Restaurant Review – Schoolyard Tavern & Grill

The arrival of summer has put me in the mood for one thing when looking for a restaurant- a patio! Is there anything better than sitting outside while you enjoy a delicious meal? This week took me to Schoolyard Tavern & Grill, located in the Southport Corridor at 3258 N Southport. Schoolyard has a gorgeous patio with a generous number of tables shaded by trees. The restaurant is large, with bar, high-top, and table seating. We came in on a Sunday evening and were seated right away on the patio. The menu isn’t huge, but has a substantial number of options. As always, my eye was immediately caught by the appetizer section. Their queso intrigued me in particular: spiced ground beef, chorizo, pork, cilantro, red onions, tomato, and jalapeño topped with avocado salsa. I lived in Texas for ten years and I don’t know if I’ve ever seen queso that has three kinds of meat in it! I’m definitely going to have to come back and try this one. After a lot of consideration, I finally decided on the Fish Tacos. You have your choice of grilled shrimp or mahi mahi, topped with cabbage, spicy ranch, and chihuahua cheese on flour tortillas. I chose grilled shrimp and asked for the spicy ranch on the side. You also have your choice of side: French fries, sweet potato fries, tater tots, veggie of the day, house salad, or fresh fruit. As much as I wanted French fries, I decided on the fresh fruit. Fish tacos can be kind of a gamble, but these were delicious! The shrimp was seasoned well and nicely grilled. The order came with three tacos, so there was plenty of food! My friend ordered the Cheeseburger and French fries: American cheese, lettuce, pickle onion, and dijonaisse. He’s not a huge fan of sauce, so he asked for no dijonaisse. He also ordered six traditional wings with buffalo sauce. The burger was very tasty- it had two thin patties and the cheese was gooey, melty, and delicious. The wings were good as well- although I do admit, I’ve had better wings in Chicago. All in all, we very much enjoyed our meal! We will definitely be back!

Schoolyard is open Mondays through Fridays from 5 pm to 2 am, Saturdays from 11 am to 3 am, and Sundays from 11 am to 2 am. The kitchen is open Mondays through Fridays from 5 pm to 10 pm, Saturdays from 11 am to 10 pm, and Sundays from 11 am to 2 am. Check out their website for more information.

RACHEL HOOVLER & DEAN’S TEAM CHICAGO