Firecracker wings!
Plenty of beer options. Great and friendly service. The blue cheese potato chips are good but a bit skimpy on the blue cheese. The firecracker wings are so so so good. Crispy, kinda sweet, kinda spicy, yummmmmm. The garlic wings were kinda dry, not worth getting. My brother had the pig sandwich and said it was ok. Fries are crispy and fresh though. I'll come back and stick to the firecracker wings.
I am surprised I haven't reviewed this place before. It's the go-to after-work hangout for my coworkers so I've been here a good couple of times with those guys.
They used to have a really cool cocktail that I always ordered but it doesn't look like they have it anymore. But their array of beers is ridiculous! And their food is decent as well.
It's not really the kind of place I'd choose to go to on my own, but I've always had a good time here with the job mob.
They place was pretty cool. Wonderful atmosphere with the warm wood theme going. Service was great. I had the wings , which was pretty good. However, I don't see why their know as the best. You don't get that many wings as well . I ended up grabbing a snap from chick fil a. They also had a  full bar which looked like a fun time. Parking is downtown parking, not too much to expect.
Review Source:Had an average experience here. The restaurant itself has a great ambiance and a wide selection of unique beers, which I liked! When I asked the waitress for a beer recommendation, she didn't quite listen to what I liked and didn't seem very knowledgeable. My friend and I ordered the tuna burger and side of cornbread skillet to share. Cornbread skillet=eh, okay. Tuna burger=eh, okay.
I'd definitely come here for happy hour with friends, but not if you're looking for great food.
Had been there before, had an average experience (really great sweet potato fries, but who could screw that up?)
Was there last Thursday, had their tuna burger w/sweet potato fries (of course) it comes with a wasabi mayo which is tasty, but the burger itself was flavorless. (Didn't eat the bun).
Come around 1:30 in the morning I was unpleasantly surprised with food poisoning that kept me up for over 2 hours sick, sick, sick.
Clearly I will not go there again. Ever.
First thing I'm going to say is.. I'm definitely coming back here again to try something different.
Service was good! They sat us in an area private enough and loud enough for two people to sit. Our waitress didn't check on us at first, but that's ok. My gf and i had ample amount of time to look over the beer menu and food menu.
For the Unique beers we had, she had the Jolly Pumpkin and  I had the Escoffier. We enjoyed our choices to the fullest.
Because of the Lenten season, my gf gave up red meat. That's ok, we came here for the chicken wings and it did not disappoint. We had the poncho wings. Oh snap. Each bite made me eat slower just so i can savor each bite.. In the words of Homer Simpson.. Awesomaaaaah Powaaah!!!! 10 jumbo wings per basket, and you can't get the poncho wings in boneless. They were oh so juicy & tender. I clean my bones along with the cartilage and all, and they were all clean. I know not to waste. But we shared a huge plate of the nachos. Other yelpers say it's good with chili, but I can't wait till we come back and try the nachos with bbq pork.
We weren't completely done yet. We ended with an awesome dessert! NUTTER BUTTER BANANA PUDDING!!! Wow.. Just wow!! Each bite is worth putting me into a deeper sense of food coma.
Amazing. We are definitely coming back!
Stumbled upon Jake's while walking down the Magnificent Mile, and couldn't have been more impressed. The first thing that stuck out was the service. We were visiting from San Diego which some consider the craft brew mecca of the U.S. and we were thoroughly impressed by the knowledge of our bartender when it came to the great selection of beer Jake's had to offer. We weren't hungry at the time, but we were compelled to return and order a couple orders of their award winning wings togo after we went to a nearby pub to shoot some pool, which our knowledgable bartender recommended. Even though the wings were cold by the time we got to our hotel room, they were just about the best wings we have ever had. Wish we could go back and try the rest of the menu, I definitely recommend!
Review Source:This is my wife and I second time going to this location, we are from Michigan and since we had a great time/service the last time we came 2 years ago I thought we would go back. I must say we were def not let down once again the service and food is great.
