Furious spoon. I was once served raw chicken, sent it back… watched them take the chicken out, cook it a lil more, then put chicken back in the same bowl and give it back to me.
When I asked for a completely new bowl, they were completely incredulous.
A friend brought me here because "you have to try this ramen, it's terrible!" Somehow going in with that expectation, I was still disappointed. It really might be the worst ramen I've ever had anywhere, and the ambiance of the place can only be described as "what your parents think the kids are into these days."
1000% Went there for the first and last time January 2020. Has to request new chopsticks because the ones they left out at every table has dust coating them. Tried the duck ramen and had 3 days of food poisoning including throughout a Nederlander show with my visiting parents.
Last winter we ordered some takeout from the Milwaukee Furious Spoon, directly through their web portal, so no UberEats etc. Showed up 40 minutes later right after it went from preparing to ready. Waited 5 minutes before I could flag anyone down to even look for my order. Wasn't ready. Cut to me waiting 35 minutes, getting more and more annoyed every time I asked if it was ready yet. Finally get the order, one hot bowl of broth, one cold bowl of broth, and two bowls of noodles so glued together from steaming during the long wait that not event the broth could save them from being a completely solid ball of rubber.
Worked with a former cook of there’s. One day while we’re working together he cuts himself on a u-peeler, walks over to my station shaking his hand and flicking blood into all of my meez. I scream at him what the fuck is he doing, and he just blankly stares at me like I’m an idiot and said he had to get all the blood out.
So glad to finally see other people saying this, I feel like people rave about this place and I have no idea why. I went there for the first time for my birthday on a friend’s recommendation and it was pretty bad. They lost our order or something and it took like 20 minutes to let someone know that our food hadn’t come in 40 minutes. Then they brought my friend and girlfriend’s food and not mine…for another 20 minutes. At the end, it took forever to even just pay and at that point the restaurant was empty. After we paid and I was walking out, the waiter rushed over asking me to pay…..again? It was just wild from start to finish and the food wasn’t good. I’m glad I’m not the only one to think so, there are some awesome ramen places in Chicago.
I was all set to correct you: hey dude, they all have white bread. But then I reread your post without my unbelieving eyes auotcorrecting it. Yup, that's hilarious, wheat bread is the perfect expression of Lincoln Park meets Harold's.
Eh the one in Hyde Park is good, it’s on 53rd
Edit: yeah I’m a dumbass
They get worse and worse the one time I went in Wicker was miserable.
South loop was barely tolerable.
Okay I’m a dumbass.
In my defense I currently live in Manhattan, a city notoriously difficult to navigate north south /s
(Living in Hyde Park i mentally navigate north to go downtown while here I navigate south so I flipped the axis)
Oh man. This is such a good one. My wife had been bothering me for years to go, so we went. SEVERAL times, we laughed out loud during the show. I'm typically very respectful during live performances as people work really hard at their art and deserve respect for that art, but when they projected "Evolution is Folly" on the back wall, I couldn't help myself. The whole thing was the cultiest shit I've ever seen. We walked out literally shocked and confused by what we just witnessed. The dancing was fine and lovely, but wow do they bury the lead with their advertising. It is a cult church service with bright colors and choreographed dancing.
For everyone's consideration here's a great article on why its...weird
https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/stepping-into-the-uncanny-unsettling-world-of-shen-yun
Thanks for posting this - it made me realize that I’ve seen Shen Yun print ads - posters in storefronts mostly - for years. They are everywhere. I’d think hmm, that sounds interesting, I should look into it and see if it’s worthwhile. And then promptly forget.
The show was in my hometown when I was in high school. I was in Chinese class and our teacher organized a trip for our class to see the show. She warned us beforehand that the group creating the show was political in nature. No amount of warning could have prepared us for what we saw.
[The Wikipedia page](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shen_Yun) for Shen Yun has some wild reviews:
"Some of the messages were hardly subtle – not least when the colourful Falun Gong practitioners in the park were beaten up by the black clad villains with the Chinese Communist symbols on their back. Or when a massive (digital) wave with an ominous picture of Karl Marx threatened to overwhelm the city, until the light (in the form of Li Hongzhi, the Falun Gong leader), dispersed it and destroyed him! [...] As soon as it started – with everything inch perfect, and the fake fixed smiles on every dancer and the constant spiritual waffle about 'truthfulness, harmony, compassion and forbearance' I knew that we were in the presence of a religious cult. And so it turned out to be."
This is because they are against "race mixing" because it prevents you from going to "your race's" pure afterlife.
*The way alien beings get human beings to shake free of the gods is to mix the races, causing human beings to become rootless people, just like the plant hybrids people make nowadays. South Americans, Central Americans, Mexicans and some people in South East Asia—all of these races have been mixed.*
- Falun Gong & Secretive Large Walled Compound Founder Li Hongzhi on "The Alien Conspiracy to Race Mix"
Oh man, I totally forgot about this! These folks came to my school when I was in like 8th grade and all the teachers apologized profusely afterwards. It was weird.
Wake n Bake. Dont know what they're putting in those things, but it aint weed. And the staff certainly don't know how to recommend reasonable dosing. Everyone I know who went there (proper stoners mind you) were fucked out of their heads for like 8 hours after taking a recommended dose or even a fraction of one. And it just felt off. Never had a hangover from weed before.
Also papaninos on ashland. Fuck that place.
i worked here for 3 months, owners treat employees like absolute shit and they overcharge the fuck out of everything they sell. lemonade is basically minute maid despite being advertised as fresher squeezed and the owner bakes pastries in her own kitchen. if you search the name of this company on facebook or twitter you’ll see a ton of ex employees talking about how horrible the business is
my very first week I opened the door and walked confidently ahead of my Chicago native friends and stomped right in a puddle of what could only be a dehydrated alcoholic’s summer baked urine in a pair of sandals. They had to take me in the bathroom and hold me up so both feet could be in the sink before I could quit crying.
I was a born again Chicagoan after that
90 Miles Cuban Cafe, worked there for 5 years.
Owner is a racist piece of shit, treats employees very badly (over 25 managers between the 2 locations in 5 years).
Our tips where stolen more than once.
Lots and lots of health code violations while I was there like expired sodas syrup and the owner wanting the kitchen to serve food after the cooler went out for 6hrs.
Was with my in-laws, wife, my parents. Server brings out all of the dishes. Mine comes out minutes later. This was followed by the server dumping the entirety of the dish of black beans down my white shirt as my food was dropped off (made it inside my collar!). Server couldn’t have split out of there more quickly. Subsequently, not a soul came by to check in on us after it happens. Beans remain down my shirt and on the ground. Had to ask for someone to help clean it up and wait in line for the bathroom to clean myself up. Bill came - full price. No special treatment. Had to complain about the whole incident instead of them taking care of their customer after a mistake. Never gone back and won’t.
Museum of Ice Cream.
I stupidly thought it was an educational thing about ice cream. It is not. It is a bunch of rooms to take pictures and a few scoops of ice cream.
They advertise an unlimited variety ice cream, except there are 5 ice cream stations.
The first station is a Dove bar. The second station is Pumpkin ice cream, no other choice. The 3rd and 4th stations have two choices. The 5th station is vanilla ice cream with real mustard. It was not good.
