Wonderful place for drinks. Â Good food as well, though on my last visit (Tuesday) just drinks.. Â Last night's visit was just as good. Â The bartender was all smiles, and even though we were at a table, not sitting at bar...she was still properly attentive, and always making sure our drinks did not run too low.
Review Source:I read the reviews and really was looking forward to the experience. So, let me start with the good stuff first...the vibe is chill and has a dark mobster type feel to it...of course, the decor makes you think that...the restaurant itself was very clean and well maintained...and the food was a four out of five...I had wings and garlic bread to start and deep dish pizza for main meal - all pretty darn good. Gosh, just thinking about the pizza right now makes me want to go back...They have plenty of beer to choose from and it was nice and cold when they brought it over...Lastly, the prices were very fair.
I took away one star for so-so service. They have a great formula here and the experience would be a five star if they could deliver on the service...friendly and fast - no more to it...instead it was...blah.
My co-workers and I go here frequently for lunch...we order a pizza a couple hours before we want to eat and it's ready when we get there...always sit in Dawn's section...Dawn rocks! Â This is by far the best pizza in the city...I know everyone raves about Giordano's, etc...but this pizza is DELICIOUS! Â Both the deep dish and the thin....we rarely order other things on the menu but the buffalo wings are pretty good too! Â Ordering pizza ahead of time is the way to go!
Review Source:We're still fans... we dined here before attending the second performance of our Joffery subscription. Since it was a Friday of Lent I chose this place to try their Fish n'' Chips. They have a serviceable list of wines by the glass at a reasonable price (always worth a star); I arrived a few minutes before Partner and they showed me to a table anyway (that's another star); our server was attentive and friendly. Partner decided to go with the Fish n' Chips as well so we had two identical orders. $11.25 gets one a soup or salad, and a large plate of fish and fries with malt vinegar offered as a condiment. The blue cheese dressing was several grades better than either of us would have expected with huge chunks of blue cheese on top of a more standard blue cheese dressing. The fish was good though I found the breading a tad disappointing. (I would have preferred a crispier beer batter type.) We each tried one of their special hot drinks for our dessert. Partner enjoyed his mint thing and I really liked my "Turtle" drink. So...for well under a Benjamin, I had a couple glasses of decent wine, we had a couple good dinners, and a couple desert cocktails served by a friendy and efficient waitress. Yes, we're still fans.
Review Source:Rude, rude,rude. I went here last night for a private party in their front room. For 30+ people, they had two waitresses. People were ordering food and drinks. The waitresses would repeatedly shout at people for moving and shout the orders. When someone asked for another beer, they were rude. I was not impressed and will not return. The food was decent at best.
Review Source:I may give this place one more chance to see if my review will change, but for now here it goes... My first time here was a few days ago. It was Thursday night, lively but not crowded.
The hostess was nice, however our waitress should not be a waitress or should just never work with people. I don't even know her name (she didn't grace us with that pleasure). She got to our table fairly quick which is great, however the first thing she said was if we're ready to order drinks, no introduction at all. I told her I haven't looked at the menu much yet, as soon as I looked back up she was gone. This shocked me because usually at restaurants there's a hi my name is such and such I'll be serving you today, then you ask if we would like drinks and appetizers. If we are undecided, then a server usually says okay, I'll give you all a few minutes, etc. This lady seemed to be rushing my table which made me very uncomfortable.
I ordered the salmon and ended up eating most of it at home. I asked simple question about the types of soups and salads they offer with the meals and asked about specific ingredients in the salad. These questions seemed to bother her. Word of advice: people are allergic to certain ingredients in various dishes nowadays, there should be no attitude when I politely ask to omit onions, or ask about your salad dressings. The menu is not one page, and as my first time there I would've liked to enjoyed exploring the menu to make a comfortable decision my order. Due to my waitresses overbearing and rude notions, I was unable to do so. *sigh*
Decent deep dish at a premium price.
The first I notice about the Exchequer Restaurant is the slightly outdate, funeral home feel of the place. We came for a late lunch at around 2:00pm while passing through the city on a road trip. The restaurant was very dark and it seemed that as we arrived most of the other guests left. I was told great things about the pizza and drinks, but, I felt a little let down. The pizza was by no means bad-- It as pretty good in fact. I wouldn't say it quite lived up to the hype, however.