My wife had what she had 2 years ago Pulled Pork sliders with fries and I had the burger of the month which was Bison and fries we also had onion rings for an app. My  burger also had $1 draft beer that was attached to it which was really nice.
We also had 2 lemon drop shots and my wife had a cosmopolitan the shots had patron which we should have maybe asked for a little less expensive liquor we also got two drinks with our dinner just pop.
The bill was over $60!! I never would have thought of that price I was really floored by the price the shots alone were $7.25 EACH!
We will def be going back again but minus the drinks and just stick with the food..
Love this place. I've never had anything here that wasn't delicious. Â The wings are great, burgers are awesome too. Â They have a burger of the month where you can get a certain beer with it for $1 more. Â I love going just to see what it is each month. Â Everyone I've taken here has loved it. Â Great bar atmosphere that is hard to find in River North unless you go to an Irish pub...
Review Source:Went back for the BBQ and it did not disappoint!  Had a trio of BBQ sliders, pulled pork with three different styles of sauce.  I really liked the N.C. sauce, I'm a sucker for the bite of vinegar! Also split another round of wings, just as  good as before.  For my money this is about as closed as you'll get to a local neighborhood bar in the middle of Mag Mile/Gold Coast.
Review Source:This is a fun little spot. Â It's warm and woody inside. Â They've got some great local brews on tap. Â I had a vanilla stout that was excellent.
They've got the usual bar/pub food, and it's all pretty good. Â Their wings are not quite as hot as I'd prefer, but are pretty good. Â The fries are excellent.
Wandered in for a beer and food on a cold evening. Beer menu was amazing. (And I'm a homebrewer.) Â Server (Jana) was very knowledgeable about the beer and menu in general. I'm a vegan and when I mentioned the veggie burger she volunteered it has egg in the bun. Usually I have to pry that info out of servers and they look at me like I'm "that guy".
Faced with such an awesome beer menu I gave some general style ideas to Jana and let her surprise us. Â She hit the ball out of the park three times in a row.
I really appreciate good service and we definitely had that. Â Never once did we sit there wondering how to get a server's attention. Â Great beer + great service = a very nice evening.
1 star taken away because I didn't find a single vegan entree on the menu. Â Ended up eating fries. Â Still, if I'm in the area again I'd go back. Â Maybe I can get a salad without chicken or something.
I'm basing my review solely on the wings. Â
I think Melnick's does a great job with their wings. Â They are consistent, large, flavorful, unique. Â I make it a point to dine here anytime I'm downtown for a late afternoon snack after shopping. Â They have great beer options as well. Â The only reason I didn't give a 5-star rating is because I haven't gotten past the wings, but their menu is robust. Â A warm and comfortable place to watch a football game.
Were in Chicago for the weekend and wandered into Jakes for a pint and some lunch.
The ambience is definitely sports bar and it's somewhat loud. Â Ordered a beer but they were out so settled for margaritas which were average at best.
We ordered the BBQ Pork Nachos and they were awesome!!! Â Definitely the best part of our visit.
Will probably not repeat next time were in town.
Hottest. Â Wings. Â Ever.
I'm a hot wing connoisseur and these are in a word, righteous. Â Apparently they've won some award in Chicago for their wings. Â Be prepared. Â And a little scared. Â The waiter will bring over a "cooling plate" (or as I like to call it...and emergency kit) for you if you request it.
Other than the wings, you can expect the food to be a step above regular pub food, but not quite gastropub. Â A wide selection of interesting burgers and pizzas to choose from.
But the real star here is the beer selection. Â And now they've started brewing their own beer off-site.
Sports bar ambience, with a menu to match. Â The house specialty seems to be several varieties of chicken wings, but I've never been much of a wing nut, so I opted for the excellent chili nachos. Â The main purpose of my visit, though, was the beer. Â Jake's has a most impressive craft beer selection; I counted about thirty drafts (currently including four Mikkeller lines and a Mikkeller-Struise collaboration), 36 bottles, and 14 cans. Â For those out of touch with trends in the craft-beer industry, a lot of artisanal beer is now being packaged in the once-sneered-at can. Â Jake's can selection includes three lines from Grand Rapids' up-and-coming Brewery Vivant, for example.