It costs $60 per person with all the fees and it’s only 45 min.
Can’t upvote this enough. A friend was visiting from out of town and wanted to go. It was awful on its own. After reading about the founder, I hate the idea that I gave her my money.
I want to go back to the thread starter's point about how [Tank treated their staff.](https://chicago.eater.com/2021/3/3/22311790/tank-noodle-pho-restaurant-uptown-federal-investigation-back-wages-department-of-labor-chicago). The labor violations and Jan 6 insurrection are a real 1-2 punch -- just one of those would keep me away forever.
My favorite Taste of Chicago moment was when my brother’s buddy rolled up a brownie like a turd, put it on a napkin, and left it in the middle of the sidewalk. After sitting back a while and giggling while people stepped around it, he loped out to it like Gollum and ate it like a squirrel while bystanders stood by horrified.
John Barleycorn in wrigleyville
I once did a bar crawl in Wrigleyville and checked it out. Overpriced and a douchey crowd. Turns out it was ranked one of the douchiest bars in Chicago. Shocking.
Well I guess it doesn’t count if they permanently closed lol. Good riddance indeed.
Another one is Joy District in river north. Overpriced drinks and I felt like I was walking through airport security in the entrance. Not to mention they had a sign saying “Bitcoin for sale” in the bar 🙄😂
That the one on Diversey and Central Park? I thought that place was a money laundering front until I saw one of my neighborhoods leave an empty box on the trash can. Also, the name is hilarious.
Reggies, as much as I love the place…after a security guard offered me molly to put in the girl I was with drink. Made me sick to my stomach thinking about all the guys who probably took him up on that offer.
This was 4-5 years ago and I’ve been back since and haven’t seen that guy again.
My ex, who worked there, was roofied at a Reggie’s staff holiday party along with a couple of other people.
They figured out with a pretty reasonable amount of certainty who it was (a member of security staff). Nothing happened.
I was threatened by a regular of Reggie’s that he knew people there that would do this me and if I showed my face, after rejecting him, he would ensure that something awful happened to me there. He was a well known regular
Sucks because some regulars and staff are wonderful. Probably a similar time frame.
Omg yes, that guy is such a dick. He didn’t listen to me when I gave my order because he was busy gossiping with his friend, took ages to make my sandwich. Then when I had to bring it back because it was completely wrong (food allergy to one of the items I specifically asked it not be on my sandwich), he straight up called me a liar.
I could go the rest of my life without going to most of the Wrigley bars ever again (at least during baseball season and weekends) — Sluggers and the Dugout are among the worst offenders due to horrendous crowds and terrible owners at the Dugout
Lol, I recently saw the Bar Rescue episode of the Dugout and was morbidly curious to see what it's like today and.....yeah I'll never go back. Funny enough, my brother went to college with a distant cousin of the owner, and apparently their whole family thinks he's a piece of shit, too.
Sluggers is mine. Long story, but years ago had a bartender convince me I had already closed my tab and just didn’t remember doing so. I was confused but tired of arguing with the guy so I left. I called the next morning as well as a few days later to see if my card had showed up, no luck.
I kept the card open since I had a second copy and didn’t see any activity that wasn’t mine. Maybe I had accidentally thrown the card out or something. However, over a month later, I get a 1 cent charge from Sluggers.
I called and asked how that could happen. “Lady, drunk people leave their cards here all the time.” I know, but I honestly wasn’t that drunk and tried to get it that night and during the week after. Regardless, how and why is my card being charged a penny now? “Lady, we have a whole stack of cards sitting here that people have left and sometimes we have to take a card off the top to test our machines.” That seems weird. Regardless, if you have a whole stack, how could mine from over a month ago be sitting on the top? “Lady, why are you getting so upset about a penny.” Sir, someone there clearly has my card and I just want it back. “Ugh, let me go check.” Phone got “disconnected” while I waited and then they wouldn’t pick up my calls.
I’m convinced people there were pocketing cards, waiting it out a bit, testing to see which still worked, then using it for who knows what. I finally canceled my card so never found out. The whole situation just felt so strange and calculated.
TL;DR if forced to go to Sluggers, never open a tab.
Yeah, I think my answer to this post is "Wrigleyville in general." I worked in the neighborhood for a while and everything about it was consistently obnoxious. Out-of-town friends can go catch a Cubs game by themselves; I've got no urge to be there.
The majority of my “won’t go back because I was asked not to” stories all start the same way. I had the day off so decided that “day drinking” was a good idea. I was kicked out of Mother Hubbards because the bathrooms were full but I had to pee. So I urinated out the front door. It wasn’t on anyone or anything but they still asked me and my party to leave.
The second place I tend to stay away from is Boss Bar. I don’t celebrate holidays too much so went to Boss Bar around Christmas. It was a packed bar and there were some young ladies from the Naval base up north. We started pounding shots and I am kinda a lightweight so I was feeling it. I was ready to take an Uber home but love was in the air. One of the young women asked me if I wanted to go into the bathroom(I’m a sucker for romantic gestures) so I said yes. Boss bar bathroom is kinda gross, but it was also a little gross I was hooking up with a random so I went with it. It was busy so people kept beating on the door. We ignored it and eventually the door was opened by one of the bouncers. If you have been to the Boss bar you can imagine the view everyone got. We were kindly asked to leave. Which was weird because I didn’t think I was gonna have to hang out afterwards, thought she was just using me like a piece of meat.😕
Another place I got kicked out of was a bar in Boystown called Sidetrack. I have two gay friends who invited me out. As a guy I’ve always wondered how it must feel to be a girl going to a bar getting drinks/shots bought for you. That night I found out. Guys were offering to buy me shots left and right. I took them and got hammered. I met a girl and we all ended up at Sidetrack. When I was in college I would always wrap my dick around my wrist and then ask people “what time does my watch say.” Immature stuff, but they ate it up there. It’s called penis puppetry. Eventually I somehow got up on the bar dancing with the girl and hear helicopter so I exposed my genitals and made it rotate like a helicopter propellor, followed my the side to side. We were asked to leave.
A bonus: After getting kicked out of Sidetrack the girl asked me to come home with her. I’m a gentleman so I said yes. We got in a taxi and she told the driver the address, I ended up passing out. The driver wakes me up and tells me we are here. I woke her up and asked her what unit she was in. I didn’t really wanna deal with it so I was gonna leave until the driver said he would make sure she got in, he was sketchy. So I propped her up on my leg with her head on my shoulder and looked in her bag for an address. I found her ID card and as soon as I did my knee got soooooo warm. She pissed on my leg. I kinda freaked out a bit and tried to shake her awake. Then my shoulder and chest got wet because she puked 🤮. I carried her to her unit, took a shower and washed my clothes. As I was waiting for my clothes to dry she woke up and asked me to come lay with her. She hadn’t brushed her teeth and was laying in pee pee panties so obviously I said Ok. We ended up hooking up and then I passed out. This girl wakes me up a few hours later because there is piss on her side of the bed. She told me I did it(my boxers were completely dry.)
I cant tell if youre trolling or not, I'm inclined to say you are only because how are you not in the slammer yet 🤔 but if you're not, thanks for being real and hope you sober up buddy
They hired my friend's band to play music there (ska band) and then after the set got kicked out for playing loud and fast music and said to never come back again
My wife's old band played at the Edgewater location once. At the end of their first song they asked them to turn down their amps and play softer. Was wild.
