Unfortunately, the Avenue Ale House (just north of Interstate 290 on Oak Park Avenue in Oak Park) is one of those places where bad service and bland food torpedoed what looked to be a pretty nice neighborhood bar and restaurant. The last time I was there (with a date), we waited 20 minutes for a table—right at the height of the dinner rush—which was to be expected. We eventually got seated in a cramped corner booth and waited another 15 minutes to see a waitress—this was a bit unexpected. We ordered burgers from the slightly pricy menu (which basically contained the standard pub fare—burgers, sandwiches, beers, etc.) and waited another 40 minutes for the food. Now all this waiting may not have bothered me if the food was worth the wait, but the burgers and fries were definitely on the bland side. It was a major letdown after the long wait, and to make matters worse, our waitress literally disappeared like a ghost after we got our food, so we sat even longer waiting for the bill. Now I know our experience may not be the norm (maybe they were short-staffed that night, maybe they have newer management)—but it was enough to institute a self-imposed exile from the place, and I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone. Instead, I’d stick to a place like Poor Phil’s in Oak Park for beer and burgers (see my Poor Phil’s review for details).
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