I ordered the Reuben to go for a quick lunch stop and I could have had a Rueben 100 times better at Jason's Deli down the block for a cheaper price with fresh fruit and unlimited soft serve. Â The salad served with their Reuben was an afterthought, something a 5 year old could put together.
Review Source:I'm saying okay, because I do like this place. It's a cozy atmosphere and our waitress was awesome!
But I've been spoiled by flavor from other places. So even though our pretzels (which came with some pretty bangin' mustard) were delicious, my Salmon Pesto Penne was lacking a little flavor. The Bread Pudding... delicious, but holy hell was it huge. My boyfriend and I almost fell asleep on the train ride home because we were so full.
So lack of food on the plate you won't have issues with....you get a heaping. My main course was just missing flavor
Beer: arrived in huge 20oz glasses, no complaints there.
Burgers, I love burgers. So I knew I would have to visit Elephant & Castle after reading a rather delicious review praising the Union Jack Beef Burger. Luckily, my hotel was very close to EC so my first night in Chi-town I headed over.
I was greeted quickly & seated. Whilst surveying the drink menu, my rather affable server came up to the table to take my drink order. Martini, why not? I perused the dinner menu while waiting for my drink and many items tempted me away from the UJBB. But I help steady and stuck to my guns. And I am so glad I did.
The Union Jack is huge and packed with flavor. The patty is dredged in Guinness BBQ sauce and topped with bacon and jack cheese. Seasoned & cooked perfectly, the beef was nicely dense & held up well. But I will tell you what really sent this burger over the top, the bacon & jack. I'm usually a plain-Jane type of burger gal but I am so glad I stepped out of my comfort zone. The chips were fried to a perfect golden color & were succulent without being mushy. Add to that an above average martini!
So the next time you are looking for a great, delicious burger around the Loop area, head over to EC & order yourself a Union Jack.
We liked it. Don't understand low reviews. Was at the Toronto one years ago. Great English comfort food. Â Great location in chi-town. I like the old, pub style feel. Beef stuffed Yorkshire pudding over garlic mashed potatoes with gravy was good, though thin sliced roast beef was not what I expected. Â Family ate here after wintery day on Michigan Ave. Good and warming with a pint of Guinness. Â Son had shepherds pie, which was great. Wife had steak salad with blue cheese - steak perfectly mid rare. Â Prices were fantastic in heart of Chicago. I love trendy, upscale places, too. This is not like that. Still love it. We did have a slow start with service on a not too busy night, but it got better quick after that.
Review Source:This is close to work so I've been numerous times. Â It's not the best British pub food, but not the worst either. Â
I usually order the fish and chips, which aren't super exciting, but I pile on them malt vinegar, so that doesn't bother me. Â Chips aren't bad, and you can order gravy, a nice British treat! Â I've had the bangers and mash (tasty), chicken tenders (good), potstickers (decent), spinach artichoke dip (yum) and nachos (terrible, dry with no flavor). Â My friend raves about the sweet potato fries. Â Beer selection is pretty good, not many microbrews though. Â If you're looking for Smithwick's, Boddington's or Harp, this is your spot.
Service is not the best. Â They definitely aren't invested in going the extra mile. Â Adequate is an apt description. Â We recently went with a large group for a going away party and called ahead twice to ensure they reserved a big table for us. Â When we arrived, they acted like this was news to them and scrambled to find a table while 12 of us awkwardly stood by the door, getting in everyone's way. Â FAIL. Â
The patio is nice in the summer, and the fireplace in the winter. Â I will continue coming just for convenience, but it would be nice if they stepped up their game.
My first time eating at Elephant & Castle and sadly, it was just OK. Â I ordered the fish & chips, which I thought was appropriate considering it was an English pub themed restaurant. Â The fries were nice but the fish was very bland. Â The batter had no taste whatsoever and I ended up picking out the fish and leaving the fried part aside (afterall, what is the point of all the extra calories if it doesn't taste good). Â Overall, the fist was very greasy - probably could have benefited from being cooked a little longer to get a nice crispy outside.
