Restaurant Review – Finley Dunne’s

Bar food is always a toss-up. You never know if you’re going to happen on a hidden gem or wish you had decided to eat at home instead. This week took me to a very surprising hidden gem! Finley Dunne’s Tavern (3458 N. Lincoln) is an unassuming sports bar in Lakeview. One of my friends is a die-hard regular and he’s constantly raving about it, so I knew it was time to try it for myself. We stopped in on Thursday night, when the bar hosts Wing Night: $0.50 per wing. Obviously, we had to get a basket of wings. We ordered 12 wings with “Chicago Fire” sauce and veggies on the side. The name of this sauce is no joke! The wings were deliciously spicy, but not over-sauced, and the meat was juicy and tender. We also ordered the Fiesta Rolls: Southwestern egg rolls filled with grilled chicken, pico de gallo, corn, black beans, and cheddar jack cheese, served with a chipotle ranch dipping sauce. Ya’ll. These were so good. The egg roll outside was flaky and crunchy, but didn’t mask the flavor of the filling. Dunking them in the ranch only serves to enhance the spicy, creamy, awesome goodness. Finally (even though I was just about full to bursting), we ordered the Finley salad with grilled chicken. This salad is HUGE. No joke, they serve it in a mixing bowl. A bed of crunchy romaine lettuce is topped with avocado, blue cheese crumbles, celery, garbanzo beans, onion, and tomato with a sweet vinaigrette. I would not expect to rave about a bar salad, but this salad is stupid good. The vegetables are all fresh and the mix of flavors is just perfect!

Finley Dunne’s is conveniently located one block northwest of the Paulina Brown Line station. They’re open Mondays through Thursdays at 5 pm, Fridays beginning at 2 pm, and Saturdays and Sundays starting at 11 am. They offer a number of specials throughout the week, including $5 burgers on Monday nights and $2 Miller High Life every day. Don’t wait, check out this delightful spot today!

RACHEL HOOVLER & DEAN’S TEAM CHICAGO