The Duck Inn

Food, people and drinks were all great! While my friend and I didn’t get seated at our reservation time, there was an open spot at the bar to have a drink and they were boozy and delicious. The bartenders were super knowledgeable, helpful and fun. The cocktails were a bit pricey, but quite worth it.
Once we were seated we opted not to go for the Restaurant Week menu because the other food options looked better and were comparably priced. We had a good spot with a cool view of the kitchen and ordered cheese curds and chili cheese fries to start. (Accidentally got two orders of fries delivered and we didn’t complain one bit they were so good) My friend ordered the duck wings, which even as an appetizer was sizable enough to be an entrée in addition to the shared apps. I got the chicken thigh which was a simple yet flavorful dish. While eating the manager was walking around and sat down with us, was super friendly and great to talk to. I loved learning a bit more about the place from him.
Thanks for a great night!

The food and the service was amazing! We had Brunch for 15 people this past Sunday and had the food served family style. Everyone was able to have some of every dish that was ordered — duck fat hot dog, duck confit hash, chili cheese fries w/​duck egg, chai French toast, duck fat potatoes, cheese curd grits and the cured wild salmon… It was a culinary delight! I’m so happy we discovered The Duck Inn and I can’t wait to return! My entire group loved everything right down to the atmosphere! Go here when you get the chance… you won’t be disappointed

We went here during Restaurant Week and we enjoyed our dinner immensely. I ordered from the Restaurant Week menu, while my boyfriend ordered from the regular dinner menu. Ordered their chili cheese fries even though I wasn’t in the mood for bar food, but I enjoyed every single bite! I also got their pork belly and took the server’s recommendation to add a fried duck egg. It was amazing! My boyfriend got the prawn shrimp risotto, which was so creamy and the prawns were, literally, melt-​in-​your-​mouth delicious. Also, I got their lychee cocktail (I forget the name). Yumm! We will definitely go back to The Duck Inn.

The atmosphere was great and chic, upscale and comforting. I loved the ambiance in general. The food was okay but not great. I loved the celery soup and the crème brûlée.
The cheese curds were not cheese curds– so disappointing– they would be thrown out in Wisconsin. They should be marketed as mozzarella sticks at best.

Went to this restaurant for restaurant week. We had a few issues with our reservation and had to wait over an hour prior to being seated. While we were waiting I had a few cocktails.
The duck out was great for a few sips but after a while the duck fat flavor just became too much. The Anton chigurh was solid and the autumn kaleidoscope was my favorite and may be one of the best and most creative cocktails I have ever had.
For food we did a few orders off the restaurant week and the many items off regular menu. The most notable items were the hot dog, burrata, shirt rib and the crème brûlée. The carbonara, chicken dish from restaurant week and the pork belly were okay. None of the dishes were out of this world but they were great. Food and drinks make this a solid 4 star restaurant but service and wait time was pretty poor. It literally took twenty minutes between wine pours and my water glass was almost never full.
I will try again and next time I hope they do better with the service.

First time venturing out to Bridgeport and def not the last. The Duck Inn is prettttty awesome.
So the bar snacks are everything here… EVERYTHING. We were in the dining area but the entire menu is merged so you can order whatever.
My Faves:
–THE DUCK WINGS. Oh mi goodness. I hate getting my hands dirty at a restaurant but I had no shame with these… The duck just falls off the bone and the japanese bbq sauce its with is phenomenal. Definitely getting my own order of these next time! Sharing these were quite sad.
–POTTED FOIE GRAS– Out of this world amazing. That’s all I got for that…
We did order the Rotisserie Duck… It wasn’t really that great in my opinion. it could have been an off day I don’t know… I’m glad I tried it but I would not order it again.
Excited to come back and try everything else !

Came to the Duck Inn several months ago during the summer. Located close to where I was staying in Pilsen, I gave it a go. Walking in there’s a bar, but decidedly sat at a table solo. The server was very attentive and dropped a menu. I had a glass of wine that I remember to be higher in price than I’d expect. It’s a fun midcentury decorum and starburst lighting. I had the pea gazpacho with burrata was delightful. The Alaskan halibut with squash was tasty, but the fish not too flavorful. Lastly they had these cute little ice cream cones. Salted peanut butter ice cream. Yum. Creamy. Had it all over my face I’m sure. The strawberry rhubarb ice cream was not strawberry enough for me.