My boyfriend had a burger which he enjoyed. Â Decent beer selection. Â Overall just an okay place with decent prices and decent service. Â I probably won't return anytime soon.
I have now been here twice, I have had the bratwurst sampler both times, but others in my party have had the soups and other things all of which were excellent. I haven't tried any of the desserts, but they look amazing. The chicken salad is also good. On the second trip the service was a bit lack luster but the first trip it was so good, that I just will chalk it up to a not good employee.
Cheers
Food is good but the bar staff is so lame. I have been here more that a few times because of the good location and the British beer selection but every time I come here the bar treats the customers like tourist trash who they couldn't be bothered to lower themselves to actually care about what the customer wants. I am not a tourist and I don't feel welcome. Don't ask them to put a game on as they are too cool to care?
Review Source:Elephant & Castle has reasonably priced food, great beer, and a nice location for a quick business lunch. The food will be rated as just okay by most people, but it's decent for the price.
The first two times that I went to Elephant & Castle the service was efficient, friendly, warm and above average! The third time that I ate there it took so long to get our food that we asked for a to go container with it, because my 1 hour lunch was over before any of our food arrived. The waiter apologized profusely, but that didn't fix the extensive wait.
The decor is out of date, but it's not what I would classify as dingy or bad. It's a decently decorated place with a nice layout, but I'm not suggesting it for a dinner location.
Great place to people watch in the evening... sitting outside. Went here with the wife and had a few drinks. Â There are some free parkings down the road on Wabash if you get there at 10 pm. Â Ordered some wings and they were not to my liking... they were not crispy enough. Â The buffalo sauce was very weak... needed to ask for more buffalo sauce 3 times to make it taste decent.
Was amazed people go out drinking with their colleagues til past 10pm... maybe I'm getting old.
I'm going to have to go with the mass on this one and rate this place 3 stars. Came here on a weekday afternoon while waiting to see the Conan taping around the block. It was packed as other fellow Conan members were waiting it out too. I ordered the buffalo chicken wrap. It was alright, a little small though. It came with a soup. French onion is french onion. It didn't blow me away but it was alright too. The chicken tenders were pretty tender though. Not too friend in batter, so it depends if you like that or not.
A little nitpick that bothered me though was that there was a cubs game on but all the TVs had soccer on. I understand that it was EURO at the moment but England wasn't even playing.... just saying....
It was our last day in Chicago. We had to check out of our hotel, but it was too early to head toward the airport. Â We (read: our walking feet) were pleasantly exhausted from our whirlwind trip and just wanted a place to park it for a few hours for a little day drinkin'. Enter Elephant and Castle.
With help from the handy Yelp app we found this place and settled into a comfy booth, fully intending on being THOSE people who just camped out, sipped our beer and inevitably made the waitress mad.
Luckily for us, not only was she not mad, she was super friendly and very attentive, even after we stated our intentions.
The beer selection was good and the appetizers were excellent (oh my the spinach dip! yum!). Â The cozy pub atmosphere was just what we were looking for.
I see lots of complaints about the noise and the crowds, but on a random Monday afternoon it was perfect. Â I guess not many people day drink in the loop? Silly Chicagoans.
Stopped in for pre-theater drinks and snacks. Mid week, 6pm. Â The place is busy, but we still find seats at the bar and folks coming in are seated at tables without a wait.
Service is speedy and friendly. Beer list is nice--mostly the big names, but also some ciders and some local brews (Two Brothers for one). Â Food was ok. We chose the small plates--each plate is about $7, but you can choose 3 for $17. Â We tried the potstickers, chicken kabobs and the sweet potato fries. Â The potstickers were really good--nice sized, pork/veggie filled with a sweet chili glaze. Â The kabobs were ok--I can make better myself. Â The Fries were good too, but I didn't find the tomato aioli that is served with it to be appetizing. Fries by themselves were just fine.
