I want to like you FatDuck, I really do. Â There is so much going for you, great location, easy parking, solid beer list, games on the multiple tv's...but you disappoint me, every time.
This place is well trafficked, I am sure for the reasons I noted above, but the food is just meh. Â I have been here at least ten times and have probably ordered most everything on the menu. Â The burger buns come out cold, the lettuce is all iceburg, the spinach artichoke dip is watery, etc, etc. Â
I hate to be critical but honestly, they could do better, they just don't have to because the places in Oak Park/Forest Park where you can go and grab a beer, eat a decent meal, and watch a game are limited. Â
I have been going to Scratch recently and would honestly recommend this place. Â The food is all homemade, the burgers are great and the canned beers are better.
ephemere + duckfat fries + reuben w. truffle parm fries + march madness= how could anyone not be happy here?!?!? I have been coming here for 3 years now and am never disappointed. The staff is great and most of the waitstaff are very good at making suggestions. The GRILLED calamari is delish-fest and I dont even like calamari! I usually get the reubens but they have been getting smaller. Also suggest the beef brisket sandwich, the fish tacos, the kobe beef sliders, or the kobe beef burger on a pretzel roll with a fried egg. if the bacon caramel ice cream sundae is on special -- ORDER IT!! Â My neighborhood fave :)
Review Source:I'm just as surprised with myself for giving a bar/grill a 5 stars, but it does deserve a 5 star! My husband and I originally wanted to go to a nice sit-down restaurant for dinner on a Friday night, but we couldn't get an early reservation and we were starving, so we hit up our local bar/grill. I heard lots of good things about this place, and I actually wanted a very casual, sit down place with lots of happy people around..since I've been mentally tired from work.
When we came here, there were no wait. We were seated at an area that is normally outside of the restaurant but they put several tables inside a tent with heat ventilation. Very interesting setup. The atmosphere was nice..The blackhawks game and bulls game were on, so lots of sports fans were decked out in their jerseys rooting for Chicago teams! My husband and I started with their Duckfat fries. It came with three types of dipping sauce (ketchup, ranch, and some kind of green verde sauce). The duckfat fries were good.. I also had a turkey black bean chili with pico de gallo on top. It was really good. I dipped my fries on it. My husband ordered their chicken dumpling soup, which he said was pretty salty. Disappointed there. For our entree, I ordered the blackened tilapia sandwich. I read good reviews about it, and I am glad I did. IT IS SOOOOO GOOD! This is the best fish sandwich I've ever had. It has the yummy tilapia with cole slaw, honey mayo, and some other sauce. The bread was delicious, too! The bread isn't hot or anything, but the fish inside was. It came with a side of fries so I had their parmesan fries, which btw taste just like our duckfat fries minus the parmesan. My husband ordered their fried egg burger.. he said it was okay. He had regular fries...once again taste like the other fries we ordered. I like how they have all different types of fries, but in the end they all taste the same! Overall I REALLY love my tilapia sandwich. HANDS DOWN!!
Duckfat, Fatduck..I'm not sure what this place is really called since they use this name interchangeably.
I'm still a fan of FatDuck, but I will say this: Â Looking back at my last review, I almost had the opposite experience as the last few visits. Â It seems like it's hit or miss on the food and the service, but the patio (yes, even in Chicago Winter [they put up a huge tent with heaters]) and the craft beer list still impress. Â The truffle Parmesan fries continue to be my Kryptonite but the fish and chips have changed (OR I was drunk enough last time that I didn't notice they were heavily breaded and crunchy...not my bag.). Â Either way, I would recommend this place for a nice pit stop to the city, a drink and appetizers with friends, or a night out with the man. Â If only for the fries and the beers...
Review Source:Classier than I thought. The menu is extensive. We ordered...
1. Duck breast: Yum. I really liked it. This is one of the more expensive dishes which was $19.
2. Duck fat fries: This was nothing special. I think I prefer McDonald's fries. Please note, I'm not the person who raves over French fries.
3. Fish tacos: These are decent. They're not fantastic.
4. Banana pudding bread: The worst... Sorry. I felt like it could have been sliced and eaten with my coffee for breakfast.
I would come back... Only for the duck breast. Plus, their menu is extensive from cheap to quality food. I have to try their other stuff.
