I am torn about this place. We were surprised to find a fun place like this in Arlington Heights. The atmosphere was fun (very noisy too) and the piano player very engaging. BUT, we were thoroughly disappointed with the drinks. I asked the bartender if she could make a Brandy Alexander. She said she could and a few minutes later handed me a glass filled with clear, yellowish liquid. I tasted it and nearly spat it out. I told her that this wasn't a Brandy Alexander . . . that a BA is made with ice cream. She said that they don't have ice cream. ! Why in the world she did she try to pass that off as a Brandy Alexander? Â Then there was the situation with the White Russian that D ordered. I tasted it, out of curiosity, an almost spat that out too. Horrible. It didn't taste anything like a White Russian. I would never go back and order anything they mixed. I would give this place one star, but I give them 2 stars for the entertainment.
Review Source:My stars are mostly for the piano player on Saturday night, I'm pretty sure he said his name was Andrew. Â It was full when we arrived so we stood near the bar (six in our group) until I spotted a couple open tables in the back corner. Â I went to the hostess stand (that I didn't see when we walked in) and asked if we were free to take them. Â She said sure and sat us.
Andrew played EVERYTHING that was thrown his way, including our table's request of "Dick in a Box". Â The guys got a kick out of his unique twist on the favorite ballad.
Service was slow, but that didn't stop us from having a great time.
decent service
i love the atmosphere but i'm pretty positive my friends and i were the youngest people there.
extensive (expensive) wine/martini list
- WASHINGTON HILL RIESLING- sweet but not overly sweet. its so flavorful.
i like that they have flutes of wine or martinis. you get three small glasses of three different wines or martinis. We got crisp whites which was $9 and a glass of wine was around $7.
bathrooms are nice but it was dirty.
piano guy was okay, i could barely understand what he was saying, maybe its the acoustics or something.
I'd dig this place more if i wasnt a broke college student and if we weren't the youngest people in the place.
Management is horrendous.
Bitchy server who wasn't helpful in trying to utilize my <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Frestaurant.com&s=c5fe485af4df376130bee54f875814d79c4d7913e1258123b1206d2bdbf4873b" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://restaurant.com</a> certificate via a phone app. When I spoke to the manager, explaining that I had spent the first ten minutes of my time here trying to get this info and needed help (hadn't even taken my coat off yet), she was equally as bitchy. Told me to sit back down and she'd get to me "in a minute," even though she was chatting at the bar with my rude server.
So we left. I'm exchanging my certificate for a place where they don't treat you like yesterday's trash.
Big Shot is really a pretty good time, especially considering the relative lack of interesting watering holes in the northwest suburbs.
The place does get very packed and very loud, so much so that I didn't even see the piano player and sometimes couldn't here his songs. People were really into it though, and while he didn't play anything off the beaten path, everything was a crowd pleaser and he took requests. Â The cocktail menu was also pretty good, with an especially long list of martinis. I had a classic and had no complaints.
If you want to have an intimate conversation with your friends I probably wouldn't recommend this place. But for a fun time on a Saturday night you could do much worse.
Great place to hang out with you friends. Â I recommend calling to make a reservation for a table because the place was packed on Saturday. Â The piano bar singer was great and from what another reviewer said about repeating songs, that wasn't done in the 3 hours that I was there. Â Drinks were awesome, service was attentive. Â I would definitely come back for a good time (and if I wanted to lose my voice from singing) Â :)
Review Source:This place has a lot of potential. Who doesn't love a good piano bar?
The entertainers are top of the line piano bar players. I saw two of them and both were top notch acts.
Where the problem lies is with the seating/hostess situation. The tables turn over slowly enough on Saturday night but the hostess does not turn them around very quickly. Our table was open nearly half an hour before we were taken from our temporary (uncomfortable spot) at the bar.
The wait service was fine, the food was fine, the prices were high. But, its a not a bad little spot to say the least.