An OK stop if you're in the area and are looking for some basic brews and eats.
This would be a meh, but their food is good - especially their ale pie, which is the best I've tasted outside Ireland - so they get an extra star.
Just as noisy and crowded as every other restaurant in the Loop. Just as pricey, too. The waitstaff is super friendly, almost to a fault, but considering how busy they get, you should probably be grateful it's one extreme and not the other.
If you go: it's crowded and you will very likely have to wait. The Guinness is pretty decent. The calamari is tender and served with a yummy, yummy sauce. The fish and chips were meh, and the rum raisin cake was disappointing.
This was our first stop on our impromptu crawl on St. Patrick's Day. Â Now, keep in mind that they had a limited menu for the holiday, so I can't attest to their normal menu. Â However, what we did order was good!
In addition to our amazing drinks (that just kept coming!) I ordered the cheeseburger with a side of salad (I LOVE that this is an option!) and my husband got their corned beef sandwich on rye. Â My friends got something else I didn't pay attention to, but they seemed to enjoy it!
We also ordered an appetizer of pretzels with a side of beer mustard sauce. Â These pretzels (three) were really good, and they sort of had a fried quality to the outside. Â Huge crystals of salt. too, so you could scrape them off if you're not a huge salt fan (ahem, me)
My burger was really good! Â It was cooked to perfection, and the salad was fresh and crisp as well!
The service was good. Â You could tell that our waitress was a little overwhelmed. Â It was an Irish joint on St. Patrick's Day, however, so I am not really shocked!! Â She did good for the volume of customers! Â We were told a 25 minute wait, but it was only about 5!
I would come back again to see what their normal menu has to offer!
It was 7:30 pm on Friday night. Â The boyf and I were in town for a philosophy conference. Â We had walked a little under a mile down to Hackney's Printers' Row only to realize that the place was packed. Â By the time we covered another mile heading back in the direction of our original location, we were hungry and cold. Â Elephant & Castle fit the bill. Â
We were seated immediately in a lovely corner of the restaurant. Â Our food was prompt and delicious and appropriately-portioned. Â I'm normally a burger and fries kind of woman, but this time I decided on the thai chicken salad. Â I was not disappointed, so that's saying a lot for the salad. Â The boyf assessed his burger and fries as A-OK. Â
The atmosphere of Elephant & Castle is not distinctive, but it's much cozier and classier than an Applebee's or a T.G.I. Friday's. Â In fact, I didn't even know it was a chain until someone pointed out to me when we were looking for beers and burgers in Seattle. Â
In my books, the Chicago E&C does the "British Pub and Restaurant concept" well. Â If you're looking for non-greasy bar food, this is a decent place to be.
Get the spinach and artichoke dip! It is a MUST have.
Not as much of a bar scene as it is a pub & restaurant, but they do have plenty of beers on tap for your enjoyment. My girlfriends and I split a handful of appetizers - potstickers and spinach and artichoke dip taking the cake. That is, however, NOT to discount the fact that the fish bites and sweet potato fries were delicious as well!
Overall a very pleasant experience, with great atmosphere and service to boot.
I suppose what struck me upon entering this restaurant was the fact that it didn't look like a castle, nor do they serve Elephant. I was excited to try elephant meat, but it appears they either didn't sell it, or were fresh out. Damn. That reminds me of something: What do you call an Elephant that hasn't bathed? A smelliphant! HA HA ROFLMAO!
As for the food, I ordered a real British Staple: Vegetable Stir Fry. It was actually pretty good. The sauce was worthwhile.
Another thing on the menu that I found odd were the "Beer Fingers." I was going to order those, but the thought of a person standing at my table dipping their fingers in beer, and then making me lick the beer off of their fingers ultimately was not appealing.
In summation: This is a decent place to get a lunch, or an after work beer. Or to lick beer of a strangers fingers (apparently). It is not good if you are looking to eat in a castle, or if you have a taste for Elephant.
