Fun game day bar!
Big bar, great tv's to watch the game, but gets CROWDED on Saturdays....
Typical bar, nothing special though. Decent bar food from the flatbread, tater tots, and veggie panini.
Solid, but not spectacular place in Wicker Park. Â Been there many times, including last night before the Hawks game (10 percent off if you show your ticket).
Food is always good, never great. Â However, after being open for several years now, I wish they would change up the menu a bit. Â It has barely ever changed since day one.
I went to The Boundary with some friends last Saturday around 8PM for dinner. Â Two things to know about me: A) I'm not a sports fan. Â B) I'm not a "club" fan. Â I don't mind having lots of TV's mounted playing a game, I expect that. Â What I wasn't a big fan of was the DJ that was blasting music from the balcony. Â I understand that just because it doesn't fit my personal taste doesn't necessarily mean that its awful. Â But this wasn't a club - there was hardly anyone dancing nor any room for it. Â I found it distracting and annoying; I couldn't talk to the people at my table without saying "WHATT!?" Â The food was also just OK. Â I got a Black and Bleu burger, which I usually enjoy from restaurant to restaurant. Â But the burger itself was bland, and the cheese wasn't bleu at all, but gorgonzola. Â My friends seemed to enjoy their particular meals, but my cousin and I didn't have anything nice to say about our burgers. Â An interesting addition in the back of the bar/restaurant was a shuffle board, but this is just another example of Boundary's schizophrenic nature. Â Is it a sports bar? Â Is it a club? Â I can't answer that, and neither can The Boundary.
Review Source:I'm a big fan of the boundary for what it is, an upscale sports bar with rock solid menu offerings. Â Have never had a "bad" meal here. Â Now that comes at a cost mind you, but worth it. Â
For the last four years have been coming here for the tip off of March Madness for marathon day/night game watching and this place does it right ... usually. Â They ordinarily do a good job with the sound, switching the games, etc, great sight lines and more than enough good beers on tap and in bottles. Â
Have been for non-March Madness visits (Brunch, Lunch) and again,, never have had a bad meal.
Most of the complaints about this place seem to be about the clientele/atmosphere.
I ordered delivery, so you're not going to get a review about something as medial as the color of the plates or trixie to chad ratio.
The sunnyside burger is awesome. It's like the original Kuma burger at Kuma's corner, except I don't have to stand in line for 2 hours next to a rude hostess or slip someone a 20 to get the next table to get one. They, like sane restaurant owners, deliver.
Their grilled cheese is great, and so is their soup. Delivery driver was polite and thanked me for my business.
This place is awesome in my book. They may want to consider packing to-go burgers upside-down. It might not be visually-appealing, but it'll make sure the bottom bun isn't completely soggy when it arrives.
I was here with a group of 8 people for New Year's Eve 2012.  The service was great.  We were originally seated at a table. But asked if we can have a booth last minute.  They changed our seating no questions ask.  Our server Martha I think her name was.  Was top notch. She kept the drinks coming all night.  This bar organized a great New Years. Not to overly crowded, the place was clean  the top shelf drinks were great.  I  will be back during this year!
Review Source:OK place, nothing special about it and its already starting to show its age a bit even though its only been open 4-5 years. Â There are certainly better options these days in the neighborhood. Â
Food is average, service from wait staff is oftentimes below average and the setup of the bar seems to create chaos at times. Â Shuffleboard is awesome and a lot of the bartenders are rather friendly and prompt. Â
Also, not sure what it is about this place, but every single time I'm in here before 9 pm, there are a bunch of kids running around. Â Not sure why parents in the neighborhood think this is the spot to bring their kids, but they definitely do. Â You don't see that at Pour House down the street for example. Â So beware if that sort of thing annoys you.
Eh, I've been here multiple times throughout the years and still have never been wowed by this place. The boyfriend and I came here last night because they emailed him a free entree, he isnt sure why, but we were more than happy to cash it in. I had the Ahi Tuna Wrap and he had the Rock Shrimp Tacos. Both came out super fast and were tasty. Our waiter was excellent. He gave me a great beer recommendation and was super friendly.