Great place for drinks, music and fun. It is loud but its a music venue, if your looking for a quite place to have conversation with your guest go to a restaurant not a bar. As previous post mentioned, don't go there with large groups the place is small and service is bad, our server was a train wreck. We came in to have drinks and .. After waiting way  to long for waters than drinks our server never came back to check on us. It was 8:30 and the the place was not crowded We were going to order more drinks and dinner but got frustrated after waiting 20 minutes for a second round, which we never got to order. We finally got discouraged and figured if the server would take our dinner order we would never see it. Our server wouldn't even give us eye contact. We flagged the server down and got our check which he produced in seconds?  We got up and went next store and spent our $200.00 somewhere else. This is a great little lounge , club , not a dinner destination. If they get the service fixed its a winner. They need to decide if they are club lounge or a restaurant, right now their pissing off there food customers and the drinkers. The piano player was excellent and we would've had a good time but we didn't want to wait another 20 minutes for a drink and have to flag the server down every time we needed something. Management needs to train the staff to do the basic table check back and have enough servers on staff. The hostesses looked great but have no idea whats going on right in front of them. I rather have great service than great cleavage
Review Source:The food and drinks here are delicious, and the atmosphere is like no other in the area. Live piano music while you eat and socialize. However the socializing is hard to do because the acoustics are pretty lousy in this place so to accommodate they have the speakers turned up super loud. Very hard to hear and carry on a conversation.
  The quickness of the wait staff is hit and miss.. We have had some really good servers who check on us frequently, and we have had some really poor servers who we don't see once from the time our food comes til the check is paid.
 This place is a bit pricey because you have to add the costs of the atmosphere into the menu.. but the food is worth it and they have some very interesting martini's that you probably cannot make at home nor have you had them anywhere else.
 I would recommend this as a fun date night place or a special get together, but not your every friday night hang-out or you will be broke by the end of the month
I only gave this place two stars because the first couple times I came here we had a great time. Â I have to admit, the atmposhere of this place is cool, the drinks are great and the music is good...but, I would not suggest you come here with a large group. Â Big Shots does not know how to accommodate large groups! Â I came here on my 25th birthday and the entire night was a disaster and they were definately not understanding nor acommodating. Â I have not been here since then and I definately do not recommond people to come here!
Review Source:Have frequented Big Shot several times...mostly late night for drinks and  maybe an appetizer. We really enjoy hearing Andrew Blenderman on the piano as he gets the crowd going with requests. He plays from 10pm until closing.
Recently we stopped in earlier, for dinner. Had the salmon and the tilapia which was actually pretty good. Wasn't quite sure how the dinner entrees would be. Wayne Richards does the early shift on piano and it's enjoyable but mostly background music. Andrew was not playing on this particular night but a guy named John Jacks (I think) was. We only stayed for a couple of tunes, but he seemed very energetic and fun. Hope to get back to hear more from him.
The place always seems busy...especially in the summer months. It's sometimes difficult to get a table or place at the bar if you get there late, but It's a good spot in the downtown Arlington Hts. area to go when you're bar hopping, or a place to spend the whole evening.
Came here while bar hopping in Arlington Heights downtown with some co-workers. Â This was the last stop to our night and we had a good time.
Dark candlelit atmosphere in the basement of a restaurant with a guy singing & playing anything you want on the piano. Â He even did bohemian rhapsody with us and everyone was singing along. Â Well overall it's pretty noisy with everyone trying to talk with the loud piano playing.
My first time to a piano bar, so I guess it was okay.
This place is straight up awful. It's the epitome of some pathetic little suburban place that thinks it's "classy." The food is basically Olive Garden quality with no thought or imagination whatsoever. I guess there's a lot of it ....if that's your thing. The atmosphere is terrible, kind of dirty. There are cover music piano players slaving away for hours for tips over a YMCA rec room quality sound system. (the "piano" is a cheap digital shoved in the shell of a real piano.) The staff seems nice, ,they are a little confused if you order any kind of cocktail, but attentive and nice they get the one star. But the manager type guys there come off as egotistical grease ball guys who have watched too many gangster movies, I guess they are the "Big Shots." It seems like there are some nicer places around. If you find yourself in Arlington Heights for some reason, steer clear.