Went to the Fat Duck with my sister on our way to the hawks game. Wanting to try duck fat fries and not have to wait in the line at hot dougs my sister did some research and found the fat duck. I must say I was quite impressed with both the service and food at the fat duck. We ordered the baked goat cheese for an appetizer and were served a nice large portion of cheese with plenty of pieces of bread to go with it. The goat cheese tasted great and went perfectly with the marinara sauce that was served with it. For dinner I had the Kobe burger and duck fat fries. Not a big fan of duck I was skeptical of the fries but after I got them was glad I went with them. The duck fat fries are amazing. They were fresh and the duck fat oil was much lighter then regular vegetable oil. Â The burger here was also great. Loved the pretzel bun and it was a great size. Over all really enjoyed my meal at the Fat Duck and feel we were given a lot to eat for the money.
Review Source:i'm sorry guys but this place is good and all, but def not great. u can get a better burger down the lock at Scratch kitchen that just opened.
The drinks are probly the best thing here. i forget the specifics but i ordered a glass of Silver Tequila on the Rocks and i Tequila and it was 6$ or something like that. my GF likes there Martini's
the Duck Fat fries are not that great. one time we had a dumb as rocks waitress. i pointed to a word on the menu that i couldn't pronounce and she's say's "Oh-lilly, its a french oil." in fact the word was Aioli. wow...
idk, the gf is yelling across the house saying that this place is better than scratch, making unwarranted comments saying that the Duck Fat Mac and Cheese is better.. idk. smh.
Enjoyed watching the NFC Championship game here. The TVs were all tuned in and so was the crowd, the sound could have been a little louder but it was nice that you could still hold a conversation. We did sit on the bar side, I think it was quieter on the dining room side.
Ordered off of the appetizer menu and really enjoyed them all; Pot Roast Nachos, Duckfat Fries, quesadillas and sliders. $5 Bloody Mary's were also a hit. We will be back!
This place is one of the best places in you can get a drink in the river forest, oakpark area. I started visiting this establishment 1.5 years ago,  and not every day  but the staff are friendly, so are the patrons. This location has food for every pallet and complex foods  and standard bar foods. The bartenders remember your name and drink, me personally if a bartender remembers my name they are getting tipped point blank, let alone drink preference. The bar is separated into 3parts, the front middle room which has great seating and tv's for the sports and the back room which is a patio. I love the back patio bar which is open year round, its warm in the wintertime and just right in the summer. The typical age group is mid-twenties to 40+ in this place the creep factor(creepy dudes) is very low which is good and the crowd in general come from all walks, blue collar, white collar, no collar. The drink selection here all have purpose in selection, you can get a great selection of IPA's and Micro Brews at a decent price, ask for Mike he is the Brew-master and will tell you of all its hoppiness.  That is all I can write without spoiling the experience for all.
Review Source:I go back and forth about the Fat Duck. Sometimes I really like my meal, and other times, well, I just think I make a bad choice. Of course, in a perfect world, there would be no bad choices on a menu...but the world's not perfect...but these are my most favorite, almost no-fail choices:
I love the Pot Roast Sliders, as long as they are served hot (which is 50% of the time). The beet salad is tasty, and rather large. The burgers are good, and the turkey burger actually has flavor (which is sometimes lacking in other restaurants), plus the burger toppings are plentiful and delicious! The artichoke dip is yummy, and the fish tacos are fine. But, my new favorite, can't-love-it-enough menu item is the Pomogranate BBQ Black Angus Meatloaf...Lordy, this is good. The sauce is tangy and the meat is moist and perfectly seasoned...and the portion is quite large.
The best part is the kitchen is open late for those last minute before bed cravings :)
Good enough to go back, which for me is saying something. We had the buffalo burger, duck confit sandwich, duck fat fries, and sweet potato fries - all were very good! So if you're a local and looking for good food, great beer selection, and a laid back, unpretentious vibe - then this place and Poor Phil's (on Marion St.) are my 2 choices.... IMHO definitely better than Bar Louie, Kevils, etc. We'll be back for sure!
Review Source:I'm a bigger fan in the summer when the outside tiki-sports-bar is open. I love the duckfat fries with the dipping sauces. Actually, I've never had a bad meal here. The duck confit quesadillas are tasty and so are their burgers and flatbreads. But since it is November I probably will not be visiting for awhile (not that there is anything wrong with the inside, it's very nice! It's just more fun outside.)
Review Source:I had gone here for the 2nd time on 11/15/12.I had ordered a kobe beef burger with cheese & bacon.On the side I had their famous duckfat fries for an additional 95¢.The burger was very good, but slightly dry.I did like the pretzel bun that came with the burger. The fries come with 3 dipping sauces & were fantastic. They give you a  fairly large amount of fries with the meal.                          Â
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My waiter was very attentive. Whenever I needed a refill on my drink he was there pretty quickly.
Highly recommended.