I've always wanted to go to England. I had not been there since I was about ten years old, and I guess that trip doesn't really count since at the time I didn't really get to experience the country. Until that ever happens, I guess indulging in British food and drink while still in America is the closest I'll ever get.
Went here on a Sunday after a morning of ice skating at Millennium park nearby. When we got in the place was remarkably quiet for a Sunday, noting also a Bears game would be played that day. Good for our group; we got to sit in a booth towards the back and eat & drink in peace. It was the first time I got to try the Shepard's pie...good, but eager to see how it compares to versions by other restaurants that serve this type of cuisine.
No complaints about this place; service was good and food was good. To me, it's a cool place to hang out for after-work drinks or resting after a day of shopping at State Street. Wouldn't mind coming back here if I was in the neighborhood.
We stopped in on a whim after a night at the Christkindlmarkt.
We were seated toward the back, by the window which was nice. It really is just a norm-pub with no frills. Our server Molly was nice - no complaints. There wasn't a lot on the menu that grabbed my eye, but ultimately I had the chicken & brie sandwich which was fairly good. There was a lot of it and I only ate half (I ended up giving the leftovers I saved to a transient outside but that was ok).
I been meaning to write this review for awhile...In the summer it seems like a nice place to sit outside for after work drinks and food....well sitting outside was probably a mistake since it was so loud outside...traffic and tourists walking by. On cold days sitting inside...well you may end up not finding a seat during happy hour time.
The place is ok. Both times service was a bit off...no one sat us down in the beginning...and we waiting a loong time just to get our drink order. Their appetizers were average nothing special.
On one occasion my drink was very strong...but a bit tooo strong (which makes it worth the price..but lacks the taste). Overall it is not a place I will want to have a happy hour at on a regular basis...
Elephant and Castle definitely has it's place as a spot to stop off for a drink on the way to the train, quick lunch or as a spot to meet up with friends. Â I wouldn't seek it out, but it is definitely ok for what it is.
Upon entering, it's very cute, with nice decor and the look of a pub (with the name, I suppose I should expect that). Â The lighting is a bit bright for evening (at least when I was there), but it's not a spot for a date anyway, so that doesn't matter. Â A 3 for atmosphere.
The servers/bartenders have always been nice and friendly (4 for service). Â The food is acceptable, but nothing spectacular (3 for food).
Value-wise, the spot is in line with other restaurants/bars in the area. Â A 3 for value.
As to bathrooms...I've been to Elephant and Castle a few times, and honestly can't remember them (my last visit was in the summer), so I will go with a 3 since they were non-memorable in either direction.
So, stop in for happy hour, quick bite, etc, but don't make this your destination for the evening.
I showed up with a group of 14 people on Chicago Marathon Sunday. Â They very kindy put 7 tables together for us on the sidewalk. Â The waitress was fantastic. Â She did a great job taking care of such a large group.
The beer list is great and has many selections. Â The food is British Pub Food, it is pretty good but it is the pub atmosphere and the beer that draw me to E&C.
While I most certainly wasn't the bloke who was with Jelena Z that ill-fated day, I might as well have been because it was the same rationale that ended up landing me in the very same Elephant & Castle so many months later: hungry, not really sure where I was, in desperate need of wireless internet and a veggie burger.
After finding a veggie burger on the menu and being assured there would be wireless, I nabbed a table with an outlet by myself and settled in to get some work. Now, here's where I made a rookie mistake: I ordered before confirming there was wireless. Because there definitely wasn't but at that point I had to stay or pay for a meal I didn't eat.
Cue anger.
Now it's a good thing the burger was actually pretty good, otherwise the whole thing would have just been a shitshow. But with nice bruschetta toppings and some Swiss, it was actually pretty delicious.
As for my server...well, she just hated me from the start. Actually, I think all the servers hated their customers or at least it seemed that way from the conversations they were having at the cash register not far from my table. Hearing all of THAT while trying to just hang out was a treat...
