Bangers & Lace – Evanston

This place is AWE-​SOME. Beers galore, fun atmosphere, good eats, all around good. The staff is extremely kind, and I have always had a great experience here, whether it’s for a beer and an appetizer, or a full-​blown dinner.
Best fried pickles I have ever had. Hands down.

Bangers and Lace is the best restaurant/​bar Evanston has to offer. I frequent it as a grad student at Northwestern. The prices are a bit steep for a student budget but are decent for the working professional. Whiskey selection is average but decent. Pretzel bites are a must try in addition to the brussel sprouts (if they’re still on the menu). I definitely recommend it if you make a quick stop in Evanston and looking for good eats.

This place is awesome. Our server was super and made sure that we were really enjoying our drinks. We tried their smore type dessert, I think it was called «the beard wrecker» — I hope I’m close. It was DELICIOUS! Everything on it tasted homemade and just so tasty! I definitely will be back to try more of the food on their menu. All the food looked very delicious from what I could see on other people’s tables. Overall this is a great place to get a drink and hang out in a really relaxed environment. Also, their bathroom was awesomely decorated. Haha. Definitely check it out!

Big facelift from the former bar that stood here: the Keg. Food is decent, great beer selection but the manager is a complete asshat. He really gives the waitstaff a hard job of making customers happy when he has such a poor attitude. We were there with a very large group for a happy hour and showed up when the place was empty, we had a nice server and all was well until the rude manager started yelling at us to go back to our seats. Excuse me! We are adult patrons spending money at your bar not 5 year old children in school. It’s a bar not a five star restaurant and if we are in the way you could talk to people in a civilized manner. He guaranteed that I will most definitely never be back there.

Great place for drinks and appetizers! Make sure you sit in Kathryn’s section as she is the best waitress in Chicago! Yes there are a lot of restaurants and bars in Chicago so this goes to show you the level of service she provides! Great beer selection here! Before my #24 (Palm Cornet –Oaked Belgian Strong Ale) is finished, here comes Kathryn with the next round reading my mind!‘
It’s like being in the zone when your waitress and your beer cravings are one and the same! My preference in a good beer is a Belgium style. All I can say is try #24! This German beer is phenomenal!
Evanston has blown up with all of the new restaurants and shopping places that have opened in the last couple of years. Make sure to grab a drink here before trekking through the many new shopping and eating venues here! There is more room and better service here in the Evanston location than the Bucktown location! Make sure to sit in Kathryn’s section!

32 beers. Again, they have 32 BEERS ON TAP. If you are looking for 2 beer stop than this is your place. I came here after a birthday dinner and they were extremely welcoming for a packed Friday’s night.
The food seems really cool, but a little odd. From duck and goat cheese to hotdogs, you are not sure what you are going to get.
Drinks. From over 32 beers and carrying whiskies like High West, this place is the real deal. Buyers beware that the staff can be a little stand offish.
I can’t wait to come back.

Fantastic time here! The lounge area is so cozy. I had a great hard cider, and the brussels sprouts were amazing! You must try them. My companion thought their cocktails menu was too limited, but I had no complaints at all.

Ok, I am not joining the ravers here. Yes, the room is warm and inviting, and the living room type set up in front is great for some socializing and beers, for all that I would give it 4 stars, then there is the food.
Just because they make there own sausage, that does not mean it is all great. The goat sausage was barnyard gamey. My bay of pigs had some funky cuban sausage. Fries were good, as was the brussels sprouts, but nothing outstanding.
I think the kitchen needs to work on sausage seasoning.
Beer menu is extensive, but they run out of items. All in all, a work in progress, and keep up the good work!

The atmosphere here is pretty modern and very cabin like. Very different from other bars which was nice. I liked that there were sofas for seating. I went around 9−10pm which didn’t get packed at all.
The Banger and Lace Rye that’s aged for 2.5 years was my personal favorite. The price was not bad for one ounce for 8 $. Our waiter knew the menu very well and gave us great recommendations. Next time I would love to try the Catcher and the Rye flight.
We did try the deviled eggs which I thought was a little bit too much of flavor. I was thinking it was going to be more of a traditional devils egg, but it had its own touch to it. I probably would not order it again, but my cousin enjoys them.
Overall, it’s a great bar with great alcohol selections.

