Old Timers Restaurant & Lounge

Super good hangover food, and awesome place to get an egg white omelet after a hard work out at LA fitness.
I had the greek and feta omelete, yummy. My wife, the vegetarian omelet. These things are huuuuuge, yea dawg! For get about coffee though, you might as well run around the block to the Starbucks and back before you get a refill.
Not bad, but I have only been here for breakfast!

I was hoping for an inconspicuous gem and instead I found unidentifiable substances and a pervasive combination of smells (urine and stale [pre-​public ban] cigarette smoke, I think).
See, I had ‘brunch’ there this morning and I came to the conclusion that my table’s bottle of Heinz was filled with a generic and my boyfriend’s fried chicken was badly-​disguised pigeon.
Needless to say, we ate both anyway (so?!), but won’t be back.

It took me some thinking to figure out how to rate Old Timers’. As the name suggests it’s an old-​timey sorta joint with an adjoining, full-​service bar. I have always ended up here in the early evening hours and while the food is decent, it’s nearly empty at this time. The bar is usually hopping and, from it, that weird bar smell that reminds me of Wrigleyville or Division Street at State.
The food is rather okay, with your typical diner fare. At the 6p hour you will usually be left alone, making it a great place to hang out to unwind as the waitstaff concentrate on eating their supper in the dining room or in the bar. That part IS nice: You’ll also be able to enjoy an adult beverage in the process.
My last visit consisted of a tuna melt, fresh fries and a cup of chicken noodle soup. With a soda and tip that was $ 12, not cheap but not outrageous either.
So maybe I need to check it out in the daytime, but for now it’s an oddity: I would go back for sure but only because the options are slim in the area.

Dive bar’s in the loop, hell yes!
Old Timers has a basic breakfast, lunch thing going on, the usual suspects for Chicago, but not usual anymore. I had eaten here a few times before work, then at lunch one day I realized this place had a little bar tucked away in the East corner, nice.
Now when I need a couple of drinks to reflect on what I just saw at the Art Institute, I can come here. There will no doubt be a couple of people burning time for the train, an alcoholic or three, stiff pours and no nonsense make this a much better choice for a couple quick ones.

This is my go-​to lunch spot during the winter, or when I’m just hungover and/​or tired. To be able to sit and be served and get soup, sandwich and fries for $ 10 or less is such a bargain in the loop.
The food itself is nothing extraordinary but when you want some comfort food during your lunch break, it hits the spot. They also serve breakfast all day so you can get some eggs if you’re craving them. Plus, I’ve never had to wait to be seated, even if going with a group of 6.
As for dinner/​drinks after-​work, never really been but I imagine it’s like a divey, neighborhood bar in the middle of the loop.

There are definitely better places for breakfast. The toast is served so buttery that you need to scrape off a little pile of oil onto your plate before you can eat it. The Denver omelet was very dry. Nothing redeeming about this place — even the prices are sort of high for what you get.
However, it is convenient and if you’re craving basic diner fare right by Millennium Park, this is your place.

Dive bars are pretty hard to come by in the Loop, so I’m a fan of Old Timers simply for its novelty. However, this isn’t the only thing that keeps me coming back. Beer is cheap, service is super friendly and the after work crowd is interesting to say the least. The menu offers standard diner/​bar fare and you can’t go wrong with the appetizer platter. It may seem like a lot to pay for a plate of greasy fried food, but it’s piled high with wings, onion rings, breaded mushrooms, mozzarella sticks and fries. Yum.
Bottom line, if you’re looking to impress, this is definately not the place for you; but for a quick beer after a long day, it fits the bill.

Old Timers-you’re great for cheap drinks after work, but awful for all the creepy old men you bring in for your cheap drinks as well. That being said I’ll explain myself.
I came here the first day after starting my new job with girls from the office-​fun, cheap, and an easy place to have fun conversation in. A week later I brought in the new intern (I felt like it was my turn to be the «fun» co-​worker) and even though we didn’t have to pay for a single drink that meant we had to deal with icky men trying to talk to us/​sit with us. Some were nice, but some were extremely over the top.
If you’re a girl and young make sure you’re with more than one other girl your age. If you’re a boy take care of those cute young girls-​your likability factor will double, I promise!