My one main gripe with Boundary is they NEVER have any specials. With Fatpour  across the street, I think this is going to have to change for them. The food is OK, nothing overly that great. They do get a point for the Shuffle Board and the ambiance, but other than that, its just another bar along Division.
Great staff. Great atmosphere during NFL games on Sunday. Â Free wifi. Â Great beer selection & bloody mary bar. Â this place is WAY better than Fat Pour on every level. Â Only reason I won't give a full 5 stars is the menu - vegetarians like myself might have a hard time finding too much to eat here. But the tots are amaze balls.
Review Source:Food here was actually pretty good, bummer how BAD the service was......
Our server Karla started off pretty good, towards the end she was slurring it up after getting wasty with the next table over, I mean it was like 3 o clock!
I typically wouldn't even care but we waited forever for simple things like napkins & silverware!
After our beers kept being sent over warm  I was so over it!!
I used to hate this place - when it first opened, it was totally overrun with douchebags. I think those people have migrated on to the new bars on division (fatpour / anthem). What's left are just normal people out for food and drinks.
We were able to get a table for 4 for Bears  monday night football 5 minutes before kickoff (maybe the last open table), which was good for us, but maybe a bad sign for the restaurant? It was still packed, most of the night.
nachos / burger was good. good drink specials. good ambiance.
I never thought it would happen, but i actually like this place now.
It was my first time coming to the boundary. My girlfriend and her mother had rum drinks with pomegranate that weren't mixed well. They said it tasted like drinking straight rum. I could imagine for most occasions that would be fun but for a light lunch it was pretty disgusting. Â The baked Mac & cheese was so good. The Burger was alright. Â The service was pretty poor. It was clear our waitress had her own share of drinks. She was pretty nice but very unattentive. We waited til after 20 min of getting our food to get our silverware and 2nd round of drinks. I would return just so long as they pick up their game a little.
Review Source:Good spot to watch games and have drinks, although the sound for sports sometimes is an issue as well as general cacaphony. Â Food is decent bar fare and better than average, but it's not as good as they would have you believe based on price. Â Brunch is pretty good.
Outdoors seating is pretty cool during good weather, but in general a better bar than restaurant. Â Sometimes get crowded with the trendy hipster crowd, but that shouldn't be a surprise in the neighborhood.
I'm adding this edit to my initial review. I agree with Lauren K that they might have the best nachos in the world (we are actually going to have a nacho show down soon to see who wins between our top places) BUT the last two times I have ordered their nachos, the chips have been stale.
Take note Boundary: No more stale chips please. I come for the awesome atmosphere and the nachos...and if the chips are stale one more time, I might have to move my nacho party over to your biggest contender's spot.
4 stars for the atmosphere, 1.5 stars for the food. Â The menu looks so good but the prices were all high. Â Everything was $10.99 or up and the menu consisted of sandwiches. Â Â I ordered one of the delicious looking sandwiches and when it came out I was disappointed at the portion size of it and its fries considering the price. Â The bread was too moist and mushy and the ingredients lacked flavor, giving it an over-all bland taste. Â The fries were merely ok. Â They also charge $10.99 for 8 hot wings. Â WTF!!! That is over $1.30 per wing! Â I know places that serve their wings for only 10 cents and they are darn yummy! Â They have "specials" which weren't anything special. Â Only come here for a beer and the many TVs.
Review Source:Ok...6 hours later, I am still full from those delicious nachos....
A girlfriend and I were in the area and decided to stop here for lunch since it was so packed! Beauitful September day, so we decided to eat outside. Apparently you need your ID to eat here! interesting, but cool. Â
Great selection of food, pretty average prices for the area in my opinion. Â Our server was pretty solid as well. Â We ordered the nachos to share, WOW, they were just so good..and different. Â They were the tri-colored nachos, with cheese sauce and I SWEAR they had beans mixed in the sauce, shredded delicious chicken, amazingly yummo gauc, salsa, peppers and sour cream...there was a TON! We couldn't even finish it! So so good! Â Not sure how the other food rates, but I definately want to come back to check out the other menu items!