The Fries in the place our outstanding. I think the Truffle fires are better than the duck fat fries but both are over the top good. Â The burger is a great tasting burger but the name duckfat burger has nothing to do with it having duckfat in it its just thier signature burger. Â Its a great tasting burger but not inline to be one of the best Ive ever had but you shouldn't be disapponted knowing this. Â The fries is why you should come here.
Beer Beer Beer. Â They have a great selection of microbrew on tap with a good variety. Â Â
Good tv viewing at the bar. Â Fast service and good patrons. Â I wish I lived closer to this place.
I've eaten here a couple times but this par-tic-u-lar review is for this past Saturday night when I spent a couple of hours in the bar.
One of my old coworkers was in town staying the night with me and I thought it'd be fun for us to wander up to Madison Street to catch up with each other over a few beverages. Â
She ordered a coupla blue moons and I had this rather tasty microbrew called Unibroue Ephemere Green Apple. Â Or something. Â Holy god was it GOOD! Â
I'm traditionally not a fan of beer. Â I had originally ordered a Rolling Rock but 3 minutes later was informed they don't have it. Â Not sure if they were out temporarily or if they never carried it. Â
As fate may have it, the bartender handed me their drink menu and I frantically and desperately searched for something to order. Â My eye wandered over to the "microbrew" section and as my eyes skimmed the options, the words "green apple" caught my eye. Â I love green apples! Â I decided to try it.
I'm seriously in love now. Â
I don't usually go out just to drink much anymore and most of the bars on Madison are too loud and obnoxious for me but the couple times I have (tonight included) "Fatfuck" Duckfat whatever (it was actually Horan's the last time I was there for dedicated drinking) has been a lovely and suitable location. Â It will likely be my go-to place.
And I've really got to learn more about this beer that I had... Â I never have luck when I randomly pick something off of a menu - until now I guess.
I can't say enough good things about this place. Part beautiful restaurant, part bar, it has everything you've ever wanted.
The decor is very cozy and old-fashioned. Upon receiving the menu when I went this monday  with my family, I immediately gravitated towards their extensive micro brew list. They have roughly fifteen behind the bar. You heard me. Fifteen. Coming from Rock Island, IL where you're lucky if you can find more than eight on a menu, I was shocked. And quite pleased. However, I was with my family so I couldn't order any. It was then that I spotted Delirium. My favorite beer. I decided I would go back the next day.
Enter lunch: A beautiful cheeseburger on a pretzel bun, because I always go basic my first time at a joint. Everyone at our table loved their food, including my aunt who ordered mini-sliders (which also came on adorable little pretzel buns) with a side of soup. YUM.
Anyways I went back the next day with a friend, at which time we ordered beer (thank God). We also got the Fried Calamari appetizer, which was out of this world. It's not hard to mess that one up, but the breading was light and actually stuck to the calamari rings. It came with a chipotle cocktail dipping sauce that was out of this world. I literally could have drank that on the side. Not really. That's disgusting. ANYWAYS... I had a pizza for lunch this time. They only have three on the menu: Classic Margharita, Pepperoni/Sausage and a Potato Bacon pizza. Being a glutton, I chose the latter of the three. It came with a white sauce, Peccorino Romano, parmesan, and mozzarella. Perf.
Brett (the friend), ordered a truffle burger with duck fat fries. Get this, the burger actually had a beautiful slice of Brie on it, along with truffle oil and caramelized onions. If you want an explanation on why that seriously makes me melt, just let me know. Otherwise I'll let you imagine how beautiful it was. In fact, I was fine before I wrote this review and now I'm hungry and salivating like a Pavlov experiment.
I love me some Duckfat. Â Even if it's no longer called Duckfat due to some conflict over the name (now called the Fat Duck) to me it shall always be Duckfat. Â Hands down one of the best burgers in the Chicagoland area. Â On my burger scale it ranks second only to the legendary Father's Office in Santa Monica, CA. Â Definitely check it out!
Review Source:My best friend and I decided to head to Madison Street on a Friday night for dinner and drinks. After scoping out the area, we decided on Duck Fat since it had the most inviting outdoor patio and seemed like a fun place.
The service was adequate and the ambiance was good. There's a tiki-bar theme which is a little cheesy and gimmicky, considering that the bar didn't really need a theme at all.
They had a pretty decent beer menu selection, including Goose Island's Matilda (which I love!). Their menu selection is also pretty good; a lot of variety and a lot of choices you wouldn't find at any other bar/pub around. My friend had a Duckfat burger which she raved about and loved (said it was the best she'd ever had) and since I'm a vegetarian watching my calorie intake, I opted for a boring chopped salad with salmon.
