The Orbit Room

Orbit Rox!!! The best kept out door patio secret in the city. The food is always great. The staff is always friendly and the music is always rock’n. Now… if only the weather could be always be perfect orbit would be the best place on the planet.

Orbit Room is one of my favorite local spots. There are so many reasons it has become my go-​to bar; laid back atmosphere, really nice patio, consistently good food, decent beer selection, and tasty fruity cocktails. Hubby and I have always received good service there, but Bruce… He is AWESOME! We went with a larger group one Sunday afternoon, to enjoy a leisurely brunch with bottomless mimosas, and Bruce was great about constantly bringing over fresh glasses of mimosas, and he didn’t seem to mind one bit that we sat there for at least 3 hours! And there are so many yummy options on the menu – the Cuban sandwich is my favorite, but when I’m in the mood for a burger, this one never disappoints! The Ropa Vieja is legit, surprisingly delicious coming from a bar (tastes like something I would get at an authentic Cuban restaurant) and the pizza is solid. Whenever we’re debating on going out for a chill dinner with drinks, or just drinks, we always head out to visit our new buddy Bruce!

In response to the NEW owner below:
Yeah, I’m going to have to disagree. Even if Boiler Room was running a special, Lil Sumpin runs a pint $ 5 – 7. This isn’t River North. I went to «Roots» last night in a yuppie part of Lincoln Square and it was $ 6. I’d encourage you to try visiting a few other bars in the neighborhood, hell, even branch out to Logan Square. My friends and I left because $ 8 is preposterous, and $ 5 for a Schlitz isn’t a special. You can call me cheap or whatever you want, but The Orbit Room is not a high-​end, fancy bar. It’s cute and gimmicky and a little divey and that’s what I always liked about it.
I can see by your other responses on this page that you’re not handling criticism so well. Please don’t tell me what other bars charge. The laughable prices, combined with the fact that the bartenders never give me back my change (it’s only 20cents but ffs) my love affair with Orbit Room is over.
Edit: haha, I heard we had a change of ownership. That explains it. You’re gonna run this bar into the ground, Adriana!

After going to The Orbit Room, I think I want black fixtures in my bathroom… black toilet, black sink, all black errrythang. Their bathrooms are dope!
From the outside, it looks like a dive. Step inside and it’s classier than a dive… plus the prices are definitely not dive prices. This is a normal neighborhood bar with some slight elevation. Drinks are my poison at Orbit Room and they have a decent beer list. It won’t knock your socks off but they do have a rotating Three Floyd’s & Revolution, which is enough to keep me happy. Their draft beers were $ 7 – 8 each was maybe… a buck more than I’d like. But, the service was super nice. Our server was very attentive but not overly so & our drinks never got low without an offer for the next.
Word on my street is their patio is amazing! It’s like two blocks from my place so I’ll be back when the sunshine returns and I can basking outside in the rays.

Ran across this place while hanging out with friends, and it’s pretty nice — decent selection of food, very solid cocktails and mixed drinks, and a good if not great selection of beers. It’s been around for a long time, so I’m surprised that I never got around to it until recently. The front of the house has a divey, neighborhood feel, which is why the rear beer garden and patio — super-​spacious and open — makes for such a marked contrast. The service was exceptional, and there was a lot more on the menu I’d like to explore. I’ll be back!

Came here on a suggestion from a fellow Unilocaler and this place is pretty nice. The drink selection was good, I got a few Murphy’s Stouts and they were pretty good. The waitress was super-​attentive and made sure our drinks and needs were met. The place was pretty busy by around 10PM on a Saturday. I wouldn’t consider it a dive bar, but then again, I’m not an expert. Plenty of street parking on California when we were there.
BATHROOM REVIEW: As a bathroom expert though, definitely not a dive bar bathroom. I’ve been to dive bars where the bathroom door was a shower curtain. What this bathroom did have, as Jay-​Z would call it, black everything! Black toilet, black tiles, black sink. They had a curtain covering the window-​blocks but everything was pretty much clean and tidy. Sit or squat? I’d squat, but only because the toilet was black; ya can’t really tell if it’s clean or not.

Wow, what happened here? It’s suddenly unaffordable. $ 8 for a pint of Lil Sumpin? Earlier in the day I was at Boiler Room and it was $ 4. $ 5 for a can of Schlitz is a special. Is this real life?

