The Bar on Buena

We have lived in this neighborhood for 7 years and gone past this bar a lot. We finally stopped in yesterday for dinner and we are so thrilled we did. The food was excellent. Simple. Tasted fantastic. Perfect. The server was friendly, amazing actually. We will be coming back. Oh, the best thing of all, the prices!!

Really wanna give the service a SIX OR TEN! Evidently they were short staffed last night. We came in around 630 and we're seated quickly. Beer selection was triumphant, including global, national, regional, and local. Food was limited, but with some excellent choices that we LOVED! That's not the story. THERE WAS ONE WAITRESS! And she ran that joint like a Swiss clock! She had outside tables, inside tables, annoying special requests and questions from us, etc. But she handled it like a CHAMP. So I eased up to the bar to ask the bartender if he could pass along my admiration to the manager. He was the manager, but our waitress was the OWNER! Never got her name, but wow! Go here, eat and drink well, and you will be rewarded!

taylor is moderately amazing! make sure you order the marg! my favorite bar in the neighborhood xx

Amazing Fries! So crisp and crunchy. Good sports bar to enjoy drinks while watching your favorite game. We went here for dinner and really liked the food. Ordered a couple of beers and single malt scotches. Service was Great. You can order directly through the QR code and its unique for each table. Or you can have someone take your order. Nice ambiance! Will be back.

THIS PLACE IS A GEM. Mac and cheese was so good, and the fries are the best. definitely stop by if hungry for some delicious bar food and a wide arrange of drinks. Cider is strong and tastey, and green boy is 10 times better than Guinness

I was harassed and made to feel very uncomfortable by one of the waitresses here today. After coming here and really enjoying this bar last night, I returned with a friend during brunch hours to ask to use the restroom as I urgently needed to do so and was still around in the area. The waitress pointed me towards their mutiple restrooms and thanked me for asking. It was to my surprise 5-10 min later to hear loud, repetitive bangs on the restroom door. After asking what was happening and receiving no response, followed by more bangs, I raised my voice to ask again - to which the same waitress replied that I had to leave as there were “customers waiting”. (My friend in the bar recalls seeing no one waiting for the restroom.) I was stunned and finished up as quickly as I could. I walked out of the restroom to motion to my friend for us to leave and turned to see the waitress glaring at me and waving her hands - motioning to shoo me out of the bar. I walked out of the bar and turned back on the sidewalk to see her standing outside the door glaring at me, maintaining her shooing motion. Not often am I left in tears from something like this but I cried on the sidewalk out of feeling so shocked, embarrassed, and unwanted. I wish I got the name of the waitress who treated me this way but after everything I just wanted to leave as soon as I could. I’m sure this place is great the majority of the time but you’ve got someone working there with an intense ego problem. As it stands I don’t feel comfortable coming back to a place that I‘ve felt so unwanted in. TLDR: Don’t ask to use the restroom at this place. You’ll be told that you can and then get harassed until you leave.

Bar on Buena is around the corner from my house and I’ve always wanted an easy, go-to spot to call “my neighborhood restaurant.” This is definitely it. Great food, fantastic service, vibes are immaculate. 10/10.

I used to live across the street and have frequented this amazing place. It has great outdoor sitting as well as indoor. I absolutely loved their whiskey collection and so many (rotating as well) beers on tap. Long back I really enjoyed their Veggie Burger. Must try their fries with its sauce. Absolutely delicious.

I love this place!! My girlfriend won't let me eat here enough. I keep asking her why. She says she likes it too but doesn't want to only eat here. I say fair but let's go again soon. Ps. The breakfast burrito is delicious

Great beer. Will need to try the sandwiches someday. Plus it's in a lovely neighborhood near the dog park. What's not to like?

Solid neighborhood bar- totally different from the inside vs street view. Great burgers - owner is a solid guy who genuinely cares. Beers on tap are solid and prices are more than fair. Big space on the inside + patio area which is very nice. Daily specials are actually very good, especially the burger Monday. Overall glad I found this spot!