Excellent public transit access, two blocks from the Chicago Avenue Red Line station, one block from the 36-Broadway and 66-Chicago bus lines, and two blocks from all the lines on Michigan Avenue. Â For pub crawlers, they're within a half-mile radius of Clark Street Alehouse, Rock Bottom, Watershed, Public House, and Stout Barrel House
My favorite food of all time is chicken wings and I think this place do have one of the best in the city. Â The wings are jumbo and meaty. They also have great beer selection. Â The servers know their beers as well so you don't have to go to the bar. Â They can accommodate for large parties and have TV in pretty much any angle you sit in. Â
Another cool thing is my wife and I forgot our leftovers on our table. Â We realize this as soon as we got to our car after a 5 block walk. Â We drove back up to the restaurant and as I walked in to ask if they still had it. Â They did not throw it away as they actually had it placed on the side for me. Â Caught me by surprise. Â Little things like that makes my day.
There's a reason these guys have won the Chicago Wingsfest for 3 consecutive years. Â They probably have the best tasting wing flavors in the city.
The Firecracker and Poncho wing flavors are my favorite and when the prices here are pretty reasonable for a downtown establishment.
I've only had wings and burgers here. Â I recommend a nice burger. Â They're descent in size and quite tasty.
You can't go wrong with this place when it comes to trying to find a good tasting wing place in the loop. Â Stop here instead of Hooters. Â You'll get your moneys worth.
I look forward to coming back here.
Good selection of beers and drinks -- they have cider! I love cider!
I ordered some wings. As a connoisseur of wings, their menu taunted me with tales of year-after-year wins in best wings competitions. I decided to order their Firecracker wings, and their XXX wings.
A word to the wise on the XXX wings: they are made with ghost peppers! Ghost peppers are hot. Extremely hot. In fact, they're the hottest peppers on the planet. I've had ghost pepper wings before and they destroyed me. (But I did finish the whole order.)
The waiter informed me that instead of the half/half order of Firecracker and XXX, he could bring me just a single XXX wing instead. I'm not here to prove anything to anybody, just to see what all the fuss is about; I took him up on that offer.
The Firecracker wings are not good. They're breaded, the outside is kind of mushy, and the flavor is best described as identical to Panda Express Orange Chicken if you added a hint of cayenne pepper. They're not hot at all, they've got a lot of sweet to them, and just taste like Orange Chicken. Which is to say crappy, sweet, and artificial. I can't believe these have ever won an award for anything, let alone best wings in Chicago.
The XXX wings, however, are delicious. Did a single wing destroy me? It certainly did. But under all that heat they've done it right and there's a lot of really good flavor. A nice smokey depth and the chicken itself was pretty good. If I was in the mood for some it-hurts-so-good masochistic chicken wings, I'd come here for sure.
The cider I ordered was also delicious. I can't recall which one it was, but they offered two when I was there, and I picked the less-dry of the two. Would definitely drink this again as well.
Went here on a Sunday to watch football and it was good! Upon entering, they asked if you were there to see a specific game because there were designated areas for each game. I thought that was pretty coo!l!
Food & Drink - Food was a big disappointment!! The wings we got were raw inside.... which the server then replaced after much hesitation. The fries were good though. Beer prices were average...
Service - the service wasn't that great. They weren't very busy either... our server was mia most of the time... either she was just super busy or new and didn't know what she was doing.
Ambiance - This place is a typical bar. Big, lots of space... lots of tvs...
Overall, this is a great place to go to watch sports. That's why I gave it 3 stars instead of 2. Don't go hungry though because the food is definitely a  huge disappointment!
Extremely Average.
I came here with a party of ten on a Friday night in celebration of a friend's birthday. We were able to easily secure a reservation, which was nice as large parties can be difficult to accommodate. This process was extremely smooth and they made sure to follow up twice to make sure that we were still coming and to confirm the date/time.