Here's the thing: I realize pub food isn't supposed to blow you out of the water, but I was so bummed out with the salad that I almost wanted to send it back. I ate the salmon (which was overcooked) and I pushed around the wilted, colorless lettuce for a while, but the salad was a huge miss.
I would definitely come back for drinks. I'd spend my money elsewhere on food, but on a summer's night, this is the place to be on Madison Street!
I really enjoyed this place when we stopped by on a Friday night for dinner and drinks. Â It is a great place to go if the weather is nice because they have a fantastic outdoor patio where you can enjoy watching people walk up and down Madison street while enjoying some great food and a nice drink. Â
I will say that as someone who loves to try unique foods - this place was right up my alley. Â There were tons of things on the menu that I wanted to try, but I went with the Duckfat Burger because I felt like I really should try the signature item. Â I wasn't disappointed at all - it was actually one of the best burgers that I had ever had. Â The fries which apparently are cooked in duckfat were also amazing. Â There are lots of other things that I can't wait to try the next time I come here. Â The salad that my vegetarian friend ordered wasn't very good - so I am wondering what the have that is good for non-duck eaters.
I don't like beer, but this seems like a good place to have one. Â I opted for a mojito and was very pleased.
I've wanted to try this place for such a long time and was tickled to finally have the opportunity.
I gotta say, it was decent, but nothing super special. I mean, I'd compare it to Poor Phil's on S Marion in Oak Park. They both have laid-back, community bar personalities and distinctive characteristics. Poor Phil's has an outstanding beer selection whereas DuckFat has duck fat.
Their fries really were delicious. The little stubs of fries we got were flavorful. It was fun to dip them in the three different sauces. Unfortunately, because they were so stubby, our fingers probably got as much of the sauce as the fies.
I got the DuckFat burger and M got the pork chop special. The burger was good. It was cooked just as I requested, the toppings were fresh, and the flavor combinations were on point. I loved the brie and pretzel roll bun. I don't think it was my favorite burger, but half of it was surely satisfying. I took the other half home.
M's pork chop special was not so good. She said that the pork was over cooked and the risotto was too salty. She was also unimpressed with their wine selection. She recognized several inexpensive bottles of wine that had exaggerated prices on the menu. She didn't like her first glass of wine at all (she didn't finish it) and she was barely content with her second.
Our service was really just mediocre. I'm not sure what the deal was. Maybe they were understaffed. Maybe our server was new. I dunno. All I know was that it was stuffy warm inside and we were anxious to bounce outta there. Our bus boy was more personable and eager to please than our server.
Although Duckfat wasn't really bad, it also wasn't anything great. I've definitely experienced better taverns in the area. It's worth trying at least once - maybe even twice.
I was really frustrated with my recent visit to duck fat. Â My 9 year old daughter was with me and we wanted to eat outside on their patio. Â I know they allow smoking on the patio but was sure we could find a table where that would be an issue.
The 20 something hostess takes us to a table right near the bar where most people would be smoking. Â I ask her for another table and she sits us next to a table where there are diners with cigarette packs on the table. Â
I had to tell her that I wanted a table near the sidewalk away from the smokers and she gave me a little attitude. Â
Food was ok. Â Nothing great.
It was a nice Wednesday evening when a few of my girlfriends and I decided to grab a few bites to eat and a few drinks. We decided to hit Duckfat Tavern & Grill because of the nice patio area and it was a warm and cool Chicago evening.
We ordered a mojito, a cucumber margarita and a strawberry margarita. The mojito tasted nothing but mint, the cucumber margarita had a weird vegetable only flavor with a odd tequila taste and the strawberry margarita was way too sweet to drink it all.
Our least favorite appetizer that we got was the beet salad. The beets tasted like the cooks got them straight out of the can, chopped them up, poured some low budget balsamic vinegar and 3 pecans and a thin shaving of parmesan cheese and voila! Not so great if you ask me -__-.
It was common to visit this spot when it was Horan's many, many moons ago, but have not been here for a couple years.
Holy surprise! Â Love the fact that the space got new owners and a makeover! Â No more dark and dingy and mediocre food and cocktails! Â The space is much more open and the color combo is quite appealing to the eye (maroon and gold). Â There are several craft beers and they sure know how to provide decent wines at decent prices! Â All beers, cocktails, and wines are slightly cheaper than the majority of Chi-town places (nice on the wallet).
As for the food? Â Tried the truffle parmesan fries...yummy! Â Crispy fries with a hint of truffle oil and a whole bunch of parmesan cheese goodness!
