Modern Grill

Frank and Christina rock this grill! Breakfast is awesome and we can’t wait to come back for a burger! New favorite place for Sunday breakfast!

Walked in place was horribly dirty when i asked the waitress to clean the table she jump down my throat and said that she doesn’t jump to when people talk to her when she wipe down the table I said thank you and then she jumped down my throat again saying you don’t want me to like you so I walked out without even ordering my food horrible service very dirty restaurant I wouldn’t recommend anybody going in therei ll never go again

The staff was extremely kind, the food was very reasonably priced and made quickly. Great experience overall for anyone looking for a cozy diner.

I ordered a chicken salad sandwich. It tasted like it came out of a can and was drenched in relish and maybe dish water. I already made up my mind that I would never come back, and I was only going to eat half. Then I found a hair on my plate. Gross. So I stopped eating right then. I didn’t say anything because I just wanted to pay for my food and leave. The circus that was going on in there by the staff was insane. I’m not going to make personal attacks on them like some other Unilocal reviewers, but I have to say they are all on point. They only seemed to have 1 ketchup bottle that was being shared from table to table, which I find weird and cheap. I get it, it’s a greasy spoon place. Greasy spoon doesn’t have to be dirty. There was grease and dust an inch thick on the shelves above the grill. There are also hats in the corner that are stacked up with dust that is about 2 inches thick. I have an idea deep clean your place, and wear a hair net while you cook. I don’t want a response from the owner. She seems to respond to all the bad reviews on this place. Also it seems like there are some fake 5 star reviews by people with no pictures and no other reviews. It seems like they are only staying in business from out of towners and people going to see the Blue Men Group. By the way The name should not be New Modern Grill. There is nothing new or modern about it.

Ok, totally NOT what was expected. When we left the Briar Theatre after the show, the kids were complaining that they were hungry. We don’t know the neighborhood so we just popped into the Modern Grille.
Not sure what to get, but the staff was really nice and happy to help. We ended up with gyro, an order of cheese sticks and grilled cheese. My son told me the sticks were the best he’s had and the grilled cheese was cooked perfectly. Gyro was delicious and We also got sides of crispy fries that were yummy.
So happy we stopped here on a whim!

I just tried The New Modern Grill for the first time yesterday after passing by for the last 5 years. The only thing I can say is that I should’ve tried it 5 years prior. I ended up trying the Ham egg and cheese sandwich on toasted rye, and the Ribeye sandwich, and both were phenomenal… so much so that I just reordered them 30 minutes ago! I’ve only ordered for pick up both times, so I can’t comment on the dine in experience, but the staff was warm, welcoming, and had the personality of an old school diner crew. I’ve read the negative reviews on this place before giving them a shot and I’d like to address a few things.
1.I’ve worked in multiple restaurants and cuisines in the last 5 years, and all of them marry their ketchups. It’s not gross at all.
2. If you don’t like dining around homeless people (who have just as much right to be there as you) then dine in the daytime, and you’ll bypass them. Or take your order to go.
3. while yes the décor is a little dated, it brings with it a certain charm, and I hope they stick with an old school style that is nice and modern.
4. You should know going in that this place is a greasy spoon. Don’t act surprised when it’s exactly that. (Look at the menu, the price point, and the service style, and layout of the diner and you should know it’s not a juice bar. It’s vintage Americana.)
Keep doing what you’re doing guys, and don’t let these pompous asses bring you down!

Worst service possible!!! We were looking for some pie and coffee, but noticed that they had banana splits on the menu. We were just talking about banana splits so we decided to order 2. We asked the only person working there, not sure what her name is, if we could have 2 banana splits. She gave us the weirdest look and grabbed the 2 most ripped bananas in the bunch. We said «thanks but we have to go». She threw a pan she had in her hands intentionally and said have a great day in a condescending voice. I said «wow was that necessary?» She said «wow» in the same condescending voice. Mind you there were 2 other customers there who didn’t even seem surprised. If I wanted my server to have an attitude I would have gone to Ed Debevics! Never will I step foot in this establishment again.

This is a classic case of the people leaving negative reviews just being completely oblivious that not every place in the world is going to be tailored to their personal taste. If you’re looking for a solid neighborhood diner and a cheap meal, this is a good spot. Staff is beyond friendly on both of the occasions I’ve been in (different people working too).
Don’t go here expecting culinary innovation or hipster cred, what you see is exactly what you get and it’s suited us just fine.