That is where all the positives end with my recent experience. We arrived promptly at our reservation time and were seated immediately. The waitress (yes, one single waitress for our party of ten) was friendly but slow. It took her about 15 minutes to take our drink order and then another 5-10 to bring out the drinks. We were only able to get one refill the entire time we were there (about two hours) which is absolutely ridiculous. The service issues aside, I feel that it is important to note that they do have a nice beer list, albeit overpriced. I didn't see a single non-light beer under $5, with many beers ranging in the $7-$10 range when you can find them around $5-$7 elsewhere in the city.
I had heard decent things about the wings at Jake's, so my boyfriend and I decided to split two orders so we could sample what they had to offer. The traditional spicy were on par with what you would find at most bars in the city--slightly crispy with a bit of spice. They had a slight crunch to them (which was good) meaning that they were made to order and hadn't been sitting around getting soggy. The other order of wings was the "Poncho" which have a garlic and cayenne marinade and they're grilled instead of fried. These had a nice, smoky flavor, but they were incredibly inconsistent from wing to wing. Some wings were moist and flavorful, but others were dry and chewy with almost no flavor whatsoever.
The waitress came by once after the food was delivered to clear out the plates and didn't ask how the food was or if there were any issues. At this point I was almost happy that we had an absentee waitress because I wouldn't have wanted to throw away any more money at this establishment. Â My boyfriend and I spent around $55 on two beers each and two platters of wings, which is way too steep for the quality of food.
Service: 1
Food: 2
Atmosphere: 2
Beverage Selection: 4
Value: 2
Jake's, I won't be back.
I really like Jake's wings and fried goodies. Â There is one set of wings that I don't like was ponchos. Â The regular wings are probably my favorite in Chicago. Â Good beers and good atmosphere. Â This is more of a sport bar theme which is probably why they have good appetizers and such. Â My wife had the nachos which she loved. Â The spinach dip is pretty good too. Â
If you want to raise your cholesterol, come to Jakes where it's worth the taste.
I stopped in here whilst sight seeing in chi town. I was pretty happy. The menu includes a lot of pork, BBQ and tons of beer. In fact, the beer selection was definitely impressive. I tried the grilled artichokes to start, and was a little disappointed. I had the half chicken and it was good, but a lil too saucy. I should have ordered the "rub" and not the heavy sauce. Anywayyy- it wasn't bad. The service was good. You'll leave full no matter what.
Review Source:I caught up with two former co-workers after work one evening and the original restaurant choice was a no-go. So there was a suggestion for Jake Melnick's Corner Tap.
Sports bar meets Cheers.
I had the barbecue pulled pork sandwich. The barbecue sauce was a Kansas City style sauce. Having spent some time Down South, I know a thing or two about good barbecue. But this was pub grub. The sandwich was soggy and the barbecue sauce was pretty much a glaze. Some of the fries were crispy; some were soggy. Being British and preferring stouts and dark ales, nothing on the beer menu jumped out at me. So I took a pass on beer. I think you go to Jake Melnick's to watch the game and root for your favourite team mostly. I get to say that I've been, but that's about it.
Ok bar not bad.
Typical bar, they do have a nice selection of beer, but on the other hand, it is too high as far as pricing. Had the firecracker wings, sauce is good, but the wings are too big in size to me and doesn't taste right, onions are ok, nothing great and unlike other chicago bars this one closes at 2 am. Very average place.
Great beer, great wings (rated #1 in Chicago a couple years in a row... that's saying a lot considering the great wings you can get), great burgers! Â The food and beverages are amazing. Â Plenty of TVs to watch your favorite game. Â The wait staff is fun and full of energy which usually points out a good management team to keep their servers happy. I come here quite a bit with my running group and it's great because I can call an hour ahead and reserve one of their large high top tables for our whole team and they don't even hesitate to set it up for you if it's open.
They always have specials... or at least they do when I'm there. Â On Tuesdays they have a Mystery Beer special that is really fun cause you get to try a bunch of different beers from around the country.