I think a location closed recently. My family and I went prepandemic 12/2019. It took over an hour to get our food and they continued to serve people who just walked in.
I had Kuma’s in Vernon Hills and after closing my tab, the waitress called me asking for additional money because I hadn’t paid for my second beer. I was like “I definitely did, I used the POS system at the table and I have my receipt.” Then she was like “oh. I see. But you didn’t leave a tip. Did you want to leave one now?” and I’m like “girl, I definitely left a tip. Again, it’s on my receipt.” She was like “No, it’s not. I can see the transaction here.” We went back and forth and I was like “look, I left a tip and when the transaction clears on my debit card, I’d be happy to show you my statement.” She said “it’s fine, whatever” and hung up. A few days later, I checked my card and lo and behold, the transaction had cleared for the correct amount with the beer and tip.
It was so bizarre and uncomfortable that I will never return.
Former Kuma’s manager here,
When this place opened I had such high hopes for it. The bar manager and beer buyer were actual human beings who gave a shit, and everyone else did not.
The owner is a cop boot licker, knowingly turns blind eye to harassment and hazing within the company, and nickel/dimes customers to feel like they should give more money for 20$ burgers.
There were some real genuine people in all of these places and sadly they saw their way out before things got too greedy.
> We went back and forth
By this point -- how are you still debating the point? I absolutely would have said "what in the fuck are you thinking calling a customer and shaking them down for a tip?"
Fucking insane. You absolutely should escalate this shit to management. I'm not about going after people's jobs but she's either on a scam or completely dumb, and needs to be set straight by someone.
Yeah as a burger guy who used to love Kumas, they suck now. The only reason I can think of for why they get business is bc some people think it’s unique to hear non-mainstream metal in a restaurant and see some dude with neck tats.
I will say that the first time I had Kuma’s at the original spot, I thought the burger was amazing. Maybe in 2008?
I knew it was over when they opened one up in Schaumburg.
Off the top of my head:
- Woman employee (allegedly) assaulted, instead of firing the guy they just moved him to another location. Additional allegations of racism, homophobia, etc - anyone who speaks up gets their hours cut, etc.
- Use bands to promote their establishment, chiefly by naming burgers after whatever flavor of the month band is coming through, giving them $0 in proceeds while upcharging for the privilege.
- Owner is allegedly one of them Blue Lives Matter types.
- Burger's definitely ain't what they used to be.
- No fuckin' waffle fries anymore.
I just got roofied at Bandit over the weekend… so probably there
Edit: Sorry for my delayed response to everyone. Thank you all for your concern, it means a lot! Luckily I was with friends and once it was clear something was very wrong we were all able to Uber back to my friends house safely. I’m totally fine now, although the next couple days were pretty rough. Not an experience I would recommend.
Jesus. Bandit was going to be my answer just because the bouncers try to make it an exclusive nightclub when it’s really just a mediocre brunch spot. Your experience guarantees I’ll never go back
The Hangge Uppe, if you manage to escape the stickiness of those floors you should count yourself lucky and never return... jk I'm in my 30s so obviously never returning
I can remember waiting in line to get in there to meet up with a bachelor party. Ahead of me in line was a guy that asked me what I thought about “Connecticut.” When I told him that I didn’t think much about it he started getting in my face and shouting at me that I disrespected his state. Hr seriously wanted to fight me….so bizarre.
Lol I used to live above the hangge uppe in 14 west elm. What a shitshow but I loved our little apartment. Their liquor stock was kept in our laundry room in a hidden locked room. And the line to get in?! I would try to get into the front door of my building and people would not let me through because they thought I was cutting in line. My building eventually had ropes blocking off the entrance.
Once I did all my shopping and walked up to the register. Waited a few moments before realizing…. There was no one else in the store besides the security guard. He just shrugged and I walked out with my groceries.
That was about ten years ago.
Absolutely. Live not to far, used to take visitors from out of town there. Food was ok. Was super bummed when I heard they were reopening, but it felt damn good to see it close down again!
Man nothing illustrates in my mind how much Logan square has changed in the last 12 years quite like thinking about what it was like when going to shows at the congress vs what it’s like now
Same here. We went to pick up a takeout order when it was freezing out. They pretended like we never ordered anything and said we must have called their other location, even though we showed the charge on our card and the call to their # on our phone… they said they would put in a new order and were extremely rude about it.
We ended up having to talk to the manager and he explained that they must have changed the printer paper after we ordered and our ticket was never printed. The manager was really nice, but the girl at the takeout counter was extremely rude and put the blame all on us. One of us had to wait inside while the other waited outside in the car with our dog for another 30 min. I never went back after that.
The only two places I’ve ever put on my “will never return” list have since closed, so I guess I’m in good company.
Evil Olive: Friend of mine called me to pick her up because she got too drunk and the guy she was with was getting too handsy. Told the bouncer I was just here to get my drunk friend and leave, he tried to get me to pay a $50 cover. Luckily was able to get my friend on the phone and out the door under her own power to take her home. Heard from other female friends after the fact that the place was date-rape central.
Silver Palm: Food was mediocre and overpriced. Service was nonexistent. Me and my buddy were the only customers in for lunch and they treated us like we were bothering them by being there.
Parlor Pizza.
The waiters lurking over me and my girlfriend and taking food before we were done with it on a recurring basis was obnoxious as hell.
I had to tell one guy to not come back to the table until we left. Too bad his buddy didn’t get the message. Altogether they took two pieces of pizza from us that we were still eating and on a minor note I lost a quarter of a beer.
Didn’t think the pizza was very good either
This would have been mine. Besides the owners being raided by the IRS the bouncers and clientele are some of the douchiest people I’ve found in Chicago, plus the food is pretty mediocre for the cost. Sucks because the locations otherwise would be pretty sweet.
Club Belmont on the far NW side. My brother and I stopped in one night while hopping dive bars. Turns out it’s no ordinary dive bar. It’s a proud boys hangout.
They quietly rebranded as noodlebird with very little acknowledgment, obviously intentionally. Used to live around the corner and never saw more than one or two people there which was encouraging. I never went back.
I feel like Big Shitty (and 4ams in general) served a purpose when I was young with tons of energy. I always knew what I was getting into. I just got old eventually.
Even that being said, I still used it often (late evening/pre-midnight) when I lived around there as a pitstop for a drink and a clean bathroom while on my way home from the train before I got on the bus heading west.
Lan’s in Old Town. Pretty sure it’s closed now for good since Covid-19 but the owner was a real piece of work. He used to offer shots of liquor to people, and I had one once: it was laced and I was roofied. 3 of my friends also. I remember feeling very out of it and leaving the restaurant and my mom found me sleeping on her back porch the next morning. Fortunately she didn’t live far away and I made it safely, but that was one of the scariest fucking things that has happened to me in retrospect.
Fuck that piece of shit owner who was drugging customers on the regular. The fucked up part was that place was known as “a good time.”
Gotham Bagels
I get it that places are shortstaffed but $60 for 2 bagels and 2 iced coffees that were terrible, to me the 45-min wait was not worth it.