Been coming to BoB since 2005. Was part of the group that kept it allive during Covid only to see it betray every single loyal customer it had by having a server: Datoka, run the show as if it was his runway. This could be such a great neighborhood bar

Not really one to write a review but Bar on Buena is by far the worst bar in the area. Would much rather walk to any other bar even though it's the closest to me. The food is meh but the service is truly horrible. One server in particular (mentioned in other reviews) simply cannot follow any requests. Immediately forgets and will never return. I've had him as a server probably 5 times now, so this is not a one-time fluke. The one time I had someone else as a server bumped it up but the risk of having him as a sever is not worth it. He's clearly high or drunk or whatever. Tried to give this place a chance but Holiday Club, Reservoir, and FOs are much better options in the area

Rice lacked seasoning. Good atmosphere just not for a indoor seated meal. Cheese fries were really good.

This is one of my go to neighborhood bars with my fiancé! They have a special on the menu each weekday and it's always slightly different so you never get bored with the menu. During the summer time I love sitting at the patio with our dog. The service is pretty good as well. Definitely recommend as a chill go to neighborhood bar to grab a bite to eat and hangout with friends

Awful service! I stopped in with some friends and we seated ourselves. And someone came by and threw menus on the table and barked out: "You have five minutes to order". I was surprised that we weren't greeted in anyway whatsoever and I said hello and hi to this person three times they didn't acknowledge me or respond to me. We walked out. I refuse to give money to an establishment that has such poor service.

I love this place so much. From the decor to the music to the wooden bar to the open kitchen - it's one of my favorite places to eat and/or drink at. The food, particularly the classic burger, is fantastic. It's all made in-house and fresh. The service is always great, too!

Eh. So this is a neighborhood bar and I've had their food a few times. Tonight I went with a friend before a Cubs game for their burger night. First of all, the lady who sat us seem to get a attitude when we told her it would just be two of us and we wanted to sit outside. We were told it was for full tables (tables of four) and we might be moved if they became busy. What? Lmao I've never heard of that ever, but okk. She rarely checked on us and when she did she had a attitude still! A couple of 2 came in after us and she gave the same attitude and the dude responded "bad attitude" and the lady FLIPPED. She got her manager and it was just a shouting match. Very bad view of the restaurant as the server lady was the instigator. I understand the stress of service work but I don't think it's ever acceptable to take it out on the patrons. Just yikes Oh the food was basic. Lol. Unseasoned burger with fries and drinks were eh. All in all the way she treated us and then the dudes after us was just bad and I probably won't be back. Not worth dealing with someone pushing her issues on customers.

Be sure to sort reviews by newest before deciding to patron this business. We tried to eat at this place but the music was so loud you couldn't hear anything. The server was shouting at us just to get our drink order. We asked if we could move outside to one of the three empty tables, but the policy for the restaurant was only three or more people at a four top. When the server asked their manager he shouted if we didn't like the policies we could take our business elsewhere. So we got up and left. Didn't try the food.

Place has lost it. The food totally tastes like everything on the menu meaning the grill and kitchen are so tiny, that a chicken sandwich tastes like greasy burger etc. it's so dirty inside. Our silverware had smears in it and water glass had lipstick stain. The booths are a hodgepodge of different sizes that don't fit the actual booth bench. The chairs are falling apart. Management is clueless and it seems like they go through managers and staff every 2-3 months. Try harder! Gross.

The BOB has quickly become a go-to place for me. Their breakfast sandwich is a large portion and can really turn around a hangover. Staff here is great, although they have a phone ordering system so you might not interact much. I recommend sitting at the bar. Eric is also a great bartender. Their burgers and salads are great here too. You can't miss with any sandwich. One thing I really like so that you can get sautéed vegetables as a side. It's been great to have a bunch of veggies in lieu of your standard fries. But don't shy away from the fries, they're great too!