You know that feeling when you're really, really hungry (bordering on hangry) but you're smack dab in a tourist trap, and you'd rather not blow your pent-up appetite wad on overpriced, substandard pub fare at a chain restaurant?
BUT.
The person you're with wildly points at said chain restaurant and happily exclaims, "THERE'S a restaurant, yes, right there!"
Me: No, I don't think they serve food (still briskly walking and biting my lower lip, clearly lying. White lies!).
He: No, I see people eating. Let's check it out, I'm sure it's fine. Come on!
What he doesn't know is that I've already checked out Elephant & Castle's page on the Yelp app and I'm not happy with what I'm seeing. But I want to seem amenable and flexible and spontaneous not... snotty.
We go in, grab a booth and straight away, I notice the "For the love of beer" slogan on big posters promoting their extensive beer list. I'm on board with that! But after a quick look at the beer menu, I realize that's a rather boastful statement. Really? For the love of Miller and AB domestics, and a Stella and Goose Island thrown in for good measure? Ack.
We get our food and though I'm down with pub fare basics such as burgers, sandwiches and wraps, what we had was rather... average. My friend liked his reuben okay, but mentioned it was on the small side. I think my chicken chipotle wrap was depressed... really, it was sad. I didn't even finish despite being in the full throes of hangriness at this point.
Lesson learned: Men make bad decisions when unbearably hungry. Especially if they don't use Yelp!
Beer can take the edge off of a rough day. Â Fortunately, I was also in good company. Â My friends know that there's nothing like a good beer and some unhealthy appetizers that will cheer me up. Â On that particular day, we decided on Elephant and Castle because everyone was coming straight from work.
The selection of British beer is impressive and there are 8+ selections on draft. Â The food is standard pub fare. Â Unfortunately, the kitchen did not have a few of our first-choice appetizers due to the holiday. Â Through process of elimination, we settled on potato skins, bruschetta, and onion rings. Â Lots of deep fried options.
My favorite: The onion rings. Â Not too greasy or soggy.
My least favorite: The bruscetta. Â It was like a cracker with some chopped up tomato thrown on top.
A few hours later: My stomach was KILLING me while at O'Hare and on my very-delayed flight back home. Â Something did not agree with me; not a good feeling at all.
If you're in the Loop looking for a decent place for happy hour specials and beer, Elephant and Castle is the place to go.
A few visits to E&C is a few visits too many. This place works because of it's convenience factor - the after work crowd looking for somewhere in the loop to meet for a drink. If there were more options, I am sure this place would not see as much business as it currently does. Both of my visits I have gotten spotty service, even when it's slow.
It's just, well, meh. Boring. Snooze.
I've been wavering on this one, but the truth is, I *have* experienced better, and right nearby in the Loop.
Elephant & Castle holds itself to be a "British Pub" ostensibly because they serve fish and chips. Â Ah, what the Brits must think of us. Â
The beer selection was decent (mostly "macro"-type brews) and our bartender was very friendly and attentive, it's just that this place is... nothing special. Â There are so many other (arguably better) places for you and your coworkers to go for a drink after work.
To summarize (for you Gaelic speakers in the crowd) Elephant & Castle can Poag Mahone.
Not my scene. Â At all. Â A friend suggested we meet here for dinner before a show at the Chicago Theater. Â Not the best choice. Â Not her fault but man it was bad.
The place was so packed that we had to yell at each other just to have a conversation. Â I guess Guiness or similar was having some promotion/give-away thing so the bar was busier than usual, but man, seriously, it was freaking loud. Â I dont know. Â Maybe I'm just old.
Our waitress seemed a bit put out. Â When we asked for a second menu (she only brought one?) she looked at us like we were crazy and said, "You want another one?" Â Um, there were TWO of us. Â Weird.
