we've ordered from here about 5 times. Â The 1st experience was pretty good but its been downhill ever since and i doubt we will be ordering from here again. Â The chicken fingers were burnt and dried out, tasted as if they were cooked in over hot over used oil. Â The philly steak sandwich was grizzly and greasy.
Review Source:TPC not only has the best burger in Edgewater it's also one of the warmest neighborhood pubs in Chicago. My first visit after moving into the neighborhood I introduced myself to the bartender- Jeremy- and ordered dinner and a draft beer. The next time I came in a week or so later Jeremy not only remembered my name- he remembered what I ordered, how I liked it cooked and garnished and drew me a draft. Â Those little touches make The Pumping Company one of those gems that add to Chicago's reputation as the greatest city in America. I should add that I'm a sports and political junkie. Plenty of high def TVs visible at every vantage point and there's always someone at the bar willing to jawbone about City Hall.
Review Source:I pass this place a million times when i get off /on at the Belmont stop - live in the Edgewater/Andersonville area so I'm like lets try something different - it's 2013.
Ordered a late lunch from Grub Hub.
Pros - it came fast and the delivery guy was nice. The food is a good bar/dive price
Cons -
* The cookie I ordered came burned. And you know what happens when cookies burn it has that burned after-taste that is kinda gross
* The chips and guac was ok
* The ribs were bland
It's not a bad place to eat just "ok" food.
Absolutely disgusting. Â Owner is RUDE AS FUCK. Â Don't go here. Â Go to The Anvil around the corner if you're not a homophobe, or to The Crew down the street if you are a homophobe and for some reason don't want to leave this amazingly sucky neighborhood and go to Lakeview or Wicker Park. DON'T GO HERE support good practices.
Review Source:Oh Pumping Company, thy burgers get my heart a-pumping. (Pumping full of cholesterol I'm sure.)
I stumbled across Pumping Company late one night after a nighttime race, one of those rare times our running group didn't go out together, and I suddenly found myself at home, worn out, and ready to sacrifice someone's left nut for a big ol' chunk of bloody beef. Well, pinkish at least.
Oh. My. Gawd. Maybe it was post-run delirium, but I fell in love with that burger. Ready to marry it kind of love.
Since then, I've been back many time to sample various menu offerings. Always take-out or delivery, haven't yet stayed to eat in.
A couple hiccups with recent orders means a four star versus a five star review. I certainly won't stop ordering there because of this though.
The good, the bad, and so far no ugly:
* The Chicago Bleus Burger. This is the one I fell madly in love with. Tasty burger, topped with a generous helping of blue cheese, which just melts onto the burger and infuses with much tasty goodness. I especially love it topped with onion straws. (I usually order it Medium Well and it's shown up much pinker than expected several times, but still within my acceptable range.)
* Chicken strips & fries. It's fried chicken strips and french fries. It's hard to screw this up. The chicken is tasty, though I wouldn't have minded a more even chicken to fries ratio (compared to a container full of fries with 3 strips of chicken).
* Chicken quesadilla. Super yum. Stuffed full of chicken pieces and a tasty cheese blend. Skip the optional (extra $2) guacamole. I tend to order to reheat later, so having the guacamole -inside- the quesadilla makes for a kind iffy reheated taste. Comes with some lettuce, diced tomatoes, jalepeno slices, and little cups of salsa and sour cream.
* Texas Bar-B-Q Burger. Tasty, juicy. I still prefer the Bleus burger, but this is a great second choice for those heathens that don't worship the divine goodness of bleu cheese.
* Chef salad. Typical bar chef salad. Topped with plenty of deli meat & cheese. I much prefer chef salads topped with real meat, versus deli meat. But those places are far and few between. Very generously portioned salad, comes with plenty of dressing.
* Garden salads. Very large salad for the price. Comes with two packets of dressing, in case you're the type of person who likes to drown their lettuce in dressing. Would be nice if they threw in some croutons, but oh well.
And for the extras/sides:
* The sweet potato fries: Just say yes. They're very tasty, and they reheat very well. Not overly seasoned (and could possibly do w/ a bit more seasoning). Fantastic dipped in spicy dressing.