Literally, the one roided out looking dude at the door makes this place unbearable all by himself. Â Apparently there were no open shifts this summer at Lasalle Power Co or English...
I'm sure it's an okay mediocre spot otherwise but there are MANY better choices on division for any occasion.
We eat here almost once a week. They have consistently good bar food, an extensive beer list, and the service is always great. We have two large dogs and the staff couldn't be more accommodating, seating us where they can typically lie down, & providing them with individual dog bowls :-)
The fish tacos are my absolute favorite! The burgers are great. They've changed the Buffalo Chicken Wrap...it used to be fried chicken and I think they've made it healthier with grilled chicken (i preferred the fried), but it's tasty. Salads are also really good.
We'll keep coming back as quality food and service are of utmost importance to us!
I ordered the Sunny Side up burger without onions and steak sauce. I liked it a lot. It was medium rare, just the way I liked it. My table got other burgers as well, such as the boundary and the fiesta. The Boundary Burger did not skimp on avocado!
The service itself was good considering there was only one waitress for the entire outdoor patio on a Tuesday night.
Also, they had a dog bowl for dog owners!
Came here a while ago after a birthday dinner for JUST drinks and had a nice time. The atmosphere is upscale yet since it's a bar, it's also low key. We just had a couple of beers and the lines at the bar were hustling with people, while our little group sat at one of the comfy booths. The place is hugeee, but unfortunately I can't review any of their food, but the drinks were decently priced from what I remember. It got a little too loud for my liking, so it was a little hard to carry on a convo, but then again, who goes to really have serious conversations at loud bars anyway?
Long story short, nice vibe, casual atmosphere, would def. be back if in the area for some more drinks.
BEST NACHOS IN THE WORLD!! Â Not kidding. Â I always order them as an app and then when it comes time to ordering my entree, I seriously debate just getting another order for myself. Â YUMMMMM!!!!! Â
Awesome decor as well. Â Their ceilings look straight out of my future mountain home.
I have been to this place three times. Once during the day, once on a week night, and once on the weekend. All times have provided good service, good food, and interesting people to talk to. Last night I went with three other friends and our server was so nice that I felt compelled to write a review. For some reason I was looking for a nightcap that doubled as a desert, but nothing of the sort was on the menu. I talked with our server, he worked with the bartender, and came back with a wonderful and delicious chocolate martini. The food was pretty good the last time I ate there as well. This place is a good option if you are in the area for a friendly atmosphere with good service.
Review Source:well it's almost 4 years later since i wrote about that boundary joint.
have made some good friends by comin here over there years, not sure if that is a good sign or a bad sign...
if hugging the manager and having a hand shake with the bartender is wrong, then i don't wanna be right!
they have a nice weekend brunch, build your own bloody mary bar, sriracha isn't out on the table, but i'm comfortable enough to sneak back and snatch it by the bar.
tons of good fixins for the bloodies, pretty much anything you can imagine, mutliple kinds of olives, mini corn, giardinera, A1, horseradish, etc, etc.
i've always enjoyed the food here.
they also offer nice freebies for foursquare check-ins, free nachos, etc.
some of my favorite menu items are...
spinach and artichoke dip
tater tots (DUH)
boundary burger
baja fish tacos
steak tacos (CHIMICHURRI!!!)
breakfast tacos
huge beer selection.
football season is back, they make a mean chocolate covered pretzel shot.
till next time.
oh ya, p.s., also ran into patrick kane and seth meyers here, so the cool kids roll by sometime too!
Very loud, very lively crowd. Â They have a shuffleboard in the back! Beer/wine/spirit selection is decent. Music is typical club mixes to top 40 hits and music videos play in the big TV screens plastered all over the walls of this place. I totally wanted to dance, but there's no dance floor. :
Review Source:Great for an after-work outdoor happy hour. Skip the food.