Review Source:Oh Brother... Went here with the girls for a dirty 30 celebration!
$400 tab and handful of dollars missing later, this place is not for us. Desperado was played 4 times in the 4 hours we were there. The gratuity is 20% on all parties (we saw our waitress 4 times) and we were heckled by the piano player for being too young.
Kiss it.
Came into this bar a few months ago with my (at the time) to-be best man and his fiancée (or fiancé, I don't know the correct term).  We sat at the bar and had an amazing time with this funny and very good bartender.  We had many drinks and left after paying a $300+ tab. Â
One week later, I came back with a different friend expecting a good time and some good service, especially considering I had just spent over $300 the week before. Â I see we have the same same bartender so we pull up the only two available seats (at the bar). Â The bartender looks at us and tells us to move because two people are sitting there but they went outside to smoke. Â Keep in mind there are no coats, or purses, or hats, or most importantly, drinks. Â So we take an available high top and just watch. Â The smokers came back after 20 minutes and each drank 2 domestic lights over the next hour (4 total). Â We had the one waitress in the whole place and she was downright terrible. Â Only served us three times in an hour. Â
Bottom line, they love you when you're sitting there knocking 'em back, but won't remember you. Â The ambiance is nice, but at what cost? Â The bartender's hot, but she can't remember a $80 tip for 7 days? Â C'mon. Â Zero customer service here. Â Move it along. Â
P.S.- Â The pianist knows all of 100 songs and he will repeat himself. . . a lot.
Came here this past Saturday night with some friends. I've only been here once when it was the creepy Boiler Room, so it was nice to see the place with the lights on there. There was a wait for a table, so we sat outside and waited. It's nice that you can hear the music playing inside over an outside speaker system. If I could have had a drink outside rather than sit inside to get it, I would have. The place was packed and loud-not from the music, from the people. We could barely hear each other at our table! On the plus side, our waitress was very nice and kept our drinks coming. The French martini and the mango martini were excellent. Unfortunately, the bathrooms were nasty, we went to the Metropolis next door to do our business. The piano players were good, but after we heard "Tiny Dancer" for the second time, we figured it was time to skedaddle. I don't think I'll be returning, unless I want to go deaf.
Review Source:Went here with some girlfriends on a Thursday night last December. Â Had a fabulous time with my friends, but that really didn't have much to do with the restaurant. Â
Was surprised to see that the actual restaurant was in the basement of the building. Â I was torn between thinking that was kind of cool, giving off a vibe of mystique and dark ambiance versus kind of dirty because who wants to hang out in a basement when paying for a sit-down meal? Â
For our girls-night, we had reservations, but didn't need them. Â The restaurant/bar was basically empty except for a staggered few. Â We were immediately seated, ordered drinks, appetizers, and dinner. The menu prices were high, but so were my hopes were some good food. Â The drinks and Spinach Artichoke appetizer were fine, but the dinner, not so much. Â I ordered a Chicken Margherita (which was chicken over angel hair) and it was just bad. Â It was cold and the chicken was tough. Â Such a disappointment, because when I order chicken, I typically feel it's a "safe" option. Â The service itself was fine. Â Nothing above or below expectations, really. Â
The Piano Bar portion of the evening was fine, as well, although, for my preference, I would have wanted to go somewhere that wasn't as loud. Â I was with a group of ladies from High School, and we do not get the opportunity to catch up very often, so as one might imagine, there was a strong desire amongst all of us to gab and gab a lot. Â This was not the place to be able to do so, because the piano playing was very loud. Â Even so, this could be a great Friday/Saturday night bar place, when you are not looking to really "talk" but just hang out, have fun, and sing along with the piano player. Â This is not the place to catch up with good friends, nor would I recommend eating dinner here (appetizers and drinks are fine). Â
Above all, for the money, I would consider another option for a dinner out with the girls. Â I enjoy quieter places in general, where conversation can be easily enjoyed. Â Unfortunately, this wasn't an option at Big Shot Piano.