Overall I enjoyed my experience here but I think next time I am passing through the windy city I will try another of the great deep dish pizza joints.
Exchequer isn't subpar pub food. I would actually come here frequently even if I didn't live two blocks away. It's just AWESOME. It's bustling almost every night of the week, but we're always able to get a table within 10 minutes, and food arrives promptly. I order the grilled salmon entree every time and they're always willing to make substitutions to accommodate customers' preferences. The food is always piping hot and just tastes FRESH. I've heard the deep-dish is an excellent alternative to the overhyped and overcrowded Giordano's, Gino's, or Lou's.
For pub food, Exchequer IS as good as it gets, and even better. It's just not a typical greasy joint; it has a history and it has class.
We were in Chicago from Las Vegas for a Bears game and were searching for a place to eat while walking around downtown when we ran into this cool little joint. Â The food was amazing and the portions were out of this world HUGE. Â The only reason I did not give it five stars was due to a little less than exceptional service. Â The waitress was attentive, but was not the friendliest, almost as if she was a bit bothered by us....overall, it was a great dinner despite this small issue. Â I had the roast beef/cheddar on pretzel roll sandwich and my husband had a burger. Â Both were served with the waffle fries and we enjoyed the tower of onion appetizer, which were beyond amazing, but overall a bit too much food. Â I actually gave my leftovers to a nice homeless man while catching the bus back to our hotel since I had no place to keep them. Â Give this place a try, you will not be disappointed.
Review Source:For Christmas spirit, there is no better place in Chi-town than the Exchequer.  Seriously the best place for an after-State St. shopping binge cocktail or meal, this is old school comfort.  Dark woods, twinkling lights, skilled bartenders comfortable booths & bar,, and it's Greek-owned, need I say more?  The food is excellent and plentiful and the drinks are delicious.  Try the Tom & Jerry, their signature eggnog.  But the martinis are better & strong!! LOL  I love the Godfather, which knocked me out  more than a few times (vodka, grand marnier, amaretto).
The place is one block east of State and a few south of Macy's, which it far surpasses as a venue to relax and contemplate your purchases or future purchases.   Macy's restaurants/ bar have long lines and its a different environment, kind of cafeteria & queue after  queue,  including the Walnut Room & Bar., which is nice but with an even LONGER queue (2 hours??) .  Exchequer is personal, and everyone who goes there is in the spirit, chatting with other patrons, sharing X-mas experiences, eating a fantastic hearty meal.(i.e. Greek = salad or soup and a basket of rolls & butter as an appetizer and huge main portions, roll out the door, you know you've had a meal) .  It takes me back to my youth and the places my parents took me to, lots of celeb photos & autographs, seasoned bartenders who have been there for years and have their names engraved into their vests.  What sets the mood is the terrific music track of Christmas songs, which make you sing along and sway in your seat (woefully absent at Macy's)  Macy''s bar Infields has no music and a fairly clueless bartender????? Duh.
The food is excellent, you can't go wrong with anything. Â But what impresses me is the cocktail menu, many great martinis and Louis Latour wines, many craft beers, it's about a 10 page drink menu and reasonable for downtown. I'm there.
I was impressed that the seasoned wait staff personally expressed their gratitude for their tip (nothing extraordinary, 20%) which only makes you wishes you tipped them MORE.
I will definitely be back through the New Year to try all of the hot (alcoholic) drinks. Â Love it, love the music, food & drink. Â You will leave happy, as I did.
I seem to end up at the Exchequer a lot. Admittedly, it is incredibly convenient, being right there on Wabash, and their seating is extremely comfortable, especially after spending the day walking around, showing out of town friends or family the city or visiting the Art Institute. The place is also very large, so, in addition to the random lunch or dinner with friends, I have been here for a couple of different large functions.