My colleagues and I wanted to grab a drink after a long day at work, and I suggested we go somewhere along Division (it was near my house and I was lazy), and just pick one that seemed appealing. Well, we happened to find parking close to Damen, saw an open patio, and rather than continuing on (again, we were lazy), we decided to check it out.
Well, one drink lead to four or five (or so?) rounds on the patio. It was a gorgeous day out and the majority of the patio was in the shade, so it we weren't too hot.
I had some cucumber summery vodka thing on their specials list that was pretty refreshing, but I could taste the simple syrup over the fresh cucumber (also, there were no actual cucumbers in the drink like the menu alluded, just lemons... hmm...) but it was still good. My other friends were all able to get their favorite beers or drink of choice, so we were happy.
We eventually got hungry and decided to order appetizers. Though the blackened chicken quesadillas seemed delicious, they were actually pretty bland and not memorable. The guacamole was so bland I had to ask for hot sauce .The wings sauce was good, but they were overcooked. When we ordered sandwiches, though they sounded good on the menu, they were again, super bland. No flavor in anything. the only thing half way decent in the food department were the tator tots and fries, but then again, it's hard to mess up basic fried food.
I'll also note patio got packed around 7, and they have bar tv's that you can actually see from the patio (we were able to watch the NBA finals while getting a tan).
Overall, I would be back for a patio drinking hang out, but won't be ordering the food again.
A pretty decent sports bar option on Division Street. Â The place is big and cool looking with lots of TVs-- my husband wanted to watch soccer on a Saturday afternoon and they had it on multiple screens, which made him super happy. Â Great selection of beers-- run of the mill and craft and prices were standard, but even the specials weren't too "special." Â
The food was hit and miss. Â We started with guacamole, which was pretty average. Â However, I had the chopped salad and it was actually very good. Â Normally I get a little nervous about ordering chicken at bars/pubs because it tends to be processed, but this salad had big chunks of good chicken breast.
The Boundary was recently rated one of the 20 douchiest bars in Chicago. The other night I was there and explaining to a friend that I felt the rating was unfair. Then i noticed that the bartender was wearing an Affliction t-shirt. Then the DJ played "I Want to Sex You Up" by Color Me Badd. It did not help my argument.
That said, Boundary is a decent place if you have a large group of friends and need a big place to accommodate them. It's wall to wall flat screen tv's, so it's good for sporting events, and they seem to handle large crowds pretty well.
If you have your heart set on douchey bars, try Barleycorn, Rockitt, Hubbard Inn or Paris Club.
Never, ever again will I go to the Boundary. Â
I was in yesterday and ordered a wrap with no cheese as I'm nursing my son and he is allergic to dairy. Â The wrap came out and appeared to be cheese-free, but after I ate half of it, I discovered little bits of cheese chopped up and present in the wrap. Â I didn't finish the rest but the damage was done - my son has been screaming all morning and has a hell of a rash to deal with. Â
Boundary, if you can't even get something as simple as "no cheese" right, I don't see any reason to come back to you.
3.5 stars but I'll round up because of the cute waitress with the nose ring... Definitely above average and one of the better sports bars in Wicker Park. One of my go to spots to bring friends and watch games. Lots of TV and great drink selection. The staff is friendly and quick.
The food has always been good too. The baja fish tacos are excellent, a little spicier than I expected so beware and the Sunnyside Up Burger is very good too although a little messy. I once had the chipotle hush puppies that were on special during the wintertime and those were pretty amazing. I've never been disappointed by the food and the beer selection is great too.
Great patio for nice weather. Dog friendly too, I've brought my dog and had a few drinks with friends and the waitresses were all great.
Best part is their foursquare special. For those of you familiar with foursquare, if you check in with 3 or more people, you get a free order of their Southwestern Nachos. This is a giant plate loaded with deliciousness. Free! This is great to share with friends and they never make it a hassle, just mention the check in! I like coming here to watch games, which can be hard to find in Wicker Park sometimes.