A neighborhood gem with a lovely patio! Their sandwiches and burgers never disappoint - fresh, delicious, and a bang for your buck considering it's Chicago. Their tacos left something to be desired: the meat was dry and overcooked, do not recommend. We discovered Blake's Hard Cider's Mango & Habanero here. It's the perfect complement to that burger or sandwich. We've been looking for it (without success) since moving to Texas, sigh!

Classic neighborhood bar vibes, which are the best in Chicago because they're neither too trendy nor too divey. Bar on Buena is also a surprisingly good dinner for the tiny kitchen they have in the corner of the place. The tacos and burritos are great. Believe it or not the *pork chop special* was smoky and comforting and I would entirely get again. Decent draft beer selection with some usual chicago craft beer suspects--although no IPAs available at my visit--and of course full bar. Service is casual and on point. Don't like the ToastTab ordering system on your phone, which requires hand typing a name, credit card number and everything else BEFORE you can even place an order. Just sorta slow and frustrating. Thankfully they said you can order with the server too, which is just more human and faster.

I finally had a day off and decided to spend some time at this establishment, despite recent yelp reviews. Dakota was our server and he was wonderful! He recommended the chicken tinga tacos. Between our service and the food I cannot wait to make this a regular bar on our rotation.

Came in for a late night dinner. Service was excellent. Ordered Cesar salad with chicken and it was tasty. Nice vibe and relaxed feel to this neighborhood spot!

I used to live in this hood back in the day and glad it's still open and even surviving this longass pandemic. Burgers here are the bomb and they have a huge selection of craft beers so it's a no brained for me. So go!

The recent reviews are accurate: the service here is horrible. We were promptly seated on arrival, and waited 25 minutes before leaving. The server never came to our table to take our order, instead they stood around with their friends and chatted. Definitely don't recommend this place.

Food is great here but their ordering platform is odd. You do everything through a tablet at your table which is great but like... I'm not tipping 20% on the full tab if I'm not actually being served. I'm a server and I like to take care of people in the service industry but I just feel like this takes away from the experience of going out to eat- also sidenote I really hope these "servers" are not getting paid as tipped workers because that would be awful:/

The vibe is nice and cozy. The service was a mess. We ordered our drinks and when they finally came 15 minutes later, they were the wrong ones. Our server, Dakota seemed not all there. He brought our correct drinks and took our food order. After a 45 minute wait I inquired with another server about our food order status. Dakota had not given the kitchen our order. A second server did and we finally got our food. It was...fine. Not great, not terrible. Just okay. It was an hour wait for burgers on what was not a busy night. The server (not Dakota) said he would see if he could get us a discount. Instead the manager came and offered us a shot which we really didn't need. Guys, we really want to like your place but that's not how you handle a customer service disaster like this. You can and should do better.

Went here for the first time after walking past several times admiring the layout. We had the veggie wrap and veggie burger. The burger had great texture and was a little bit spicy in a nice way. The first wrap came out cold, once figured out that wasn't the way it was supposed to be, we got a hot version. The grilled veggies in the wrap were very good. The fries were great too. The regular burgers looked great too. Lots of great beer and drink choices also.

Fast service and excellent, fresh prepared menu items. A classic go to pre pandemic, I was thrilled to see this place having persevered over the course of this past year. Contactless ordering allows for you to control your own experience and the staff is incredibly helpful as always when they are needed.

Food is always consistent. Post Covid, it's all self service via the app and a server delivers it. If you want ketchup, order via the app, additional items, etc. It's not a standard restaurant atmosphere with someone you can easily ask questions or get a server's attn for anything. Careful when you pay as you are charged a "Covid service fee" without it being clearly disclosed or their tax calculation is off and the suggested tip amount is based off of the total taxed amount, which you don't tip based off of a taxed amount. It used to be a great, fun, local neighborhood bar and now it's meh.

I have been going here since the beginning. Love the the friendly staff and decent food coming out of that micro kitchen. Keep up the good work.

