King's County Tap

King's County Tap opened last week in a redeveloped space which includes the old Etno's at Lincoln, Wrightwood & Sheffield. It has been closed--under construction--for a few years now so there has been much anticipation.

Before talking about the food -- the space itself is pretty cool. It has a modern "industrial" look, with metal, dark stained wood, modern art on the walls. The bar was constructed out of an old train car (I think?), and there are several garage style large doors which can be opened up in nice weather. There is also an outdoor area which looks great. I am, however, concerned about the size of this place in this low-density neighborhood: It is now a large restaurant. When I went, there were a good amount of people here, but it still felt empty. Not only were there lots of tables still open (simply because they have so many), but there is a lot of space between tables.

The chef, Wilson Bauer, was previously from Elizabeth, Longman & Eagle, and Shwa (according to this announcement). Because of this, I was excited to try the food--however, it was kind of hit or miss. I am hoping this is just because they are new and still getting over a learning curve. Some highlights:

"7-layer" salad: This was awesome. 2 pieces of thick cut spiced porkbelly, with a soft boiled oozing duck egg, over a few large pieces of bitter endive. Best thing we had.

Steak: Teres major sous-vide steak served with salted fingerling potatoes and chimichurri. Steak was a little overcooked, and potatoes were a little undercooked.

Burger: Served with duck pastrami and ramp kimchi. Interesting, but I thought too many strong flavors all together...the duck, the beef, and the kimchi all could be standalone servings. Fries on the side were a disaster: way way too salty, lacked that "fried potato flavor" that you'd get at, for example, Edzo's or red hot ranch.

Chili Chocolate Cremeux: Had a great burnt toffee flavor, but didn't really have much of the chili going on, contrary to its name.


Overall, decent start and glad to see it there, but I am hoping for improvement out of this place. It's nowhere near a place like Three Aces, Longman & Eagle, or Owen & Engine, which seems to be what this place is trying to be.

2576 N Lincoln Ave
Chicago, IL 60614