Friendly service and great fish on Friday! They even have lentil soup. Their prices are reasonable and their fries are crispy. I have only eaten inside once; however, I am a frequent «take-​out» customer!!!

This place is quick and conveniently located but it doesn’t have much else going for it. I tried it twice and both times the lack of flavor wasn’t balanced out by the low prices. I wanted to like it so much because of the location and the nice staff, but when I got a salad and most of it was wilted and brown I couldn’t try again.

I’m not exactly sure why it’s called modern grill bc it seems just a little outdated and somewhat dingy. The food (although large in portions) is rather bland and nothing to get excited about. The hospitality of the staff however is very excellent though. Very very friendly and they tend to your every need and ensure you never have a empty cup.

This is a diner. Lots of very good food for not much $. Expect to leave stuffed and happy for $ 10. And yes, you will be called, «Hun.»

Nice ambiance. All cash! We have been coming here for a couple of years now when we are in town. Always yummy. I opt for the corn beef hash every time. Always exceptional. Love this place.

I recently found this place, conveniently located right on Belmont, I stopped in and had a meatball sandwich. It was good, fresh and very reasonably priced. Both the server and cook personable and friendly, seemed like they were running a tight shop. Will definitely be back soon, thank you!

probably my favorite diner, hands down.
it’s a corner «restaurant» with a home-​style feel. they make you feel extremely welcomed and give you a great experience. the food is made fresh to order and is extremely affordable (i’m a college student)!
i’m honestly surprised that there isn’t a line out the door. a must eat!

This location has such potential. Right on the corner of belmont and halsted. Fantastic old «grill» sign on the building. In the right hands, this place would have a line around the block. It just seems like the ownership doesn’t care. I actually saw them marrying ketchup bottles (pouring one into another) right there in front of everyone. I’m pretty sure that is a food safety violation and, even if it isn’t, it is really disgusting. Nothing is clean. Shelves are put up hap-​hazard. The food is super greasy and after watching the ketchup incident I seriously had a hard time believing anything was safe. This place is just waiting for either a new owner or for the current owner to hire a restaurant professional to clean it up. New Modern Grill could be a gold mine and a local treasure if a little money and effort were invested in its sanitation, quality, and décor.
Update in response to owner:
I have spoken to many people in the food service industry including owners, managers, and servers. The owners and the managers of course say we don’t marry ketchup bottles while the servers tell me they do but hide it. The reason is that there is no way to tell how old the product is. Ketchup should be used until the end and if the bottle is to be reused it must be sanitized before refilling. Upon refill, the date of the product should be noted somewhere. Married ketchup bottles have a higher likelihood of fermenting and becoming «ketchup wine». Marrying ketchup bottles is definitely a health code violation in many localities, I’m just not sure if Chicago is one. Regardless, it is not a good practice from a food safety standpoint.

Absolutely awful. Did delivery so the dine in experience might be different but I doubt it. I ordered dry wheat toast and recieved buttered white toast, really set the pace for the meal. Omelette was bland, hash browns were somehow worse. The only positive was all of the silverware we own was dirty and they gave us one silverware package.

Fantastic, friendly, prompt service. Delicious food at an affordable price for all.
Only drawback is that cleanliness could be stepped up a bit. Bathroom needed some attention, and some small hairs showed up in the soup…
All in all still would return and would recommend to a friend!

This is, without question, one of my favorite spots in the city. I’ll occasionally stop in just to say, «Hello» to the wonderful people even if I don’t have time for a meal.
It’s a rare thing to find a small town diner in the big city, but the New Modern Grill manages to pull it off really well. The food is made fresh, the people are incredibly kind to everyone who walks in the door and you can eventually order your usual because they’ll take the time to know you.
If I have time for breakfast, I’m having grabbing it at Modern Grill.

This is one of my favorite places in Lakeview. Now beware: it’s kind of scary! There’s something about the cooks and the servers that keeps you wandering down what kind of paths their lives went. I find it entertaining.
It is perfect, greasy comfort food that they serve. Starting from nice, well soaked in egg french toasts (my personal favorite!) through patty melt on rye, the food is very tasty, but it is greasy. The prices are very decent too. Free WiFi available.
Just cutting off one star because it’s not perfectly clean, sometimes the tables can be delicately sticky…