Lake & Irving

I regret that I have not posted this review before now. Love Lake & Irving; hands-​on ownership with a complementary staff that is Great. The food is fantastic; the absolute best chicken sandwich I have ever eaten; have had it many times and it is always delicious. Finally I did branch out to other menu items which have all been delicious. Taps change frequently and are well chosen. This place is an absolute gem and also very reasonably priced!!!

We’ve been twice in the past couple months and it was consistently awesome! great fish dishes and the buttermilk fried chicken sandwich was phenomenal! The beer choices were perfect and the staff were all very nice and attentive. I can’t wait to go back! Might have to get the buttermilk fried chicken again and again!

Power-​Up: This should be renamed to Cider-​Up because there was no trace of Powers in there. If you ask it to be heavier on the Power side they state an additional charge, no thanks.
Salmon Benedict: Place the 12 bucks elsewhere (Good Day). Lox was off in color and in taste.
Nice atmosphere and decent service otherwise.

Killer burger! Slooooow service. (Over an hour to get a burger, and I ordered right when the server first came by my table, 15 minutes after I was seated. Place is nearly empty.) Check it out if you are not in a rush – truly, a delicious burger. Otherwise, you’ll be edgy and cranky by the end!

I don’t think I could be more impressed with this place. I came in for a dinner and beer before a flight out early in the morning. Sat at the bar and was greeted by a very friendly bartender that gave me his recommendations.
It is located in uptown, the location is its name, which is handy for an out of towner like me. Looks to be street parking only. The vibe inside makes you feel like you’re in a neighborhood mom and pop restaurant, but the food could be served at a modern 5 star restaurant downtown.
At the recommendation of the bartender, I got the buttermilk fried chicken sandwich, that is their standard. It was between two slices of the, grilled with bacon, pepperjack cheese, and chipotle aioli. There were so many flavors in the sandwich, equally balanced out to create a fantastic, melt in your mouth sandwich. They soak the chicken breast in buttermilk overnight, it doesn’t get better than that. Of note was the bacon, which had a deep, rich smoky flavor that complimented the aioli. Sandwich was huge and came with some crispy fries. One of the best sandwiches I’ve had this year!
The beer selection was carefully picked for early fall. I was told they rotate often. I got a founders nitro stout to satisfy my Michigan craft beer addiction. The bar itself is big and can accommodate 20 people.
Overall: Great restaurant for a weekday dinner. Bartender was slinging some creative stuff as well.

Great spot in a part of town loaded with good places to eat.
Low key atmosphere for Uptown. Quick service. Tasty food all around. I recommend the fried Brussel sprouts. Not the best but really good and actually feel healthy — not too oily /​fatty. Decent beer selection. Good choice anytime you’re looking for a dinner spot in Uptown

I, like I suspect many others, have routinely gone past this place and never batted an eye. I was looking for someplace for lunch on a Saturday, and I parked in my usual area of Uptown and lo! there was Lake & Irving and we were really hungry. So, in we went.
First of all, it wasn’t super-​busy. There was a birthday party group and a few other tables, but it wasn’t the jam-​packed-​ugh-​god-​people that a lot of the other restaurants in Uptown can be like on a Saturday. Our server, Dude with Red Beard, was funny and had good suggestions for what to order off the menu.
We started with bloodies, because it was Saturday and whatever, I don’t need a reason. They were pretty bland, so if you like your bloodies spicy, skip the ones here.
I went with the cheeseburger with added bacon, and, boy, was that a good choice. It was greasy, but not so greasy it will make you sick. My friend ordered the buttermilk chicken sandwich, which looked amazing but also as big as her head.
Definitely won’t be bypassing this place again!

Love Love LOVE this restaurant everything about it the food, service, atmosphere, and drinks! Also how they contribute to restaurant week and holidays with an outstanding off the menu food! Every chance we get we visit here and rave about how delicious it is to friends and family which finally gets some of them from all the way up north down to the cities! Every person we’ve brought has been just as impressed!
Ps. Also super dog friendly in the summer which is very important to us! Given we have a pitbull!

