O’Sullivan’s patty melt is a special sandwich 

For diner Nora Rowley the question of her favorite meal in Forest Park required no lengthy pondering. It’s the patty melt at O’Sullivan’s Public House, 7244 Madison St.  

“The bread is perfect and somehow they figured out the exact amount to grill it on both sides,” Rowley said. “When I ask for it medium rare, I actually get it. That’s not easy to do on a grilled sandwich.” 

The rye bread comes from Turano Bakery. The beef and cheese are top-notch, according to O’Sullivan’s general manager Anthony Crawford. 

“It’s a true half pound patty. It’s a classic take on a really simple sandwich,” Crawford said. “It’s the best of both worlds. It’s like a burger and a grilled cheese had a baby. A burger may only have one slice of cheese, whereas our patty melt has three, as well as the caramelized, grilled onions. It really boils down to quality and consistency.” 

More than 30 years ago Jerry Sullivan opened the ancestor bar that bore the same name a few miles east, near the corner of Grand and Milwaukee Avenues in Chicago. The location became Emmit’s Pub (R.I.P.) when three of Sullivan’s nephews, Matt, Paul and Dan, opened their version of O’Sullivan’s where the Beacon Pub stands today in Forest Park. 

After a 10-year run, fast forward to when Matt Sullivan partnered with Jim and Dan Watts to recreate the magic in the current building. It’s in the former location of The Park Louge with Lee Choi Restaurant inside. Doors opened here on April 5, 2003. 

A Sullivan still works the bar, Sally Sullivan. She is the niece of the originator and sister to the proprietors of the earlier Forest Park version. In many ways, both Crawford and Rowley said, she is the heart of the operation.  

“Sally is an icon and she recognizes me and is always kind to me,” Rowley said. “I come here by myself most of the time, and I always feel very welcome. It’s a very comfortable place to sit at the bar. I can’t imagine anyone who wouldn’t be welcome here.” 

The rest of the pub’s menu contains what you would expect at a bar and then some items that you might not.  

“We got specials that break the mold as far as what bar food is,” Crawford said. “All the soups are made from scratch. We have a shrimp Dijon. And then we’ve been doing specials: grilled seafood platter, stuffed orange roughy. Even with those more elevated specials, we try to keep everything under 30 bucks a plate.” 

The patty melt is $16.95 with a choice of a side.  

“Even the potato chips are fantastic,” Rowley said. 

“We buy them pre-cut, frozen, but then we cook them to order,” Crawford said. “It’s not a bag of chips that’s been on the shelf for a while.” 

It’s the attention to details that O’Sullivan’s prides itself on.  

“There’s four pillars, which is what we build ourselves on,” Crawford said. “Sure it’s the food and drink, but it’s also a sense of people and place.” 

Sláinte!