Do you want to feel like you're drinking in your Parent's basement? Do you want to feel like you're 19 again? Ok...come here. This is exactly what Cardozo's is like, drinking in your parents basement. Dive(y) bars aren't as easy to find in The Loop as you would think... So if you like dives, come here, you'll be happy.
Stiff pours. Nice staff. Inexpenisive(ish). Diveeeee on in.
A little bar/restaurant hidden with steps taking you straight underground to a more expansive area. Â It's like your suburb family diner + bar, but in the city and tucked away. Â Bread service to start. Â Thoughts?
Roasted chicken plate: Â A sizable chicken breast pounded even that's roasted. Â Fairly dry and overcooked, came with a side salad of fresh veggies, a very healthy portion of cottage cheese, and half a canned peach.
Verdict: Honestly, the quality of the food is just okay. Â The price tag of the place is affordable ($8-13) considering they serve a bread basket, sides, etc. Â and the selection has something for everyone. Â Price and service give it that extra star to bump it to three, as the waitress was constantly checking up on us and "trying" her best to handle a large table. Â I probably wouldn't come back though...
I have been going to this place for a long time having worked in the area and always enjoyed eating here. I never really ventured from the bacon cheeseburger or reuben sandwich part of the menu but friends have and said it was good. This place is mainly geared for the down town work/after work crowd.
Review Source:I stopped in here after work for a few beers with some of my co-workers this past week. I liked the relaxed vibe of the place. No frills - just drinks and food. The beer was good and reasonably priced for the loop. We also ordered barbecue wings and buffalo chicken fingers. I was not in love with either but they were fine. All in all this is a good place to go after work for a couple of drinks.
Review Source:If you're downtown and suddenly feel the urge to have a beer in your grandma's basement, step into Cardoza's to be immediately transported back to 1970. Â The dimly lit interior with wood paneling and "family restaurant" booths a la Omega in Downer's Grove give this place a frozen in time feeling. Â If a cold beer is what you're looking for, it's not a bad place to stop and have a drink. Â It was pretty empty on a Thursday around 5, so you won't have to wait long for your order.
Review Source:You're in a time machine, you're traveling in a different dimension, its the 1970s and Steve Dahl is destroying disco records at Comisky Park... and you land in Cardozo's Pub.
This place has not changed since the 1970s. Â I would not be surprised if the ghosts of Irv Kupcinet, Mike Royko, John Belushi and hizzonahdahmayyah Senior was in da joint. Â
If da Blues Brothers decided not to save the orphanage, they could hang out here and watch Chicago sports teams and drink Old Style or Miller High Life until it closed - which I am not sure it does.
One of the last of the underground bars in Chicago, which is funny.
I had a steak salad that was marginal at best. Â Nothing very creative on the menu and I think the food was precooked. Â I have been here before but used Groupon this time. Â I like the throw back, simple cafe environment, but watching a blasted version of some reality show isn't my idea of kicking back. Â Friendly service thought and reasonable prices. Â It is in a basement afterall so prices should be good. Â They close way too early.
Review Source:Eww...met my friend here. I don't even know how people find this place. Downstairs to a dungeon feel. Dark inside. Mostly locals, as in everyone's grandpa. She got a living social deal that did not mention alcohol was not included. They refused to accept it and after so many transactions and confusions, we still have no idea what we paid for. All I know is that my little white Russian cost $9. Are you kidding me? You do realize where you are right? In a dark creepy basement where ex offenders may feel comfy in. I think I can still smell the despair.
Review Source:Finally bought the groupon for this place after seeing it on the menu for a couple weeks. Perfect if you're like me and only have about 45 minutes for lunch.
I got the Burger which was the Monday special ($5.95), nice thick patty with a fresh, tasty bun. Huge cut fries and obviously fresh cut veggies. Service was great (sat at the bar). Definitely not your average fly by night pub where everything tastes the same. My friend got the reuben. The beef was thick cut and while unaware it came with chips, the bartender was quick to both offer and replace them with fries without question.
Great service, great food, in and out in 45 minutes.
The other day I was craving old-style Italian food along the lines of Italian Village, and happened across Cardozo's Pub. The service was desultory at best, and the food was...well...awful. I figured I couldn't go too far wrong by ordering spaghetti with meat sauce and Italian sausage, but I was thoroughly mistaken. I already assumed that 'al dente' wouldn't be a term that applied to this place, but I figured 'flavor' might. No such luck. And, quite frankly, the Italian sausage tasted like dog food. I was disgusted and will never be back. Perhaps other items on the menu are better, but I certainly will never find out for myself. I've never had worse pasta in my life.
Review Source:Great inexpensive place to grab a beer and a burger in the Loop - their wings are tasty, too. Â They have daily drink specials with tequila Tuesdays ranking as my personal favorite.
The wait staff is personable and does a good job. Â The ambiance is well, er um not the most modern of places but it is comfortable with lots of booth space and its air conditioned. Oh and there's free WIFI.
Cardozo's is a hidden gem in the loop. It has a much slower atmosphere than everything else around it. The bar is underground so it has some character. Most importantly it has some of the cheapest beer around, including Green Line! It's the perfect place to hang out with friends and talk.
Review Source:Where do i start... the fact that im 6'3 and the ceilings there are about the same, the bathroom here is, well umm rather interesting, i think the ceiling in the bathroom was lower. at anyrate, there is no lock on the door, nor does the stall lock work. not to get to detailed but the toilet didnt flush to well... but this is a dive right?
The food was good, i got the Turkey Club on dark rye, a little dry but still fresh and tasty.