My go-​to spot. I’m so glad Bangers & Lace opened in Evanston, bringing a sophisticated yet down-​to-​earth vibe to the bar scene. The décor is rustic and lends to the great vibe, the service is friendly, food is pretty good, and beer selection is great. I love the detailed descriptions they give of all the craft beers – it makes it both easier and harder to choose!

You go to bangers for:
1) The décor and ambiance. One of the hipper spots in E-​town, kind of like a bar version of the farmhouse.
2) The cheese curds. The cheese curds here (and, ironically, at the farm house) are the best curds in Evanston.
3) The drinks and tap selection. I enjoy their version of a mule (though it has been a tad hit or miss depending on bartender), and they often have GREAT obscure ciders there. I’m not a beer drinker but they have a wide variety including some on nitro.
Though my boyfriend swears their chicken is one of his favorite dishes in Evanston, my food experiences have been varied to the point that I probably won’t order a meal here again. The lobster po boy was DELICIOUS the first time I had it, then just OK the next time, and then tasted spoiled the last time. The deviled eggs are not my favorite. Salad was good but not something to write home about. Sausages are generally good as well.
This is a great place for small groups (or larger groups if you secure one of the seating areas). The bathrooms have chalkboards on the stall doors and massive printed photographs of a forest on the wall (5 stars for the bathrooms).
As a Kellogg student, we’ll always end up here eventually. As a non-​Kellogg student, beware that this bar is infested with Kellogg students.

The first time I came here, I had the truffled grilled cheese and was so disgusted with it that I did not come back for months. It’s pretty bad.
Thankfully, I came back and gave Bangers & Lace another chance. I think my error lay in not trying their sausages, which is what they’re known for. I’ve had the goat, greek, and bay of pigs, and all were delicious. I’ve also had the fries plate (massive plate of fries) and the beard wrecker (basically a huge bowl of chocolate – not bad, but you kind of have to be in the mood for a huge bowl of chocolate).
The service can be problematic depending on where you sit, so watch out.
Mostly what I come here for is the draft list. Sour beers and exotics from Belgium and Germany. I’m glad this place is here just because of that.

Living across the street from this diamond in the rough is just downright tempting all the time.
The wonderful plaid-​wearing staff in this lodgy hip bar will welcome you with open arms. 32 taps of top of the line craft beers line up on the exposed brick wall, leaving you in wonder and anticipation of your next order.
Also, check this place out for their homemade sausages, wines on tap and signature cocktails.
A must visit for Evanston.

So here’s the thing about Bangers & Lace: I’ve been here twice, and I enjoyed the experience both times. Why does it get only 3 stars, then?
1. Slow, slow service. The first time I went it took us between five and ten minutes for us to flag down a waiter every time we wanted something, our drinks arrived over the course of another ten minutes and I don’t even want to think about how long it took me to get a napkin. (The cheese curds, as everyone has said, are delicious.)
2. It’s expensive, for what it is. I had a Duck BLT the second time I went, and it was amazingly delicious. Again, service was incredibly slow despite it being a slow night, and we waited almost half an hour for our sandwiches. The Duck BLT is only one sausage, split in half to fill out the sandwich. While amazingly delicious, I cannot believe that it was worth the amount I paid for it.

Came here couple of times. The first thing you will notice is that its really dark in here. The look is pretty cool though. They have a impressive amount of beers on draft! The drinks are strong and made really well. In fact the Ol fashioned here was one of the best I have ever had! The food kinda falls short. 5 $ for pretty standard hot dogs, I wont make that mistake again. Although I must say the cheese curds are pretty good! Service can be weak at times. Some of the servers seem to favor certain guests, maybe their friends or regulars, or maybe its too dark to see the other customers. Either way a great chill place to enjoy strong drinks and different beers.