Nice neighborhood joint is the best way to describe this Uptown bar. They have a great daily happy hour menu with $8 burger and fries on Monday. My cheeseburger was big and juicy and really filling. They have a really nice patio and its good size with plenty of seating. The service was also really friendly and quite attentive. If you're in the area this is definitely a spot worth checking out.

Love this place. Best burger on the north side. Also a great feast beer location. So many options local and unique. They recently redid their outdoor sweating with is great, and the inside atmosphere it's just cool. Have always had good service and always look forward to going back!

The fact that this bar/restaurant has 4 stars concerns me. Maybe these are people who don't eat the food or if they are, it's after several adult beverages after which everything tastes good. Initially, I note that even seeing what you are eating is hard because the restaurant is basically unlighted. I had to use flash to take food photos, which I have never had to do anywhere else in Chicago. The food itself is not good. I ordered a steak salad that, once I used the flashlight app to see it, looked unappealing and sad (see photo), and tasted worse. The chunks of meat on it would have been at home at a bad taco stand: small, over steamed chunks of hard to chew beef. The actual vegetable part of the salad was heavily overdressed with what tasted like straight vinegar rather than any type of dressing known to human kind. The wife ordered Caesar salad that she called not very good. It had only three small slivers of the advertised peppers. Our friend ordered the veggie burger with sweet potato fries; the fries were inedible. Service here is disjointed, but not unfriendly. The staff repeatedly said they had trouble seeing - apparently a problem for staff and patrons. Examples of disjointed service: two beers ordered by us and by the server at the bar with only one showing up at the table; twenty minutes after we all had our food, a server showed up with another of the aforementioned bad steak salads. Installing some light fixtures here would probably benefit the restaurant, the staff, and the customers.

Nothing out of the ordinary out of this Buena Park/Uptown bar and grill. We only came because it was near the beach and they are dog friendly (patio only). Food options are pretty limited, there's only burgers, sandwiches, a wrap, and then some random apps, but the beer/cocktail list looked pretty extensive. I had a nice brew from Chicago's very own On Tour brewery, very tasty! Service was not bad for the most part, pretty attentive. As for the food I was content with my veggie wrap I ordered. Not a place I would seek out regularly but when one is hungry, any place that serves food is considered holy.

You know how when you go to a Mexican restaurant and order pozole and you get a heaping bowl of delicious soup that you probably can't finish in one sitting? Yeah that's not going to happen here. $12 for a shallow dish of pozole. Very disappointed! They also made a big deal about my friend and I placing separate orders. I ordered from my phone and he ordered with the waitress. She put his food on my tab. Now if I wanted to pay for his food I would have ordered it with my food through my phone! Duh.

BOB has their ordering system down to a science. You order everything from your phone (not an app) and everything arrives STAT. You don't have to wait for your server to notice you need a drink, you just order it from the app. Every restaurant should do this. The food was great! I got the al pastor tacos. The fries are exceptional in my opinion. I miss their bruschetta from years ago :( they don't have dessert, but they didn't mind me going to Klein's (kitty corner from bob) and bringing something back! :)

Ah, I'm surprised I haven't reviewed my local spot, BOB. I've been coming here for years and have never been disappointed. The BOB Burger is always a good choice and a hit. They have weekly drink and food specials, they have takeout, they have a decorated patio right now, and it's all reasonably priced. Amazing beer menu, plenty of selections, great local spot. I will keep going here again and again.

Enjoyed a great dinner with my daughter and her roommates at Bar on Buena. We were lucky enough to be treated with an order of guacamole and tortilla chips - a nice welcome to the neighborhood. The guacamole was super fresh and very tasty. Our very knowledgeable server recommended beers and other drinks to suit our taste. I loved the Aleman Ladiesman Lemonthyme Wheat - very refreshing after a hot day of moving. There's an expansive beer menu to suit most any taste but if beer's not your thing, there's a good variety of cocktails available, too. For dinner, I opted for the Rosemary Chicken Club sandwich, which included a nicely seasoned grilled chicken breast topped with pepper jack, bacon, more guacamole (lucky me!) lettuce, tomato and a savory chipotle mayo on beautiful brioche toast. I upgraded to the sweet potato fries, which I tend to prefer more on the crispy side. These were a little soft. Regardless, the meal was very satisfying and just the thing after a long, physical day. My daughter's grilled cheese was very tempting looking and I may have to try that the next time I'm in town.