This place is a solid 4 stars, as in «Yay! i’m a fan.»
The drive feels like it’s almost in the burbs, but make no mistake, you’re still within the city limits, and the food quality more than confirms that!
I came here for Sunday brunch and enjoyed:
* Corn & oil cocktail — and I’ll get it again on a return visit
* Fried cheese curds — self-​explanatory
* Chorizo omelet — the corn masa foundation was key in this dish
* Duck fat potatoes — order them extra crispy and request the bloody mary ketchup, you can thank me later
Our server was so fun and cool — she really made Duck Inn a home run experience.
I’ll definitely be back.

Hey Duck Inn, you won me over on my first visit and this would have been a 5-​star review. The food, cocktails and service (at a table) during my first visit were top-​notch!
HOWEVER, I returned for a friend’s birthday on the Tuesday between Christmas and New Year’s, as an impromptu cocktail stop at her request, since she was a part of my first visit to the Duck Inn. We arrived, there were open chairs at the bar, so we bellied-​up. While the taste of the cocktails and the beer offerings were great, the service was not. Three bartenders or technically two bartenders and one bar-​back and it was like we were invisible. The bar-​back was the friendliest and was able to hold a brief conversation as he was doing his preparations. The two actual bartenders were way too engaged in their ‘craft’ to make us feel welcomed. Even the owner was mesmerized by one of the bartenders, as he stood there videoing the bartender as he made a slew of identical drinks.
Around 6:30pm, I shouted to a friend of mine that the Hawks game was on at 7pm. We didn’t know they had a tv, since it wasn’t on; but, one of the two bartenders (tall, thin, pierced face) immediately responded and said «we can put that on.» So, instead of leaving to head somewhere to watch the game, we decided to stay since we could watch some of the game there. 7pm came, tv still not on. 7:15pm came, tv still not on. During this time, not only did I remind the bartender who said «we can put that on»; but, two of my friends reminded him at different times and barely any eye contact was made as he continued to stay focused on his cocktails. 7:30pm came and still no tv on. It was at my friend’s request that I didn’t launch my displeasure with the service at the bartender, the manager and the owner — all who where within view.
7:35, the tv finally comes on. Yes, the Duck Inn is NOT a sports bar. We had no intention of staying to watch the game there as we didn’t even know they had a tv since it’s hidden nicely behind what looks like a mirror; but, when a bartender tells you that he’ll put the game on for you and you decide to stay and order more drinks as a result, it’s complete BS when he’s over an hour late in delivering, even after 3 of us remind him at different times.
Finally, while we were waiting for the tv to come on, I mentioned to the bar-​back that it was my friend’s birthday and if the Duck Inn did anything special, to please do it for my friend. I wasn’t sure if the Duck Inn did anything special, especially just for those having cocktails at the bar. He gave a smile and said «sure.» I saw him inform the «we can put that on» bartender. Lo n behold, nothing.
We stayed until we finished our additional round of drinks, paid and left with a sour taste in our mouth. Such a different experience than our first.
We all agreed that we’ll think twice about returning given the inconsistent experience and definitely not just for drinks, for a special occasion or not, with the potential of dealing with bartenders who don’t realize they have jobs because people come there, spend money and expect to have an overall good or even great experience… that being personable and making customers feel special is part of the full experience of what is being paid for. If all you want to do is show your immaturity or be self-​absorbed while you whip up cocktails in your own little world, then do it at home, not at any bar or restaurant. If I was the manager, you’d be on a short leash to quickly pick up the social side of the job. Even if you make great cocktails, if my customers are not happy, then I am not happy = you no longer employed.

Thanks again Billy and Kevin! So happy friend/​co worker Eddie Lin took me with to check it out while in Chicago! it was delish!