The service is usually passable, being a little on the slow side, but not terrible. The food is okay. It is usually a bad sign when the menu is so all over the place: burgers, pizza, pasta, sandwiches, steaks, seafood,etc. I have had a couple of bad meals here (the pasta isn't very good, and the seafood is just a little sad), but I have also had a couple of great meals. I love the Bistro Burger (topped with goat cheese, olives, "bistro sauce", oregano, garlic), their chili is surprisingly tasty, and waffle fries are always a good choice.
My girlfriend and I went here last night after the chicago symphony concert because we have enjoyed the atmosphere in the past. However, from the moment we got in, we experienced nothing but cold personalities from the staff. The lady who brought us to our table didn't smile once, seemed extremely pissed about something/someone, Â and simply said "here" when we arrived at our table, then walked hurriedly away. Then the waiter came, informed us the kitchen was closing soon, and so we looked through the menu's quickly, my girlfriend ordered first, then i was still looking, and he impatiently looked at me as I was trying to figure out, and said "hurry up." What kind of service standards does Exchequer hold their employees to? Even if they weren't employees, it is rude to tell someone to hurry up in most situations.
The food was decent and brought out in an expedient manner. However that particular night at least, the service was completely unacceptable.
Was just there with a coworker and had the worst experience I have had ever had in a restaurant. First, the waitress was a bit brut and just seemed a little too agressive and unfriendly to be waitressing in Chicago. Second a man comes to give us our food otherwise spilling an entire tall glass of ice water in my lap and hands me only 3 napkins to clean up and dry off. He offers little or no apology but does ask if he can get me anything and I reply with hot tea. The waitress comes by and we let her know what happened and she said really who? Oh im surprised he's practically the owner...
Now mind you this was my first day back to work from the flu and now im sitting in drenched pants for ABOUT 45 MINUTES and was really kind and patient,but when we were handed the  full price bill with no explanation, I was pretty mad. I called the waitress over and she said "well thats not my call"....really? Your patron patiently sat in soaked pants in winter in Chicago (sick) and you felt that your restaurant should not do a thing? When the guy came back he said they are only giving me 15% off...just like that! As we were walking out I cornered manager and let him know my pants were still soaked and his staff barely apologized. After speaking to him it was obvious were the lack of customer service came from. The sad thing is the food is AMAZING and its always packed...but the staff we dealt with today was some of the worse I have ever experienced!
Hoping off a plane, the first thing I wanted to do was either eat a deep dish pizza or a steak. Â I met up with one of my local friends and he decided to take me to his favorite spot, Exchequer. We called ahead to order our pizza as it can take about half an hour or more to make. Â Parking was pretty easy as there is plenty of street parking and lots nearby. Â
We ordered a medium meat pizza that included sausage, pepperoni, bacon, and ground beef. Â There's a decent selection of beers on tap to select from as well. Â The pizza is different than most places I've been to as the cheese is on top and sauce and toppings in the middle. Â It was delicious and melted in my mouth. Â I can't wait to come back to Chi-town to have another pie. Â Also, there's plenty of tv's tuned to the games.
Would definitely recommend to my friends back home when visiting.
This place is pretty overrated. We went here with some friends because they found it on yelp. Their criteria was "cheap" and not a Michelin star place. The food wasn't bad, but it wasn't the best deep dish pizza I've had. The service was horrible, and if it weren't for the mandatory percentage tip for our group of 6, I would've left less than I had to.
I feel there are better places than this around the area. Personally I would've rather just got the brat sandwich of the Christkindlmarket we were at instead of trekking to the edge of the loop for this place.
Very very verrry good pizza. Comfy space, nice collection of people, COLD beer, attentive service, and clean bathrooms! Great place to duck in after work or on a cold day.
We had pepperoni pizza (lovely thin crust variety) and a couple beers. Friendly place, fun place to catch a game, people watch and more. Their thin crust pizza is the reason to go again and again.
Best place I've found in a month of working in the area. Ribs are far better than the 'famous' place nearby, and especially like the Mediterranean version. Thin and stuffed pizzas are great. Love the burgers, and the wings are way beyond what I've become accustomed to as wings. In short, I keep ordering different things, and I am always happy with the result.
Family run and nice folks too.
One word: Overrated.
The first time I came here was my 2nd time in Chicago. My family ordered wings and pizza. Neither struck a chord with me.
