Newport Bar & Grill

When I see a bar in Chicago rated 3.5 stars, I'm going to think it's at least a decent place to get some pub grub and beer. I went here with a friend before seeing a movie at the Music Box, and I was embarrassed to have invited her there.

The space is large and generic, with a lot of high tables with bar stools on one side, and lots of high tables with tall seats with backs (why this distinction? who knows??), and tons of big-screen TVs showing sports. It's not a dive, it's not a hipster bar, it's not contemporary, it's not old-school... it's just a room with tables and stools and TVs. The tables all look pretty cheap and the environment is boring. The jukebox is a TouchTunes that costs too much and has a generally bad selection, so even when someone ISN'T playing the latest top 40 crap you are listening to some truly terrible automated selections.

It was EMPTY at 6pm, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it made it feel even lamer than it was. The server was attentive and nice enough. The menu is decent, with the expected fare from a bar, but they have a nice amount of stuff vegetarians can eat. Note that I won't say it's exciting vegetarian-focused food or anything, but they can at least eat something decent there. Tuesday specials included $5 quesadillas and $6 pitchers of Bud/Bud Light, so I ordered a chicken quesadilla, my friend got a cheese, and we split a pitcher of Bud and fried pickle spears.

The pitcher was almost certainly Bud Light, not Bud, and even though we asked for the pickles to come out first they came at the same time as the quesadillas. The quesadillas were pretty damn boring, with a small amount of chicken chunks smattered in there. The salsa and sour cream did little to liven things up, and I had to add a lot of salt and pepper to get some flavor out of it. I couldn't imagine what my friend's cheese one was like. The pickles were pretty good, with a nice thick batter that didn't immediately slide off the pickles themselves - a rare feat.

Long story short, I wouldn't ever go back to this place. Maybe for a sports bar it's a good place to hang out, but for some pub food and beers you could do a lot better.

The menu is not that impressive and the service is horrible.  It was not very crowded and it took over an hour to get sandwiches.  I would pick any other bar on Southport over Newport Bar & Grill.

This place is a grungy bar - not one of those cute, dive bar type of place.  The chicken wings have broken bones in them and at a special price of 50 cents each - you are crazy for thinking that is a deal (obviously never been to The Rail or Wild Goose on Mondays).  Thursdays are a decent deal for $1 crappy cans of beer but $1 for 2-bite tacos isn't.  Still hungry after six of those tiny excuses of a taco, I had to order a $9 burger.  The management was nice when I met him once.  
If you are looking to drink beer and not order any food, I guess you will do well here.