I am a huge fan of this spot and have probably been here 15 times. Â The service is always good. Â The space is huge and airy (love it when the front windows are open!). Â The food is great! Â We went two days in a row last week for the March Madness games. Â We loved the sweet and spicy wings that were on the special menu! Â These were so delicious that we had to order a second helping! Â Yummm. Â Hope they make it onto the regular menu. Â They also had some type of buffalo chicken wraps as an appetizer. Â Equally as good! Â Finally, I did splurge and enjoy the chocolate chip cookie dessert. Â This is gooey and worth every calorie.
This is an awesome spot!
A friend's colleague was in town celebrating his birthday - and after leaving the first stop of the night, we ended up at The Boundary. Even though one of the people in the crew wanted to give him the full Division experience (which included going to a DB bar), I was not supporting the stop. I was, however, over-ruled so we went in. It was not nearly as crowded as I would have expected on a Saturday night when there basketball games on, and we even got a table. Â Considering how not-crowded it was, it was still super loud.
Thankfully, we only stayed for one, as the Chad/Trixie/DB factor was just way too much. Our suburban birthday boy got to have the experience, and we got to leave.
The waitress was nice and friendly and brought our round of drinks quickly. Â Overall, the place ended up being exactly the place people said it was - a sports bar for the people from Lincoln Park who have started to invade Wicker Park. Â Not going back.
I have been here several times for brunch and I have to say that I really like how they cater to families. I've never really considered this place a sports bar because I've always come for brunch and never during a game night although they have an ample amount of large screen tv's. So I am definitely used to seeing kids in high chairs.
The food is pretty good although at times the service can be a little slow, but with a group of friends that have kids it is great place to meet up. It also doesn't hurt that they have a mimosa and bloody Mary bar. It's hard to find a place where people feel comfortable meeting up with their friends with little ones in tow, have a drink and decent grub so I'll take it where I can get it.
Now this place has a reputation for Bros and Trixies and it is true, they are here in throngs (not thongs- but who knows) for the Big 10 and other sports on all the TV sets. Now, since I myself am a grad of two Big 10 schools I have to say that The Boundary is my go-to place for viewing things like the Rose Bowl which I saw here in 2011. Ok, so lots of TVs and great for viewing sports! Check.
I have had food here as well, and I am a huge fan of the mac and cheese with a burger. They have a burger with an egg on it that I think is amazing and I have had this and a wrap which I liked a lot. The gigantic nachos are also worth taking a stab at but these are really for two or three people (as a freaking meal) or for a large group as an app. Overall, the staff are friendly and fast and for the most part reflect the go team spirit of the place.
They don't have a lot of drink specials in the evening which one friend pointed out, but they have a good selection of beers on tap and in bottles to satisfy even the beer snob in your group.
We were joking about the DJ-own the ads thing that goes on here where a DJ plays songs or ads in the gaps created by the TV broadcast ads, and that when he put on songs with a thumping base the very pretty Trixie tables all started grooving to the bass beat. So, if you want to get the party started, well, pump up the bass. This is an A-OK bar in a hood with so many hip and cool places and where many of the dive bars are too full and have no TVs for sports - so if you are a hipster and want to sneak out to see the Big 10 games (because face it, you also went to a Big 10 school), this is the place to go. So, as others have pointed out the choadbox elements of not-born-blonde girls and douche dudes are on display here, but everyone was chill despite the "I've got muscles" guys, and the "you want me" babes. And, you know you really do want them! No, really, you do.
We had fun, had great service, yummy food, and this old converted carriage house with its high ceilings was a good place for game watching. Our server Ashley was super friendly.
Went there to watch a Blackhawks game. Was extremely annoyed when the manager refused to put the Blackhawks game audio on because there was a football game going on with two non-Chicago teams that nobody seemed to be watching, and "we are a football bar, too." That's pretty embarrassing for a place that calls itself an Official Chicago Blackhawks Bar. I was happy to walk down the street to Anthem and watch the game on their much better TVs with full audio.
Food was OK, pretty typical for a this kind of bar. Service was otherwise fine.
