Chief’s Pub

Stopped in the other day for the first time. Nice place, though the location is a little unfortunate (south of downtown and in a nondescript strip mall). Service was very friendly but pretty slow (and the place was pretty empty). Prices seemed decent. Would happily go back to try it again!

The wings were overcooked. Their signature long Island ice tea was terrible. The only redeeming factor was the burger which was good. I wouldn’t go out of my way to come back.

Friendliness of staff is hit or miss depending on the night (if it was consistent would give 5 stars). Schedule is is guessing game for who is working! If the right people are working it is 5 stars. However, it you go more than once the staff becomes more friendly! TVs are in all the key places to make it easy to watch a game. Decent size food menu and combo of tap and bottled beers. Great place to go and catch a game! More low key and casual then other places in the area!

So the last time I was here, was about a year ago and wasn’t satisfied. The service wasn’t the best, food was ok-​ish and just wasn’t a great meal. So I decided what the heck, places can change over a years span so tried it again, this time was honestly worse. Lettuce pieces scattered on the floor with waitresses just walking over them. Waited quite a while for someone to take our order, after finally ordering, when it eventually came out, my friends meal was wrong, I ordered the pulled pork sandwich, and it came with a pretzel bun. Definitely not a good combo. When we got a hold of the waitress and told her about the order problem she said she’d bring out what was right and never did, had to get another waitresses attention to get it. And throughout the whole dinner there were way more tables than customers. If there were a ton of people and few waitresses I would feel sympathy and understand the confusion, but attitude and poor service during a quiet uneventful night, no excuse. Definitely not coming back.

Buyer beware! They serve 13oz Guinness, and try to pass it off as a full pint. The bartender denied it to my face, even though the Guinness glasses LIST the ounce capacity on the side. $ 6.50 for less than a pint is offensive. We ordered the potato skins (acceptable), Caesar wrap (pathetically small), and the turkey club (skimpy). This used to be a favorite meeting place for our group, but we probably won’t be back, now that they’re skimping on our pints!

Nice spot. Didn’t try the food. Drinks were regular. Nice beer list. Staff wasn’t overly friendly but was pretty on top of stuff. Clientele was great for the Blackhawks game, very enthusiastic! Lots of tvs. Cool decker with exposed brick and large wood bar.

Good basic food. The service was good. It was very slow. The fireman paraphernalia is fun to look at. Recommend as a quick stop .?

Standard Lake Forest issue sleek pub that looks old, but is in a strip mall.
The fireman theme is cute, and the bartender was friendly. Nice glass of wine for $ 8.
Everything pretty standard and suburban with no surprises. I prefer surprises.
Carry on.

Great ambiance but horrific service, no customer consideration pure idiocracy!!! Would not darken their doorstep again.

meehhhh… after reading reviews I was actually excited to check this place out but it’s more a family oriented place than a bar/​sports bar. Servers are inexperienced and nothing too special about the place. 2.5 stars

I am really liking this place. Not a typical pub, a bit nicer but you can definitely have a lot of fun here. It is great for lunch and typical pub nights. There is a lot of great things to look at and see. Great spot in Lake forest. The menu has a lot of variety from typical pub food to more healthy salads and wraps.

I’m a fan. Place does what it was designed to do. Good pub food. Lots of TV’s. Decent beers. Great place to watch a game.

Stopped in yesterday prior to a nail appointment and ordered a Makers Mark Manhattan «on the rocks with extra bitters»…I was charged $ 14.00! When I inquired about the amount she stated… it is our new pricing system, we double charge for the extra shot, and for the vermouth…
I never ordered a double shot and since when are you charded for vermouth?
Never again. Great Marketing move!

Just stopped by for lunch and a couple of beers on this day after Christmas. The place was busy and yet they had only TWO servers working. We almost left then but decided to stick it out.
The food was okay. I had their fried chicken sandwich that came on a tiny Kaiser roll. She had their half chicken salad sandwich with a salad. Meh.
It’s rare that I tip below 20%, but I left just 10% on this (final) visit. The waitress may have been having a bad day or something, and she wasn’t rude per se, but she was not helpful or nice. She made us feel like we were old enemies; just uncomfortable and people shouldn’t bring their problems to my table. No «thank you» or «how are things» and not a moment of eye contact even.
The bill was quickly dropped off without asking if we were even done. I left my credit card for her to take and she ran it and eventually came back and just tossed it on the table. Seriously, not even a «have a good day.»
We both left wishing that we had gone to The Lantern, which is what we’ll do on future trips back home when craving a burger and a beer.