* Baked potato skins: Eh. I wasn't overly impressed. Maybe it was because they sat for awhile between being made and being consumed (delivery time). But they were definitely not crispy, and rather lacked flavor. There was more potato insides topped with cheese & stuff. Less crispy skins topped with cheese & stuff (which is my preference).
* Regular fries: Skip 'em.
* Green bean casserole: No. Generous helping when it's a sandwich side. But made with slivered/french style green beans.
* Mashed potatoes & gravy: Hit & miss as to whether or not they top them with enough gravy. The potatoes are very thick, so the lack of enough gravy meals a sort of glue-like potato.
* Baked Potato: Holy Huge Potato Batman! The potato was larger than the burger. 2/3 of it became a meal the next day.
* Mac & Cheese: Tasty elbow mac & cheese. Thick, gloopy, cheesy goodness.
* Onion rings: Big, tasty, generous portion. Hard to wax poetic about onion rings.
Though I've had minimal interaction w/ the staff when picking up take-out, it's always been pleasant. My last take-out order, they chased me out to the car as I had forgotten to grab the salads with the rest of our order.
Only downside: The aforementioned guacamole -inside- the quesadilla (yuck), and twice now they forgot the onion straws on my Bleus Burger. (Sad face) And once time when picking up take-out, it took a slightly long time to get the bartender's attention (and they weren't busy).
Overall, I love Pumping Company and see many more Bleus Burgers in my future. At least until I move out of the area. And then there will be many Bleus Burgers in my dreams.
It seems this place is getting unfair reviews.
I rather enjoy Pumping Company, and have had several good-to-great experiences here. I think only once can I remember being disappointed (and I've been going there for nearly four years now). I actually prefer P.Co's food to a lot of other bars/gastropubs. It has a lot of varying meals/dishes (once had pulled pork and grits), build-your-own burger, and a healthy beer list (although I'm still bummed they stopped carrying Sam Smith's).
If that didn't turn you on, then consider this. A group of friends and I went there, and one of them, who is a very knowledgeable/particular person who works in the restaurant/foodservice industry, thought his food was great.
If I must, there are two downsides I've experienced here: it turns into a college bar at 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays (but I shouldn't be surprised given its proximity to Loyola--I guess I'm just too old for that); and could use some more seating (then again, I just never go to the back room).
Bottom line: I prefer Pumping Company over several of the other, supposedly better, bars in the neighborhood.
I've ordered takeout from this place twice because I wanted American junk food.
Sigh. So so disappointing.
Both times: Cold, greasy food (no excuse b/c I literally live a mile from this place). The food is way over salted, making it nearly inedible. The portions are crappy small for the price. For $10.99, I got 1/2 of a soup container of pot roast. A soup container like the one in this picture: <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fecx.images-amazon.com%2Fimages%2FI%2F41CnkAb52jL._SL500_AA300_.jpg&s=30304708c9600bcf009b5fd58c2e174b6a87da3caa57fc3131c3329c23f2f0bd" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://ecx.images-amazon…</a>
TEN-NINETY-NINE. WTF?!?!
Plus the restaurant charged me more on drop off than my <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2FDelivery.com&s=bb92e95e0800aa71b476a53653ae5b293cc8cbd35ff0f32e359bb2225369522e" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://Delivery.com</a> invoice stated my bill would be.
I would not go back to this place if you paid me.
It's too bad the service is so poor - they have a decent beer selection and the place has a great atmosphere for having good conversations with friends. Â However, the last time we were there the bartender and server literally yelled at us to get out at 8 minutes past close as we were finishing our beers.
It's not like they were cleaning up around us, either - our server and the bartender were sitting at the bar drinking themselves.
I get it, I've worked in the service industry. Â Sometimes you just want to go home at 2am. Â These dudes were sitting and drinking around the bar, though.
Next time I'll take my tips elsewhere.
I always promised myself I would never write a bad Yelp review, but sure enough, along came The Pumping Company. I went to watch a Bulls game, which it was a great venue for. Lots of big TVs all over the room, great view no matter where you are. But the service is where my visit fell apart. There was only ONE bartender and ONE waitress for the whole place, (which was full due to the game). The waitress was super nice, but obviously way over her head, and there were many mistakes made, which culminated in the wrong entree being brought out. I hold nothing against her, she was bright, chipper and hospitable even though things were going south. The management should have been better prepared for what they had to know would be a busy night. The food was good (not mind-blowing, but good), especially the sweet potato fries. I'd be willing to try this place again, but perhaps justfor drinks at the bar, or on a less-busy night.
