Marcotte's Bar and Grill, The Place for Food

When you walk into Marcotte's Bar and Grill, you are reminded of an old-time pub from a Chicago neighborhood.  The room is long and narrow. Blue collar locals are seated around the long bar. One of our sports teams is playing on the television— probably losing.  The only thing missing is the smoke.

You grab a stool at one of the tables, and within minutes a waitress hands you a menu and takes your drink order.  You open the menu, expecting to see the usual pub fare. It's then that you realize, this is more than a shot and a beer joint.  This menu has real food to offer.

Appetizers include wings, onion rings and nachos, but also parmesan spinach and artichoke dip, bruschetta, chicken satay and fried ravioli.

In addition to burgers and beef sandwiches, the menu includes five different salad dishes, an array of deli sandwiches and wraps, and chicken sandwiches prepared five different ways. Look a little further and you find potato soup and "Mama's Beef Stew."

What you've discovered here is a bar and grill with a chef—Chef Carey Williams, to be exact. She is a graduate of the Cooking and Hospitality Institute of Chicago.  Carey and her sister, Lisa Marcotte, are the owners and operators of Marcotte's.  They opened their doors in 2008, and they have become very popular for their food.

"We have high-end bar food," said Carey.  "We have very fresh products, we don't let anything sit around. It's really healthy and tasty."

"And everything is homemade," added Lisa.  "The pasta salad, the fries, the coleslaw. Everything is made by hand. Nothing comes out of the freezer."

The seed for this business was planted during their college days at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

"Carey managed a bar in college," said Lisa, "and the minute I turned 19, she hired me. I've been working in bars, at least part time, ever since."

In 2005, Carey started a catering business out of her home called Carey's Catering.  After a few years, she wanted to expand and decided a bar and grill was a good way to do it. When they found the vacant building at 155th and Cicero Avenue, the sisters' partnership was born.

"The first few months were crazy," said Carey.  "We both worked from open to close every day. Sometimes we slept in the kitchen."

"I think that's why we made it," said Lisa.  "When people see you there every day, they appreciate the work you're putting in.  I think people would rather spend their money with people who work as hard as they do."

The sisters also got some help from their huge family. 

"Our grandmother worked here for a while," said Carey.  "The beef stew on the menu is hers. Our dad created the tortilla soup. Everybody has had a little input."

"We have 36 first cousins," said Lisa, "and a lot of them have worked here with us, as well."

This approach had its impact on their business.  "A lot of people come with their families," said Carey.  "It's become a place people can feel comfortable coming to just to eat, and I love that."

With all the other bars on Cicero Avenue, you would think the sisters would feel like they were in competition for patrons.  "Not at all," said Lisa.  "Cicero Avenue is a destination for people, a place to bar hop. We support the other businesses, and they support us.  We all have our little niche. Ours is the family owned, family friendly bar and grill with good food."

Marcotte's is located at 15501 S. Cicero in Oak Forest. Their phone number is (708)535-8960.  You can find them on the web at marcottes.net. They are available for catering.