Orbit is ok if you want to just get a beer, but the prices aren’t great. The staff seems to be more occupied with doing drugs in the back instead of doing their job. Poor staff, decent food, high prices.

Still have not had any food here besides hummus and chips but always great food and atmosphere! Would highly recommend.

Still love the Orbit Room! Friendly bartenders and servers, good food and specials everyday make this a certain win!
Hard to believe I haven’t written an update in 5 years but that’s okay. Nothing has changed. And that’s a good thing!

WORST customer service experience I have ever had!!! Our gum ball head drafts did not taste right and instead of accommodating us, the manager? (Owner?) came to our table and YELLED at us about her beer lines just being cleaned. It was so rude and awkward and when we asked for the check the beers were on the tab. She even returned to the table to yell at us a second time. Wtf? Will never go back to the orbit room!!!

We were part of a group of maybe 15 – 20 celebrating a birthday party. We arrived prior to the birthday girl and we’re greeted by friendly bar staff and our waitress (early Saturday evening). The agreed to store the birthday cake for us with no problem. Since the cake was taken care of, it was time for a drink. We planted ourselves at the bar and ordered a Mai Tai for wifey and Oberon for me. The drinks were cold and delicious and fairly priced. The bar itself had a retro-​sheik feel and no televisions. That being said, if you’re trying to catch the game, this is not the place to be. If you want to chill and socialize, the Orbit Room will do the trick.
Upon arrival of the bday girl and other guest, we move the party outside to some tables we had reserved in the tiki bar/​patio area. It was a little chilly this September day, so the patio was pretty vacant. Our server, though her name slips my mind, was very attentive. Drinks and appetizers were served in no time.
The only negative I have is some of the food items. One of the ladies in our group had the tomato basil soup which was very salty. She slid it in front of her thinking the waitress or kitchen staff guy would question if everything was okay. Next, my burger arrived — Overcooked and dried-​out (I requested medium rare). Even worse, the onion strings on top the burger we left in the deep fryer too long. The taste of the burnt onion strings tainted the flavor of the dried-​out burger… I was hungry and was ready to cry in my beer. I again left my burger in front of me know that we were not going to get a, «How is your meal?» from the waitress or kitchen delivery staff. That, «how is your meal?», never came. In fact, the kitchen staff guy simple removed the picked-​at dried-​out burger and salty soup from the table after an hour all why not saying a word. So, would I return to Orbit Room? Perhaps… But it would have to be on a full-​stomach as I couldn’t bank on having a good meal here.

Funky, chill place in Avondale worth visiting! The atmosphere is warm and hip. Order the street corn appetizer — so flavorful and delicious! Bartenders are friendly and engaging.

How have I never reviewed Orbit Room before? I guess I was just too busy enjoying it all the time to sit down and give the credit and feedback they deserve.
Nothing compares to this place for me. I have never had a bad meal, a bad drink or a bad time. Ever. Except maybe when the patio gets yuppied up a little sometimes, but its still worth it.
The atmosphere is perfect, it has a great tiki theme and a retro vibe. The music is always good (if you like good music) and its never so loud that you can’t maintain a conversation.
The staff is incredibly helpful and friendly. Mario and Matt are the standouts — great bartenders and waiters — we love when we come in and see they are there. We know we will have good service and they are so patient with us even when my sister makes them help choose her food and beverages… that’s next level service if you ask me.
The food is always on point, like I said — never a bad meal. Ever! Its always good and consistent which is important to regulars. They recently added some new choices which are, of course, all amazing as well.
The drinks are always good, I am a beer lady myself but I have definitely enjoyed their cocktails and I can tell you they are made with care even if its busy.
Bottom line: go there. Or actually don’t, so that I don’t have to wait for a table.

They’ve tricked out the patio Tiki style a few years back and it is awesome. The cocktails continue to impress and for my palate the burger is preferable to Kuma’s. Spend your summer at Orbit Room!