I came here with a party of 5 on a Saturday night, eager to try Duck Inn. Our rotisserie duck was already pre-​ordered (before 3:30pm that same day) and when we arrived, there was a little rubber ducky on the table to indicate that our duck was prepped and ready. Our server only had to notify the kitchen, and we had to claim our pre-​ordered, highly anticipated duck. (We did not get to keep the rubber duck, if you were wondering.)
If you check-​in on Unilocal,you’ll get a free order of chili cheese fries, so that was definitely one of the first orders on our list. Overall we ordered:
Drinks all around (I got the Lychee Chuhai)
Chili cheese fries
Fried cheese curds: bloody mary ketchup & hoppy mayo
Bone in shortrib: string bean ragu, charred onion soubise & red wine sauce
Pasta carbonara: spaghetti, duck egg, braised bacon, pecorino
Rotisserie duck: duck drippings potatoes, greens, roasted pear & apple, gooseberry vinaigrette
Scallop crudo: black garlic vinaigrette, sunchoke pistachio, radish & apple
The four stars are for the drinks and the duck only. So that’s what I’ll mostly expand on. The duck was amazing, I’ve never had it cooked the way they do at The Duck Inn. The meat was tender, the skin a perfect crisp, with a separate container for the gooseberry vinaigrette. It’s $ 62 (kinda pricey) for a whole duck, which we split as an appetizer between our party.
Their drink menu is extensive and fun, and the «Lychee Chuhai» had soju, lychee and lime juice, gomme syrup, and soda. Their menu is seasonal, because I tried to order a drink (from a recommendation by my cousin) and they said they did not currently make it [glimmer of hope] and that I wouldn’t be able to order it [oh well]. I still enjoyed the Asian-​inspired drink I opted for.
My favorite of the dishes (apart from the duck) was the bone-​in short rib. Definitely order this if you’re a meat-​eater. The «full» size of the pasta carbonara was… like the size of a small Boston Market side. As for the cheese curds, I thought the «Bloody Mary ketchup» and the «hoppy mayo» would come in separate tubs, but they came already spread on the bottom of the serving dish, and I was eager for (and expecting) more. At least to dunk into the sauce, you know. I thought that dish fell short there because I like my condiments. Also to keep in mind: their portions are small and not easily shareable for a large party.
When I ordered dessert, they were out of the corn ice cream, and our server charged us for the chili cheese fries when we should have gotten it for free. Both issues above were remedied, but service was average. It seemed like a night of second options, and we needed to be vigilant about our bill.
This place is $$$$$$. Ideally, I’d skip the food here and think of Duck’s Inn as a drink spot only with the exception of the rotisserie duck. It’s the fanciness that one would expect, with men wearing jackets and couples on one of their first handfuls of dates.
When I mentioned jokingly to a friend after we paid our bill, «So after this, «McDonalds?» With fiery wit she replied, «For the next few days!» (referring to the price of our meal). I actually meant going right afterwards (…referring to my unsatiated hunger).

My four stars was should have been five.
The Autumn Kaleidoscope, completed with a smoke englazed Crystal goblet – burned off of leaves from and the soul of Uncle Fall – was built from two whiskies, bitters, syrup and rainbows, was excellent.
My rye burger was perfectly cooked; bravely rare, and beef flavor focused (and not sauced to death).
The duck fat fries were probably the best fries I’ve had in the city. That’s books.
The bartenders are Top Gun Mavericks. I’ve never seen ice cubes as art until now.

We were in the neighborhood, so we decided to come here for a late lunch. I’ve heard and read great things about this place, but was not as impressed as I thought I would be. The best dish we ordered was the duck hash. Flavorful, but couldn’t detect a distinct duck taste. The duck wings and lumpia were good. However the wings were warm and were pretty similar to other wings out there (great seas on Lawrence). Finally the chili fries were delish. Great drink menu too. Overall a unique spot for the neighborhood. Probably wouldn’t go out of the way to go to Bridgeport considering I live on the northside where L&E, Gather, and Parachute are a short walk/​drive away.

What a fantastic hidden gem in Bridgeport!
I hadn’t heard of The Duck Inn before my date suggested it. So my first visit was last night for dinner.
Driving to the restaurant was kinda weird because it’s empty and desolate coming from Cermak. Then you see homes, then you see a cutely lit, unassuming building that looks a former neighborhood corner bar (remember those Chicago?)
The interior is very pretty. The front part of the restaurant is the bar. Then you keep walking towards the back, through some french doors and you reach the restaurant part of it. It’s kinda small but it’s intimate and it feels cozy. We were able to sit at the Chef’s Table.
We were going to order the duck, but turns out they had just ran out! Boooo! Since my date was way more familiar with the menu, I went with his suggestions on plates that we could share. For starters we got the Duck Wings and the Fried Cheese Curds. The Duck Wings were good. The meat was a little dry for my liking, but the sauce was FIYAH! Kinda messy, but very finger-​lickin’ good. The Cheese Curds were super tasty! They weren’t your standard bar fried cheese curds. They were light and the cheese was soft. The Bloody Mary Ketchup I probably could have done without, but it didn’t ruin the goodness of the curds.
For our main courses we went with 3 dishes: The Bone In Shortrib, Berkshire Pork Shoulder, and the Gyros Plate. The Gyros Plate was good. Very flavorful. The Shortrib was really good. The meat was tender and delicious. My favorite plate of them was hands down, the Pork Shoulder. Wow, what a great dish! The creamy fregola was addicting!
Initially, I was worried ordering 3 entrees would be way too much food. But, with the 2 starters, it was just enough food. Which I guess I can understand why some people would be disappointed. Portions aren’t big here at all and overall it kinda is pricey. But the quality is phenomenal.
Speaking of quality, everything on the menu is made in-​house.
OMG, I almost forgot to mention the cocktails! My date was drinking the Old Fashioned, and I went with the Kingdom of Koryo. The Kingdom of Koryo was light and refreshing. I think it’s better suited for the warm days out on the patio. But both cocktails were very tasty!
Service was awesome. Our server, Jackie, was very nice and explained the menu well.
After dinner, we went up to the bar to continue with cocktails for the remainder of the night and it was super chill.
Overall, a great place! I can see myself coming back to try other items on the menu.
TL;DR Version: Awesome place! Great service. Quality food. Tasty cocktails. Great date spot. Get the Berkshire Pork Shoulder. DO IT.

