1959 Kitchen & Bar

Surprisingly good for a restaurant attached to a major attraction
You’d think it be touristy nd bad but quite the opposite

Service was extremely slow and negligent, and my husband's birthday was never acknowledged, as specifically requested in my Open Table reservation. Our server forgot about us and took forever to take our food order; meanwhile, the diabetic in our group was forced to take glucose tablets to prevent a diabetic coma. When we finally got the appetizer trays, she brought no plates or utensils with which to eat. She said she'd come right back, but again forgot about us, so we had to hunt down another server to bring us dinnerware. Terrible experience I dont even remember the food.

Loooog wait between getting our drinks, and putting our food order in. Despite the fact that 3/4 of us ordered the same thing, one of those identical orders took almost 20 minutes longer to come out. Awkward in any case, but especially because we had tickets to a show and didn’t have a ton of extra time. Food was good, not great. Would consider eating there again if I were seeing a show in Piper’s Alley (and would allow at least 2 hours), but not a “destination” dining experience for me.

The food was simple but amazing. I like the elegance and simplicity of the environment. The waitress was very courteous and made sure my date and I were comfortable and happy. Great experience , we will be back here soon again.

Don’t even get me started.

Cauliflower entree was very spiced. My husband had the fish sandwich, which he thoroughly enjoyed. Drinks were pricey ($14 for a glass of wine, $13 cocktails)
Waitress was very good.

Great spot to grab dinner and drinks before the Second City show - conveniently located downstairs! Highly recommend the cauliflower Asian inspired entree!

I chose this restaurant because I and four friends were heading to see " Take a Deep Breath" sketch show at Second city. The restaurant was great with very good service. It was a great start to a wonderful show we saw.

Thanks so much to Second City for its generosity to furloughed federal workers. Dinner and She the People were wonderful and all the staff were friendly and kind. Thanks!

I've been here twice and though the menu had changed since the first time I went, it was still as good as I remembered. I love that it's right next to the Second City theaters and that you can make opentable reservations so that you don't have to travel (or lose your parking spot) between dinner and the show. The servers are also very considerate when it comes to timing your meal so you can make the shows.

Small portions, limited menu, wobbly chairs and a sticky table. Food tasted fine, but nothing special.

Just meh. Ate there because of proximity to second city. Limited menu.

What a disappointing experience. We booked a reservation for 5 of us for dinner before a show at UP Comedy Club. The menu basically consists of bar snacks, some salads and a burger, none of which were very good. The wait staff was friendly, attentive and helpful, but this restaurant should hold itself out as a bar with mediocre snacks as opposed to a restaurant where you can get a decent meal before or after enjoying a show at UP Comedy Club or Second City. Bottom line: If you want decent meal before or after a show, I would suggest several of the restaurants in the immediate vicinity (2-3 block radius) of Second City before even considering 1959. That said, if all you need is a a quick drink or two before or after a show, then 1959 should work just fine.

Slow service, very crowded. Kitchen was out of a lot of food and didn’t offer the specials listed online. Wouldn’t go back

We ate here prior to going to the Up Comedy Club, in the same building. Couldn’t be any easier. Kung Pau cauliflower was superb! So was my husbands burger. Fries were a bit heavy. It was a busy time, service was slow.

Weird menu and meh food
Only reason to go is for convenience to Second City
And there are other options for that

Very enjoyable and reasonable prices. Great service.

Food came out wrong, my meal got cold as we waited for daughters meal. French omelet was runny and inedible. Fries were made in beef fat, making them not vegetarian friendly. Soda was flat- 1st and 2nd time. Left hungry and annoyed.

Such delicious hamburgers. I would definitely go back. The only thing I did not like was the noise level.

Waiter was great, small menu but interesting. Its hidden inside a building so not super easy to find but if you're going to second city it's very convenient.

The Salmon, buffalo cauliflower and old fashioned were absolutely wonderful. Great spot to dine before a show.

Great place to take family! Food and drinks were good.

Definitely only a place if you're in a pinch and need something quick before a Second City show.

Food was great as well as wait staff. Try the buffalo cauliflower it's amazing!! Great place to go before the comedy show!!

Second time with a group of more than 10. Very accommodating! Rueben was an outstanding server!

Jacob, the chef, created a delicious menu at 1959 Kitchen! My friend and I wanted more of a veggie focused dinner and we were pleasantly surprised about the wide variety of vegetable selections on the menu. Every dish we tried was very well thought out and beautifully plated —each including unique ingredients and flavor combinations that were amazing! Thanks, Jacob!

Really good burger! We booked before the show and didn’t have particularly high expectations but we’re more than happy with our burgers.

The big problem was the calamari appetizer. It was really, really hard and crunchy, with some kind of sweet sauce all over it. I couldn't taste any actual calamari, there seemed to be very little inside of the hard crunchy shell. Not a good version of calamari. Also, they had no beers on tap.

Really good option prior to show at The Second City. Food was tasty and well priced. Has energetic buzz so gets you in the mood for the fun to come.

Loved it. Right on the river
Great farm to table

Had reservations. Sat at table. Then asked us to move to another spot. We ended up sitting at bar. Bartender tried to make amends. Felt very age discriminated. Will not hurry back

The food was good and the bar menu was on point for a preshow however, the bathrooms were disgusting!! I would never eat in a place that has filthy bathrooms. Literally feminine’s products were laying on the floor or in the over stuffed cans. I addressed this but nothing was done.

1959 is definitely more of a bar than a restaurant. If you’re looking for drinks before or after a show at Second City, this is a solid spot. If you’re looking for a nice date spot, not exactly ideal.

We were a party of 12 last Saturday evening. Four of the 12 of us were served our meal and finished our meal prior to the rest of us being served. One guest did not receive their food until all guests were finished. In addition, the waitress was attempting to give us our bill even before we received our food.

Great selection of cocktails, beer and wine!! Located on the 2nd floor of Second City, convenient to visit before or after a show!!

My friend and I came here for a bachelorette party dinner before a show. We had reservations so we got seated promptly. However, no wait staff came to our table for at least 20 minutes to get our drink orders. There wasn't even water on the table and we were thirsty! Our waitress finally came and took our drink and appetizer order but didn't ask if we wanted to go ahead and order our meals too. She then brought out the drinks and we told her at that point that we were ready to order the meals. The appetizer didn't come out until the meals came out.
At least the food was delicious, but with the slow service we were almost late to our show upstairs.

Celebrating my fiancé’s birthday before our second city show!!

Food was great and very reasonably priced. Our server was friendly. The dri ks were very good...I had the Makers Mark cherry sour. Our bartender seemed a bit distracted and not as friendly as server. The only complaint was that the table was very sticky. Could use a good cleaning. Other than that there is a cool black box theater style to it.

Went in for food after watching a show at The Second City and had a great time! This place has amazing food and one of the best Manhattans I’ve had anywhere. We were there on a Sunday and the place was crowded with costume-style karaoke. Lots of fun!

Minimum menu. No fries come with a burger. Would go back but could be better.