Cavanaugh’s

Cute little place, tucked down alley type street. Nice little place to escape to when there are a ton of people downtown for st Patrick’s day!

This was a very tucked away, old fashioned bar near the financial district. I would recommend coming here for a drink or two if you’re in the area and want somewhere decent to go, especially since there is a popcorn machine right next to the bar to keep it going.

Nice pub. Tomato soup is pretty good, as is the turkey sandwich. Filled with after-​work people. Nothing too special, but it’s a nice place if you’re looking for a small pub downtown.

Friend’s uncle was determined to show us his favorite pub in town so he took us here for lunch.
Definitely classic looking, with a long wooden bar, the place tucked away in a skyscraper.
I ordered the macaroni & cheese with cheese and ham. Very yummy! Good sauce, good pasta, and the ham & peas were nice touches. I’m a sucker for the crumblies on top. And because I’m a super awesome grown up, I ordered a Shirley Temple, which to be honest wasn’t that great. The cherry tasted stale and the soda wasn’t sweet enough.
Overall the ambiance was fun and I’d recommend it.

Business class, even mix of 60ish and 20ish with a smattering in between. Staff was hard working, polite, and classy. Def recommend if you are in the business district after work.

Love this place! Our favorite beer on tap and free popcorn — what could be better? The bruschetta was a bit different, but good. The Cavanaugh burger was awesome!

OK for drinks, but food is mediocre at best. Table service was awful; waitress disappeared for 30 minutes mid-​service.

I like Cavanaugh’s because you can usually get in there pretty easily during the lunch rush and I really like the Classic Grilled Chicken — there must be crack in that cajun sauce because I am a sucker for it. For a while there I had to get iced tea with lunch because the water did not taste great and the soda was also «off» somehow (syrup balance maybe?). All in all it’s not a bad place to throw on one’s lunch rotation.

Decent spot for a business lunch.
The service was average, but the food was good and the prices were pretty good. I do like that they don’t have any problems taking care of a large group as we always seem to build a group when we go out to lunch.

Came to Cavanaugh’s for a business lunch and the food was just okay, not great. The atmosphere is perfect, though, as it’s not loud, but intimate and old school, Chicago.
Good for groups of four or less, or singles bellying up to the bar with a plate of comfort food or a fish special. I got said special with Mahi Mahi with a spicy mango salsa. The fish was kind of cooked to within an inch of its life, but the spicy mango salsa was great!
Other diners in my group said tuna was overcooked (no pink inside a «seared» tuna), but standards like burgers looked alright. I might not be back for lunch, but definitely back for an afterwork drink. Inside the historic Monadnock building, check out all the shops from the inside, it’s really cool!

Salmon was a bit dry and fishy. Burger was pretty good, but also dry. Fries were good. Broccoli was good. Rice was good. Service was quick. Nothing memorable.

I’ve been here a couple of times after work to get drinks with friends. I’ve never eaten a meal here, so I can’t comment on the food. The bar has a pretty cool, old timey vibe with all the dark wood and low lighting. While it can get crowded after work, there is a large room sort of in the back that was open when I came here last (I assume this is the main restaurant area). Hardly anyone was sitting back there even though you could just order drinks (without food). My friends and I got a booth, which was nice.
I recall my gin and tonic being pretty mediocre the first time I came here, but it was fine the last time. The free popcorn is also a nice touch. There are probably other bars in the area I would go to first, but this place is a nice change of pace with an old school atmosphere.

I went here with some people after work and was surprised at how packed it was. The crowd was mainly older gray haired men, some in groups and some creepily/​sadly alone at the bar. I can’t really put my finger on why I liked the atmosphere. It’s nice dim lighting and the building was decorated for Christmas with REAL garland you can smell while walking through it. Another plus is the free popcorn they offer for you to munch on.
I thought the beer prices were fair for being downtown ($ 4-​$ 6) and the bartender was very attentive and always looking around for who needed to be served. Unfortunately I left my credit card there but the super nice bartender saved it for me until the next day.
Have also been here for lunch which I remember being mediocre.

This used to be my favorite bar to meet a friend of mine for a late afternoon drink. It was sort of a halfway spot for us. I’ve always had an okay time here. The service has always been friendly and drinks reasonable. The last time I went in though I was hungry and the Kitchen was closed at 4:00? I’m not sure if this is everyday or maybe something happened out of their control that day? I just can’t hang like I did at 21. If I’m having a beer in the afternoon I usually need food with it!

