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"This place feels like Northside," we remarked to our dining companion as we sat down at the Five Star Bar & Grill on 1424 W. Chicago Ave. Despite the rock-and-roll-inspired decor (which was strangely matched with the weapons-inspired overhead lamps), we felt like we could have been dining on N. Damen — same frat-boy atmosphere, same mediocre selection of standard bar fare, and same feeling as we left of "did we really just spend $30 on sandwiches and a couple of beers for two?"
The menu at Five Star is pretty standard for a bar and grill — burgers with multiple variations (guacamole, bacon, grilled onions, etc.) and a selection of sandwiches. We tried the Sid & Nancy, a hefty sandwich of smoked turkey, muenster cheese and honey mustard on egg bread. We didn't have any real complaints about this sandwich, but then again, how hard is it to make a turkey and cheese sammie? The pulled pork sandwich featured pork with more of a barbecue sauce flavor than the traditional vinegar. Both sandwiches were served with mounds and mounds of French fries — seriously, enough French fries for at least two people came with each — and some stray pickle slices.
For drinks, we went with the draft beer, choosing the oh-so-safe Blue Moon for $5 a pint. It looks like we might have been better off going for something a little harder, as they offer several dozen bourbons. We think we might go back, if not for the bourbon, than for the specials. On Monday nights, mini-sandwiches are only $.50, with PBRs offered at an even $2 a can.
Five Star Bar & Grill is located at 1424 W. Chicago Ave; 312-850-2555. Monday-Friday, 4 p.m.-2 a.m.; Saturday, 11 a.m.-3 a.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m.-2 a.m.
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i ate at 5 star shortly after it opened and pretty much have to agree. while the music was decent and the room pretty nice, the food was totally underwhelming. you can do much better for the price.
Aaaahhhh...the "frat boy" card. It's officially becoming a Chicagoist tradition.
Just to let you know, it's pretty trite by now....
$30 for dinner and drinks for two? Or was that $30 each? $30 total isn't bad.
Rumblin - Point taken, and I'll keep that in mind. What would you suggest I use as a synonym?
This place is a shithole.
I go to 5 Star quite often, and find it to be fairly "frat boy" free. They occasionally show sports on the TV's, but point me to a bar that doesn't. In the past,I've seen skate videos, the Rolling Stones at Altamont, the news, and the Matrix. They usually play pretty decent music-no Dave Mathews/Staind/shit sandwhich here.. And trust me- I'm about as far away from a frat boy as you can get. The staff are always super freindly too. Something I've not found in sports/frat bars.
I think you might be falling into the catagory of lazy journalism. Don't most food reviews, you know...review more than one plate? Maybe Chicagoist doesn't need to bother? I'd rather read a positive review of a place than just one persons dislike for a place. Unless of course, you have a great track record of finding, and reviewing really awesome places. Oh, right...
Either way, I'd have to disagree with your review. Please try again.
Petite Bourgeoisie?
It is just grating on me when I see the Chicagoist writers, most of whom I think do a pretty good job fall into the "Trixie," "Chad," "frat boy" trap.
As a one time "frat boy" and Lakeview resident who enjoys this site, it just gets really old to hear the same stuff post after post.
I'm sure I'm not the only one on here that gets turned off by this....
Hi Lurker - I went there and tried two things, the turkey sandwich and the pulled pork. Since there were two of us, that is about what we could handle. I went, I didn't love the vibe of the bar, and I thought the food was ok, if the drinks overpriced. Just because you disagree with my opinion doesn't mean it is lazy journalism. And I think that is OK.
Rumblin - I see what you are saying. I'll aim for more description, less labeling next time.
the food here is terrible. $8 for a cold piece of tasteless chicken on a stale bun. blech.
"Sammie?" What are you my 4 year old? Want a "sammie" for your "tummy?"
Well I too would consider those N. Damen places to have an ex-frat boy atmosphere (a spades a spade) not that that I would refuse to go to one of them because of that. Like it or not it's the easiest way to describe them and they certainly fit the bill. Don't be so self conscious, embrace your past and move on.
People, people. Can't we set aside our differences and just agree that all humans are equally inferior to robots?
I like this place, especially in the summer. One time I was there, this guy - who had no business doing a pole routine - ripped the stripper pole right out of the ceiling and fell on my friend. No one was hurt.
I never understood why reviewers write about places they don't like. I mean, that doesn't help me at all. I like the articles that suggest where to go and why not articles that tell me not to go to a place that i had no plans of going to to begin with.
While I can understand and empathize with Rumblin's complaint (I'll definitely bite a bullet here, being one quick with them); it's easy to generalize, harder still to not.