Hidden gem! If you don’t have time to read the rest of my long review, here’s your main takeaway: Make sure to call ahead and reserve a Rotisserie Duck.
Came here on a Wednesday night to celebrate my boyfriend’s birthday, and had a great time. It’s unassuming on the outside (literally the only restaurant in a residential neighborhood), but once we stepped inside, we were greeted by modern furniture and lighting, and a very friendly hostess.
After we were seated in a cozy spot with a view of both the patio and semi open-​concept kitchen, my boyfriend knew exactly what to do first. Did you know that their chili cheese fries are free with a Unilocal check in? :) We also put an order of the Spot Prawns as appetizers. Our starters came out quickly, as well as a rubber duck to signify the Rotisserie Duck we ordered. Cute touch! Spot Prawns were perfectly cooked, and the risotto was very tasty. I’ve never had Sea Beans before, but the acidic flavor was a pleasant surprise, and blended well with the rest of the dish. Chili Cheese fries were good too, but nothing to rave about. We really came for the duck! Needless to say, our expectations were fulfilled.
Shortly after we finished our starters, the duck came out. It was beautifully presented on a wooden board, on top of a mix of swiss chard, roasted pears, apples, and potatoes with a little steel server of duck jus. Everything was cooked perfectly, the duck was tender, flavorful and complemented by the fruit and vegetables. And the duck jus, yum! Contrary to other Unilocalers, the portion was just fine for us because we finished the entire dish!
At the end of our meal, when we were too full to even contemplate dessert, the manager came out with a small birthday treat for my boyfriend — a chocolate ice cream cone! It was a very thoughtful gesture that I didn’t expect to receive when I made the reservation on OpenTable.
All in all, Duck Inn was a very pleasant dining experience. You can tell how much care they put into the details. Will be back!

Can’t get over the wine glass stinginess and that’s a shame. More on that later…
But the food! Yes. Sticky toffee pudding, potted foie gras and believe it or not, the chili cheese fries are the stand outs here at Duck Inn. There’s a wonderful fruity and herbal jelly that topped the whipped and clean foie gras layer and it’s perhaps THE BEST thing on the menu. And those cheese curds almost float away.
Of course the duck is acceptable, but did you REELY have any doubts whatsoever about the entrée that provides their identity?
It’s a joy to see more gastro pub type establishments give the Bridgeport area a lift, because the rent REELY IZ too damn high and there’s always rush hour traffic in Chicago, it seems. It’s nice to turn just a few corners and have a chef and kitchen army launch just as much of a wonderful culinary journey as the well-​healed up and around Oak Street enjoy.
But please. During at least 2 visits there…
Don’t EVER tell another customer that you’re not serving their table stemware on the patio because of ‘breakage possibility’. ESPECIALLY when the surrounding tables are drinking out of fucking stemware!
It’s a complete insult!
No one goes out to pay $ 62 for an entrée and then get sippy-​cup treatment.
And hopefully you really are better than that.