I guess I'm a douchebag, since I like the Boundary! This is a perfect bar on Game Day for you and your friends. Yeah, it's loud, it's crowded, but there are a ton of TVs, big booths, and good food and beer to help you root for the Home team!
I've been to the Boundary a few times on Sunday afternoon or Monday nights to watch the Big Game, and although there is usually a 20-30 minute wait for a table, I've found the Hostess to be super helpful, and my waits at the bar enjoyable, with good service all around, and that sawdust shuffleboard game to keep you busy.
Boundary has a really good bar menu- on my most recent visit I enjoyed the Pineapple Pork mole tacos. Hellz, yeah! Those tacos were as good as some tacos I've had at Carbon, so kudos to Boundary for stepping up their kitchen! All the servers on Sunday wear their team shirts (and are easy on the eyes, to boot), our cute Minnesotan server wore a Vikings shirt and was so nice, I thought I was in Canada!
Bathrooms are clean and well-stocked, and I have no problem at all with the clientele. Will I be at Boundary on a night that isn't game day? Maybe for a drink! On a Saturday? Probably not. But it's certainly got Game Day on lockdown!
When I moved back to Chicago after five years away, I couldn't help but notice all the shiny new places in Wicker Park. Â Some looked good (Big Star), some looked suspect (Angels and Mariachis). Â The Boundary was a place that was on the suspect side of the line, but over the past year, I have come to appreciate the charms of this mega sports bar in former hipsterville.
(1) They have a lot of games. Â I think they have something like fifteen TVs. Â And they usually have a couple TVs that are TBD, so that the games are not set on those, which means that if you have a friend in town who wants to watch the Georgia Tech game, they will put that up.
(2) Really nice service. Â In the vein of "you shouldn't judge a book by its cover," I expected the service here to be snooty and annoying, but I have been here maybe a half dozen times, and the service is unfailingly good.
(3) Tater tots. Â The food here is pretty normal, competent bar food, but they have tater tots. Â And fried mac and cheese nuggets, which are hilarious.
Some qualms:
(4) Beer selection and price. Â This place does have a fair number of beers, but most are in bottle. Â The draft selection is not great. Â Also, the beers are overpriced by a buck or two.
(5) "That guy." Â I get it, this is a sports bar, and hey, that's why we're here, to watch the game. Â But: there always seems to be "that guy" here, some obnoxious guy screaming and generally being annoying. Â Friends of "that guy": you know he is a bag of dicks when he gets drunk and the game is on, so try to keep him home.
In summary: thanks for being a pleasant surprise.
I think I missed something because we went in for lunch around noon on a Tuesday and were literally the only people there. It was a bummer. The place looked cool though, and I bet it would be great for watching any kind of game.
As far as the food goes, it was pretty alright for bar food. The mac and cheese was pretty great and my wrap was good (buffalo chicken, see pics). However, my boyfriend wasn't too thrilled with his santa fe wrap. The fries were nothing special. Overall, pretty decent, but nothing to rave on about.
I had a birthday party here a few months ago and they were one of the most accommodating locations I've ever held a group event.
I called a week or so in advance to see if they would have any issues with me reserving a space for 15-20 people that would be coming at different times throughout the night. Â The manager told me there would be no issues whatsoever. Â When I got there, we had three tables to hold the people, but they were close together and helped everyone move around and talk to each other.
The beer selection was a great assortment of out of the ordinary beers. Â It was the primary I reason I chose the location. Â The food choices were great and everything we ordered came quick and hot. Â The cheese stuffed pretzels were my favorite.
Our waitress was very friendly and never got irritated with the large group that we had. Â All in all, I will be coming back here many times in the future because of the great service we received.
I'm not a fan of what I call "cattle bars". These generally have high ceilings, exposed-brick walls, blaring TVs and a deafening roar of said TVs combined with the blathering of jam-packed clientele. It's too draining. It was so loud I couldn't hear my friends. The server was so busy I never even got to ask her for water. Oh well.
I don't plan on returning if I can avoid it. However, they do offer a hummus appetizer for us vegans, and there are many good beers on the menu (though they're more expensive here than at other bars).
Moo.
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