31st Union

Reviews about 31st Union

• 3 / 5

  By Samantha Berg
  Summary: adorable space with hit-or-miss food and no sound protection
  
  Came here on a Saturday evening with the bf around 7:30pm. We had tried to come in once before but the place was packed, so this time we tried to call ahead. We were told no call ahead, we should just show up. Luckily we were able to sit immediately upon arrival, and there was even a space heater next to our table, perfect for the chilly evening!
  
  Our server came over immediately and the service was quite good throughout the evening. The place was absolutely buzzing with noise though, and it was difficult to hear our server at any point in time. Between the concrete floors, the wood interior, and the high ceilings, the noise of each table added to the table next to it until everyone was yelling to be heard. Our table conversation eventually reverted to a series of gestures, nods, and eye rolling accordingly.
  
  We tried to order the trout salad, the fried chicken, and the olives. They were out of the trout salad (at least, that's what we assume the server said... see the noise problem above) so we settled for the beet salad instead. I had a couple of cocktails and the bf had a couple of beers.
  
  The penecillin - 3 stars. Whisky with ginger and lemon. I wanted the cocktail to be boozier than it was but the citrus was refreshing and I appreciated the piece of candied ginger on top.
  
  Old fashioned - 4 stars. The boozy cocktail I was looking for. Standard offering, solidly made.
  
  Warm olives - 3 stars. Actually served warm, which was nice. There were about three of the delicious, buttery castelvetrano olives, and then a bunch of these little tiny filler olives. I would have preferred just the castelvetranos, but at least give a more fair ratio.
  
  Beet salad - 4 stars. Better than I expected, a delightful combination of golden roasted beets, grapes, candied walnuts, and shaved cheese. While the ingredients were on the heavy side the salad wasn't overwhelmingly so and I liked how all the textures came together.
  
  Fried chicken - 5 stars. Perfectly crispy on the outside yet moist and tender on the inside. Disappointing to only get one small piece, since we were sharing, but it definitely left us wanting more. The frisee salad on the side brought some light sweetness with pomegranate seeds and a root vegetable au gratin brought some fatty richness with thinly sliced celery root and leeks. All around a well-balanced dish.
  
  Seared yellowtail jack - 2 stars. We were still hungry so we ordered this after the fried chicken. Big mistake. It was the worst dish of the evening and a terrible way to end the meal. Served over barley, brussel sprouts, and pomegranate with a shallot thyme jus, the fish was grossly overcooked while the barley and sprouts were severly undercooked. The entire dish lacked any flavor with the exception of the crispy skin on the fish. I think that's the only thing that saved this dish from the 1 star rating. We barely ate it and left disappointed.
  
  Overall, I found the experience just ok. The inconsistencies in the food, on top of the price and the noisiness indoors, made me wonder why the place is always so packed. I'm glad we finally came in to try it, but I'm not running back.
  February 28, 2017
• 5 / 5

  By Emily Luthra
  Outstanding fried chickpea and spicy pickles appetizer. Flaky halibut was subtly flavored with a tomato broth. Peach cobbler was really good, but not mind blowing. Cozy atmosphere. Will definitely be back.
  December 26, 2016
• 1 / 5

  By Ryan Kozierok
  Rip off. The food was over priced, small portions, and not even cooked correctly. The pigs ears were bland and chewy, the pasta dish badly oversalted, and the chicken tacos soggy.
  December 23, 2016
• 5 / 5

  By Angel S
  Pork tacos, Brussels sprouts and Cauliflower were all great!
  October 07, 2016
• 4 / 5

  By Jenny Choi
  cocktails were on point, food was delicious, and service was great
  June 30, 2016