We have done both dinner and brunch here. The staff are nice and knowledgeable about the menu. They have a good sized rotating tap list. My husband loved the fried chicken! The chocolate cake was good too!

We consistently stop at Lake and Irving during our «Loop» bike rides. They are consistently splendid. Whether we are eating a full meal or just a quick glass of wine they are always pleasant and accommodating.
This is a warm and inviting pub-​ish establishment. A good selection of both wine and beer and a full bar to boot. The menu is concise and satisfying with a nice weekend brunch. All the food I’ve had has been great.
The waitstaff has been hands down friendly, knowledgeable, and quick to please. I’m sad because with winter coming it may be a while before I can make it back.

I definitely recommend this place! I have only been here once but I am so coming back. The food is great and the atmosphere is perfect. If you are looking for a place with simple décor, a full bar, good food, and a very relaxed ambience look no further. During my visit I had the Buttermilk Chicken Sandwich and it was crazy good! As you probably gathered from the name I am sure it it is totally high in calories, in case you care (I don’t) but trust me it is so worth it to indulge.
They also have a pretty good wine list and signature cocktails.
Parking: There are a few parking spots for customers in a parking lot off Irving Ave.

I don’t think L&I gets the luv it deserves. It does classic, good food with quality ingredients and good service to boot. It might be that it’s kinda situated in the kerfuffle and noise of preteen girls spending babysitting money on overpriced American Apparel garb, syrup and raspberry pineapple vodka «drinks» at Chino’s Latino’s (edit: I know this is not the actual name) and Lulu adorned bros and bitches running their dogs around the lake (disclaimer: that’s me). Compared to other spots around this patch of Lake though, Lake and Irving and Barbette are pretty much the only solid options for a nice meal.
I’ve brunched here, had dinner here, gotten drankz here. Some key standouts for me: fried chicken anything. Chicken and waffles was great, and the fried chicken sandwich is super crisp and juicy. Fried Brussels sprouts appetizer is great as well. We had a barbecue pork sandwich once too that was baller– made even better with a Patisserie 46 bun because HELLLOOO their bread is the best. Nothing on the menu is stand-​out slap-​you-​in-​the-​face-​you-​have-​to-​order-​this-​ASAP, but it’s all good. I reallllly like their old fashioneds too. Disclaimer: I like pretty much any old fashioned.
Uptown– well, the Calhoun Square portion of it– needs more places like Lake and Irving. Or else they’ll end up a corporate shithole of Jimmy John’s and Apple stores and… Oh, wait.
*dies*

Had the Chicken Sandwich at the Uptown Art Fair and it was awesome. I held out for something better than all the usual food places and was the envy of my daughter and GF. I guess I did only get to eat half the sandwich but it was well worth it. I know if I ever see them out at another event this will be the food stop. Best Fried Chicken sandwich EVER!

Holy crap am I glad I live a block away! If you live in the area and haven’t been here, slap yourself! The ambiance, the food, and the service. Everything is perfect. I would definitely recommend. The Eggs benedict is the best I’ve ever eaten in my ENTIRE life! No joke… It was so good.
I cannot wait to go back and try everything else.

Visited Lake and Irving on a Saturday morning for brunch, called to make a reservation and surprisingly they were not busy when I inquired! The hostess was not chipper or was quite annoyed on questions I asked and me placing my reservation.
There’s a parking lot for this place which is a huge thumbs up! We were seated immediately and asked if we preferred indoor or outdoor. It was a very lovely sunny day but super hot/​humid. My mother in law insisted in sitting outdoors and thank goodness there was shady seating.
Our waitress was absolutely upbeat and friendly, answering our questions diligently. I ordered the chicken and waffles; my mom in law chose the Belgian waffle. When my dish came out it was large and glorious! The batter was right on but i felt like it was a tad too much breeding or batter. The chicken was definitely tenderized and thin but it wasn’t flaky chicken rather much chewy so I was a little taken back. Other than that the green onions and maple syrup came together well. My mom in law had the beer ship and thought it was wonderful and interesting!
Definitely will return and if you’re in the mood for brunch make a stop here!