Review Source:Me and a couple friends dropped in for a quick drink after having dinner at one of the Ethiopian restaurants in the area. We just weren't ready to go home.
I had forgotten my ID and the bouncer almost didn't let me in so when my other friends were getting ready to leave because I couldn't get in he asked me my birthdate (I'm way past 21 although I don't look it ;) ) and he let me in. That was nice of him. Â Pretty good beer selection. They had my favorite-Delirium Tremens. It was pretty dead when we got there. Ordered a couple rounds of beers and we left right on time because as we were walking out there were like 5 million super young kids at the door waiting to get in.
Not a place I need to travel to from Logan Square to have a drink, but if I'm in the area...sure, why not?
I moved near the area over a year ago and ended up at The Pumping Company for lunch on a whim. My friend and I thought the food was good and the staff was pretty friendly. I have returned many times over the past year and a half. The Pumping Company is a great bar to hangout with the other customers (they are usually friendly, but not overly friendly) or come w/ your friends and hangout. I have gone here for "Sunday-Fundays" during football season and had fun and enjoyed the game. The food is of better quality and taste than most bars, and the drinks are good. I am a cocktail person, so if you are looking for a good cocktail I have never been disappointed.
The Pumping Co has a friendly diverse clientele, good cocktails, and good food. Hanging out here alone, with friends, to watch a game, or just to get a drink, is cool at P. Co. There is one downside, if you do not enjoy being around  loud, really drunk, and obnoxious college kids, Friday and Saturday nights will not be fun for you, they usually start to come in around 10:30 - 11:00. You can start your night here and then move on to a different bar.
You know who doesn't like P-Co? I'll tell you, since you asked:
Haters. Whatcha know about drinkin, haters? (Sorry, I've been on an Epic Meal Time kick today)
Sure, their specials aren't the best in Chicago, their website is non-existent, and there's no way you'll see Tamale Guy way up in Edgewater, but is that really important? Good priced drinks, tasty food, cool staff, cooler customers, and my name atop the Photo Hunt high score list (Note: This is probably no longer true)
Also, if drinking with people under 24 scares you, you should probably stay clear past 9 pm on Thursday through Saturday, or be less old.
My friends were enticing me to go to "P.Co," which I realized was indeed Pumping Company, but I still held out hope that we were going to some hip salsa bar specializing in pico de gallo (hence "p.co").
P.Co is a Loyola bar that has started to receive a healthy smattering of Northwestern students - if you call blacking out healthy. Seriously, I'm not Helen Lovejoy from the Simpsons or anything ("Someone think of the CHILDREN!!!"), but people here were sloppy and falling all over themselves and other people. It took 10-15 minutes to get a drink at the bar, and the people who had cups already for the open bar deal were served before me, with me almost being skipped! Annoying as it was, when I was finally served, the unexpectedly older bartender was nice. I didn't want hard alcohol that night, so I got a liqueur on the rocks that is a) on the expensive side and b) rather sugary, hence why I haven't had it in nearly months. Anyway, I got the liqueur of choice and when the bartender forgot how much it'd be, he just told me it was $6, which was not too bad.
Some waitresses were walking around with shots in test tubes. I was intrigued but we didn't have any. I heard they were gross, but then again, one of my friends said that "everything tastes better in a test tube" (we then pressed him and agreed that "babies" was a legitimate example...but that's neither here nor there).
Weirdly, the bar was decently crowded on a Saturday night in the bar area. There was a back room, which we sat in most of the night since we weren't as "slizzered" as most people there and didn't want them falling on us every 15 seconds. It was very empty. You'd think there'd be some flow between rooms, but not really, with the exception of the couples who came in to make out and the young man with a Hawaiian shirt doing what was essentially an interpretive dance to "Mr. Brightside." Yep.