This is a go-to place for local who live downtown.
"There's a Beetle in my Noodle!" Â sounds like a cute title for a children's book, but let me tell you...it wasn't that cute at all.
So...I was out shopping on Saturday and worked up quite an appetite. Dodging tourists on Michigan Ave. is pretty good cardio. Stopped in this place because A) it was 75 degrees and there was plenty of patio seating available, and B) the beer list. Ordered an Allagash Four beer and the Mac Daddy Mac and Cheese, which were both delicious. I was going about my business, enjoying my meal and the weather, until I got down to the last five or six bites I found a whole, intact, INSECT IN MY FOOD.
I've worked in restaurants and I know accidents happen, but it is still not appetizing at all to uncover a shiny brown carcass with legs and antennae in your meal.
I took my plate inside and asked to speak to a manager. When he asked where I was sitting and I told him I was outside, the initial reaction was almost: "Ok, a bug flew in her food while she was sitting on the patio and she's just trying to get a free meal."  That was the vibe I got, but hopefully  the manager and chef took a closer look at the creepy crawler and realized the beetle/roach/whatever had obviously been cooked in with the food.
Jeff-the-Manager was accommodating. He apologized, comped my bill and gave me a $10 coupon "for the next time". I had him charge a $1 on my credit card so I could tip my server since I didn't have cash, and didn't want to stiff the poor guy. (It certainly wasn't his fault.)
IF I do return, it'll just be for the beer...I'd stay away from the food.
I have come here a couple of times before for a drink or two but I've never tried the food. My friend and I were strolling around shopping and enjoying the weather and we got hungry. I suggested that we sit on the patio at Jake Melnicks. Usually I'm the one with the bright ideas and clearly this idea was not one of them.
It's sad because I love the interior of this place and their patio is cute. Our waiter was totally MIA for most of the time we sat there. I felt bad because as we sat there waiting for our drinks to be refilled, or maybe a simple "how are things over here", we noticed other tables getting sat near us. Those people got ignored as well, and eventually got up and left. We both had salads, and they were pretty good. We just wanted this dude to come on out and check on us. We had to wait about 15 minutes before he finally came back outside so we could ask for our check.
I understand if he was busy, but I was watching him inside and he didn't seem weeded at all. No sense of urgency. Bummer.
Meh.
Great food, drinks, beer, & atmosphere. Â Looks corporate, but was told there's only one.
North front door enters into a large dining room with high & low tables on each side. Â A long bar is located on the south wall. Â Walls are mostly a nice stone with large windows on the north side. Â Actual bar is classic, even the bar back (mirrors, shelves, etc.). Â Great for large groups, but there were also many younger singles sitting at the bar, which seemed kind of odd, but was told that many will stop by just for dinner.
Food was incredible (stick with wings or BBQ) and Jake's has an extensive beer menu, with try before you buy. Â Sides are delicious and huge. Â Sports on all their HDTVs, which are plentiful, including game audio for the bigger games.
Crowd is mostly younger, but not obnoxious. Â Overall atmosphere is very easy going. Â Great starter place for food or drinks, or for one last one.
Server was super great, but what made this place was the beer menu and the amazing grilled artichokes. Never had them grilled, but I HIGHLY suggest it!
Also, if you like a strong beer try the one aged in whiskey barrels. Great flavor with a little bite at the end.
Location is great, it is just a few blocks off Michigan Ave shopping. Â So it is close to everything, but still nicely priced compared to everything else on Michigan Ave.
Another pleasant surprise. I came here for drinks and was not disappointed. Melnick's is not very distinctive as a bar - its cleanliness is both reassuring and renders a quasi-corporate feel. My date and I each enjoyed pumpkin cider. Our server was VERY helpful and friendly - not in that fake, angling for tips way, but in a genuinely helpful way. He pointed us toward Ace brand pumpkin cider, which TASTES LIKE DREAMS. Sometimes a pumpkin flavor is just a cute little dot on your tastebuds' radar, but this cider was full-on fizzy pumpkin happiness. Real talk.
