
On Friday afternoon around 5PM I sat down at the bar to grab a drink. Over 15mins past without a «Hi or Be right with you» from the bartender. Since I wasn’t planning on waiting around all night I decided to leave.
On Saturday night at 7PM I decided I would give them another shot, I was greeted at door the with a request for a $ 20 cover to watch «the fight» Needless to say I brought my business else where on Taylor Street to eat dinner
On Sunday morning I gave them another shot with breakfast. I wish I had not. Everything about this meal was below average. I order the breakfast burrito off of the brunch menu and was made a soggy, tasteless burrito. I ordered a $ 8.00 Bloody Mary that you could not taste a drop of vodka in.
All in all I will not be going back.

It’s a pretty average sports bar. I love reubens so I am a fan of the Reuben eggrolls
The drinks are pretty weak in my opinion. You will spend close to $ 10 for Coke and a splash of jack. No thanks.

I have to say, I’m that customer who is willing to pay $ 20 for a so-​so cocktail and appetizer if the customer service is great. I also ALWAYS tip 30% no matter the size bill. Yesterdays experience at good-​ol Hawkeyes proved my point.
Years back i was a regular at Hawkeyes, watching Sox games, having ½ pizza on Wednesdays and staying until «Closing Time» blared on the speakers at 2am.
Nowadays, there are TONS of better bars to visit. Where the food is great and the service is WAY above par. For those of you who come here often, Hawkeyes hasnt changed much. That being said, what keeps us coming back? WHO KNOWS!
They have TERRIBLE drink specials.
$ 6 for a small basket of tater tots and
the WORST WAITRESS OF ALL TIME ***CAROLYN***.
Yes, Carolyn, this ones for you.
You approached me, all the while looking away. Did not ask me how my day was. Did not smile.
I came in to try your spot again. You’re place of employment. And i saw $ 1 beer and said, well i may as well have that! WHY NOT?
i made a mistake and asked for miller lite when the special was miller high life, SO I GIGGLED. You very rudely corrected me with a blank stare. Again, no smile.
I then placed an order for tots, which you brought to my table without saying a word.
I then asked for a glass of water which you then slammed on the table, without saying a word.
**YOUR SERVICE WAS SO BAD, I FELT UNCOMFORTABLE AND HAD TO LEAVE”.
We planned on eating dinner there.
I hope you can see why your tip was so small.
So Carolyn and Hawkeyes Owner/​Manager: It doesnt matter how good or lousy your food and drink specials are, if the customer service isnt there, neither are your loyal customers.
You may not like to wait on people, Carolyn, but if its your job BE PROUD OF IT. OWN IT.
If not, stop killing business. If you dont care about your boss/​owner, then do us all a favor and LEAVE.
Thanks! :)

All around, very average.
Ambience: Very sports bar-​y, which is nice since they’ll always have the game you’re looking for.
Beer selection: Average, not too many craft beers
Food: Average bar food, although, I will admit that I am a big fan of the Reuben Eggrolls and the Build Your Own Burgers. Can’t go wrong there!

Just ok. It’s really just average bar food that, in my opinion, was a little bit expensive for what it was.
If I’m going to pay $ 13 for a skirt steak sandwich, I expect a pretty significant piece of meat and I don’t expect to pay $.50 for BBQ sauce. That nickel and dime stuff drives me nuts.
Chili felt very out of a can.
$ 13 for frozen fish and chips is not acceptable.
I could see popping in for a few drinks and maybe to take advantage of their numerous specials or trivia night (Tuesdays), but if it’s just a meal you seek there are better options in the area.

Good for watching any sport, cheap drinks, lots of room and fantastic food. Nothing to complain about. Can’t believe I live next door.

This place has good bar food and it gets really packed on thursdays and weekend. I feel a little weird coming in my scrubs after a hard shift, but no one notices and dont make you feel awkward. I love coming to bars where people dont look down on others and where its a community bar, mostly young 20 n 30s. Its in UIC village so dont expect a fancy bar or fancy dinner. This is a cool bar and as long as its clean, service is good, what more could you ask for?
I do sometimes see suits in there, there is no dress code and usually ppl come in jeans n baseball caps. Its just a chill bar, but their food is good so I can def see why a lot of our medical community/​suits come here for a quick bite and a drink.
I love coming here and know that you will too!
MY Favorites:
Warm pretzels with mustard!!!
Build your own burger and must have it on a toasted pretzel bun and you got me at HELLO!!! :)
Cold heinken… sorry I dont do cheap miller or any tap beers. Hand me a Heinken or a tequila shot or sometimes ill tell the bartender how to do a «Paloma»…
tequila, squirt or if they dont have it, a light color soda with lime juice n salt n ice. Most of the time, the bartenders make it good and tell me theyre going to try that drink ;).
Come down and if you see a nurse in scrubs at night, buy her a drink, she is probably there becuz of her chaotic day lol.