I wasn't feeling too hungry and the menu wasn't grabbing me so I settled on the quesadilla. Â I know you cannot expect too much from this dish..I mean its cheese, chicken and a tortilla. Â Yeah, it wasn't that good. Â The tortilla was stale and the filling was lukewarm and without flavor. Â And, to top it off, we paid an extra $1.50 for guacamole (almost a spoonful). Â I'm not one to bitch about paying extra for stuff but if I'm paying extra give me a least more than a bite. Â Lame.
Our apathetic server, the boring food, the noise..not worth a repeat visit. Â This is why I avoid chains.
Another Friday, another lunch.
This week found "just the two of us" who happen to be not picky and indecisive. Â Talk about frustrating. Â Good news! Â One of us decided he wanted fish 'n chips, so we trekked off to this place for a bite.
We had to wait about 5 minutes, but then were seated and served promptly. Â Good selection of bar food, although a bit pricey...'tis the loop, I suppose I should be used to it after over three years of working down here.
Of course, my coworker had the fish 'n chips, which looked lovely, and tasted lovely, even after he smeared it with Coleman's. Â (Which prompted a discussion: he said English food isn't so good, but they have excellent condiments. Â I said the condiments are there cuz the food isn't so good. Â So, which came first? Â Crappy food or the condiments to cover up the crap? Â You decide. Â Let me know.)
I had the sonoma chicken wrap with sweet potato fries, which was pretty tasty. Â But here's my issue with the wrap: It had all the right ingredients, but they were completely separated. Â I had one bite of just chicken, then one bite of jalapenos and black beans. Â You gotta mix that up, yo. Â In any event, after some carefully choreographed bites, I got the right mix of spicy and chicken-y.
The sweet potato fries were delish. Â Perfectly crispy, and not greasy in the least. Â But seriously, I paid $13 for a sammie and a few sweet potato fries. Â That just seems a little nutso. Â But I ate it and enjoyed it thoroughly, so that might mean I'd venture over here again.
Service was adequate and attentive, and our food came freakishly fast, which was good cuz I was hungry.
In sum, a nice spot to stop for lunch, albiet a little pricey for everyday.
This is a great place to discuss Hitler.
Yes, you read this correctly. Last night, I went to see a screening of Mein Fuhrer at the Siskel Film Center. After the movie, three of us decided to keep the evening alive, and continue to discuss the film, even though there really wasn't much to discuss.
We walked over to the E&C and were greeted by a friendly door man. He informed us the kitchen was done serving - but we were welcome to sit for drinks. He seated us at a table. It was not packed. Mind you, this was 11:45 pm on a Saturday night. Last call is 12am.
Our waitress was a sweet girl, who was obviously tired of dealing with drunken St. Patrick's day revelers. She even told us that "we were the most pleasant table she'd dealt with all night."
I volunteered to vomit to spice things up, but she declined, saying they'd already dealt with that a few times today. But she appreciated the gesture.
How can you not love a bar that embraces bulimia?
The service was fast, and prompt. I like going to a bar where even if the rest of the night has been crazed, they do not carry over baggage from other more demanding customers. It was refreshing. It is this sort of service that earns repeat patronage from me.
We had our drink, and ventured out for one more.
And we decided that Mein Fuhrer was just "meh", and nothing to write home to mother about.
Really deserves a 3.5 but that's because I really just dig their name!!
I liked it even though it's a chain (20 locations across Canada and the U.S.). Look past the trendy locals and confused/amazed tourists and you have a nice bar. A little packed for me at especially at 5:30 but we really only waited for 10 minutes. The host was extremely nice too bad our waitress wasn't as cheerful. She was busy I get it and her other tables were a lot larger of a group but she still could have been a little nicer.
Like the other reviewers say "Not the most authentic", but they did have some of the British classics on the menu. Not to mention the decor of the place. The veggie platter, pretzels, and chicken skewers with peanut sauce were good; but note to self do not order the veggieburger ever again, it simply tastes like mass produced frozen burgers. It was bad and I wasn't impressed with their sweet potato fries at all.
If I was around there I would stop in but I wouldn't make a special trip if I were you.
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