As suggested by the name, Bangers and Lace serves primarily sausages and beer. They also offer many whiskeys, and there are a few vegetarian options on their menu. Food-​wise, I liked the sausage platter, particularly the venison sausage. I found their brussels sprouts and fried deviled eggs to be oily and bland. In the future, I would come back for drinks, but probably not for food. Service was a spotty, but I will give B&L the benefit of the doubt as I came a few weeks after it opened.
The most amusing part about B&L is how fully they embrace the outdoors-​y hipster aesthetic. All the servers (though not necessarily the kitchen staff) wear flannel. The interior is decorated in the style of a hunting lodge, with deer heads, guns, and paintings of nature on the walls. Their arrangement of seating areas is spacious: couches and low tables in the front, booths toward the back, and one long communal table (which is good for large groups). Finally, in the bathrooms, the stalls were made of unfinished wood, and the wallpaper was a picture of a dense forest.

Overall: Great ambiance, service, food, and of course drinks. B&L is good classy fun!
The good: The moment you walk in, you realize it’s not a normal bar or pub. More of a lounge, but a very friendly atmosphere. Several TVs, plenty of space, and very wide open area. The service was fantastic, everyone was very friendly and helpful. The drinks were a plenty and were great, and the food is also very good.
The bad: The food prices stack up rather quickly, and they are small plates. While delicious, we had to get more food later on in the evening, even barring buzz munchies.
Atmosphere: ⁹⁄₁₀
Service: ¹⁰⁄₁₀
Food: ⁸⁄₁₀

Loving this place!
Did you get a lot of work done today? Go and reward yourself with a beer, fries, and yummy hot dogs! It is cozy, and perfect for chilling! Even if you are not done with work, you can continue discussing there between drinks! ;)
I highly recommend this place for couples and friends, for dates and workmates! They have couches, ideal if you are looking for an intimate ambience! And they have bar, and big tables for friends! I really like their hot dogs, and the fries with the amazing cheese sauce. And if you feel like going for everything, they also have good fried pickles!
No need to say anything else… Work hard, and reward yourself!

On Friday evening, my wife, brother and I went to the Evanston location of Bangers and Lace. When we arrived, the gentleman who was the host was very friendly and welcoming and advised me to go to the bar to grab a drink. The wait was about thirty minutes, but that was fine since they were really hoppin.
I really liked the décor, but I absolutely hated how loud the music was. I don’t mind some music and I know this place is a bar/​restaurant, but I had to yell just to talk to my brother who was directly across the small table from me. It was also impossible to communicate with the waiter when the music is at this kind of volume. By the time we left, I was actually hoarse.
The drinks were all quite good, but for the price you pay, you certainly do not get a lot of volume. They definitely have a nice selection of beverages though.
I really liked the food and thought it was very well priced. You do pay a premium for beverages here, but the food is highly affordable. We got the curds, pretzel, fries, winter salad, bay of pigs plate, and soft shell crab po’ boy. Everything came out very quickly which was nice and the curds and pretzel were both phenomenal. I also really liked the mustard dressing on the salad and the sausage on the bay of pigs plate was excellent. The only thing I definitely would not order again was the po’ boy. The crab was cooked fine, but it was drenched in slaw and aioli and you could barely even taste the crab at all.
I will definitely be coming back, but I need to find out when the music is a tad lower because when I’m out to dinner I like to be able to converse at a normal volume and not have to shout everything I say.

It’s about time that a hip bar replaces the former Keg in Evanston! Hip ambience. Hip waiters and waitresses. What’s even more hip is that they installed chalkboards. In their bathroom stalls. That you can write on. Maybe I’m just easily amused, but how cool is that?!
The vegetarian version of their Chicago Dog isn’t bad, but their cheese curds paired with chipotle sauce are to-​die-​for! I haven’t had a subpar order of cheese curds in Evanston, and that still holds true! Also, their Truffled Grilled Cheese Sandwich infused with rich irish cheddar, taleggio, raclette, and black truffle and accompanied with a roasted tomato soup is a filling and deliciously warm option! Pairing all that with the Temporary Solution cocktail made with Death’s Door vodka, campari, blueberry, and lemon gives the meal a perfect finish. If you’re still hungry, the Homers Moose Tracks Gelato with vanilla fudge swirl and peanut butter cups is definitely worth trying. It’s not too sweet or savory but just right.
Note that they open after 3pm all week.