Enjoyable neighborhood bar! The menu is a QR code, so it's very easy to order from your phone. The staff brought everything out very quickly, and they announced themselves to give you time to put your mask on before they approached. It was really fun, and I would go again. Get the sweet potato French fries!

This is a great restaurant and bar with excellent food, great whiskey and beer selection, and friendly servers. Highly recommend!

Don't expect a great experience unless you like doing all the work! Upside is the food is good but I'd recommend just doing carry out. It's a shame the owners continue to do the online ordering system while you dine in because the "food runners" probably aren't making the money they used to. This is a great way to continue to drive the service industry into the ground by making your customers do all the work. I'd much rather go to an establishment where I get waited on, ask questions or order a second drink without pulling out my phone.

Great neighborhood bar. The staff is always welcoming and friendly. The food can be a hit or miss but it's generally good.

Came here on a lovely Friday afternoon before the happy hour crowd came in. They have a great little outdoor seating section along the sidewalk terrace which is also dog friendly (hooray!). Their drink menu had a nice variety. I started with their margarita which was very mellow and smooth (and maybe a bit too easy to drink like juice). I would have ordered another if it weren't so early in the day, but figured I should switch to a beer while I waited for my drinking mate to slowly drink her own margarita. I ordered a white ale (not usually may favorite) because they had the option to add a shot of Lindeman's Framboise... that was too fun to pass up! We didn't order any food, but all of the food coming out to other tables looked great. I had been here a few years ago and had been very content with the veggie burger and fries. This is an awesome neighborhood joint that is worth your time to check out! Our servers were wonderful, and even had dog treats for my pup and other pups that were passing by. Win!

Charming friendly place with a great beer selection and patio. Fun local place to hang out in the neighborhood. It's hard to stop ordering drinks. The food is what you would expect from a bar establishment....the usual fare with a Mexican influence. Not a great choice if you're dieting obviously.

One of my favorite little places! Love the ordering system, and the grilled cheese is to die for. The Caesar salad is terrible though, so look out for that. I'd love to see more seasonal items on the menu!

I LOVE this place so much. I've gone here many times with friends and it's such a nice, chill environment. The bartenders/staff are super helpful when deciding on beverages. The staff are also very friendly--great customer service. The food makes my mouth water just thinking about it! (Highly recommend following BOB on Instagram). Anything I have gotten here has been great. Plus, love the ranch dressing here (for those of you who are also ranch dressing connoisseurs). If you are driving, parking can definitely be challenging in the area. I try to go to BOB as frequently as I can now that I live in a different part of the city. It's a great spot for a date night or small group--it's a little small to have a big group and all sit together. Highly recommend you go there ASAP!

Ambiance is what you want in a bar.Food and Bev choices are on point.Service would get no stars. The service staff is to cool for school,they don't care and are distant.I had to repeat everything I said three times(annoying)and she still got it wrong.plus I picked up and left a tip and she could care less I was standing there,what am I doing?i visit once a week since my dog and I walk past here,it's simple to stop by and get a burger.In fact I'm writing this review informing you why I've spent my last 17.00 dollars on a burger only for it to be wrong.this place loves pickles,they're pickles on the burger and a wedge of pickle on the side and I think they put pickle juice on the fries.from someone who hates pickles I ask,more like beg,plead for no pickles and when I get home,hooray for me there are pickles on everything,seems so simple to leave them off. Maybe the waitstaff doesn't want to put in the effort to write out No Pickles;I would suggest a No Pickle button be added on their Toast POS.look;it's not you,it's me,I just don't think we're right for on another.I know others don't care about service and will continue to give you their money but I'm over it.since I'm a neighbor and I walk by I'll just wave.