Hmm not my favorite place... there is always a weird mix of annoying young young students and old creeps that make me weary of the place. Â BUT they do have drinks that will do the trick. Â I payed for just two Blue Mother Bleepers and got shwasted...what a bargain...does that make up for the nasty doorman and sticky tables? meh
Review Source:I was excited to try this place only because it was new to me. Â Went here with two friends on the day of a Bears game, and didn't go beyond the front area. Â We ordered Chips & Salsa, and I guess I wasn't sure what to expect, but I sure didn't expect a plate full of generic round tortilla chips that came with barely 3 table spoons of salsa in a bowl. Â I was starving though so ate them up with no problem - about 10 chips in we had run out of salsa -but our waitress was so infrequently at our table she never came back so i could ask for more salsa..until the chips were gone. Â
At one point I had asked for a refill on my diet coke - and about 15 minutes later - nothing. Â She hadn't even come back. Â I had to get UP from my table and go find her - and when i asked her if she could get me my diet coke, she says "Sure, a diet coke?" like it was the first time i was asking.
I was going to order a burger, but decided to try and be more healthy and get the chicken avocado wrap! Â It came w/Sweet potato fries, which were pretty good, but the wrap seemed OLD and the chicken inside tasted like deli meat chicken. Â Not Good. Â And, it took SO LONG for the three of us to get our meals that the waitress offered us a free drink or shot for us having to wait so long. Â That's where the second star comes in. Â
Overall: Â Service on a 1-10 scale = about a 3 or 4.
Food: Â (at least my food) = 5
Probability of me coming back? Â = 0.
Calling their food "bar food" seems like an insult to them, cause this is way better than your regular bar food. This place is fairly close to our studio, so we end up here on Fridays for lunch quite often. Food is really good - try the chicken avocado wrap, the onion rings, any of the burgers - and damn skippy you better try the Reuben. One of the best Reubens I've had in a long time, and believe me - I've had a lot of Reubens, since I have a blog dedicated to them at <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fgoodreuben.com&s=7d5e47c951bc71e41929491bdc4664de7ea1b6a88e1280dac93ad9d93afa39e9" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://goodreuben.com</a>. Bonus points: the bartender Jeremy is not only a great guy, but a phenomenally talented artist. Make sure you hit the Pumping Company if you're up in Rogers Park, you will not be disappointed.
Review Source:Being a college student living near the Pumping Company, better known as P.Cos, I have frequently visited this bar, I usually do not go for the bar nights, but for the food. Â The bar is usually overcrowded on Friday and Saturday nights, but if you are a smoker, you do not have to worry about leaving the bar for a smoke, since they conveniently have a outside patio. Â
The food is what I am I am hear to discuss. Â For being a whole in the wall, barely noticeable place, the food is great. Â The burgers are delicious, with so many toppings to choose from. Â They have the best potato skins I have ever had. Â I also order something new when I am at P.Cos, and I am never disappointed. Â With such a wide variety of choices, they do a great job of giving care and heart to their cooking.
Now, I'm not one to frequent sports bars or any place with more TVs than staff, but I must say P. Co. is becoming a staple of my weekend brunch/ lunch rotation. Â Also: surprisingly good bloody marys, I love it when the garnish is a meal within itself! Â Cheers to that. Â The build-your-own burgers are actually quite tasty, but I usually go for the cajun burger which has more toppings than I would think possible. Â Other than that, it's pretty standard bar fare.
(i second the comment about the name sounding gay bar-ish)
This place is ok as far as a bar goes. The drinks are reasonably priced and they have a decent selection.
When I first moved to the neighborhood I thought it was a gay bar, with a name like that and having lived in boystown for years these things aren't surprising.
Its  a sports bar and an ok one at that. The staff is very accommodating & friendly when our condo association has meetings there. I've been here for  a few dates too and the sports on the tv's have always saved me from some horribly awkward & silent moments.
Living across the street I know I'll be back but no time soon.
Living in Chicago one is bombarded with overpriced restaurants who's hype never lives up to its results. Thank god the Pumping Company is not one of those places; it's just a great local bar in Edgewater (steps from the Granville red line stop) with great food that's priced very well! it's the kind of bar that when you walk in the bartender knows you by name and more importantly knows what you want before you even order it. The people who go there range from college students to old regulars, and it's never hard to strike up a conversation about pretty much anything with anyone.
