Theory — Restaurant in Chicago

(Last visited 7/24/2021.) Hanging out downtown Chicago for the weekend with a bunch of friends and you already know what time it is... time for brunch! So before coming out here I did some research to find out who serves bottomless mimosas because... that's of the utmost importance to me. Lol. So I found this place, Theory, only a 10-minute walk from my hotel so here we are! Here's how it went.

Atmosphere/Appearance: Set right on Hubbard Street is this gem. It's like a sports bar, but a little more upscale. It gave me GOOD hipster vibes, good energy and I really liked hanging out here. The restaurant was of a medium size, which I think it great for a big city downtown location.

Service: I can't remember the young lady's name who took care of us, but she was awesome. She was snarky, fun, energetic and made sure our table of 6 had everything we needed for the hours we stayed there. Lol.

Food: So any chance I can try a restaurant's wings, I like to. It's my thing, if you haven't learned that by now. Lol. Check out "The Hungry Road" on YouTube to see how serious I am about my wings. Lol. The first of 2 flavors was the "Kill Bill" wings. These reminded me a lot of the "Bang Bang" sauce that I've seen at so many restaurants. It was delicious, creamy, savory, garlicy and just a TTAADD bit sweet. Decent. The next flavor was their Buffalo. It had a great, classic flavor which I really enjoyed. The bottomless mimosas were on point and had me feeling GGRREEAATT. Lol.

Value: The wings are sold by the pound. So you could get 6, 7 or 8 depending on their size. My Kill Bill order came with 7, but Buffalo came with 8. $16.00. That's STEEP. I know we're downtown, but eh... whatever. Still steep no matter how you look at it. Drinking unlimited sparkling wine helps with paying more for stuff. Lol. So, on Saturdays and Sundays this place offers a bottomless mimosa package for $45.00 that lets you drink from 11:00am to 2:00pm. In the package include the drinks, unlimited Bloody Marys and an entrée. (The wings counted, though I can't remember if they let me combine 2 orders or if I payed for the extra one. No matter.). Bring your wallet if you're coming to hang out.

In conclusion, I'd totally come back here and try out some of their other menu options out. I know they are more than their wings so I'd love to try out a burger or one of their specials!

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Probably the best sports bar I have ever been to! They are open and ready for any and all sports, including early F1 starts!

I had heard about an F1 bar in Chicago and as I was staying nearby I decided to check it out for qualifying. I ended up being the only one there for the start of it, and that gave me the chance to talk to the owner and the staff. They were all super friendly and they all gave me the vibe that it’s a great place to work and love the high energy environment that game day brings. They were gearing up for the Iowa game that day and you could feel the anticipation as the bar began to fill up as qualifying ended.

Came back in for the race on Sunday and it was incredible to be in a place where everyone was locked into an F1 race! The atmosphere here is the best of any sports bar I’ve been to, hands down!

I haven’t even mentioned the food & drink yet. The brunch options are short & sweet. All the classics including eggs, bacon, and baked goods. The Chilaquiles I got on Saturday tasted so fresh. They might actually make their own salsa verde because it was one of the best I’ve ever had.

For the race they had French toast which was phenomenal; homemade batter and caked with cinnamon, every bite was a crunchy & sweet delight!

Onto the drinks. The prices are pretty in line with other bars in the area. Drafts are $7 and house cocktails are $10. They definitely give you your moneys worth with the cocktails and don’t skimp on the liquor.

Overall, absolutely fantastic experience. From the energy of the patrons to the staff, the food, and drinks. Put theory at the top of your list of places to visit in River North and if you’re into F1 and able to get to Chicago for race days, absolutely do not miss out on this! I will be coming back here any time I’m in Chicago and...

Met up with our granddaughter and her boyfriend here before heading to Lookingglass Theatre for 20,000 Leagues. Chose Theory because it was an easy walk from the theatre and offered a great discount if you had theater tickets. On the plus side: great atmosphere, friendly and helpful staff, efficient service (we mentioned we were going to the theatre when we made reservations and they made sure we had plenty of time to get there), surprisingly affordable prices. On the minus side - and the ONLY reason for less than 5 stars - my wife and I both ordered a half order of the biscuits and gravy and agreed that it was the worst we've ever had. There was more than enough to be sure, but the biscuits were hard and stale and both the look and taste of the gravy were like nothing we've ever encountered...and that's NOT a compliment. Our granddaughter had the fried chicken sandwich and loved it, however. Takeaway is that Theory is a 5 star experience in every way...as long as you steer clear of the biscuits and gravy! UPDATE: I received a nice letter from Joel Sorinsky, owner of Theory, today with his sincere apology for our unfortunate dining experience - and a gift card so we can give it another chance. Would that every business were this responsive to their customers. I am sorely tempted to bump my review up to 5 stars...but the biscuits and gravy really was awful. Joel's unexpected response certainly deserves to raise the review to 4 stars, though. Thank you, Joel - and you can count on seeing us next time we're in our favorite city. We might even bring along a really good recipe for...