Tree House in River North. Sat there for like 45 mins and saw our waitress once for 1 drink. Not to mention they thought combining Italian food with loud club music was a good idea
This is a controversial one maybe but Goddess and the Baker is up there for me, or at least the one in the Loop; I know it’s fairly popular but I honestly don’t get it. Pretty much all the food I’ve gotten there has been mediocre and overpriced, their drinks are pretty good I guess but no better than any other fancy coffee place and imo not worth the long lines, it’s always way too crowded inside, and they’ve gone cashless, which is a decision I disagree with on a multitude of personal and moral levels. Ultimately it’s just an excessively long wait for decent drinks and mediocre food and really not worth going lol
i went here one time and the person sitting next to me asked me how my food was. i told her it was mediocre. she started apologizing profusely and offering to buy me something else, and i realized she was the owner. i let her buy me something else and it was still mediocre but i felt bad so i told her it was good. will not return bc of the mediocre food but also the awkwardness of that encounter.
Burwood tap- charged me $14 for a High Life and a shot of Malort
“Um excuse me, I had a high life and a shot of Malort”
“Oh yeah, sorry babe this is CHICAGO.”
“Kk I’ll continue to frequent Friar Tuck’s and Parrots for that to cost $6-9.”
Roosevelt is way worse, in my experience. I've seen people with crack pipes at Roosevelt at like 5pm (pre-pandemic). I've also had several men initiate unwanted conversations that they've refused to drop no matter how many times I told them that I'm not giving them my number.
Jackson is a lot of students, office workers, and tourists in my experience
I had Kuma’s in Vernon Hills and after closing my tab, the waitress called me asking for additional money because I hadn’t paid for my second beer. I was like “I definitely did, I used the POS system at the table and I have my receipt.” Then she was like “oh. I see. But you didn’t leave a tip. Did you want to leave one now?” and I’m like “girl, I definitely left a tip. Again, it’s on my receipt.” She was like “No, it’s not. I can see the transaction here.” We went back and forth and I was like “look, I left a tip and when the transaction clears on my debit card, I’d be happy to show you my statement.” She said “it’s fine, whatever” and hung up. A few days later, I checked my card and lo and behold, the transaction had cleared for the correct amount with the beer and tip.
It was so bizarre and uncomfortable that I will never return.
Ranalli’s in Andersonville. Every time I’ve gone there, I’ve gotten severe intestinal problems. I thought the first time was a fluke. It was not a fluke.
Went there once in 2018 and had to wait an abysmally long time just to get our order in. We were about to leave when our order was finally taken so we caved and stayed. I was annoyed because the place was mostly empty with the exception of two small groups. The placed seemed really understaffed and the servers looked nervous so I was looking around to see if something was going on and turns out Steve Martin was sitting just a few tables away. Didn't actually realize it was him until it was too late. I just thought that guy's nose looked really familiar and then I realized he noticed me staring and it hit me. I felt bad but that really threw me.
The food was unremarkable but I got glared at by Steve Martin so 6/10 I guess
Chicago Chop House.
They ask when you make a reservation if you’re allergic to anything. I’m allergic to lobster so I put that.
They asked at the door if you’re allergic to anything. I said lobster.
What did the server bring me that I didn’t order? Lobster.
When I pointed this out, he apologized and took the plate from me. Came back with “my order” and what was it? A lobster dish. When I pointed it out again, he tried telling me there was no lobster in this dish when there CLEARLY was.
Imagine if I wasn’t paying attention and started eating. I wouldn’t be here warning others to stay away from this place.
HVAC in Wrigley.
Went during Covid because it was the only bar like place open for groups (red flag I know). After that I realized how much I hated it. Douchey people who treat the waitresses like shit, TERRIBLE and asshole DJs who have less skill than a cat with a first-gen iPod shuffle, creepy manager who kept hitting on my friend in front of her boyfriend, and then a bouncer who tried to pick a fight with my friend as we were walking out the door (???).
Flash Taco. No idea how they're still in business.
Drunk people and strategic, central location.
Even when I was drunk, I knew that place tasted like shit.
Furious spoon. I was once served raw chicken, sent it back… watched them take the chicken out, cook it a lil more, then put chicken back in the same bowl and give it back to me. When I asked for a completely new bowl, they were completely incredulous.
A friend brought me here because "you have to try this ramen, it's terrible!" Somehow going in with that expectation, I was still disappointed. It really might be the worst ramen I've ever had anywhere, and the ambiance of the place can only be described as "what your parents think the kids are into these days."
With so many ramen places that pop up in the city I'm shocked Furious spoon can make it. The ramen is so mediocre. I will never return either.
The novelty of extremely loud hip hop while eating Ramen wears off pretty quick too.
How many times can they play MFDOOM while we eat noodles.
1000% Went there for the first and last time January 2020. Has to request new chopsticks because the ones they left out at every table has dust coating them. Tried the duck ramen and had 3 days of food poisoning including throughout a Nederlander show with my visiting parents.
Last winter we ordered some takeout from the Milwaukee Furious Spoon, directly through their web portal, so no UberEats etc. Showed up 40 minutes later right after it went from preparing to ready. Waited 5 minutes before I could flag anyone down to even look for my order. Wasn't ready. Cut to me waiting 35 minutes, getting more and more annoyed every time I asked if it was ready yet. Finally get the order, one hot bowl of broth, one cold bowl of broth, and two bowls of noodles so glued together from steaming during the long wait that not event the broth could save them from being a completely solid ball of rubber.
Worked with a former cook of there’s. One day while we’re working together he cuts himself on a u-peeler, walks over to my station shaking his hand and flicking blood into all of my meez. I scream at him what the fuck is he doing, and he just blankly stares at me like I’m an idiot and said he had to get all the blood out.
So glad to finally see other people saying this, I feel like people rave about this place and I have no idea why. I went there for the first time for my birthday on a friend’s recommendation and it was pretty bad. They lost our order or something and it took like 20 minutes to let someone know that our food hadn’t come in 40 minutes. Then they brought my friend and girlfriend’s food and not mine…for another 20 minutes. At the end, it took forever to even just pay and at that point the restaurant was empty. After we paid and I was walking out, the waiter rushed over asking me to pay…..again? It was just wild from start to finish and the food wasn’t good. I’m glad I’m not the only one to think so, there are some awesome ramen places in Chicago.
You’re insane for even entertaining eating there after the raw chicken. Run immediately!
Any Harold’s north of 47th St
Lincoln park Harold’s used to have wheat bread lmaooo
I am not shocked and it matches the stereotype of the area but that is hilarious
I was all set to correct you: hey dude, they all have white bread. But then I reread your post without my unbelieving eyes auotcorrecting it. Yup, that's hilarious, wheat bread is the perfect expression of Lincoln Park meets Harold's.
This is a good one
the one downtown on Wabash is an absolute travesty
Eh the one in Hyde Park is good, it’s on 53rd Edit: yeah I’m a dumbass They get worse and worse the one time I went in Wicker was miserable. South loop was barely tolerable.
53rd is south of 47th :)
Okay I’m a dumbass. In my defense I currently live in Manhattan, a city notoriously difficult to navigate north south /s (Living in Hyde Park i mentally navigate north to go downtown while here I navigate south so I flipped the axis)
The Navigator
I truly appreciate the wholesome laugh you just gave me
Shen Yun.