It's so refreshing to walk into a place with friends, family or by yourself and just grab a great meal that doesn't break the bank. I end up eating at this place at least once a week, and the sweet potato fries are ADDICTIVE! Not to mention they have flat screen TV's all over the place where I can watch about any sporting event I can imagine. The daily specials are thought out extremely well (love steak Thursdays) and they have tons of great beer on tap and in the bottle. Every bartender knows what he/she is talking about when it comes to asking for suggestions (also love the fact they don't act like it's a bother to answer you) and they never under pour on the drinks!
Also the place itself is great; there is a great back patio for smokers so they don't have to freeze during the winter, and it's really nice on the inside with its circle bar and wood accents. It's the kind of place you don't feel you need to take a shower after going to. It can be a bit of a circus on the weekends when school is in session but I have never felt that was a deterrent.
All in all the P. Co. is one of Chicago's hidden gems that never takes itself too seriously but provides great food and great service in a laid back atmosphere. Plus they deliver!
I first moved to the neighborhood about 18 months ago and I've been to the Pumping Co about 10 times. Â The food is usually pretty good (and last week I ordered a burger for take-out that was fantastic). Â The thing that kills me every time I go in is the service. Â It just.... Â sucks. Â There are never enough servers and the ones they do have seem completely unaware of how to wait tables. Â One waitress delivered a very skunky beer to my friend. Â When we explained that it tasted like cheap lipstick, she brought a different beer. Â However, she charged us for the skunky beer AND for the replacement on our tab!
Again, the food is pretty good, portions are perfect, prices are reasonable but this place has got to work on customer service!
First, I must say I was impressed with the outside tent designated for smokers as it had a blowing heater thingy to keep us warm.
Second, there was plenty of room to stretch which was nice after having been at a very crowded bar earlier in the evening.
Our server, Rebecca, was friendly and was on top of the drink deal.
I must say though that the shots were skimpy and got a star knocked off my rating. I bought my girl a bday shot of Kettle, paid $6-ish for it, and she had less than a sip :-/ Whatever.... Guess I won't be doing shots here anymore but it's okay. Everything else was fairly priced and I did enjoy the environment and staff.
"your bar interviewing stops here"-bartender
Just moved into the sovereign nearby and am going to all the nearby bars to find my football watering hole. Been there about four times now and didn't have a bad experience until the last time. Â Came in for the first preseason NFL game with the old lady, sat down ordered some beers and realized no volume was coming from the tvs (only music from the main speakers). Â I asked the waiter if i could turn the volume up a bit to listen to the game and was promptly told no. Â After talking to what I believe was the owner he seemed much nicer. Â Eventually (second quarter or so) turned the volume up on the game and everything was great. Â Not sure if this will be my go to bar now on monday, thursday, sometimes friday, saturday and sunday as I require a bit more fan friendliness.
The food is delicious (had the PCO loaded chips) and the prices aren't too bad. Â There aren't many drink specials the few times ive been. Â Also if you get draft beer the beer has a soapy after taste (all four times ive been) so i'm not sure how the hell they are washing the glasses.
All in all a great place, just wish it was more football fan friendly!
During the school year 95% of patrons are under 21. During the summer, 100% of the patrons are over 30 and 90% of those are probably over 40. On Thursdays during the school year, the well drinks are served in the smallest plastic cups I've ever seen, much smaller than Hamiltons up the block, and I think like 25 cents more expensive. No good. The place is really, really small. It's 2 floors and the basement is not much bigger than the upstairs.
2 stars because of the weak drinks, small area (seriously it's impossible to move around in here, and the fact that on Thursdays if you're actually legal to drink you feel like you're a senior citizen.
Oh and apparently they deliver food on GrubHub? Who would have thought...
I went here once, wasn't there long, and have never felt the real need to go back. People have commented on bars like the Local Option in Lincoln Park as being too much of a college bar. THIS IS TOO MUCH OF A COLLEGE BAR. You can tell immediately at least 80%-90% of the crowd in there are from Loyola. Not that this is a terrible thing, but not always welcoming either. Seating is relatively limited too, forcing you to come earlier than necessary in order to enjoy your stay. The beer menu didn't look that impressive, and prices were average. I don't really feel there is anything special about this place, BUT to be fair one day I may come back to try the food. I'm always willing to give new food a try.