That said, a review tends to incorporate more than just the food, or how many plates that person orders. The vibe of a place - its color scheme, decoration, sight lines, general atmosphere - can go a long way toward coloring a reviewer's opinion. And that, at its core, is what a review is, one person's opinion, however informed. An example would be Graze, which has excellent food but a terrible interior design. The latter informed mine and many of the reviews I've read or heard about the restaurant (including Laura's, who interviewed Graze chef Bob Zrenner).
Laura's review of this place is her opinion, Lurker. You can agree to disagree and keep on frequenting Five Star, since her review obviously hasn't changed your mind. But please don't ask her to "try again" just because her experience there didn't jibe with yours. Then we'd really be "boosters." In the meantime, we'll keep finding places that interest us and review them. One day, we'll come to a detente and agree on something. Unless, of course, you like paying five bucks for Blue Moon.
Ah, Lurker sounds like a troll to me. Do you work at the 5 star, sir?
Hey Narvin, Laura, and Kevin.
yea sure it’s not a frat boy bar. It just has
"rock and roll" decor, weapons inspired lamps
and a Strippers poll!
Actually Hanna settled it with the official Trixie stamp of approval. Frat boy gets stupid drunk does something stupid like falling on a stranger. The Official Yuppie response.....
How cute! Let’s just cheer him on, like totally. guess it reminds them of that “cool” drunken kegger party at pathetic midwest frat boy party schools. If some Chad ever did that too me, well, lets just say I'd be more than visibly pissed
Thanks Laura for the warning
Is it Friday yet?
I've been to this place a few times and agree 100% with this review. It's only saving grace is the DJ on Sat nights. He won't play any frat favs (even if they beg) and doesn't use an ipod. It's all vinyl and he has AMAZINGLY good taste in music.
It's too bad they had to treat rock as just a theme for the decor. This place has nothing at all to do with rock. Some things should be sacred.
Here here, Al Conif! They also like to use "vacay" and "unforch" on this site, which makes my head hurt. It just sounds so...dumb.
uh, "hear hear". go ahead and make fun of me.
I find it rather annoying myself the manner and frequency in which the terms frat boys, yuppies, Chads and Trixies are disparagingly thrown around this site. As if Chicagoist is the mecca of hipster cool or something. On second thought, there's an idea--you should change the name to Hipsterist, and then there would be no confusion as to who your target audience really is. The cool kids might even start inviting you to their parties...
Spook -
You like to lift weights and drink a lot of beer. Are you certain you're not a frat boy?
I never had a problem with spending a lazy afternoon at Northside having some bar food and drinks with friends. I would imagine I am not their target audience either.
Everybody knows CANS is the spot. They have beer. In a can!
The blog should change its name to Whites Only, Suburban Transplant, Rich Kid ist, because that's what this blog is.
"I never understood why reviewers write about places they don't like."
Unless you're the type to write the review before you go in (and Laura isn't) then no one goes into a place not liking it. No one wants to have medicore food and trite atmosphere. But sometimes it happens. Better to report the truth than lie about it.
Last time I went there they were playing an Iggy Pop concert video on the TVs and I left feeling a very good feeling. That being said, I would enjoy Hi-Tops a half hour after a cubs game were they to play an Iggy Pop show on TV.
From the rural areas of Illinois and not rich, sorry.
And what's wrong with fraternities?
should have gone down the street to HIGH DIVE instead. great food, great music, and nice bartenders.
Maybe they should rename the chicagoist to "White Chicagoans who don't like most other White Chicagoans, unless they purchase counter-culture goods."
Now I remember why I moved to NYC.
o.k. the weapons in the lighting fixtures are remnants from halloween decorating- each lamp had a different weapon from 'clue' in it. beer and whiskey choice is good. what place doesn't have exspensive drinks in the city, ; if you don't want to pay $5 for a Blue Moon, you should move to St. Charles. food could be better. Do any of you remember when this location was La Europense? Talk about shit-hole- rotten meat smellin'- toxic health hazard- I lived across thes street so I shopped there all the time- waste of space. Pretty much anywhere you go there are going to be people you don't like- so get over it and accept that we all have the same human flaws as everyone else. Ben, the DJ on Saturday DOES totally rock! Chicagoins are at the same time some of the most friendly and most hateful people I have ver met. I think every review should mention the good and bad of a place. But what do I know. Obviously I want to put my two crappy cents in as well otherwise I wouldn't be typing right now. Blah.
What is it about blogs that makes people especially nasty about things? just because the internet gives you anonymity, doesn't mean you should be an asshole about things.
and laura, that was a decent review. you wrote about the place as you saw it, nothing more.
lowbrow and others - thanks for the tip about the Saturday night DJ. I will have to make a return visit to check it out...