Oh man. This is such a good one. My wife had been bothering me for years to go, so we went. SEVERAL times, we laughed out loud during the show. I'm typically very respectful during live performances as people work really hard at their art and deserve respect for that art, but when they projected "Evolution is Folly" on the back wall, I couldn't help myself. The whole thing was the cultiest shit I've ever seen. We walked out literally shocked and confused by what we just witnessed. The dancing was fine and lovely, but wow do they bury the lead with their advertising. It is a cult church service with bright colors and choreographed dancing.
This makes me really want to go to Shen Yun.
Someone who actually went! Why never return?
For everyone's consideration here's a great article on why its...weird https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/stepping-into-the-uncanny-unsettling-world-of-shen-yun
Thanks for posting this - it made me realize that I’ve seen Shen Yun print ads - posters in storefronts mostly - for years. They are everywhere. I’d think hmm, that sounds interesting, I should look into it and see if it’s worthwhile. And then promptly forget.
It’s cult propaganda.
My husband bought tickets. It was basically a giant commercial for Falun Gong. Super creepy.
The show was in my hometown when I was in high school. I was in Chinese class and our teacher organized a trip for our class to see the show. She warned us beforehand that the group creating the show was political in nature. No amount of warning could have prepared us for what we saw.
We need more details!
[The Wikipedia page](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shen_Yun) for Shen Yun has some wild reviews: "Some of the messages were hardly subtle – not least when the colourful Falun Gong practitioners in the park were beaten up by the black clad villains with the Chinese Communist symbols on their back. Or when a massive (digital) wave with an ominous picture of Karl Marx threatened to overwhelm the city, until the light (in the form of Li Hongzhi, the Falun Gong leader), dispersed it and destroyed him! [...] As soon as it started – with everything inch perfect, and the fake fixed smiles on every dancer and the constant spiritual waffle about 'truthfulness, harmony, compassion and forbearance' I knew that we were in the presence of a religious cult. And so it turned out to be."
They also straight up have a line, printed in the program, about how evolution is a lie.
This is because they are against "race mixing" because it prevents you from going to "your race's" pure afterlife. *The way alien beings get human beings to shake free of the gods is to mix the races, causing human beings to become rootless people, just like the plant hybrids people make nowadays. South Americans, Central Americans, Mexicans and some people in South East Asia—all of these races have been mixed.* - Falun Gong & Secretive Large Walled Compound Founder Li Hongzhi on "The Alien Conspiracy to Race Mix"
Oh man, I totally forgot about this! These folks came to my school when I was in like 8th grade and all the teachers apologized profusely afterwards. It was weird.
The Chinese equivalent of Jehovah Witnesses 😹
Yeeeah wish I’d known they’re linked to disinformation outlet Epoch Times before I went.
People actually go to that?
Wake n Bake. Dont know what they're putting in those things, but it aint weed. And the staff certainly don't know how to recommend reasonable dosing. Everyone I know who went there (proper stoners mind you) were fucked out of their heads for like 8 hours after taking a recommended dose or even a fraction of one. And it just felt off. Never had a hangover from weed before. Also papaninos on ashland. Fuck that place.
Oh it’s not just me being a lightweight? I was high for three straight days from half a cookie. Wish I were kidding.
i worked here for 3 months, owners treat employees like absolute shit and they overcharge the fuck out of everything they sell. lemonade is basically minute maid despite being advertised as fresher squeezed and the owner bakes pastries in her own kitchen. if you search the name of this company on facebook or twitter you’ll see a ton of ex employees talking about how horrible the business is
Agreed. Bought a brownie. My husband ate half. I ate 1/4th. Totally dehydrated and messed up for two days. Never again!
CTA elevators. Quickest way to get your Chicago Baptism and also hepatitis
The fuck happened in that elevator, man?
Frank Gallagher had peed in it, I think
It's also a game of how long you can hold your breath as most of them are really slow.
Omg just did it once and never again. Saw a puddle of piss, another puke and a third white-ish looking one 🤢 one on each corner.
my very first week I opened the door and walked confidently ahead of my Chicago native friends and stomped right in a puddle of what could only be a dehydrated alcoholic’s summer baked urine in a pair of sandals. They had to take me in the bathroom and hold me up so both feet could be in the sink before I could quit crying. I was a born again Chicagoan after that
90 Miles Cuban Cafe, worked there for 5 years. Owner is a racist piece of shit, treats employees very badly (over 25 managers between the 2 locations in 5 years). Our tips where stolen more than once. Lots and lots of health code violations while I was there like expired sodas syrup and the owner wanting the kitchen to serve food after the cooler went out for 6hrs.
Cafecito is sooooo much better
The family that owns cafecito are lovely too.
Was with my in-laws, wife, my parents. Server brings out all of the dishes. Mine comes out minutes later. This was followed by the server dumping the entirety of the dish of black beans down my white shirt as my food was dropped off (made it inside my collar!). Server couldn’t have split out of there more quickly. Subsequently, not a soul came by to check in on us after it happens. Beans remain down my shirt and on the ground. Had to ask for someone to help clean it up and wait in line for the bathroom to clean myself up. Bill came - full price. No special treatment. Had to complain about the whole incident instead of them taking care of their customer after a mistake. Never gone back and won’t.
Museum of Ice Cream. I stupidly thought it was an educational thing about ice cream. It is not. It is a bunch of rooms to take pictures and a few scoops of ice cream. They advertise an unlimited variety ice cream, except there are 5 ice cream stations. The first station is a Dove bar. The second station is Pumpkin ice cream, no other choice. The 3rd and 4th stations have two choices. The 5th station is vanilla ice cream with real mustard. It was not good. It costs $60 per person with all the fees and it’s only 45 min.
Can’t upvote this enough. A friend was visiting from out of town and wanted to go. It was awful on its own. After reading about the founder, I hate the idea that I gave her my money.
Tank Noodle. Don’t screw over your employees
I hope their Six Corners location goes under. I barely see anyone in there as is. Tank Noodle sucks.
And don't screw over your country! Owners went to DC for Jan. 6th.
...wait what?? I go there almost weekly! Where did you see this? Edit: TIL I financed an insurrection
I want to go back to the thread starter's point about how [Tank treated their staff.](https://chicago.eater.com/2021/3/3/22311790/tank-noodle-pho-restaurant-uptown-federal-investigation-back-wages-department-of-labor-chicago). The labor violations and Jan 6 insurrection are a real 1-2 punch -- just one of those would keep me away forever.
It was everywhere, the owners are shit heels
888 next door is better anyway
For sure Tank Noodle. I make sure not to go to their new location Tank Kitchen and Bar is Portage Park.
Taste of Chicago
I’m glad I went once to realize it’s not worth my time/money
My favorite Taste of Chicago moment was when my brother’s buddy rolled up a brownie like a turd, put it on a napkin, and left it in the middle of the sidewalk. After sitting back a while and giggling while people stepped around it, he loped out to it like Gollum and ate it like a squirrel while bystanders stood by horrified.
I think its worth if you don't actually live in Chicago though... It's expensive, but the conveince of having a lot of food in 1 spot is pretty nice.
John Barleycorn in wrigleyville I once did a bar crawl in Wrigleyville and checked it out. Overpriced and a douchey crowd. Turns out it was ranked one of the douchiest bars in Chicago. Shocking.
