The Staley
1736 S Michigan Ave, Chicago
(312) 248-8711
Recent Reviews
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Great sit to watch the bears game, lots of projectors and TVs.
Really good buffalo chicken pizza
Super friendly staff. Will definitely be back!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
It is packed for Bears games. Walkable to the stadium.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 3
Walking into this restaurant felt a bit like showing up to a college house party hosted by a friend of a friend. It’s hot, you’re not quite sure who invited you, and once you arrive, you realize you probably won’t stay long. The atmosphere was oddly stale, a curious mix of “almost happening” but not quite. The soundtrack didn’t help, with an inconsistent blend of old Drake and Tory Lanez tracks, which only deepened the sense of confusion and questionable taste.
The décor aimed for something upscale, perhaps a modern gastropub, but ultimately added to my confusion. It seems the restaurant hasn’t quite decided what it wants to be: a self-described community sports bar or a more urban and refined dining spot. The bar itself, oddly shaped and spatially awkward, contributed to the overall feeling of disconnection.
Service was, unfortunately, underwhelming. The bartender seemed more preoccupied than present, and despite my best efforts, I couldn’t seem to keep his attention. I actually would have stayed for another pint, but after a while, I decided to call it an early night.. out of sheer boredom. Around me, bar patrons chatted loudly on their phones or took work calls on laptops, giving the space the ambience of an airport lounge more than a neighborhood bar.
The food, however, arrived promptly. I ordered the Sweet Heat Pepperoni Pizza, which was perfectly fine but not something I’d ever recommend with enthusiasm. The pint of Guinness, although poured correctly, was almost poetic in its mediocrity. At $11, it might very well be the most expensive pint of Guinness in all of Ireland.
The Staley’s menu feels like a collection of good ideas that never quite find a home, hopping from bar snacks to seafood to salads with little sense of direction. Without a clear culinary identity or standout dishes, diners are left sifting through a menu that’s as confused as it is broad. Nothing jumped out as appealing, and a simple, fresh option like a wrap with sweet potato fries would have been a small mercy.
Ultimately, this visit confirmed my initial impression from walking past the place: the mismatched awning and sign might’ve been an early warning. I genuinely want to root for any local business in the South Loop since we’re not exactly spoiled for choice, but this experience was a reminder that presence doesn’t equal personality.
I’m thankful this restaurant exists and sincerely hope it finds its footing. But for now, The Staley lived up to its namesake — stale!
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 3
Service: 2
Great Football Sunday at the Stanley!!! Brunch was so good and the pink pina margarita was tasty. Service was great Marcos treated us well. I love the Stanley ☺️
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Great place to go before a bears game. Will definitely be coming back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
It was too hot to enjoy our food or drinks. Save your money and go to a sports bar that has air conditioning.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 2
Service: 3
We have so much at Trivia night with host Bri, so fun and awesome atmosphere, food and drinks :)
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We ended up with takeout, and I was super disappointed. The containers were barely filled, and for the price, it's a no. The food was very good, but definitely not worth the prices. The cauliflower came with 7 pieces, the Birria tacos came with a sad, half filled container of meat. Food was good, but way to expensive for what you get.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 3
Good food, hard to enjoy with the general manager intoxicated and throwing back shots. I thought it was a one time thing but I seen it my next visit as well. I don’t think that’s a reflection of the owner.
I loved it a lot but very noisy
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
Came here to watch the bears opening game and was disappointed. The hostess weren’t very attentive and took long to think of where to seat people, our server got to our table 30mins in, we didn’t receive our food until half time which was about an hour and 30mins since we sat down, everything other than the chorizo chili fries from the appetizer was 86d (or out of stock) including buffalo sauce lol which is odd. I think for solider field events they should be properly staffed. I understand it can be busy but it was not nearly as busy as bears game days used to be at the previous restaurant.
I was searching for a nice sports bar to watch the bears game on Monday night. Staley's on Michigan had good reviews so I decided to go. I was not disappointed. The atmosphere, the food, the staff, was awesome. Bree, the bartender with the Trubisky jersey I'm sorry I didn't get his name, In another bar attendant was there and I didn't get her name either. Feel so bad about that. They were awesome. Did not know that the facility was owned by Israel Adonija a former bears player. The customer service was awesome. This staff was knowledgeable in their area of expertise and the whole experience was just a whole vibe. I'll be going back as a true bears fan.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The Staley is a nice sports bar with huge projector screens great to watch football games or sports in general. I recently dined in for the Bears opening game and was very disappointed. First of all our server didn’t reach our table until about 30mins in. Then we were offered complimentary appetizers because of our wait but all of the appetizers were 86d or out of stock and we waited and hour and 30mins for the apps that weren’t out of stock to hot the table! We sat down at 7pm and apps didn’t get here till 8:36pm. I ordered the 16t wings and a small ranch came with the meal honestly for that amount of wings they need to serve a bigger ranch… I asked my server for more ranch and it never came. We had to keep telling food runner and hostess to ask our server to come check up on us. I understand this restaurant is fairly new and this is their first bears game but they need to staff up and train their workers how to handle this high paced environment. Either that being a manger helping out on the floor, servers communicating that the kitchen may be backed up and communicating when certain items on the menu are out of stock, and the hostess being able to seat people efficiently and problem solve. I would not rec coming here for solider field events unless you are okay with waiting for long periods of time without service and mediocre food that are very small portioned.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 1
I ordered the spiked sweet tea and there already was a dead fly foating in it and they had the audacity to not comp it
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 2
Service: 1
Bartender does a good pour and the service was solid (food runners, 1 bar staff, and hostess were amazing), but the fries, skillet cookie, and burger were all subpar. The burger was overcooked, the bun was dry, and overall I wasn't a fan of their artistic take on a bbq cheddar burger. The fries needed seasoning and an easy bake oven cookie made by a toddler would be better than their skillet cookie!
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 3
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