So, we had an awful experience yesterday at that bar. I'm a regular costumer, been there multiple times. I really love the food and atmosphere there, but recently, one of the new employees, young tall gentleman, has been hired and I had problems with him the last 2 times. We were having dinner yesterday with my friend who is 20. They asked for her ID though she had only ordered food. I forgot mine and went home to grab it. I got 2 forms of ID. After I showed him, he asked me and my friend to show our credit cards with the same names. We felt completely discriminated (both of us have an accent ) because he never asked any other tables for such a thing. Our dinner was ruined. No one ever came to check at the table, or at least to ask how the food was. More of all, after showing all my IDs, that guy TOOK MY DRINK FROM ME, saying he can't sell alcohol to me! I really loved that place, but management should seriously consider if they want to keep such an employee! Will never return! Definitely will try to reach to management and owner.

I have always loved this place and I'm so disappointed! The food is good but the ordering system has changed and they don't have waitstaff anymore- everything is through your phone, and not exactly user-friendly. You have to enter your payment information before you even order. I didn't realize that I had to put in my credit card info and sat with my family for a good 10 minutes before realizing that our order wasn't even placed. No longer feels like a welcoming neighborhood bar... super sad. The restaurant owners are probably trying to save money by not having waiters anymore, I hope they reconsider because I'm not giving them my business anymore

So far been there two times and had a good experience. I love their outside patio. Burgers are delicious! And French fries is good too (what a bonus). Good selection of beers but personally I prefer their Bloody Mary (you have an option for spicy and non, spice it up for me). Staff is friendly, attentive and knowledgeable. I like the fact that they bring the machine and charge your credit card right at your table and you can select your tip amount as well. Don't forget to check out their daily specials. Happy hour is 4-6pm, Late night industry specials Sunday - Thursday (11pm-1:30am). Great spot for brunch and taco Tuesdays. Antonio burger is my go to.

The total reliance on a poorly designed, non intuitive app to view menu items and order makes for a very cumbersome initial experience at this otherwise lovely neighborhood spot. They kept the staff contact to the minimum, counting on the app to do pretty much all the table to kitchen work. We were there for drinks and dinner and the server asked for our credit card before ordering, quite awkward to say the least. Ok cocktails and average food.

I live nearby so frequent Bar on Buena for both lunch,dinner and a place to spend time with friends and have drinks. The staff have always been super friendly and helpful selecting drinks. They have tons of beer and whiskey options depending upon the season. Despite having a very small kitchen they turn out very good meals every time whether it is salad (steak salad delicious) a wrap or a burger. If you are a fan of pozole, theirs is amazing. I occasionally call or stop by and pick some up to bring home. They have outdoor seating which has allowed them to serve during COVID and the staff has always shown regard to safety measures. Great place to have in the Uptown Buena Park neighborhood but could be a destination as well.

So what so you do on the day of a blizzard? When you want to watch the Superbowl? But your car is buried under 2 feet of snow? And people are stuck in the streets? And the wind is blowing so hard that you can only see as far as your hand in front of you? Walk to a bar. Hence, I found myself at The Bar and to my surprise, there were so many other locals that had made their way through the wrath of the blizzard as well. We all sat warm and cozy in our sanctuary. The Bar is a great spot. Not too big, not too small. Plenty of seating and televisions all around. The drinks were reasonably priced and pretty strong, might I add. What surprised me the most was the food. Delicioso! Burgers, either beef or turkey, are so well seasoned and cooked perfectly. You can actually see the cook making your food right next to the bar. Customer service was on point as well. Totally love this place and it has become a favorite spot to go to in my neighborhood!

18 bucks without tip for 3 Medicare tacos.. i know it's a bar but still..don't think i be back here!! I rather go to dinner at at restaurant for 20 bucks!!

This is a quaint old time feel kind of place. We ordered poblano hummus with veggies and pita bread and it was very good. Everything was fresh. Would have loved to try some of the other food. Maybe next time.