The bartender seemed annoyed that I even came in (about 2 hours before close). He was rude and extremely short with me the whole time. I’m a bartender too so I figured probably just a bad day for him and hoped my meal would at least be good. But my veggie burger was burned to a crisp and inedible-I only had a few bites and bartender never checked on me. I ended up just paying immediately and left wishing I hadn’t come in at all.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 1
Michael D'Hondt
Got super food sick from here
Zhanamiek Walley
It was my first time in Bad Apple. Visiting the area and I was so stunned by the nasty and rude experience I had. I will start by saying I appreciated the waiter who helped me afterwards, he was so sweet. I was waiting on a take out order initially. I was simply trying to ask the bartender for a glass of water. As a bartender myself I know how to treat everyone with respect. I have a very soft voice so I didn’t expect to be heard over loud music and patrons. I said “excuse me” to try and get the attention of the bartender. Again I don’t think I could be heard so I said it again twice. He then snaps at me and says “that’s not how you call a bartender I’m clearly having a conversation with someone.” I saw him casually having a conversation with another patron but he wasn’t taking an order just standing and conversing. I only wanted to be acknowledged as I’m also a paying customer. If he would’ve said “give me a second” or even a head nod to signal me to wait, I would’ve completely understood. I wasn’t trying to rush him or interrupt his important conversation but to let him be aware of me also waiting at the bar. I didn’t get his name but he’s tall and bald. He then passive aggressively walks up to me asking what did I want. I simply walked away because it was embarrassing as the others at the bar snickered and giggled. He turned away and went back to chatting. Which is surprising as busy as the bar was, his priority is talking and yelling at out of towners.
Service: 1
Jodi Bordeau
Great food, service and drink selection.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Nolan Hollingsworth
Great service, would highly recommend to all.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
E Vakana
Delicious burgers, as expected from Bad Apple. We've been devout consumers from the original location and this one is bigger and feels more comfortable. Will definitely be back!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Nick Aiello
Great setup. Always amazing food. Friendliest staff around.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Ryen Bothur
Popped by for a late lunch (early dinner?) and was overall happy. Burger was delicious and well made. So many items on the menu that I want to try. Only real gripe is that I think the pretzel bun I had was a bit stale? Had that hard yet squishy thing going on but only on the bottom bun... didn't appear to be toasted either. Either way, definitely coming back for more of the menu 😁
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 4
Matthew Paprocki
Bad Apple has exceptional burgers, outstanding french fries, and a great vibe.
For years, our family made the trip up to Lincoln Square just to eat at the original location. Now, we’re regulars at their Lincoln Park spot and it hasn’t lost an ounce of what made it special.
We’ve lived in Chicago for 20 years, and Bad Apple easily ranks as one of our top five restaurants in the city.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Curtis U
We stopped in to eat at The Bad Apple for dinner on a Saturday night and greatly enjoyed our experience! We were able to find a table and enjoy delicious food while many football games were on the TVs in the restaurant. There were many tables of friends enjoying drinks together that made the atmosphere feel extremely welcoming. My Southern Daddy burger was cooked to perfection with the amazing sweet and spicy dandy sauce. The fries and homemade sauce were delicious too! If you are looking for a sports bar with great food and atmosphere, The Bad Apple is the place to be!
This used to be a place I really cared about. I worked in this location for 10+ years when it was John Barleycorn, and because of the memories and industry background, I’ve always had a soft spot for this location of the bad apple on Belden & Lincoln. Unfortunately, today’s visit completely changed how I feel.
From the moment we were sat, our server, Jamie, was extremely rude. The restaurant was almost empty, yet we were constantly bumped into, rushed, and had our food taken away before we were finished by Jamie. The whole interaction felt passive-aggressive and very uncomfortable.
When we received our bill, we still tipped the standard 20% on our card, which should be documented in their system. After closing out, the server came back to our table and pressured us for more money in cash, asking for an additional tip. That was incredibly inappropriate and made us feel harassed.
This was a really upsetting experience, especially because this place used to mean something to me. Sadly, I will not be returning. Very disappointed.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 2
Service: 1
Susie Hartsog
Cocktails are great, especially the blackberry basil mule. Service was slow like last time, but the vibe is great for our family with three young kids. We will be back!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 3
Susie Heath
Outside is great! Inside is not. Bar is nice but seating and decor not comfy or attractive. Would be so much better if they’d made it a warm, cozy neighborhood spot with booths and low seating.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 4
Service: 4
Cori Blackburn
Food came cold. Wait staff not to be found. What should have been a 30 minute meal was more like an hour waiting to be served. Food probably would have been good if it wasn’t cold.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Monique
The Chili Palmer burger and the Garlic Honey Wings were GREAT! With that said, I am giving it 3 stars for two reasons. One, the bread on all 3 burgers were ordered was HARD and tasteless. Second, the Jake + Elwood and Thunderdome were underwhelming. The server was really attentive and friendly.