I’m genuinely surprised I haven’t written a review of this place yet, as it’s a frequent option for after work appetizers and drinks. That said, it’s a location of convenience more than of choice.
The menu has a ton of options upon first glance, but they’re all derivations of something else on the menu (e.g. taco salad/​nachos/​quesadilla or tuna melt/​tuna wrap/​tuna salad or bbq chicken sandwich/​bbq chicken wrap /​bbq chicken pizza). Little is original and less than little is fresh. When I asked about the garlic turkey burger, the server told me the turkey patties are frozen and pre-​seasoned. For $ 9, I expect better than what I could buy at GFS in bulk myself. They don’t specialize in anything unless specializing in being generic and non-​descript is something.
The service is consistently poor. At today’s lunch, the server said a grand total of 15 words to our table. The emotion she put into drawing a smiley face on our final bill was more energy than she’d demonstrated during our 45 minute lunch, including the half-​hearted explanation that they ran out of sweetener. She was also wearing a tank top. While I don’t know that there are health code regulations against this, having her armpit in my face while she reached across the table to serve someone else was less than appetizing.
The beer selection is weak unless you like domestic carbonated, malted water. They do typically have a Goose Island selection on draught so there’s that glimmer of hope when happy hour lands there next.

Fantastic place for lunch. Food and service was excellent and modernly priced. The onion rings were perfect! I ordered a Tuna Melt for lunch and a Ruben for lunch since I’m here on business, Have to say it was the best Ruben I’ve had in years!
The story of the Back Bar has an interesting story and is beautifully carved.
Don’t miss this while visiting downtown Lake Forest, Il.

Food is pretty good and well priced. $ 6 large thin crust pizzas on Sundays!!!

I went to school in lake forest and now visit some coaches and professors once in a while and I am happy to always head straight to chiefs.
I always get their wraps now, they are very good! I usually go for the tuna salad wrap now. The sweet potato fries are good here, but last time I was here they were out… odd but okay. The menu does have a big selection for everyone’s taste buds and everything is always very appetizing… as much as bar food can be. Even though, I gatta say this place isn’t as greasy or icky as some bars. The wraps I get don’t taste like bar food.
They used to give these delicious pickles with your meal but now you have to ask for them, they are still free. If you are a pickle lover like I am I would suggest asking for one.
The service is not amazing, but it’s never bad. The staff is always super nice but some of the girls can be airheads and spacy at times. they will turn on a specific game on the TVs if you ask them to… I’ve watched many tennis matches here.
Don’t expect a 5 star quality of a place, but being a bar, they do a pretty great job.
Just a heads up, the parking lot can be insanely packed, but don’t make that your determining factor not to come here, circle around and you are sure to find a spot.

Chief’s is your good old-​fashioned neighborhood bar. Started by a previous fireman chief, this family friendly place serves typical bar food. You’ll spot families with their kids here as well as guys catching a game and having a beer. Shoot — my husband and I have even caught some of the World Cup soccer games here (not the most popular sport in the States) but they had it on.
The service can be slow at times but come on – you’re at a bar people! Also, don’t expect fine cuisine. Again, you’re at a bar people! But do expect a great burger and BBQ chicken. It’s a terrific place to meet up with friends in a casual setting or grab a relaxed dinner with the kiddies.

Chief’s Pub is a great place to take someone who doesn’t know what they have a taste for on a casual night out. It has a nice sectional to block the bar section from the dining section. It is nice if you want the pub feel with a little less noise and space from the bar.
The staff was very friendly and the place was very clean. If you want to head out, but don’t want to miss a game, no worries because the place is lined with huge flat screen TV’s.
I ordered a southwest chicken wrap and a fajita wrap over my two visits with a side salad in place of fries. I can tell you that both times the portions were more than generous and very good. If I had to choose one, I would pick the fajita wrap as a winner in taste. The other people I was with ordered a BLT, hot dog, and burger. It seemed that everyone agreed that it was typical pub food and nothing to write home about.
This is a great place to grab a casual drink at the bar, chill and watch a game with some typical pub food, and take someone who just can’t pick what they want to eat because of the size and variety of the menu.
Nothing awesome, but will keep it on my list of options in Lake Forest.