Next time was when I moved to Chicago. I was craving BBQ chicken pizza and decided to order from here. Again, nothing out of the ordinary.
Finally, the last time i came here I only came here because I wanted to grab a beer and Pazzo's was closed. My friend and I decided to order some food as well. I ordered the goat cheese and marinara. I have never been so disappointed in goat cheese in my life. The appetizer was basically just a pot of marinara sprinkled with a few slices of goat cheese. I have ordered the exact dish from other restaurants and the ratio of cheese to sauce is usually 3:1, here it was about 1:6. Not a fan at all.
Service is always really good, which kind of makes up for the mediocre food, but not really. Also, they have a 10% discount for DePaul students. However, I wouldn't come back unless I absolutely was starving.
Cavernous and noisy, this is sort of the physical and spiritual brother of Miller's Pub next door. I prefer this place, and as I maintain to my Ginos and Unos and Giordanos loving friends, I think their pizza is actually better. In fact I would rate it as one of the better pizzas in this pizza crazy city. Dark, old school, middle aged waitresses who are probably all named "Flo," and who call you "Hon," its all here. Busy, so yeah you may wait. Come with some friends and watch a game and just chill.
Had a friend flip out on hallucinogens here once, so I have a sort of wistful nostalgia for the place.
Here's why I give two stars:
Service - Not good. We sat and waited for 20 minutes for someone to give us menus and drinks. After closing our tabs, I went to the bartender to see if we could close (because the waitress delivered the bills, but didn't stay/come back to collect credit cards), but unfortunately you HAVE to close with the waitress who "helped" you.
Food - The waffle fries from friends were good. The pasta dish I ordered with a marinara sauce, mushrooms, and meatballs was not. I think it was a penne pasta with vodka sauce. The sauce looked like it came out of a can, there were WAY too many mushrooms, and it just didn't taste good. I don't think I even ate 1/4 of the $15 entree.
Beer selection - Forget it. Only the cheap domestic beers, like Coors Light or PBR, are served here.
Moral of the story: Run away!
Came for the deep dish others were raving about here. I was unimpressed as I was with the entire experience.
So for the pizza. Envision and train your taste buds on a deep dish with Pizza Hut-like crust frozen before it was cooked, decent cheese, and watered-down sauce. That's the deep dish I had here and wonder if that's what everyone had. Message to all: please try Giordano's or maybe even Uno's before electing this the best if you haven't done so.
As for accommodations? Well, they were cavernous, dirty and had multiple personalities as you passed into it's bowels. Every few feet you felt like you were in a completely different but progressively worse restaurant. Two thirds of the way in, our table had what looked like a loogie dripping on the wall above our heads, the ceiling was stained with smoke and dust, and the air was damp and musty like my grandmother's basement. This all seems like a recipe for a good dive, but I didn't get that feel mainly because it lacked character and good food.
To be fair, however, it did have reasonable prices on the food and the beer including craft brews considering its location. So, maybe, this is good for a big group or family. Otherwise, I would be very hesitant to recommend it.
Decent deep dish pizza--better than Uno's in fact! It was the perfect place to enjoy a pitcher of beer and rest our feet after a long museum day.
The service was friendly, though it's not a quiet/romantic place to say the least. It's a typical Chicago sports bar place that's good for families/groups.
The food was good and "hit the spot" but the waitress either was VERY new or just totally disinterested or on the best side - simply really disorganized. Â We were greeted fine going in, however our waitress was not very familiar with how to help us as to which draft to order- we told her what we normally drink at home, and she mixed them up - so my husband and I had to trade.
When she finally did bring us our drinks, she literally dropped them off and turned around to talk to a friend and then went to another table to get their order. Â My husband even called after her. Â Finally she came back and took our order. Â I ordered my wings spicy with a side of the sweet chili sauce on the side. Â She tried to talk me out of it and really strongly recommended that I order mild if I was going to order the chili sauce on the side. Â I finally had to get firm with her and just tell her that I am taking the chance - but I LIKE spicy. Â
Needless to say, the 4-top that was seated next to my husband and I who were 10 minutes later than us, got their food first. Â When we did get our wings, it was only the wings, she had spent so much time apparently trying to convenience me of what I shouldn't order that she forgot to order my husbands. Â When we pointed that out, she was rather flustered and looked at her pad and said "but I didn't write that down". Â We smiled and said, but we ordered it.