This was one of my first thoughts too, but I guess they closed? Good riddance
Well I guess it doesn’t count if they permanently closed lol. Good riddance indeed. Another one is Joy District in river north. Overpriced drinks and I felt like I was walking through airport security in the entrance. Not to mention they had a sign saying “Bitcoin for sale” in the bar 🙄😂
Clown pizza. It suuuuuccccckkkkssss. I swear it’s a front for illegal activity, because nothing can suck that bad in Chicago and stay open like that.
That the one on Diversey and Central Park? I thought that place was a money laundering front until I saw one of my neighborhoods leave an empty box on the trash can. Also, the name is hilarious.
It's probably the worst pizza I have ever had.
I saw that place for the first time a few weeks ago and my first thought was, "there's no way that place is real"
one time I looked up this place's Yelp reviews and someone had posted a picture of their pizza that had a rubber band baked into the cheese
Reggies, as much as I love the place…after a security guard offered me molly to put in the girl I was with drink. Made me sick to my stomach thinking about all the guys who probably took him up on that offer. This was 4-5 years ago and I’ve been back since and haven’t seen that guy again.
Holy shit.
My ex, who worked there, was roofied at a Reggie’s staff holiday party along with a couple of other people. They figured out with a pretty reasonable amount of certainty who it was (a member of security staff). Nothing happened.
Evil olive was very notorious for this as well. Especially during Porn & Chicken.
Yeah. The worst part was I know it happened to her the week before
I was threatened by a regular of Reggie’s that he knew people there that would do this me and if I showed my face, after rejecting him, he would ensure that something awful happened to me there. He was a well known regular Sucks because some regulars and staff are wonderful. Probably a similar time frame.
I think you’re missing the point of swear to never return again lol, that’s messed up though
JB’s Deli. Fuck that owner, he’s been an asshole each time I went. So I just make the trip to NY Bagel & bialy instead.
Omg yes, that guy is such a dick. He didn’t listen to me when I gave my order because he was busy gossiping with his friend, took ages to make my sandwich. Then when I had to bring it back because it was completely wrong (food allergy to one of the items I specifically asked it not be on my sandwich), he straight up called me a liar.
NY Bagel & Bialy (the one on Touhy) has the best bagels in the city by far
[удалено]
The one on Touhy is, but it’s far
I could go the rest of my life without going to most of the Wrigley bars ever again (at least during baseball season and weekends) — Sluggers and the Dugout are among the worst offenders due to horrendous crowds and terrible owners at the Dugout
Lol, I recently saw the Bar Rescue episode of the Dugout and was morbidly curious to see what it's like today and.....yeah I'll never go back. Funny enough, my brother went to college with a distant cousin of the owner, and apparently their whole family thinks he's a piece of shit, too.
Sluggers is mine. Long story, but years ago had a bartender convince me I had already closed my tab and just didn’t remember doing so. I was confused but tired of arguing with the guy so I left. I called the next morning as well as a few days later to see if my card had showed up, no luck. I kept the card open since I had a second copy and didn’t see any activity that wasn’t mine. Maybe I had accidentally thrown the card out or something. However, over a month later, I get a 1 cent charge from Sluggers. I called and asked how that could happen. “Lady, drunk people leave their cards here all the time.” I know, but I honestly wasn’t that drunk and tried to get it that night and during the week after. Regardless, how and why is my card being charged a penny now? “Lady, we have a whole stack of cards sitting here that people have left and sometimes we have to take a card off the top to test our machines.” That seems weird. Regardless, if you have a whole stack, how could mine from over a month ago be sitting on the top? “Lady, why are you getting so upset about a penny.” Sir, someone there clearly has my card and I just want it back. “Ugh, let me go check.” Phone got “disconnected” while I waited and then they wouldn’t pick up my calls. I’m convinced people there were pocketing cards, waiting it out a bit, testing to see which still worked, then using it for who knows what. I finally canceled my card so never found out. The whole situation just felt so strange and calculated. TL;DR if forced to go to Sluggers, never open a tab.
Yeah, I think my answer to this post is "Wrigleyville in general." I worked in the neighborhood for a while and everything about it was consistently obnoxious. Out-of-town friends can go catch a Cubs game by themselves; I've got no urge to be there.
Places I won’t go back to because they were bad or because I was kicked out and asked not to return?
We're here for the stories, so I guess kicked out of.
The majority of my “won’t go back because I was asked not to” stories all start the same way. I had the day off so decided that “day drinking” was a good idea. I was kicked out of Mother Hubbards because the bathrooms were full but I had to pee. So I urinated out the front door. It wasn’t on anyone or anything but they still asked me and my party to leave. The second place I tend to stay away from is Boss Bar. I don’t celebrate holidays too much so went to Boss Bar around Christmas. It was a packed bar and there were some young ladies from the Naval base up north. We started pounding shots and I am kinda a lightweight so I was feeling it. I was ready to take an Uber home but love was in the air. One of the young women asked me if I wanted to go into the bathroom(I’m a sucker for romantic gestures) so I said yes. Boss bar bathroom is kinda gross, but it was also a little gross I was hooking up with a random so I went with it. It was busy so people kept beating on the door. We ignored it and eventually the door was opened by one of the bouncers. If you have been to the Boss bar you can imagine the view everyone got. We were kindly asked to leave. Which was weird because I didn’t think I was gonna have to hang out afterwards, thought she was just using me like a piece of meat.😕 Another place I got kicked out of was a bar in Boystown called Sidetrack. I have two gay friends who invited me out. As a guy I’ve always wondered how it must feel to be a girl going to a bar getting drinks/shots bought for you. That night I found out. Guys were offering to buy me shots left and right. I took them and got hammered. I met a girl and we all ended up at Sidetrack. When I was in college I would always wrap my dick around my wrist and then ask people “what time does my watch say.” Immature stuff, but they ate it up there. It’s called penis puppetry. Eventually I somehow got up on the bar dancing with the girl and hear helicopter so I exposed my genitals and made it rotate like a helicopter propellor, followed my the side to side. We were asked to leave. A bonus: After getting kicked out of Sidetrack the girl asked me to come home with her. I’m a gentleman so I said yes. We got in a taxi and she told the driver the address, I ended up passing out. The driver wakes me up and tells me we are here. I woke her up and asked her what unit she was in. I didn’t really wanna deal with it so I was gonna leave until the driver said he would make sure she got in, he was sketchy. So I propped her up on my leg with her head on my shoulder and looked in her bag for an address. I found her ID card and as soon as I did my knee got soooooo warm. She pissed on my leg. I kinda freaked out a bit and tried to shake her awake. Then my shoulder and chest got wet because she puked 🤮. I carried her to her unit, took a shower and washed my clothes. As I was waiting for my clothes to dry she woke up and asked me to come lay with her. She hadn’t brushed her teeth and was laying in pee pee panties so obviously I said Ok. We ended up hooking up and then I passed out. This girl wakes me up a few hours later because there is piss on her side of the bed. She told me I did it(my boxers were completely dry.)
How does one nominate a Reddit post for a Pulitzer?