Big Shot offers a classy and unique experience. Hearing a great pianist not only play but also sing the pieces was wonderful. The atmosphere has a Chicago downtown feeling and creates a sense you are in old school film about the mob. I wore a pinstripe fedora just to really get into the mood. The service was great and you could tell that the other guests were really enjoying their time picking out the songs.
Review Source:I came to this place on a Sunday night when they were hosting a monthly show of pianists and singers. Â The show was amazing. Â The talents of the pianists and vocalists were unbelievable and since it was a few weeks before x-mas, they threw in a few x-mas songs, too. Â I will definitely be back for another one of those shows.
Review Source:First time visiting Big Shot - we decided to go there with another couple to grab a drink on a Saturday night. The place was packed! We had to wait a while to get a table to seat the 4 of us. Once seated we did get our drinks pretty quickly, we ordered the pizza which wasn't bad for bar quality and the guy on the piano wasn't bad either. This bar seemed like a place for 30 somethings to go hang out although there was a group of older drunk ladies crowding the piano. Overall its not a bad place but I don't see why it would be so packed?! I didn't see anything special about it.
Review Source:We went there a couple of weeks after it opened. After waiting a long time for a table to open up in an overcrowded bar, we were finally seated. They had run out of glasses so they served my girlfriends wine in a plastic cup. While waiting for our overpriced meal, we listened to the Piano Man at least 5 times (over 1.5 hrs). We even decided to give this place a second chance a couple of months ago and were greeted with a rude hostess and an overcrowded bar.
Review Source:Big shots is a great place to go for some small bites and cocktails. They have a great menu, exciting variety and good specials. The prices are reasonable, especially for their extensive martini list. Big Shots appears busier every time we go, which is a great thing in today's economy! The service might be the only gripe, the hostess is rude and it always takes quite bit of time to get a drink order in. The servers are always well informed of the menu and are attentive. The menu and entertainment make up for it though! The entrees are good, but I prefer the appetizers. Â I only wish their salads were bigger, they need more of an entree salad.(yes, I will admit I am one of those women who always gets a big yummy salad)
Review Source:This place is so much fun! Great drink menu and food choices .They have a variety of wines beers and other cocktails.I only had an appetizer this time not a full meal but the spinach artichoke dip is really yummy. Now to the real reason to go here. The man at the piano Andrew Blenderman is so amazing! He has books on the table for you to make requests and these books are HUGE! He knows a little bit of everything and it's rare that someone turns in a song that he doesn't know. He also encourages you to sing along. Truly engages the audience and there's never a dull  moment. This place attracts people of all ages so you've got the college students at the table next to the baby boomers and they're all having a great time! Stop by!
Review Source:When I want to go out in the burbs I go to the Big Shot! Â The atmosphere gives you that underground lounge feel that is so inviting. Â The entertainment is always great and the food is just wonderful. Â I recommend the perogis they are unbeleavable! Â Their extensive martini list makes this place truly stand out from the rest!
Review Source:I was scared to go down the stairs especially since there was an awful smell in the air. Â They had the doors open to air out the lounge and I had the pleasure of waving flies away from my food and drinks. Â The hostess was rude. Â The server was kind and was well informed of the menu and specials. Â The food and drinks were good. Â The piano player was good. Â Atmosphere was okay. Â The problems with the bathroom: 1. two stalls but one was out of order (okay, it happens), Â 2. there was a puddle of water in the stall that was working. (the toilet appeared to be leaking), 3. oh the smell in the bathroom, like sewer! Â I didn't expect much from an establishment that is in a basement to begin with and I was right.
Review Source:Don't be scared to go down the stairs! Â There's good stuff waiting for you at the bottom! Â The food was awesome at this small basement restaurant! Â Everything was cooked perfectly! Â We had the Peirogi Trio and Crab Cakes for an appetizer and the Tilapia and Peppered Beef Skewers for our entrees. Â Yumm! Â The staff was great: they had no problem making substitutions on the food, and they were very friendly. Â We ate there between 4-6pm so our entire bill was half-price! Â The piano player was very good too; he creatively played our asinine song requests! Â I'll totally come back here.
Review Source:
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