Kuma's Corner

sgoro

Illinois

4.38/5  rDev +0.7%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | food: 5 | $$

I was here last Friday night. It was a nice night so I was able to sit outside which I preferred because I'm not the biggest metal fan. The beer selection was very good - one of the only bars/restaurants with FFF Blackheart available and it was only $3 more than the stores sell it for. Also, I didn't see any macros on the menu so they basically tell you that you'll get craft beer and you'll like it!

I knew going in that they had solid beer but the reason there is an average of an hour wait is for the food and more specifically the burgers. To give an idea of the burger selection I ordered the Pantera which is Roasted Poblano Pepper, Bacon, Chedder and Monterey Jack, House made Ranchero Sauce, Tortilla Strips on a 10 oz patty with a pretzel roll. Amazing. If you're with a few people make sure you split the mac and cheese. They give you at least a pound of pasta and you can pretty much throw whatever you want in it. Incredible.

06-08-2011 17:04:17 | More by sgoro

Duffman929

Illinois

4.5/5  rDev +3.4%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 5 | $$$

As others have stated, this is a burger joint that also serves great beverages. I have been here several times and love it. Then again, I love red meat, strong beer, metal music, and chicks with tats--so, I do have some bias.

There are no reservations taken here...so, first come, first serve. And it gets packed....always...but especially when the weather is nice. They do have a patio area that is open, which helps, but expect at least an hour wait.

As I stated, been here several times and expect a meal for 2, with two rounds each to go for around $50 plus tip. It is well worth it for me, as I have always walked out satified.

05-09-2011 15:38:33 | More by Duffman929

duffcalifornia

Wisconsin

4.18/5  rDev -3.9%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | food: 5 | $$

Let's be frank: This isn't a place you go to specifically because of the beer. You go to Kuma's because of burgers that are life-alteringly delicious. If you've been here before, you know what I'm talking about. If you haven't, these are some of the biggest, tastiest burgers around. Toppings include a bourbon soaked pear, roasted red peppers, onion straws, an egg, fries - you name it, you can probably get it on your burger. Throw in some of the best mac and cheese you can get in a restaurant (and is easily big enough to share), and this is one of the best places to eat in Chicago.

There are downsides though. Due to the popularity and the small size of the dining room (12 tables? 15?), it's rare to go there and have less than an hour wait, and wait times can easily get past two hours around dinner or on the weekend. There are seats at the bar where you can be served, so if I were to give a protip, it's to stand close to the bar near the beer taps (not the whiskey taps, and yes, you read that right) and try to grab a seat at the bar as people finish their food. Did that last night and turned being told there was a 2.5 hr wait for two people into an hour wait. Another downside is the constant, fairly loud death metal that plays while you're there. Kuma's has a rough and tumble vibe, all set by the metal theme that runs through from the art on the walls to the art on all the servers. If you can't stand speed metal, this place isn't for you. That being said, it's amazing how quickly death metal can fade into background noise.

On to the beer. They have 8 taps with a decent but not mindblowing selection (Allagash White, Smuttynose Porter, LH Milk Stout, FFF Alpha King/Gumballhead), and a better bottle selection than you'd expect - Saison Dupont, Tripel Karmeliet, Great Divide, Founders, Tyranena. Most beers are poured into a shaker pint, but I did see an appropriate Karmeliet glass, as well as a weizen glass. Beers are poured appropriately into non-pint glasses, and service is pretty good considering how busy the place is. Prices are about average for a Chicago restaurant.

So to sum up, if you want to have an amazing meal with an above decent brew, but are willing to wait for awhile and listen to lots of metal, go no further.

03-07-2011 03:50:48 | More by duffcalifornia

IchabodcraneIpa

Illinois

4.85/5  rDev +11.5%
vibe: 5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | food: 5 | $$