I haven’t wrote a review in awhile. Life happens. My kind friends took me out on a date and this place has been on my list to try.
Thumbs up:
–veggie friendly options
–good customer service
–cute little atmosphere
–central location
–fair $$
–food was good, but not memorable I will have to try it again
Thumbs down:
–parking can be a pain around Lake st and uptown
–More menu options, goodies, vegan, etc
Will be back to see how round two does!

I was absolutely CRAVING an ahi tuna salad. and Unilocal steered me here. I met a girlfriend here after work and it ended up being absolutely beautiful and we sat on the littel patio off to the side.
When I got there, the hostess/​server was kind of rude and not very friendly. She told me to just go sit down and she’d come find me. When I waited by the hostess stand to ask about patio seating, she came back over and was like, what do you need? Eventually she seated us on the patio and she ended up being our server but drastically became more friendly after we were seated.
I got a margarita, which was really good and not very sugary sweet, and the ahi salad, which was amazing and seared perfectly. It was exactly what I had been thinking about all day long, and I was not disappointed. The food was delicious and the rest of them menu looked good too. Good prices as well. I look forward to coming back.

Met a friend here the other day on Thursday for lunch. I’m made a reservation although it was not necessary as there were only a few people inside –I think it gets pretty busy for dinner and on the weekends.
The lunch menu features a number of sandwiches, salads and small plates all priced in the $ 8-​$ 12 range. You can even have brunch including the famous chicken & waffles until 2:30. The restaurant is much bigger inside than I expected and has a number of small booths and a bunch of tables. Since it was a week day, I scored a meter right out front although I later learned they have a small lot around the corner behind the Wells Fargo bank branch.
I had a hard time deciding even though the lunch menu was not too big– buttermilk fried chicken sandwich or chicken & waffles? I opted for the sandwich which was huge, featured a large light and crispy chicken breast, gooey melted cheese, two thick slices of bacon and some tangy sauce and a choice of fries or salad for around $ 12. Really really good! Definitely will be back to have the waffles which features the same large crispy chicken that’s soaked overnight in buttermilk and hot sauce but didn’t taste spicy at all-​just yummy.

I have walked past Lake & Irving at least a hundred times and never stopped in. Finally over the past weekend, it was a beautiful Friday night and the patio was calling our names.

Service:
The service was great. Our server and the host were very attentive and friendly.
Drinks:
We got a little adventurous and tried the Kirsh Gose by Victory Brewing Company. It was a cherry sour beer and it was AWESOME. It is very striking when it is pour because it is bright red.
Food:
We didn’t want to eat too much because we were going out for drinks with friends after dinner. My friend and I split the fried brussels and the Kalua Pork Sandwich. The fried brussels were the best brussel sprouts I’ve ever had. They were lightly fried and flaky and seasoned to perfection. The Kalua Pork was also very good. I’m usually not a huge pulled pork fan but it was awesome. The pineapple slaw and the fried tobacco onion straws really complimented the pork. I’d definitely recommend both of these dishes as well as ordering a side of aioli to dip your fries in!
I highly recommend dining at Lake & Irving. For those who are not familiar with the Uptown area, they have a parking lot available right behind their building!

Lake & Irving is on Lake and Irving in Uptown by Calhoun Lake.
The food was amazingly incredible. Waitress was hipster but super nice and greeted everyone immediately.
Get the ahi salad– it is one of the best I’ve had. There is parking in the back and on the street. There is a patio in the back but it was too cold for us so we sat inside at a nice comfy booth.
Yay!