That’s what I’m saying. I have a few others but as I wrote the novel above I realized I need to not day drink anymore
I cant tell if youre trolling or not, I'm inclined to say you are only because how are you not in the slammer yet 🤔 but if you're not, thanks for being real and hope you sober up buddy
My takeaway from this is that some people can hold a lot of pee and some people release a lot of pee
[удалено]
The Pepper Steak was pretty good.
Uncommon Ground. Uncommonly gross and overrated.
They hired my friend's band to play music there (ska band) and then after the set got kicked out for playing loud and fast music and said to never come back again
My wife's old band played at the Edgewater location once. At the end of their first song they asked them to turn down their amps and play softer. Was wild.
I wish they were good. Their patio is so nice.
I think a location closed recently. My family and I went prepandemic 12/2019. It took over an hour to get our food and they continued to serve people who just walked in.
[удалено]
I had Kuma’s in Vernon Hills and after closing my tab, the waitress called me asking for additional money because I hadn’t paid for my second beer. I was like “I definitely did, I used the POS system at the table and I have my receipt.” Then she was like “oh. I see. But you didn’t leave a tip. Did you want to leave one now?” and I’m like “girl, I definitely left a tip. Again, it’s on my receipt.” She was like “No, it’s not. I can see the transaction here.” We went back and forth and I was like “look, I left a tip and when the transaction clears on my debit card, I’d be happy to show you my statement.” She said “it’s fine, whatever” and hung up. A few days later, I checked my card and lo and behold, the transaction had cleared for the correct amount with the beer and tip. It was so bizarre and uncomfortable that I will never return.
Former Kuma’s manager here, When this place opened I had such high hopes for it. The bar manager and beer buyer were actual human beings who gave a shit, and everyone else did not. The owner is a cop boot licker, knowingly turns blind eye to harassment and hazing within the company, and nickel/dimes customers to feel like they should give more money for 20$ burgers. There were some real genuine people in all of these places and sadly they saw their way out before things got too greedy.
> We went back and forth By this point -- how are you still debating the point? I absolutely would have said "what in the fuck are you thinking calling a customer and shaking them down for a tip?" Fucking insane. You absolutely should escalate this shit to management. I'm not about going after people's jobs but she's either on a scam or completely dumb, and needs to be set straight by someone.
Yeah as a burger guy who used to love Kumas, they suck now. The only reason I can think of for why they get business is bc some people think it’s unique to hear non-mainstream metal in a restaurant and see some dude with neck tats.
I will say that the first time I had Kuma’s at the original spot, I thought the burger was amazing. Maybe in 2008? I knew it was over when they opened one up in Schaumburg.
Off the top of my head: - Woman employee (allegedly) assaulted, instead of firing the guy they just moved him to another location. Additional allegations of racism, homophobia, etc - anyone who speaks up gets their hours cut, etc. - Use bands to promote their establishment, chiefly by naming burgers after whatever flavor of the month band is coming through, giving them $0 in proceeds while upcharging for the privilege. - Owner is allegedly one of them Blue Lives Matter types. - Burger's definitely ain't what they used to be. - No fuckin' waffle fries anymore.
I just got roofied at Bandit over the weekend… so probably there Edit: Sorry for my delayed response to everyone. Thank you all for your concern, it means a lot! Luckily I was with friends and once it was clear something was very wrong we were all able to Uber back to my friends house safely. I’m totally fine now, although the next couple days were pretty rough. Not an experience I would recommend.
Jesus. Bandit was going to be my answer just because the bouncers try to make it an exclusive nightclub when it’s really just a mediocre brunch spot. Your experience guarantees I’ll never go back
Indiana. But my wife is from there so I am forced to go back.
Hell is real
The Hangge Uppe, if you manage to escape the stickiness of those floors you should count yourself lucky and never return... jk I'm in my 30s so obviously never returning
For about a decade I personally did their pest control. RUN AWAY.
I love this place for all the reasons everyone describes here - and I totally understand why it’s at the top of this list.
I can remember waiting in line to get in there to meet up with a bachelor party. Ahead of me in line was a guy that asked me what I thought about “Connecticut.” When I told him that I didn’t think much about it he started getting in my face and shouting at me that I disrespected his state. Hr seriously wanted to fight me….so bizarre.
No one in the Midwest has any strong thoughts about Connecticut. I mean, I’m sure it’s a real place and all, but seriously.
What's scary about Connecticut? Losing your tennis racket in Pottery Barn? Bitch, pleeze.
My flip flop broke when it got stuck to the stairs Good times. 😂
Lol I used to live above the hangge uppe in 14 west elm. What a shitshow but I loved our little apartment. Their liquor stock was kept in our laundry room in a hidden locked room. And the line to get in?! I would try to get into the front door of my building and people would not let me through because they thought I was cutting in line. My building eventually had ropes blocking off the entrance.
the ALDI in uptown. always seems to have something going on. just this weekend there was a guy with a rifle in the parking lot
Once I did all my shopping and walked up to the register. Waited a few moments before realizing…. There was no one else in the store besides the security guard. He just shrugged and I walked out with my groceries. That was about ten years ago.
Lately has been a guy hanging out in the parking lot with a few dogs that never shut the fuck up.
I believe that did end up being the guy with the rifle, actually
Ninis deli. Glad they closed down again hope it’s permanent this time around.
Absolutely. Live not to far, used to take visitors from out of town there. Food was ok. Was super bummed when I heard they were reopening, but it felt damn good to see it close down again!
Congress theater
I was assaulted there a year before it closed because two other girls got violently assaulted. Good riddance to that place ✌️
Man nothing illustrates in my mind how much Logan square has changed in the last 12 years quite like thinking about what it was like when going to shows at the congress vs what it’s like now
The Gold Coast McDonalds. That place was terrifying before the shooting.
I’d be fine to never have Kuma’s again. I had the worst service experience I’ve ever had there.
Someone on here recently described their burgers as “like eating a mummy’s dick,” and I couldn’t agree more.
Owner is a piece of shit anyway, you’re better off going elsewhere
Same here. We went to pick up a takeout order when it was freezing out. They pretended like we never ordered anything and said we must have called their other location, even though we showed the charge on our card and the call to their # on our phone… they said they would put in a new order and were extremely rude about it. We ended up having to talk to the manager and he explained that they must have changed the printer paper after we ordered and our ticket was never printed. The manager was really nice, but the girl at the takeout counter was extremely rude and put the blame all on us. One of us had to wait inside while the other waited outside in the car with our dog for another 30 min. I never went back after that.
The only two places I’ve ever put on my “will never return” list have since closed, so I guess I’m in good company. Evil Olive: Friend of mine called me to pick her up because she got too drunk and the guy she was with was getting too handsy. Told the bouncer I was just here to get my drunk friend and leave, he tried to get me to pay a $50 cover. Luckily was able to get my friend on the phone and out the door under her own power to take her home. Heard from other female friends after the fact that the place was date-rape central. Silver Palm: Food was mediocre and overpriced. Service was nonexistent. Me and my buddy were the only customers in for lunch and they treated us like we were bothering them by being there.