Love their steak sandwiches!!! The wings aren’t so great, but edible if drinking. Lol Service is always good, they’re very attentive. Good place 2 meet up & hang & catch a quick meal & drink.

My friends and I went here Monday to watch a Bulls playoff game. We had to sit in the basement which is kind of a weird atmosphere. They have $.40 wings on Monday, The wings are pretty good but they are very very small. I did enjoy the cheese fries but they are very overpriced ($ 6). We also ordered a couple mixed drinks which were nine dollars each and honestly tasted like juice I did not taste any alcohol at all…

Stopped by for St. Patrick’s day, way under staffed. Food took 2hrs. for the appetizer and still didn’t receive. Ordered chicken strips.

I went here before a show at the UIC Pavilion. I’ve never really hung out around the UIC campus and heard this is one of the popular bars. We just ate here and grabbed a few drinks while watching the Bulls game. It wasn’t too crowded and we got a table near the front.
For appetizers we got the tater tots and the onion strings. Usually when I think of appetizers it’s something on the smaller side that everyone shares just to get a couple bites. But when they brought out the onion strings, it was the size of a damn brick haha. I’m not one to complain about getting TOO MUCH food though haha. The tots also came in a huge basket. The first couple of bites of both appetizers were really good. But after a while you realize how greezy everything is and the oil just starts to build up in your stomach. I felt like I needed a shower to wash all the grease off my hands and face.
Then I ordered the build your own burger. I liked how they had a lot of good sauce options like chipotle mayo and spicy ranch. The burger itself was pretty tasty and I definitely saved off some onion strings from that brick to put on top of the burger.
Overall, it’s a decent bar to catch and game and grab some good old fashioned greasy bar food if you’re hungry.

I do not recommend coming here for the food. My friend ordered the chicken salad and waited fir the chicken! The nachos were just thrown together. Just had a bad experience. Its fine for having drinks. Fun place before a hawks game or concert.

It’s a local bar near the UIC Hospital and medical district (Tri-​Taylor). I’ve had a drink here before, but this was my first time getting a meal. I would say it’s your typical bar with a lot of TV’s, pretty typical bar food, and some beer deals for college kids, grads, and medical folk.
We were able to snag one of the seats outside, which was blocked by a school bus. That bus left halfway through our meal, which was a much welcomed removal, since it really helped with the views. Not that they have fabulous views in the first place. It was just an improvement from the yellow school bus right in the way.
OK, let’s move on to what we ordered! It was $ 1 beef taco night, so we ordered two of them. It’s $ 0.50 per additional topping and we were feeling a little stingy, so we only ordered salsa on the side LOL. We also ordered the southwest salad with jerk chicken. I’m so glad they give the dressing on the side, because you really don’t need all that dressing that they give you. But overall, it was pretty tasty. I would order that again.

I stop in here with a buddy a couple times a month. The service is spotty but the bartenders are usually friendly and helpful. The burgers and tater tots are not bad but nothing special. The problem I had yesterday was with the unprofessional conduct of the bar host.
I politely asked the bartender if they could turn the Cubs game on the one TV that I was facing from our table. Before asking I checked to make sure that no one else was looking at that TV and it appeared I was the only one. She asked the host and then I waited patiently. Nothing happened for a while so I checked and then the host said they had the Cubs game on other TV’s and so he wasn’t going to change it. I asked if he was seriously refusing to change the channel and he was.
He then spent the next hour alternating from hitting on some girls sitting at the bar and leaning on the «Wait to be seated» sign while watching the Sox game on the one TV I asked them to change, while occasionally glaring in my direction. Apparently it was more important for him to kill time by watching the Sox lose 16 – 0 than comply with a customer request. The website says, «Watch Your Favorite MLB team on one of our Hi-​Def Televisions!» Apparently, they will determine which team you get to watch.
But then the unprofessionalism went to another level as the host started horse-​playing with the girls at the bar and grabbed one girl from behind, putting his one hand over her mouth as if he was kidnapping her. I don’t care if they know each other or not that is totally unacceptable in a place of business! And, yes I have the photos to prove it. Someone needs to train this boy or fire him because that whole experience was absurd. Horrible customer service!