To start things off I must say due to the high demand for these burgers this place can get pretty packed and force you to wait for up to 2 hours for a table. If you go there earlier in the day though it is noticeably easier to get a table and way shorter of a wait. The burger menu has something for everyone, boasting some of the most incredible mouth watering burgers I have ever thrown down my gullet. There is definitely a burger for everyone here, whether you like the sizzling hot and spicy, the amazing flavorful chili topped burger, or the fruity bourbon soaked pear goodness of one of the other burgers. The ingredients are some of the most diverse and amazing I have ever heard to be put on any burger and after waiting here for an hour once, I immediately understood that my wait was not for nothing and that These burgers really are a gift from heaven. The burgers will blow your mind and they are all cooked to your ordered perfection. They are massive burgers and you need to pound them down in size to even fit them in your mouth. They are also served with waffle fries and home made kuma ketchup. The atmosphere is different in a good way with heavy metal decor and pictures of pin up girls and bands along the wall. In the summer a back patio is open to enhance the space problem because this place sure is very small. There is heavy metal music playing constantly but it is not too loud or overbearing, and they play slasher movies and other action flicks on the tv. They also have a fantastic craft beer menu featuring many different microbrews and pretty much no mainstream beer.

This place is the best restaurant I have been to so far and the burgers here are phenomenal, if not world class. I have never tasted a creation so fantastic.

02-16-2011 02:09:22 | More by IchabodcraneIpa

KickInTheChalice

Illinois

3.98/5  rDev -8.5%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4 | food: 5 | $

Kuma's is a unique beast, at least from the craft beer perspective.

They are known for their burgers, and for good reason. They are by far the best burgers I have ever had. Ever. But, due to space limitations and a huge demand, there is always a wait here. So this is not the type of place you just wander over to expecting to have a beer. Unless you want to have a beer while cramped in the corner waiting for over an hour until you get a table.

The atmosphere is, well, different. It is heavy metal themed, with blaring metal of the upmost intensity. I am a hard rock / metal fan, but I still need to be in the right mood to head here. The crowd is varied; there are not a ton of people coming in wearing suits, but there are people from every other walk of llife coming in. I have even been here as a vegetarian gave up on the vegetarian lifestyle after 5 years and devoured a 10 oz. burger.

The beer list is solid, and they change it up. Their philosophy is to try to have local beer available, but they will also have a few select choices from around the country as well. Normally they have about five choices on tap and thirty in bottles, and there is always something worth drinking. I tend to go for something in my "moderate" ABV range like Alpha King and let the burgers be the focus.

01-25-2011 18:24:28 | More by KickInTheChalice

Florida9

Illinois

3.93/5  rDev -9.7%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5 | food: 4.5 | $$

There are beer bars and there are restaurants that have good beer menus. This is the latter.
Of note, Kuma's is smaller than one would expect. It really is just a large room with some tables and a bar. The place looks run down and grungy, but it goes with the feel of the place. If it were too clean, it wouldn't work. There is some dominatrix themed art work on the walls. And, yes, there is metal blaring loudly and incessantly. But it was to be expected.
Kuma's is known for their burgers. If you like burgers with a lot of weird shit mounded on top of them, then this place is for you. And while I tend to be a minimalist when it comes to a burger, I must say, their whacked-out burger creations work quite well. There are some other offerings on the menu, but its all ancillary to the burgers.
Service ran the spectrum. Some take the heavy metal atmosphere to mean they're allowed to be surly assholes to you while others are nothing more than inked up sweetpeas.
Overall, the multitude of crazy burgers and the atmosphere are the real draw here. Sure they have some quality craft breweries (3F, Dark Horse, Smuttynose) being offered, but for the most part, the beers are the standard offerings from those breweries. Is it nice they have them on offer? Sure, though I couldn't ever see going to Kuma's to just have a beer. In the end, while Kuma's is worth a visit, it is far from a beer destination.

01-25-2011 01:58:47 | More by Florida9

jrallen34

Illinois

4.1/5  rDev -5.7%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4.5 | $$

Arrived here 20 minutes before it opened and we were still about 30th in line. Luckily they let us before open and we grabbed a spot at the bar. Inside is typical bar decor, a small seating section and kitchen, but a nice long bar with plenty of seating. Heavy metal blares in the background and they are not about to turn on the tv, not even for the Bears playoff game vs. Seattle. I like the look and feel. All the servers and bartenders seem to fit with this place. Clientele also fits, definitely a local hipster crowd. The beer selection is decent, not overly exciting. They had about 8 taps, then probably 30 bottles. On draft they did have Gumballhead and Alpha King, but the rest of the stuff was mid tier easy to find craft (DFH, Lagunitas, etc). The main attraction of this place is its food. About 15 sandwich topping combinations that you can have with a burger, chicken breast or chicken tenders. The combo's are awesome, unique, mouth watering, and it reminds me of Jerry's Sandwiches, but for burgers. The tenders are only so-so, so get a burger or chicken breast. Waffle fries are awesome.