After the chili cheese fries were delivered, we really didn't see her again. Â So .. when we finished our food, we took our check and left. Â Food was great but service was more like a training session then service.
Stopped here twice recently while traveling through the area. Â Both visits on Mondays. Â First visit the place was pretty lively - mostly after work groups. Â Got a table off to the side where we could converse adequately over the jukebox and the background noise (Hey! It's a pub, so it should be noisy.). We had the Trio appetizer which was about right for two and tasty, although the wings were less than noteworthy. Â We had the Brisket Sandwich and the Chicken Oriental. Â Both were good. Â Our server was attentive and helpful. Mixed drinks were standard bar fare.
Our second visit was around dinner time (6pm) and the crowd was comparatively smaller and more subdued. Â Tried the Trio again and the wings were just as unimpressive the second time. Â The Mozzarella cheese sticks made it better. Â We had the Fish & Chips and the Wisconsin Burger which were both very filling and quite good. Â Service was adequate.
Overall, it was a bit pricey but not unrealistic given the Loop location.  Service was okay and the food and drinks were good not great.  Next time we might try their deep dish pizza and if it's as good as some say I'd  add another star to my rating.
The shrieking baby was the highlight of the experience, if that tells you anything.
Stopped by here because it was close to my hotel and the ratings on Yelp weren't awful. Â Wasn't too hungry because I had totally gorged during a 3 1/2 hour rain delay at the Cubs game, but needed something to soak up the beer. Â
The food was just average (had some soup and the appetizer combo. Â Onion rings weren't that good but cheese sticks were fine. Â Chicken wings were very spicy. Â Soup was bland). Â The service was friendly but so freaking slow! Â They seated a party of eight right next to us and immediately the baby in the stroller started shrieking. Â I'm not talking crying, I am talking shrieking...a high pitched sound that pierces your eardrums like a million needles. Â We just wanted to get our food and get out of there but it was hard to get the service.
Perhaps the devil child with the larynx from hell colored my review, we can't be certain, but I am certain that I would most likely not go back here for a meal, it's just too slow. Â Maybe for a drink at the bar.
Before I forget, cool deal via Foursquare and Amex. Sync your Amex, check in, and you get $10 off your bill. Not bad.
Not for the review. This came highly recommended so we went (twice actually). The deep dish just doesn't do it for me. Â It was sloppy, everything falling apart, in pieces. Â And it really didn't taste that great. Â Second time we got thing crust and it was much better.
We tried lots of apps. Â All very standard deep fried average-ness.
The service, both times, was pretty terrible. Â Inside it's dark, a tad smelly, and seems pretty dirty. Maybe it's supposed to be this way?
Also, pretty pricey for what you're getting.
I don't really frequent this part of the Loop, nor really any part of the Loop in the evening hours. So I came here on a one-off Friday where we had a large group that needed a pre-event meal and drink.
Now, I'm not a space snob by any means (I love dives), but Exchequer has definitely seen better days (or has it? Maybe it was always dingy by comparison). It's dark with low-ceilings, and kinda reminds me of an 80's Round Table Pizza.
The food is palatable greasy pub fare + ribs and pizza. Standard beer list, though I will ding them for being out of cider. Prices are pretty steep considering what you are getting and where you are getting it from, but it's the Loop so I suppose they can price-gouge unsuspecting tourists.
Granted, your options in the Loop for late night drinking and eating are limited, but I see no other reason to come here aside from convenience or aversion to natural light.
It's food.
They have everything on the menu you can imagine; pasta, burgers, pizza, steak and even ribs. I would up with spaghetti because it was on special the night I was there, and it wasn't bad at all.
There is a good beer selection and it falls in line with that of any great neighborhood pub.
Solid "meh". For what it is, it's kind of pricey. The menu doesn't jump out as exciting, and the food was just okay. Nothing special. Fries had no seasoning. Pulled pork was what appeared to be leftover ribs (Cubed - which is not pulled, FYI) with barbecue sauce on top. I don't mean to be a southern or anything, but it just wasn't really good.