The only downside? Â The bartender moves a bit slow at times, even if it is not busy. Â I guess I just need to get to the bar when I have a few sips left!
This may need to be the new friday (after work) hangout...!
I have been here many times, and each time its different. Â At first, I really liked it. Â The burger hit the spot.
The next couple of times were just for drinks. Â The most recent time I ordered the ruben, which I don't recommend. Â Stick with the burger, or just the bloody mary and fries. Â Service is hit or miss, although this recent time is was severely lacking due to a private party.
Duckfat or FatDuck?!?! Either way this local restaurant is Delicious! I do have my favorites off the menu... the Chopped Chicken Salad and/or the Fish Tacos, yummm! I do frequent the Margaritaville-like patio in the warmer months of the year. I love this patio and its vibe. The mixologist behind the bar knows their stuff! Get a French martini you wont be disappointed!
If I could... I would... mixup the menu a little bit! Add and remove some sandwhiches or dishes. Shake it up! i've been going here for two years and I pretty much have the menu memorized! Keep me coming back for more with some new and exciting flavors!!
I love this place! It's my favorite neighborhood bar. It's really a gem. I remember when the place was a little Irish pub on the outskirts of the Forest Park bar scene and now it's really become an anchor in the community.
Even though I really don't live in the area it's totally my go to spot when I'm entertaining guests from outta town, having a casual girls night out, or simply looking to catch the game.
I've never gotten bad service. In fact there's one lady in there whose blond, kinda spazzy, and a lil older who I absolutely adore!! She's so much fun you can't help but to fall in love with her! And she knows her stuff!!!
Of course I love the food! Everything is delicious. Next time you visit try the pot roast nachos. It's huge so plan on splitting with a friend and they are delicious!!!!
Love love LOVE me some duckfat!!!
I visited Duckfat after a day on the town shopping for a grilfriend's wedding dress. Â We had eaten a late lunch, but wanted to grab a quick cocktail and appetizer before heading home for the night. Â I had seen Duckfat on Food Network and thought it might be a nice place to visit. Â
When we arrived I was surprised. Â I had expected an upscale restaurant with a classy bar and interesting menu items. Â However, it was more of a neighborhood hang out...dark and kinda yucky. Â We took a look at the menu and it looked promising, so we stayed and gave it a whirl. Â
I had heard people rave about the Duckfat Fries (fried in Duckfat, of course). Â Outside of them being soggy when they arrived, with not-so-special dipping sauces, they weren't any different than other soggy/greasy french fries with boring dipping sauces. Â Think McDonald's fries that were fried about 45 minutes ago (not even as tasty and McD's). Â
We also tried the Duck Confit Quesadillas. Another VERY greasy and not-so-flavorful dish. Â
The cocktails that we enjoyed were glasses of Sangria, these were okay...a little over the top with the red wine...but drinkable. Â While I am in that area almost every weekend...I will probable not visit again.
I got really excited because they have parmesan truffle fries, but they're just ok...they start tasting really weird after a couple bites. I am a burger-judger for sure. My Kobe beef burger was medium, and it tasted mediocre, there could've been a lot more flavor potential in the burger.
The bf got the duckfat fries and he said they were better than Hot Dougs, not soggy, and they came with 3 dipping sauces. My favorite was the aioli. There's also Mexican Pesto,and Chipotle Ketchup. He likes the ketchup. He got the beef brisket, but again it was tasteless.
However, I do like the atmosphere, there's an outdoor seating area with heat lamps, and flat screen tv's. Indoors they have large flat screens in 2 separate rooms. Lots of seating space, and service is attentive.
Second visit was just as great as our first. Â Sometimes this is not the case when you go on a different day and different time, but we were thrilled with our lunch yesterday. Â
Our server was Laura (she has blonde hair), and she greeted us energetically at the door. Â During each phase of the meal, she was totally helpful and eager for us to enjoy the meal. Â Since we were eatting outside, she even let us enjoy every last second of our lunch before the skies opened up with pouring rain! Â Checking us out and wrapping up our food quickly. Â Even if the food was just average, the great staff would keep us coming back here, as they are really exceptional.
But...the food is not average. Â The cuisine is creative and unique. Â Love the duck quesedillas (second time ordering them). Â My husband completely enjoyed the blackened tilapia (which came with the delicious and addictive duck fat fries), and I loved the pizza of the day (pesto and chicken). Â I finished my pizza a few hours later at home, as it was so fabulous.
The outdoor patio and indoor dining areas are comfortable and pleasant!
This is a true gem!
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