So there’s a little neon sign in the window that reads:
Great Food
Don’t sleep.
I’ve lived walking distance from Orbit for over twenty years and just recently crossed its threshold. I’ll admit I’m not too crazy about the brunch menu but the couple visits I’ve had will keep me coming back. So with all the patio hype in Chicago I tend to love that Orbit has a beautiful outdoor tiki vibe that feels like a hidden gem. Parsons can exit stage left with their 2.5 hour waits. I feel as though I wouldn’t even wait that long for my first born to arrive.
Back to the food though. I often associate chicken tenders as budget friendly food and not necessarily ambrosia but I will gladly order them here. They have a sweet yet spicy and thick dipping sauce that I’ve fallen for. They officially have the best Cajun Caesar salad I’ve had and I’ve already stated in past reviews that I’m just not one to sweat a salad. I mean it’s a garden on a plate. And when it comes to elotes I need mine on the cob. Orbit doesn’t serve it on the cob but they get a pass. I leave it to you to judge though.
As for the drinks they have some pretty good juice cocktails with lemonade and some respectable beers like Alpha King. I feel maybe they could rotate or add some better options but I don’t even care honestly.
Now the inside is pretty tight and narrow but I could tell that Orbit is a fan favorite among the neighborhood folk and I say let’s keep it that way.

House party! Yea! That’s what it feels like sitting on the Orbit Room patio behind what looks like somebody’s house. We came for cocktails, following a good bone-​gnawing session at the Pork Shoppe. But that would be a different story.
We walked through the bar, which looks like it would be a ton of fun on a cold or rainy night. Very cozy-​like. But on what was one of the first patio-​worthy evenings of the spring of 2015; we were not to be distracted. Patio-​worthy evenings in Chicago are not to be squandered.
And what a patio it is: large, with tables that can seat any size party from a lonely guy crying in his beer (I don’t need your pity; so please stop staring!) to a large group of friends (so large that even the creeps that you had hoped wouldn’t attend showed up). The tables are spread out; so you don’t have to listen to the guy next to you loudly explain the options he uses to avoid traffic on his way to work, but you’ll miss the 411 on what the mail carrier saw when he took a peek into an apartment while delivering a surprisingly generic-​looking package. It was noisier than I expected – sometimes hard to hear my own friends. That having been said, the crowd is old enough that their shouting beer pong days are well in the past.
I’m a huge fan of horchata, that fabulous rice drink you get at authentic taquerias. It turns out that someone has bottled a mix of horchata and rum, and it’s a marriage as happy as peanut butter and chocolate. Tonight, the Rumchata martini made for a delightful, imbibable dessert. I normally gravitate to whiskey-​based libations, like Old Fashioneds. My friends tried the «Old Fangled,» which adds cherry and orange simple syrup to the traditional recipe. A little sweet for my barbed tongue, but they liked it.
If I’m in the neighborhood, I’ll be back – whether it’s for winter coziness or patio-​weather contentment.

They have the BEST patio, so we like to come here some Sundays for Shark Bite and Bloody Mary day-​drinking. Before you know it, it’s been a few hours and we should probably eat something. Then, more drinks. Then, it’s getting dark out. Oops.
Their food is always good. I like the blackened chicken sandwich and also their sloppy joe is really good. I always have to get the onion rings because they have the best onion rings ever.
The bartenders are some of the most friendly people and never let your sit at the bar with your beer empty.
Sometimes service on the patio can be a bit slow but it’s not a big deal when you’re just there to chill and enjoy the weather and company, anyhow but I can see where some people might get perturbed if they just want to eat and get going.
I really like that they have a ‘no children under 13′ policy, because sometimes adults just want to be able to drop an F-​bomb now and then without people tsk tsk’ing you.
I also like to come here because a girl can sit at the bar and read her cat fiction book and have a drink without being judged.

Great place to hang, booze and/​or eat.
My friend lives less than a block from this bar in Logan Square, so I’ve been to the Orbit Room nearly every time I visit — the first time was on New Years’ a few years ago. Every time I go, the staff is friendly and just attentive enough, the drinks are amazing and if you’re hungry, the food doesn’t disappoint either.
They make a killer cucumber margarita that I had yesterday on Cinco de Mayo, along with the best pulled pork nachos I’ve ever had (which fed four people, so bring friends). I’ve also tried their French onion soup and their caprese sandwich, both of which are awesome.
It’s easy to think this place is so great because there isn’t somewhere like it in the immediate vicinity — and certainly you could find great food and drinks downtown — but it really does feel like a neighborhood haunt and I don’t think that could be replicated in the Loop. Get it done, Orbit Room!