For sweetest day, I took my boyfriend here so we could enjoy a nice dinner together. We pass this place on our way to work and he always mentions how it’s supposed to be a really great restaurant. I saw the rave reviews so I booked a reservation.
On the reservations, it asks if you want the rotisserie duck because they have to prepare it ahead of time. I put no, but when I was seated, I was given this tiny little duck. It tells your waitress that you ordered the rotisserie duck. I told them there must have been a mistake. However, then we chose to accept the error and eat yummy duck.
While we waited for that, we ordered chili cheese fries and cheese curds. The cheese fries were average. The cheese curds, though. OMG they were amazing. They aren’t your run-​of-​the-​mill cheese curds. They were light and soft. I actually wish we ordered two of those instead of one of each.
Then, our duck came out on this beautiful wooden block on top of a kale salad. It looked so good. We also got the sautéed mushrooms, which was recommended by our waitress (she was great by the way). Both dishes were so delicious. We couldn’t finish everything. A whole duck is pretty huge for two people. Four people could have eaten that thing.
So after all that and asking the duck to go, we got dessert. When will we come back? We don’t know, so we seized the moment and ordered two scoops of strawberry and tarragon. It was such a different flavor because that tarragon gave it an earthy kick. My boyfriend wasn’t a fan of it, but I was and was basically like, «Fine with me; more for me anyways.»
It was a delightful experience. I felt fancy without having to dress up (hate dressing up). I felt like I could take my time and just savor the moment and memory. It was great and I really do hope I have another opportunity to eat there.

What a surprisingly delicious dinner! Walked in on a Tuesday evening and the dining room was fairly empty, with a few ppl at the bar watching the Cubs/​cards game. The manager greeted us with a warm handshake and introduced himself to us– very personable!
Duck entrée for two: 5 stars. Some of the best crispy duck I’ve had yet, paired with creamy baby Swiss chard, potato and Bosc pear. Really enough for three ppl!
Veggie of the night was brussel sprouts: 4 stars. Super crispy and light, good portions, tad on the salty side.
Lemon verbena hefeweizen: 5 stars. Omgosh I am not a huge beer person but I could keep drinking this all night long! It was so fragrant and tasty!
We would have loved to try their sticky toffee pudding but since we cleared our plates completely there simply was no more room. :(
Service was excellent, we were checked on by the server, manager and chef! What a great neighborhood find– we will definitely be back! Really a 4.5 rating!

Meh… we traveled down here to check out this new, hip place and weren’t impressed.
The have fantastic décor. Loved that. Fantastic patio outdoor area. And that’s where the fabulous left.
Our server seemed disinterested, uninformed, annoyed with us. We asked about some of the Shochu cocktails… like what is Shochu… her answer was I don’t know but they are good??? Not, I’ll find out or a fantastic description to make my friend want it more… just I don’t know. Weird.
We put in for some apps as we glazed over the menu and the server wanted us to place our meal order because she «didn’t want us getting stuff (aka food) on the menus. Whaaa? Like she really wanted us to order… now! Before the food came out. One of the menus already had old sauce on it… hehehehe. Maybe they did not have any extras, maybe they are trying to be environmentally conscience. I’m not sure, but it came off all wrong.
The food left much to be desired. The duck fat dog was pretty good. Chili cheese fries were good (free with Unilocal check in). The cheese curds… meh. Prawns were good. Peas & burrata… meh. Short ribs were good, but tiny. Roasted mushrooms were bland. The menu was all meh. Like good stuff not put together right of just lacking. Nothing to drive down here for. All hype… it’s just that, hype with no delivery.
Easy street parking. I didn’t see any valet even if you wanted to.
The food runner was actually SUPER friendly & seemed very knowledgeable.
It was weird…

I’m pissed it took me this long to get here! Should’ve had all my ducks in a row a lot sooner. (GET IT – DUCKS?!)
We had a lovely dinner here with friends on the garden patio. At the suggestion of our waiter, we started with the cheese curds (with an amazing Bloody Mary ketchup) and the prawns with risotto. I probably could’ve had another order of each to myself.
We also shared two orders of the duck. We hadn’t realized you have to order the duck ahead of time, but they were having a slow day and had a few extra on hand. Lucky us. I thought the duck was perfectly cooked, but hubs had wished it was a little rarer. Each person was able to have a juicy breast as well as a leg with crispy skin that melted in your mouth. The spread was accompanied by roasted potatoes and a salad with strawberries, which offered a nice, bright contrast to the rest of the meal.
For dessert we had the toffee pudding, which was just OK. We thought it would be ooey-​gooey like monkey bread, but it was a little drier and accompanied by a sauce.
Overall, we had a perfect evening and will definitely be back. My only complaint can’t be directed at the restaurant too much – the tree we were sitting under kept dropping pollen into our drinks. Still, the lovely weather made it worth it. Very cool vibe and attentive staff. A must-​visit!