The Rail in Ravenswood

We finally went to The Rail after passing it literally hundreds of times; we live not far away. We had a nice time, eating outside in front despite the rain showers, thanks to the large umbrellas.

Every day there features some sort of drink special, which i appreciate. I tried a Leinenkugel weiss beer called "Sundown" or "Sunset," which isn't even on Leinie's web site. It was...different. More citrusy than I prefer in a beer, with resiny, almost retsina-like notes, especially to my nose.

Food-wise, I had the chicken tostada. A good amount of chicken and generous with the sour cream and cheese as well. The spice level was pretty respectable; hotter than I expected from a restaurant that isn't rooted in a country located in the capsicum triangle. Although the chef is named Guiseppe....

The Little Woman had a tuna steak wrap. I am not a big tuna fan, but she reports that it was very good indeed.

Portions were just short of "waddle."

The whole tab, with four beers, was about thirty-three bucks. Can't go wrong.

The Rail is at 4709 N. Damen. It is less than a block north of the Damen Brown Line stop. Phone is 703-878-9400. The umbrellas are green and our waitress was blonde.

I hope this review proves useful.

Moved to Eating Out in Chicagoland, because unless there's been continental drift I don't know about, that's well within Chicago....

Moved to Eating Out in Chicagoland,

Thanks and good move...where the heck did I put it?

It started life in Beyond Chicagoland.

About a year ago my wife and I stopped in there for a sandwich after a visit to the Ravenswood Antique Mart up the block. We were impressed. It wasn't like the food knocked our socks off, but it was certainly better than it had to be, which made a favorable impression. The exact sandwich I had is lost to the mists of time, but let's say it was a ham and cheese (because it probably was). What I recall is that the ham was good quality and mild, not overly salty; the cheese was real and not processed; the lettuce was romaine, not iceberg; and the bread was fresh and real. Someone was clearly trying. Nice service, too.

Well, we're unimpressed w/ the Rail for several reasons. We've gone about 7-8 times now and invariably there was always something lacking. If it wasn't the service, it was the food, and visa versa.

Tonight we decided to torture ourselves w/ a Cubs game. I wanted air-conditioning, he wanted tap beer. And the losers of the evening were the reuben sandwich and the Mets.

I love a good reuben. So many things going on, the crunchy grilled rye, the salty delicious corned beef and the tangy sauerkraut - when made well, it's a thing of beauty. Tonights reuben was a leson in how exactly not to make it. Firstly, it arrived on rye toast. Yes, toast. I said to the verry young and pretty waitress that reubens come grilled. She said, this is how they always come. ok.... but if the menu had said toast, I wouldn't have ordered it. The menu said grilled. She then replied, well the corned beef is grilled. My guy hates it when I send food back and he has to wait while his food gets cold. So I tried to eat it. But grilled corned beef isn't very tasty and undrained saurkraut makes your toast pretty darn wet pretty darn quick. Yes, I should have sent it back. When she came back I told her it was the worst reuben I'd ever had (I ate about a third of it)and she said, I don't know what to tell you.

They did end up comping the sandwich after someone actually bothered to read the menu and see it was, indeed, supposed to come on grilled bread. But, nonetheless, it left a bad taste in my mouth.

If this had been the ONLY time something like that has happened here, I wouldn't be posting. But it's a frequent occurrence. I will just stick to the drinks and the very tasty fries from here on in.

bryan wrote:Well, we're unimpressed w/ the Rail for several reasons. We've gone about 7-8 times now and invariably there was always something lacking. If it wasn't the service, it was the food, and visa versa.

I'd have to agree with you. I've been to the Rail a few times, initially to sample their bloody mary offerings on a Sunday, and occasionally to catch a ballgame while I happened to be in the neighborhood. Each time, I left underwhelmed. The food's ok, the beer is usually very cheap (ok selection tho'), and the service ranges from mediocre to indifferent. I find the overall character of the bar to be roughly equivalent to that of a TGIF or a Bennigan's. Having said that, tables fill up very quickly, especially on weekends.

I've shared a few beers with some locals who decry the lack of other sports bars in the neighborhood as the reason for The Rail's success. I imagine they'd be singing a different tune if in fact, a TGIF or a Bennigan's were to move into the neighborhood and drive out the small businesses. At least The Rail doesn't dilute the uniqueness of the Ravenswood neighborhood. Hardly a ringing endorsement, but if it's a sports bar you're after, you have a wide selection to choose from in Chicagoland.

I miss Simply Ray's. The rail, could be good. But it's not. On the 3-4 times we tried to give it a chance, they just didn't measure up. Service there just plain sucked everytime we went. Salads showing up & 2 seconds later, 1/2 of the tables food. Appetizers delivered, 2 seconds later entree's. Asking for a burger the SAME WAY I HAVE ORDERED IT MY ENTIRE LIFE, & having the waitress tell me that's not what I ordered & then disappear. I shouldn't have to leave my table & reorder my food from the bar.
It wasn't even busy the final time we went & they had turned up the music so loud that we were screaming at each other to settle up the bill. Honestly, it was ridiculous. Too bad, because the food had been pretty good-for bar food. Good fries, good chicken, & the Fri. Fish fry wasn't too bad either..

I've been to the Rail several times. It is a bar with bar food. Hamburgers taste like hamburgers and the fries are not very good.

However the televisions are nice. I go there to watch ballgames.

The bar at Latitudes (on Lincoln) also have very good televisions. I have stopped eating at Latitudes altogether because the food was so bad. I would rather eat at McDonalds. But the TVs are nice.

In the area my favorite bar food -- The Daily. A budget tip - if you ask to split a sandwhich they give both people a full order of fries. The fried chicken is great. Good grilled calamari. Mushroom sandwhich is also good. I probably go there twice a month to watch ballgames. The fries are the best I have had in a bar. Fresh cut and tasty. My one quibble - sometimes they play music instead of the sound of the ballgame.

Can anyone speak more specifically regarding the Friday fish fry at the Rail...i.e., what kind of fish is it; cost; is it all you can eat; and details on quality?

I've been to this bar many times and it has become one of my regular bars. The main reason to go here is price, plain and simple. The waitstaff / bartender are some of the most unattentive around and the non-jukebox tunes are horrid. To one of the waitresses, Fat Tara Reid, please accept my apologies cause god knows you try. However, the food and drink specials make this place. Some of my faves...Monday-.10 wings, Tues $3.99 all you can eat spag & garlic bread, Wed-$1.50 burgers w/fries, Sun-$7.50 all you can drink bloody mary bar & cheap brunch($4 for two eggs, two pieces bacon, potatoes O'Brien, Fruit, Toast), $2 domestic drafts everyday but thurs($2 Miller lite btls) &Fri($2.50 bass&guiness) All food specials are pretty tasty but can be hit or miss. The burger is mediocre at best but it is served with fries.