Alright guys, I’m on board. I’ve been here a few times before and I must have not really paid enough attention. I thought this was a serviceable bar, but not anything to really write home about. And I was wrong.
Went here for my birthday a few years back and again recently and its a great and unique bar with some pretty phenomenal and underrated food. Had the Ropa Vieja a few nights back and still find myself thinking about it from time to time. My wife had the mac and cheese, and then later I spent a lot of time looking at the leftovers in the fridge and racking my head for plausible excuses for why it might be acceptable for me to eat them without permission at midnight on a weekday.
I’m not a big cocktail guy, truth be told, but they have some tasty cocktails here and I’m interested in branching out and trying some more of the drinks here. Went back here a little bit ago and tried the burger with Chorizo and egg, and holy hell was that good too.
The service has been good every time I’ve gone, the bartenders have been friendly and helpful. On top of that, the atmosphere is great. I love the low, red lighting, and the rockabilly crowd that sometimes frequents the place. I’m kinda tempted to rate this even higher, but will give it some time. Only been here a few times so far, so it might grow on me even more.
Orbit Room, I live really close to you. A year from now, let me know whose kid I put through college.

I’m not sure when Orbit Room thinks it got fancy.
I can respect a bar that doesn’t want kids inside. I don’t have kids and I do not like kids. But I was there with friends who have kids, and we were treated like a virus to be contained. Make up your mind, Orbit Room. You seat us in the patio, and the service was beyond slow. Only about five other tables were full out there. My spaced-​out server recommended the «awesome thing that’s like nachos with eggs on top!» (aka, chilaquiles) I ordered that and it took almost 40 minutes. Meanwhile, the two toddlers at our table acted like normal toddlers outside. (they weren’t running, they weren’t leaving the table, just being kids at our own table) And some lady came up to us twice to tell the parents that «kids can only be here if they cause no distraction on the patio.» It was stressful, to say the least. This lady stood in the corner, fuming, watching these toddlers’ every move. No one else on the patio noticed these little girls.
I’m not saying little kids should be allowed in every bar. But this place thinks they’re some adult-​only special place, and it’s like a mom and pop divey restaurant that happens to have a nice patio. Get over yourself.
My food came out and tasted bad. I didn’t eat most of it. I only give it two stars because I used to like Orbit Room.

We are regulars at the Orbit Room and are so pleased that young children are no longer allowed. We have had too many unfortunate experiences in restaurants, including the Orbit Room (in the past), with unruly children allowed by their parents to run uncontrolled throughout the restaurant and patio. We actually stopped going to several restaurants because they are too child friendly.
We are extremely pleased that the Orbit Room became an «adult» venue and highly recommend the food, the staff and the owners.

Aside from the fact that I was talked into walking ‘a few blocks’ here (turned out to be more than a few blocks…), I really enjoyed my visit to Orbit Room!
Who knew this was here?! It has a great patio, friendly service, great drink lists (including a good wine selection) and apparently good food if you saw the folks next to us eating theirs at warp speed!
Definitely worth a visit to relax in the hidden patio.

I live pretty close and have drive by multiple times over the years, but never took the leap until the other day when looking for a patio.
And wow did we find a patio! It’s like another world back there, tiki tropic land! Good drinks (although pricy for Avondale IMO), and a great atmosphere. When you arrive you arrive to a dark dive bar with loud music, keep walking if you want Tiki land. Exit the back door and bam!

This place doesn’t look like much from the outside– in fact, it’s pretty meh looking. But don’t judge a bar by its exterior, as I was reminded. We walked inside an open door (with a large curtain to keep the cold air inside) and went right to the outside back patio.
I liked the tiki theme they had going on in the back patio, which was spacious enough with only two other tables on this hot sunny Sunday. We waited a few minutes for our waitress who was nice enough to bring ice cold water to us as we decided what drinks we wanted.
They had a few beers, but were all over in terms of price. PBR, typically the cheapest, was only $ 3 here for a tallboy. But a Stella was $ 7. That’s a little odd. Miller Lite only $ 4, craft beers $ 6-​$ 8. Since the beers were a bit pricey for my choosing, I went with a tiki drink, which was pretty damn good, with a $ 9 price tag.
The back patio wasn’t too shaded, so the few tables that had umbrellas were where people were sitting. The back was quiet, even though this place is somewhat close to the highway– the tiki theme patio had brown painted chairs (which the paint was peeling off, leaving the chairs looking like paint fell on them, which was a little weird). The plastic tables were outfitted with wood tops, but were a bit wobbly. Not a big deal.
I liked the patio, service was also good. I think they could do more with such a big area, but I’m not sure what. Also wish they had more beers on tap, and prices were a bit more even for beers. Other than that, this place was pretty decent.