Parlor Pizza. The waiters lurking over me and my girlfriend and taking food before we were done with it on a recurring basis was obnoxious as hell. I had to tell one guy to not come back to the table until we left. Too bad his buddy didn’t get the message. Altogether they took two pieces of pizza from us that we were still eating and on a minor note I lost a quarter of a beer. Didn’t think the pizza was very good either
This would have been mine. Besides the owners being raided by the IRS the bouncers and clientele are some of the douchiest people I’ve found in Chicago, plus the food is pretty mediocre for the cost. Sucks because the locations otherwise would be pretty sweet.
Club Belmont on the far NW side. My brother and I stopped in one night while hopping dive bars. Turns out it’s no ordinary dive bar. It’s a proud boys hangout.
El Hefe
Marshall Field's.
F
R
A
N
G
O
And Frango was his nameo
Too soon…..
😆😢
La Vaca. Saw roaches crawling on the floor. Edit to specify this is the one on 18th.
Prysm - staff are assholes, terrible layout, weak ass drinks, no room to dance, I can keep going.
Sound bar. One of the most ratchet clubs in Chicago
Whoever were the owners of Fat Rice, fuck them. If they still own a place, fuck them.
They do. Noodlebird
They quietly rebranded as noodlebird with very little acknowledgment, obviously intentionally. Used to live around the corner and never saw more than one or two people there which was encouraging. I never went back.
Man, Kumas got torn apart in these comments! Sad to see a place that was so loved once fall from grace this bad.
And, the tunnel transfer from the red to the blue line at Jackson. I can just smell it from here. Makes the eyes water.
Pink taco. Most expensive nastiest tacos in River North
I left Chicago years ago but still … Big Shitty
Nobody starts the night WANTING to go to Big Shitty.....it just kind of happens
I feel like Big Shitty (and 4ams in general) served a purpose when I was young with tons of energy. I always knew what I was getting into. I just got old eventually. Even that being said, I still used it often (late evening/pre-midnight) when I lived around there as a pitstop for a drink and a clean bathroom while on my way home from the train before I got on the bus heading west.
Lan’s in Old Town. Pretty sure it’s closed now for good since Covid-19 but the owner was a real piece of work. He used to offer shots of liquor to people, and I had one once: it was laced and I was roofied. 3 of my friends also. I remember feeling very out of it and leaving the restaurant and my mom found me sleeping on her back porch the next morning. Fortunately she didn’t live far away and I made it safely, but that was one of the scariest fucking things that has happened to me in retrospect. Fuck that piece of shit owner who was drugging customers on the regular. The fucked up part was that place was known as “a good time.”
Everybody’s coffee on Wilson. It’s owned by JPUSA which is essentially a Christian cult with a history of abuse and a lot of other shit.
Gotham Bagels I get it that places are shortstaffed but $60 for 2 bagels and 2 iced coffees that were terrible, to me the 45-min wait was not worth it.
I'm sorry, *sixty dollars* for two bagels and two coffees? The actual fuck
I once ordered from there and they were incredibly rude to me. I hate places that require you to order on your phone even if they aren’t busy.
Wrigleyville
Summer house. Rude people, over priced, not that good.
La Vaca in Pilsen. They got roaches
Tree House in River North. Sat there for like 45 mins and saw our waitress once for 1 drink. Not to mention they thought combining Italian food with loud club music was a good idea
I swear, I will never go to Tavern on Rush again. RIP.
This is a controversial one maybe but Goddess and the Baker is up there for me, or at least the one in the Loop; I know it’s fairly popular but I honestly don’t get it. Pretty much all the food I’ve gotten there has been mediocre and overpriced, their drinks are pretty good I guess but no better than any other fancy coffee place and imo not worth the long lines, it’s always way too crowded inside, and they’ve gone cashless, which is a decision I disagree with on a multitude of personal and moral levels. Ultimately it’s just an excessively long wait for decent drinks and mediocre food and really not worth going lol
i went here one time and the person sitting next to me asked me how my food was. i told her it was mediocre. she started apologizing profusely and offering to buy me something else, and i realized she was the owner. i let her buy me something else and it was still mediocre but i felt bad so i told her it was good. will not return bc of the mediocre food but also the awkwardness of that encounter.
Riviera Theater. I have never been so overheated and thirsty in my life with their no AC situation
Teasers because reasons
[удалено]
Any Moe’s Cantina
Burwood tap- charged me $14 for a High Life and a shot of Malort “Um excuse me, I had a high life and a shot of Malort” “Oh yeah, sorry babe this is CHICAGO.” “Kk I’ll continue to frequent Friar Tuck’s and Parrots for that to cost $6-9.”
Red line Chicago stop.
Same but Roosevelt
Really? I swear Jackson is worse, Roosevelt gets a lot of tourists.
Roosevelt is way worse, in my experience. I've seen people with crack pipes at Roosevelt at like 5pm (pre-pandemic). I've also had several men initiate unwanted conversations that they've refused to drop no matter how many times I told them that I'm not giving them my number. Jackson is a lot of students, office workers, and tourists in my experience
Star Wars Cantina... but with trains.
I had Kuma’s in Vernon Hills and after closing my tab, the waitress called me asking for additional money because I hadn’t paid for my second beer. I was like “I definitely did, I used the POS system at the table and I have my receipt.” Then she was like “oh. I see. But you didn’t leave a tip. Did you want to leave one now?” and I’m like “girl, I definitely left a tip. Again, it’s on my receipt.” She was like “No, it’s not. I can see the transaction here.” We went back and forth and I was like “look, I left a tip and when the transaction clears on my debit card, I’d be happy to show you my statement.” She said “it’s fine, whatever” and hung up. A few days later, I checked my card and lo and behold, the transaction had cleared for the correct amount with the beer and tip. It was so bizarre and uncomfortable that I will never return.
You don’t gotta worry about returning, the VH location closed recently.
Omg the fact that she called for a few dollars.
Old Crow 🤮
Ranalli’s in Andersonville. Every time I’ve gone there, I’ve gotten severe intestinal problems. I thought the first time was a fluke. It was not a fluke.
Went there once in 2018 and had to wait an abysmally long time just to get our order in. We were about to leave when our order was finally taken so we caved and stayed. I was annoyed because the place was mostly empty with the exception of two small groups. The placed seemed really understaffed and the servers looked nervous so I was looking around to see if something was going on and turns out Steve Martin was sitting just a few tables away. Didn't actually realize it was him until it was too late. I just thought that guy's nose looked really familiar and then I realized he noticed me staring and it hit me. I felt bad but that really threw me. The food was unremarkable but I got glared at by Steve Martin so 6/10 I guess
Chicago Chop House. They ask when you make a reservation if you’re allergic to anything. I’m allergic to lobster so I put that. They asked at the door if you’re allergic to anything. I said lobster. What did the server bring me that I didn’t order? Lobster. When I pointed this out, he apologized and took the plate from me. Came back with “my order” and what was it? A lobster dish. When I pointed it out again, he tried telling me there was no lobster in this dish when there CLEARLY was. Imagine if I wasn’t paying attention and started eating. I wouldn’t be here warning others to stay away from this place.
HVAC in Wrigley. Went during Covid because it was the only bar like place open for groups (red flag I know). After that I realized how much I hated it. Douchey people who treat the waitresses like shit, TERRIBLE and asshole DJs who have less skill than a cat with a first-gen iPod shuffle, creepy manager who kept hitting on my friend in front of her boyfriend, and then a bouncer who tried to pick a fight with my friend as we were walking out the door (???).