But the place was packed. Lots of white people. Older white people. I was wondering if they were all tourists, because CLEARLY none of them lived in the loop or South Loop - super suburbanite looking bunch. There are just so many better places to eat for cheaper.
Capping it off was some awful service. My friend asked if there were any drink specials. The waitress blankly looked and said "no". My friend asked "do you have a martini you would recommend?" the waitress said "no".
Charming she was not.
So yeah. Blah. I didn't puke it up but I just didn't care. So many better places to eat in CHicago.
This place....is awesome. Me and my friends were looking around heading towards a certain restaurant that yelp said was good but when we passed by this restaurant, we saw how busy it was and decided to come on in and I'm so glad that I did. The waitress is just wonderful- she took all our orders, split our checks and answered ALL of our extensive questions about the food and just anything about Chicago. She was such a sweet woman and I thank her for making Chicago just that much friendlier.
Okay, so I got the fish and chips that were decent, had buffalo wings as a app (amazing and very saucy), tried the 18 oz. burger, lamb chops, appetizer sampler, and their seasoned fries were AMAZING. Â So amazing that we ordered a few more orders. The waitress recommended the pizza but we just had deep dish the other day but it was a mistake after seeing the pizza from another table.
Overall, you have some good specials here with excellent food, decent price and even more amazing waitstaff. Come on in!
Pitchers, HAWCs, and 18oz burgers...
How I Found It: After the group and I were extremely hungry and staggering around Chicago looking for a place of refuge from the 10 degree blizzard, and trying to find the best yelp in the area, we came across this little nugget somewhat off the beaten path.
Ambiance: Typical pub/restaurant. The customer service was great, and The overall feel made it a great atmosphere for a Thursday night out in Chicago
What I had: I was spoiled enough to have expenses paid, so the group and I tried just about everything. I had Lamb Chops, 18 oz Burger, Fish and Chips, Some other assortment of fries, The sampler appetizer, and pizza, and yeah... literal gluttony.
Conclusion: Exchequer was extremely fun, and a really really good experience. The pitchers were cheap, and well priced. As long as the food was reasonable and very filling. Not one of us in our group went wrong with any of the aforementioned food selections. If your looking for a typical pub, with great customer service and above average food look no further this is the place to go!
The Exchequer is a solidly run business. The pizza has a phenomenal tomato sauce that's the perfect amount of sweet, salty, and runny. It's a little thinner than some of the Chicago mainstays, hey, not all deep dishes have to be carbon copies of each other.
The decor is what you'd expect from the name. Lots of memorabilia, ect. Our waitress stopped in the perfect amount. Look, if you want to hang out with your waitress, that you're prerogative, personally I'd rather not. We consistently could get a hold of our waitress, but at the same time it was easy to forget she was even there. To me, that's solid. Your mileage may vary.
They also have a really malty house beer that is simultaneously crisp/clean. Grab a pitcher. Get fat. Rock on.
I moved to England.
You guys, they put corn on pizza in England. They don't 'do' deep dish, the sauce is weird and they put stuff like corn on it and then slap one another on the back, like, 'Oh, what a good thing we did making this and calling it pizza. Let's eat this and enjoy it like it's food.'
In my darkest, most hormonal and homesick hours, I think about Exchequer. Deep dish pizza, that cheese and tomato garlic bread dip thing, Blue Moon in pitchers, the fact that it's full of a mix of families, drinkers, art students, Bears fans, museum goers... Just a great, great place.
I've seen others here complain about the service, but either I never minded it or I have blocked it out in a haze of romantic yearning.
Go. Enjoy it in my place. I send people there when they visit Chicago, so you might even run into some English people who are shocked -SHOCKED - that pizza can taste so nice.
We were three very hungry women after a full day of standing around at Lolla, and we wanted some food, preferably some burgers.
My friends and I split 12 buffalo hot wings and a Tex-Mex burger (pepper jack cheese, onions and chili). Everything was good enough to satisfy our hungry tummies.
And the bathrooms were nice enough for us to clean ourselves up after the horrible muddy mess that was Lolla.
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