If I loved burgers and heavy metal this would probably be my favorite place to eat in the whole world. Beer is more of an afterthought here, while certainly a good selection for a restaurant, not a place I would come to just get a drink. Come here early and get a great meal, I will certainly be coming back.

01-16-2011 18:57:01 | More by jrallen34

t0rin0

California

4.4/5  rDev +1.1%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 5 | $$$$

Visited in July 2010 with masterski around lunch time.

Hell yes, this place is awesome, well mostly. I heard about this place from a guy that I ran into at RBSG who was wearing an Iron Maiden shirt that said Kuma's on it. I'll start with the complaints first:

-Music is freaking loud. As a metal head I should never really complain about that but really, why do I need to feel like I'm front row at a Ted Nugent show (in a small venue)?
-Prices. But it's an experience, worth it if you're prepared for the shock of the bill.
-The wait. But that's not entirely their fault, they're just that popular.
-Old Alpha King on tap. May be the distributor's fault, who knows. Live and learn.

Alright, despite the negatives the place is a lot of fun. Lots and lots of burgers to pick from. Every one of which is probably enough for 2 to 3 meals. They are all named after a band, but I couldnt figure out exactly what each burger had to do with the band it was named after.

There are tons of pictures on the wall of the various metal bands, which is kind of neat. The service was surprisingly attentive for a place that was so full.

Would go back for the burgers and for the spectacle. I'd also go back for the t shirts when the next one is released.

12-22-2010 21:53:16 | More by t0rin0

Czap

Illinois

4.1/5  rDev -5.7%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 5 | $$

Voted best burger in Chicago. I dare you to find a better burger anywhere in this country. It's not going to happen.

On a fuzzy day with friends, a stop at Kuma's, fell somewhere in the middle of our beer/food crawl. So it is a little blurry, but I remember enough to tell you that this place is all it's been hyped up to be. What's that? You say it's a heavy-metal burger and beer joint? Yep, that is exactly what it is.

I am not into metal, not one bit, but this place commits to the theme, which I appreciate. They don't do it in a sideshow kinda way. This is an authentic metal bar. Some of the "art" is very creative, hilarious and antagonistic. Love it.

The beer selection is very solid. I remember about 6 taps with all regional beers. Once you get in to their bottle selection, we start venturing out of the Great Lakes region of brewing. Lots of Colorado stuff and a very nice import selection, Belgiums included.

Okay, now for the burgers. They have about 20 or so burgers named after metal bands. The toppings and variations are wonderful and very well thought out. Just go to the website and check it out. I had the YOB...smoked gouda, bacon, roasted red peppers and roasted garlic mayo...Unbelievable. Best burger I have ever tasted in my life.

It is in your best interest to visit this place. If you have to wait in a long line, just do it. It's worth it. Come for the burger, stay for the beer. Then before you leave, order another burger. You know you'll regret it if you don't.

10-14-2010 03:56:02 | More by Czap

Getinthevan

Illinois

4.47/5  rDev +2.8%
vibe: 5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 5 | $$$

What more can be said about this incredible burger joint? Well, not much, but I'll die trying anyway!

As many other reviewers have said, this place has some of the finest burgers to ever grace this earth. I've been twice in my time here (had the Motorhead & Iron Maiden...heaven) as well as a few of their brews from the tap (Lagunitas and others).

The heavy metal here is brutal, skull-crushing, and over the top...and I wouldn't have asked it to be a better setting. Atmosphere owns here, hands down...and they play some great metal.

Service is top notch. The people that work here must know how stressful it is to fill seats in such a tiny restaurant where on any given night, the place is gushing out the door with humans. Either way, the staff keeps their cool and they're great in suggesting burgers and/or brews, albeit with some great snarky sarcasm and a bona fide joking nature.

The only two cons? It can be a bit pricey and the wait sucks, but either way...you'll be able to overcome both.

If you're in Chicago (visiting or living), just ask for Belmont & Francisco. Just go there already, it's worth the wait. Really.

09-24-2010 23:53:42 | More by Getinthevan