The bartender seemed annoyed that I even came in (about 2 hours before close). He was rude and extremely short with me the whole time. I’m a bartender too so I figured probably just a bad day for him and hoped my meal would at least be good. But my veggie burger was burned to a crisp and inedible-I only had a few bites and bartender never checked on me. I ended up just paying immediately and left wishing I hadn’t come in at all.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 1
Got super food sick from here
It was my first time in Bad Apple. Visiting the area and I was so stunned by the nasty and rude experience I had. I will start by saying I appreciated the waiter who helped me afterwards, he was so sweet. I was waiting on a take out order initially. I was simply trying to ask the bartender for a glass of water. As a bartender myself I know how to treat everyone with respect. I have a very soft voice so I didn’t expect to be heard over loud music and patrons. I said “excuse me” to try and get the attention of the bartender. Again I don’t think I could be heard so I said it again twice. He then snaps at me and says “that’s not how you call a bartender I’m clearly having a conversation with someone.” I saw him casually having a conversation with another patron but he wasn’t taking an order just standing and conversing. I only wanted to be acknowledged as I’m also a paying customer. If he would’ve said “give me a second” or even a head nod to signal me to wait, I would’ve completely understood. I wasn’t trying to rush him or interrupt his important conversation but to let him be aware of me also waiting at the bar. I didn’t get his name but he’s tall and bald. He then passive aggressively walks up to me asking what did I want. I simply walked away because it was embarrassing as the others at the bar snickered and giggled. He turned away and went back to chatting. Which is surprising as busy as the bar was, his priority is talking and yelling at out of towners.
Service: 1
Great food, service and drink selection.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Great service, would highly recommend to all.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Delicious burgers, as expected from Bad Apple. We've been devout consumers from the original location and this one is bigger and feels more comfortable. Will definitely be back!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Great setup. Always amazing food. Friendliest staff around.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Popped by for a late lunch (early dinner?) and was overall happy. Burger was delicious and well made. So many items on the menu that I want to try.
Only real gripe is that I think the pretzel bun I had was a bit stale? Had that hard yet squishy thing going on but only on the bottom bun... didn't appear to be toasted either.
Either way, definitely coming back for more of the menu 😁
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 4
Bad Apple has exceptional burgers, outstanding french fries, and a great vibe.
For years, our family made the trip up to Lincoln Square just to eat at the original location. Now, we’re regulars at their Lincoln Park spot and it hasn’t lost an ounce of what made it special.
We’ve lived in Chicago for 20 years, and Bad Apple easily ranks as one of our top five restaurants in the city.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We stopped in to eat at The Bad Apple for dinner on a Saturday night and greatly enjoyed our experience! We were able to find a table and enjoy delicious food while many football games were on the TVs in the restaurant. There were many tables of friends enjoying drinks together that made the atmosphere feel extremely welcoming. My Southern Daddy burger was cooked to perfection with the amazing sweet and spicy dandy sauce. The fries and homemade sauce were delicious too! If you are looking for a sports bar with great food and atmosphere, The Bad Apple is the place to be!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
This used to be a place I really cared about. I worked in this location for 10+ years when it was John Barleycorn, and because of the memories and industry background, I’ve always had a soft spot for this location of the bad apple on Belden & Lincoln. Unfortunately, today’s visit completely changed how I feel.
From the moment we were sat, our server, Jamie, was extremely rude. The restaurant was almost empty, yet we were constantly bumped into, rushed, and had our food taken away before we were finished by Jamie. The whole interaction felt passive-aggressive and very uncomfortable.
When we received our bill, we still tipped the standard 20% on our card, which should be documented in their system. After closing out, the server came back to our table and pressured us for more money in cash, asking for an additional tip. That was incredibly inappropriate and made us feel harassed.
This was a really upsetting experience, especially because this place used to mean something to me. Sadly, I will not be returning. Very disappointed.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 2
Service: 1
Cocktails are great, especially the blackberry basil mule. Service was slow like last time, but the vibe is great for our family with three young kids. We will be back!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 3
Outside is great! Inside is not. Bar is nice but seating and decor not comfy or attractive. Would be so much better if they’d made it a warm, cozy neighborhood spot with booths and low seating.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 4
Service: 4
Food came cold. Wait staff not to be found. What should have been a 30 minute meal was more like an hour waiting to be served. Food probably would have been good if it wasn’t cold.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
The Chili Palmer burger and the Garlic Honey Wings were GREAT! With that said, I am giving it 3 stars for two reasons. One, the bread on all 3 burgers were ordered was HARD and tasteless.
Second, the Jake + Elwood and Thunderdome were underwhelming. The server was really attentive and friendly.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 5
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