Wow. I am shocked to see all the low reviews for this restaurant. I thought this place was great when I came here for lunch with some friends.
My friends ordered the chicken caesar salad and corn beef sandwich (came with fries and a pickle). I ordered the quiche of the day (which was portobello mushroom with mozarella cheese) and that came with a side salad and a cup of fruit. It was delicious!!!
Unfornately, I had two plates of the quiche because I found something unpleasant in my salad during the first few bites of my meal. When I told the server, he was completely upset that my meal was ruined by what I had found. He returned IMMEDIATELY with a fresh plate of salad, quiche and fruit cup (I now had two cups to enjoy). He apologized for what had happened and checked up on me later to make sure the second plate was to my satisfaction. When we were settling the bill, our server advised us that he had removed my order from the check because of what had happened. What great customer service!!! This review easily could have been a 1 star rating had it not been for the customer service I had received. As I say, first impressions matter and I was definitely impressed during my first visit to Cavanaughs.
To top things off, I ordered a banana crème pie because my friends were treating me to celebrate my birthday. The banana crème pie was DELICIOUS!!! One of the best pies I’ve had! Actually better than Hoosier Mamas in Chicago. I will definitely be returning! I wish I knew my servers name. He was really great! I will have to find him again next time!

The service was friendly, the food (scallops and shrimp with pasta in roasted tomato sauce) was awesome, and you tuned the audio to the Mexico v. France game!
Thank you! I will never forget how kind it was of you to do that. I will be recommending you to my friends and will stop by again.

Met one of my federal employee friends here for lunch. Food was acceptable.
Now onto why this is only getting a 2 star review…
I wanted to try the quiche listed as one of the specials of the day. I asked the server when we were seated to see if there was any left, since we were having lunch a little late. She said yes. I said great, and said we still needed a few minutes for my friends to decide on what they would order…
flash forward a couple minutes later… we put in our order… all is going well…
flash forward a couple more minutes later… server comes back to tell me they are out of the quiche…
even better, she then asks if i’d like yesterday’s quiche… as i think to myself «are you freaking kidding me???»
i end up ordering off the menu… rest of the visit was pleasant enough…
meh…don’t plan on going back…

This place just feels like Chicago. Business men (and women) eating lunch and talking about business.
I’m in here once a week when I’m in town and it never disappoints.
The service is always efficient. If you are in a hurry, you can get in and out quickly. However, if you want to put off going back to the office, you can lounge around for an extra 15 minutes without feeling rushed. Once, a waiter told us about the specials and then immediately told us not to order the soup because it was too salty. That was great.
The food is always good. I used to bounce around the menu a lot, but now I get the same thing every time– the grilled chicken sandwich. It comes with a slice of ham and swiss cheese melted on it. The real reason I get the sandwich is for the cajun dipping sauce that comes on the side. Its pink, slightly sweet and incredible. I would drink this sauce out of a pint glass if it was socially acceptable.
They also have a really good mix on the diet cokes. If you ever are a fan of the cokes at Chicago Pizza and Oven Grinders, this place has the same type of mix going on.
The only negative thing I can say about this place is that they don’t give enough fries with their sandwiches.

Cavanaugh’s is a great up-​scale lunch place near the Federal bldgs in the Loop. The fish dishes are great. They have a special wine by the glass daily.
Cavanaugh’s is also a bar, especially on Thursday & Friday. The drinks are a full pour, a bit pricey. Very crowded, free popcorn.

Sad day for the C in the MB. If you know the building that Cavanaugh’s is in, you’ll get my dumb reference.
Service was fast. Bartender was very competent. Everyone was friendly. But…
The draft beers were out. Not just one. Not just two, but the whole row of them. Somewhat unacceptable even for a weeknight, but I guess better now that this weekend when people may be stopping in before or after the fireworks show. There’s just something that feels a little bit restricted if you’re traditionally a draft drinker and your choices get whittled down to the American norms, Corona, and Amstel Light.
I suspect that if I return at a later week, my rating will go up. As with all storefronts in the Monadnock, one side is not accessible for wheelchairs, while going through the main center passage of the building will be much easier.