Let me start by saying this, I live in one of the best food cities in the country, Chicago. And when I travel for work, I’m often in other great food cities. But somehow I keep going back to Yard House. The food is delicious and there are options for everyone. The nice thing about chain restaurants is you know what you get, and if you enjoy what you get, why not go back?
I eat a predominantly plant-based diet, so the fact that there is an entire section of the menu dedicated to Gardein (plant-based meat), that is a huge draw. The BBQ Gardein Chicken salad is my go-to entrée and the portions are huge! If you know me, you know I live to eat and get easily disgruntled by small portions (hence why I do not dine at 5 star “tasting” concepts often). I’m also a sucker for beer flights. Yard House has a couple of rotating beer flights featuring some of their house brews, but the Belgian sampler could be the only flight on the menu and I’d be A-OK with that! Their Belgian Triple is actually brewed in Belgian, using their recipe and it is phenomenal!
Yard House recently opened at NewCity near my house in Chicago and I couldn’t be happier. My husband, baby and I were recently invited in to try out the new location and corresponding menu. Just because we were taken care of, doesn’t mean this is fluff. I honestly love Yard House and would never write about anything in a misleading manner. So, the menu – I branched out and tried something different this time around. The new crispy Brussels sprouts with ripped potato appetizer was AMAZING. The kale Caesar salad (veganized) was also really tasty. Next time I go in, I’m debating whether to just order 2 of the crispy Brussels sprouts and the Belgian beer flight since it was THAT good. Menu items clearly marked with a V are vegetarian and many are vegan. You can easily omit the dairy to make your own vegan version of a dish. As a heads up, Yard House doesn’t label things as vegan since they are cooked in the same kitchen as non-vegan items.
Yard House has over 100 beers on tap (including local (23 in Chicago) and seasonal craft brews), plus many more in bottles, a craft cocktail list, an affordable wine list and is very family friendly. For happy hour (3-6pm week nights and Sun-Wed 10pm-close) a lot of the appetizers are discounted. Our little munchkin joined us at the NewCity location (like a mini suburban mall with parking) in Chicago a couple of weeks back and we felt 100% welcomed and comfortable. I’m already looking forward to my next visit.
Have you been to Yard House? What is your go-to veg menu item?
Feature image photo credit: Yard House
Yum, looks amazing!
Thank you for the awesome review Ashley! We always enjoy your visits and are already looking forward to your next one. We appreciate you and thank you for your kind review, cheers and Happy Holidays!