Although each pint was $7.50 :(, the cider was simply amazing. Melnick's was a relaxing place to enjoy these majestically delicious pints. Minus one star for the weird amount of heat being piped in! I know it's getting a teeny bit colder, but not enough to start circulating heat!
Fantastic! I am loving this place although I've only been here twice. There is a reason why the wings have been voted Best Of for three years running. The first time I ate here I had the "super hot" wings, which is one step below their "XXX" wings which I hear you have to sign a waiver to eat and are made of ghost peppers.
I'll admit, I am one of those "macho" types who feel that I feel no burn so I ordered the super hot thinking, "bring it". Half way thru the 8 wings, I had to stop, go to the bathroom and wash my face as it was on fire. The second time, I just ordered the spicy wings. The sauce is very tasty, not just a flame in your mouth. There is actually a lot of flavor to them. They are also very meaty which makes them filling as well.
My fiance got the buffalo chicken sandwich which also looked tasty and to her, were at the the right spice. We also split a baket of garlic fries - we could tell the fires had been sitting under a heat lamp for a while and just "tossed" to order.
The bad things about this place is that they are kind of pricey. Not the wings or the sandwich but everything else was pricey. For example, the "spicy" were not actually that hot so I ordered a side of "super spicy" and was charged $1.95! For a little side of dipping sauce! At $7.50, the pilsner, albeit delicious, was pricey. On Mondays you can "flip" a coin for either a free appetizer or 15% off your total bill so that helps a little bit!
I'll be back for the wings! I may even "man" up and try for the Wall of Flame!
Jake Melnick's is a large sports bar... I love sports bars...like I, really love them. Tons of TV's. Lot's of different games on. Â Lots of action everywhere. Big crowds getting into the game of their choice. Great beer specials. ETC. What's not to love? But ehhhhhh, this might not be a sports bar for me. Â
I ended up having a Cobb Salad for dinner (Romaine & iceberg lettuce, avocado, egg, red onions, blue cheese, tomatoes, bacon & chicken tossed in a
tomato vinaigrette). The tomato vinaigrette is delicious. It's tangy, sour [in a good way]. Pretty good salad overall.
They have a pretty decent beer list. <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.beermenus.com%2Fplaces%2F1221-jake-melnick-s-corner-tap&s=13f7f169bcdcda251602c39177d1997dea3ece67d95d35a8fa75c9b629100fe0" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://www.beermenus.com…</a>  and some good specials throughout the week.
The staff is super nice...
I'm just not feeling Jakes yet... but I'll be back, I've gotta try the wings cause I hear they are fantastic!
Do you remember the end of "Sixteen Candles"? Â Sam and Jake Ryan are sitting on the table with the birthday cake in between them and Jake says "Make a wish" and Sam says "It already came true"*
Well, Jake Melnick's is my Jake Ryan. Â I made a wish....and it came true.
I came here for one beer. Â One, I swear. Â
But then I saw the beer menu and it was like that old potato chip commercial "you can't eat just one" or maybe the other one that says "once you pop you can't stop". And I made a wish that I could have more than one.
Potato chip references aside, this is an awesome place. Â Once I saw Allagash Black on the menu, I was hooked. Â And then the New Belgium Trippel...and the Ommegang Witte. Â And so my wish came true.
Plus the bartenders were both really nice and knowledgeable. Â They acknowledged everyone who came up to the bar and had great recommendations. I liked the rustic decor of the place. Â I only wish I'd been able to stay long enough to have some wings.
I love you Jake Ryan, I mean Jake Melnick's. Â And thanks for getting my panties back.
__________________________________________________Â_______
* the good part is at 2:16  <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.metacafe.com%2Fwatch%2F1105152%2Fsixteen_candles_final_scene_movie_ending%2F&s=3e9524ae6c29848a11c1902f919bf5dfc3afe84ba632a737cfc1f6cdf792fbd7" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://www.metacafe.com/…</a>
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