Review Source:The Pumping Company, formerly known as The Sizzle- please suppress your giggles- has many names, including Pimping Co. and The Shithole. But don't be put off by this, since you'll find your own affectionately hateful name for it. Usually it's while you're on your way there for the second time in a month.
Pimpizzle is most heavily populated on Thursday nights, when beers are $1, the reggaeton is deafening, and Loyola undergrads attempt to hook up using orange-glo tan, tasteless footwear, filthy ball caps, and countless shots of JD as bait. It's much like the gym on campus, but drunker.
Almost every other night it seems to be dead around 10p, after attracting local early diners. Look forward to the soggiest sandwich this side of CJ's (which is basically next door, by the way), and you may as well eat there and save the extra $6.
While you're there, please note that the decor is dangerous. The tables are unstable, there are stairs where there really shouldn't be, and there are dartboards at the foot of those stairs. Wall hangings (and doors!) are tacked up just enough to stay put without being used. Things may fall apart or fall on you if you try to use them.
And please, for the love of St. Ignatius himself, watch out for the fireplace downstairs. I once set myself on fire dancing to Sean Paul.
This place was pretty cool. Â I went for the first time last saturday to watch game 7 of the bulls. Â Probably not a good idea to get a good feel for the place. Â My friends who took me there said it's not usually that crowded. Â Not to mention, some Loyola kids were there for a Pub Crawl so it was really crowded. Â Some people like large, noisy, drunken crowds, and I did too when I was 22 years old, but I think I'm grown out of that shit.
Regardless of the crowd, they had specials on buckets of beer, and the food was really good. Â The waitresses were really friendly, and there were enough HD TV's to be able to have both the Bulls and Blackhawks on simultaneously. Â
I will definately be going back throughout out the summer to watch Cubs games and can definately see myself there on sundays for Bears.
Oh plus it's right around the corner from the Granville red line stop so that's a huge bonus, or you can take the Broadway bus.
In terms of cheap Bar Food that is cooked to order, this is your place. Before new management this place was a Loyola student dive, but since a fresh coat of paint, new menu, and well trained staff make this a place to go. Very few places have the balls to cook you a rare steak for under $12. The food tastes good and fresh, with better ingredients than most places in the area. You can tell there is some more consideration for quality and less for speed here. But while you are waiting, the drinks are good and won't cause you to take out another student loan or beg on the street corner.
Review Source:Full disclosure: my very good friend Jenny is a bartender here, so I'm a little biased. Â I live in Seattle now, but I was back in Chicago a couple of weekends ago and spent a lot of time at P-Co, since Jenny had to work a lot. Â The food is great - I'm not really sure what was going on with the other reviewers' food, but I was really happy. Â This place definitely fills up with college kids on the weekends, but before about 10:30, it's pretty cool. Â I'm sure it would be pretty cool after 10:30 if I were still 21, but I'm not, so I just find it pretty annoying. Â Regardless, go visit Jenny and the other awesome bartenders - and don't forget to tip!
Review Source:As I wandered about one night, desperately seeking some wi-fi in the neighborhood, I decided to pop in here. It was about 9 on a weeknight, and there was a small crowd in there. Definitely not "busy," but it took a little while for a waitress to come by and take my order... then to come by again so I could pay...
Wasn't terribly impressed with drink specials or regular prices, but they were pretty standard. The food on the menu sounded decent, but in light of other reviews, I'd probably steer clear, or at least have pretty low expectations if I did get anything.
Be that as it may, if I need a place close by to hit up some free wi-fi and grab a beer or two while I work, I'll think of the Pumping Company. Just from the other reviews--as well as the crowds I've seen outside on the weekends--that would probably be my only reason to head over.
Recently a few friends and I started getting together a few times a month to play Euchre. Â We try to accomodate everyone's different neighborhoods, so last night we went to the Pumping Company. Â
My friend said wed thru saturday the place is packed with Loyola students. Â Lucky for us, it was a tues night and the place was empty. Â It's a decent place to hang out, but stay away from the food. Â It's your typical bar food, but all four of us hated everything we ordered. Â I had the chicken, avocado bacon wrap and when it came the swiss cheese was on the OUTSIDE of the wrap???? Â We joked that they forgot to add it so just put it on the outside. Â Since I didn't want fingers full of cheese, I went at it with a knife and fork and was extremely disappointed. Â It was so bland and dry. Â I barely ate half of it. Â
On the plus side, it worked out well for a couple rounds of Euchre on one of their off nights, but I'm a little old to be hanging out with college kids.