This place sucks the life out of UK/River West. Rock and Roll my ass. Do they send recruiting literature to every single sorrority and fraternity in the Big Ten? This place is about as edgy as a Whamm-O!
I'm with the reviewers. Best to head West(!) or South if you're looking for something good. It's got Lincoln Park written all over it!
This was a good review, short and to the point. Laura, thank you very much for steering me clear of a place that is worth neither my time nor my money.
Next social experiment: How many comments can a post collect with just a single mention of the word "sorority"? Seems like "frat-boy" can't do better than 40 comments.
Perhaps a fair way to describe Five Star is "conflicted". My experience was on a Saturday Night when they were spinning deep-cuts of classic rock and the DJ was excellent and friendly. As for whether it's "Frat Boy" side, yes, they have a small room with a stripper pole. Maybe it's a joke, maybe it's not. My friends and I had a ball joking around with it. Furthermore, the pool area is covered in posters for bands like Built to Spill, Sonic Youth, etc... so someone is definitely making an effort not to make it not yet another sports bar.
I didn't try the food, but guess what, Blue Moon costs $4-5 a pint everywhere in Chicago. Overall, you could do better but you could also do a lot worse.
Goo goo goo wanna a sammie frat baby for tummy goo goo goo?
While I am tempted by the "frat-boy atmosphere" ;-) this area is too rough for me to visit. I am pleased however to see a taste of Lincoln Park introduced to the less fortunate.
Hey Mr.Air-Mikey aka Mr. Above It All, Voice of Reason for the Mainstream Season. I need to be in shape to ward off drunken frat boys who play on stripper polls and feel its A-O.K. to use their elbows to get their budlites at the bar first and of course I need some flex to carry cases of beer from the liquor store home, cause that's how ah Spook do!
Its interesting that when progressive people stand up for their rights and the rights of others outside the mainstream, THEY get called “politically correct”. The mainstream has no beef with this term that I hate and they love using it! Just like they have no beef with the term “femaNazi” or “Welfare Queen”. But come up with a colloquial term for mindless Red Eye reading white privileged male members of Sigma Alpha Gamma Si Fi Yabba Dabba Do frat joining cheap keg upside down beer drink'n mindless republican cog types and the mindless barbies that love their base ball hat backwards wearing A*Ses, then the mainstream’s got problems with it. They get all hot under thier Polo collars. Perhaps its a subtle attack on the power structure and they/yall subconsciously know it?
It's Friday and Immmmmmmm thirsty!
I'm probably never going to set foot in Five Star, and Laura's review seals that deal. I have no interest in subsidizing continued repairs to the stripper pole, which met its unfortunate demise the very same night that Hanna graced the bar with her presence, by paying exorbitant prices for a beer or any other sort of alcoholic beverage.
And these review comments are hilarious! I'm not a fan of the "frat boy / trixie / yuppie" tag and would recommend just sticking to "sucky poopheads" or some other more vague generalization. Yuppies and frat boys and trixies are occasionally cool people (it's true), but sucky poopheads will always be sucky poopheads. TRY AGAIN
Spook -
I'll accept your reasons for working out with an amused smile...
But you totally lost me in the second paragraph...
The hipster/yuppie/frat/trixie/whatever argument never gets old. Seriously, keep it going.
On a side note, this might provoke another comment thread like this, but I honestly would be interested in a review of evilOlive. Haven't been, but I'm curious. Plus, palindromes (!!!).
Five Star is awesome! Never had a bad time there and all the waitresses are babes!
Isn't this a real the Westside? Well close. Very "frat" boyish, but they're really yuppies. The specials are good, cheap and greasy. High Dive is as bad as this place. Also remember when they had Ratatat maybe a year ago spin on a Sat. I bet that was Hipster Heaven that night - also i agree with WOSTRK-ist the site tends to be a bit WOSTRK-ish.
The blog should change its name to Whites Only, Suburban Transplant, Rich Kid ist, because that's what this blog is.
Isn't that what every blog is?
While I am tempted by the "frat-boy atmosphere" ;-) this area is too rough for me to visit. I am pleased however to see a taste of Lincoln Park introduced to the less fortunate.
touche, nice job.
damn i miss lptrixie society, i hope it is back soon. :)
This city has seen too many high-end "rock" bars open in the last year and it's time for a few of them to give in to natural selection and shutter their doors. I'm not saying Five Star Bar & Grill should be one of the clubs to fail, but I am saying we've got about ten too many of these sorts of bars that shouldn't be open.
Personally I have a few friends who have DJed there and have nothing negative to say about the staff, and these are dudes who are indier than most people attending Tuesday night shows at The Bottle, so the place can't be all bad. However, outside of making money at the joint, Laura's review seems to be in line with most other feedback I've heard about the clientèle and general ambiance.
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