What a shock! I went into here to meet a friend and I was expecting an average bar. The food her was fantastic. Â I ordered a hand-made burger and it was cooked a perfect medium-rare temperature. Â Usually receiving anything below well-done at a bar is the norm.
From what I understand, this was the Pump Room, and then they changed names for awhile and then they went back to PC.
Negative - no ventilation. I can't wait for January first. Good-bye disgusting smoke!!!!
I'll go back, after Jan 1 of course.
For justice's sake, I can clarify things here - gather 'round children. Â This is NOT the same Pumping Company. Â It IS new and it's better than what it sounds like it once was.
We recently moved to Sheridan Rd. from Lincoln Park and the first thing we did was stomp through the neighborhood to see what's what - a Mick Dundee walkabout, if you will.
We stumbled on The Pumping Company while it was going under the knife (renovations) in August- I met the new owners before they opened the place back up. Â They're a young couple that I think used to be in real estate and now followed the dream and bought this bar. Â They also foolishly renovated the whole place, added a bunch of plasmas, changed the menu, brought in new staff and.....kept the same business name. Â So though it's the same name, it's different ownership and a different place. Â Unless the bad reviews are talking about being here in the last two months, their reviews are of an entirely different organization. Â Same name, same location, different business. Â That's the new owners fault for not changing the name, but unless you go now, you're reviewing the wrong place. Â Hope that clarifies. Â
I don't do the bar scene Fri or sat nights so I imagine this place is packed with Loyola Students. Â Whatever happens there during those hours is probably debaucherous and devious.
I DO go out and watch the NFL. Â This means whenever my team isnt on local TV, we now head down to the Pumping Company.
My observations are as follows:
1) This place (the new Pumping Company) has some of the best bar food I've had at any bar/restaurant anywhere. Â I was in Sales and Marketing for many years traveling all around the country to Bars so I may be an expert at this. Â Their bar food is great. Â I asked about it and was told they make everything from scratch, no hydrogenated anything. Â The result is it's exceptional bar food, key words "bar food" so it's also cheap. Â Better than pricier restaurants and cheap. Â That makes it a winner.
2) Years ago I lived in DC where Sports Bars are rare and weak. Â This place has the NFL ticket, gets every game, and has well -positioned plasmas. Â Points. Â It could fit in Lincoln Park without a hitch.
3) On Sunday they have a bloody mary for $5 that's awesome. Â I worship appropriately made Bloodies and this place has it - less hot sauce, more horseradish, added veggies. Â
4) The pizza is just OK.
Coming from Lincoln Park, I'm very happy this place is in the neighborhood. Â It's an updated, modern sports bar with good food and good technology - a neccesary investment. Â For me, it does nothing but add to the neighborhood. Â I believe the other reviewers that it still gets crowded at night but everytime we've gone we've gotten great service, good food and a seat in front of the game of our choice. Â As a simple man, that's all I need. Â If that's all you're looking for, then this place has it all.
The Pumping Company is not new and has been here for a while; been going there since 2001 to be more precise. Â My friends and I used to hang out here a lot when I went to college down the street at Loyola.
PCo, as we called it, was great for cheap beers and live rock bands. Â The food is nothing more than okay. Â The HDTVs are a great addition to watch the games but this place is way too damn crowded on weekends with overly excited college students, most of whom have never been to bars before! Â Stay away at all costs Thursday through Saturday nights when the kids are out! Â Come back in the middle of the week for a good wind-down after work. Â That's when you're more likely to enjoy the place.
I considered a two or three star rating but... Â Coming on off nights is also a great health and sanitation tip. Â We went on a busy college night and on those nights, glasses are hurriedly washed, without inspection. Â Think where all those nasty college mouths have been! Â I had a rash around my mouth the next morning and lasted over a week. Â My doctor linked it to the damn beer glasses. Â Total gross out! Â If I were vindictive, I would've sued the place.
I am highly suspicious of any five star rating for this place!
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