The wait staff is why after the bathroom happenings i gave it a three, nowhere that i have been is a waitress honest with you when you ask what is good here, they are supposed to say what is good, but usually they dont say I DONT LIKE (blank) but here not the case.
her advice is to stay away from the Pita, it sucks. (I'm paraphrasing ofcouse)
So if you're taller than me, and dont have to use the restroom id say GO FOR IT... cuz you might just not get the honset waitress/waiter that we did.
The Grid Project
I actually really love dives, and this place was a contender.
Spartan, aged, not a dollar invested since 1972, and pretty cheesy, but who cares? Â With cute barkeeps and cheap drinks, it doesn't matter.
The food isn't "good" as it's obviously mostly pre-fab. Â I had a burger that was a perfectly rounded puck of meat - something made by a machine but finally cooked by a human and delivered in 10 minutes. Â That said, it wasn't bad. Â So it qualifies as "pre-made food" done decently. Â Don't go there for a chow epiphany. Â
But here's why it only gets 2 stars from me: Â last call at 9 pm. Â Huh?
It wasn't a Sunday, holiday or special day. Â Just a weekday. Â
Here's what happens when a dive bar has early closing hours: Â It's populated by the post-work crowd, which is mostly biz/finance people in downtown Chicago. Â And by closing at 9, it isn't frequented by the long haul characters who only come out at night. Â It just doesn't work.
If a divey breakfast/lunch place closes up at 2 pm, that's understandable. Â But a good dive bar stays open past 9. Â That should be a rule.
Cardoza's is basically the closest bar to my building for drinks and food after work, so my coworkers and I will go there occasionally. This is a DIVE bar if I have ever seen one. When you walk in, you feel like you are walking down the stairs to your friends basement in high school. Once you are in the bar, their are no windows and the chairs and booths look like another era.
I would recommend not going there for the food. We had Nachos and Buffalo Chicken Tenders. The nachos were ok but they had green olives on them which I think made them a little too salty. And the tender were just meh.
All in all good place to stop and have a beer after work, but that's about it.
i was in downtown a bit hungry and thirsty.. but i was afraid i was going to walk into a fancy fartsy downtown spot and that i was going to get charged $50 for a burger and a guinness. i was lucky to spot cardozos tiny sign and i decided to check it out immediately.
its a little basement. theres tvs all over. seems like a place for people who work in the area but i was there during lunch time and there wasnt that much movement. better for me cause service was pretty fast.
i got a burger and a guinness (of course, what else?) and paid about 11 bucks without tip. pretty nice for a big juicy burger and and delicious and nutritious guinness stout. dont ya think?
You know that part in the Wedding Singer when Adam Sandler is all depressed, yet still singing at the wedding? Â
Well, after my visit to Cardozo's on a rainy Friday happy hour, my version rings like this:
"I drink in my grandpaaaaa's baaaaaasemeeeent..."
Cuz that's where I felt like I was. Â You walk down the stairs where there are paneled wood walls and sleeping older men. Â (Just one tucked away in the corner, sorry buddy, I busted you.) Â
So, my grandpa likes to take a nap in his easy chair in the basement. Â He has a bar down there. Â The only thing missing was my grandpa's lava lamp (from the 60s, yo!) Â So yeah, I felt like I was drinking in my grandpa's basement.
The beer is cheap ($2.50 Miller Lites on special....love it!) and the service is no-nonsense. Â
Can't complain, after we decided to vacate Stocks and Blondes due to crowding issues, we got seats and cold drinks very quickly here.
Hooray for grandpa-style, after-work drinking!
Eh. Â Nothing really 'wrong' with it, but food, service and prices are about what you'd expect. Â As with most day-drinker spots in the Loop, lotsa regulars, maybe I felt a little out-of-place. Â Still, if I'm gonna sit in a basement bar and drink at lunch, I'd probably go to the Marquette over on Madison instead, or maybe Beef 'n' Brandy on State.
Review Source:Basement dining where you can have a quiet lunch and conversation with people. Not your typical crowded downtown lunch establishment. The food is above average but the service is slow and nothing really impresses here. Cordoza's is a place to go to have a insiders meeting where you dont want people to overhear your conversations. It is not quite cloak and dagger stuff but you feel like you are semi incognito.
Every time I visit Cordoza's I always go with the chicken and bacon sandwich. Generous serving of juicy chicken breast topped with crisp bacon strips makes for a satisfying lunch sammy. For downtown it is not a place I would go often because there are so many other places to people watch and dine al fresco. This is literally a basement and it is intended for quiet pow wows. It may feel borderline dingy and overall is not aesthetically pleasing. But it has its purpose among all the over priced and over hyped trendy spots that most suits go to for lunch downtown.
After avoiding this place for a long time because basement bars seem creepy, I visited with some coworkers. And I discovered that Cardoza's is pretty awesome. There is a really diverse group here. Obviously, officey types there for after-work drinks. But I think there were some illicit affairs going on around us (in a basement bar in the loop! NO WAY!). Old(er) men sitting at the bar. And at the booth behind us, there was this middle aged lady in a Minnie Mouse sweatshirt that must have been from 1985. Adults in old clothing featuring Disney characters always fascinate me.
Overall, she wasn't out of place; the bar had a very 1985 feel, or what I'd imagine is a "bar in 1985" feel (I was 5 then, and I know I was taken to a few bars -- yes, I grew up borderline white trash -- but I don't remember their ambience very well). It's kind of like if Fast Times at Ridgemont High was about a bunch of 20somethings who worked in a generic office -- this would be their after-work spot. So there's a certain sense of recent nostalgia that I find appealing
Don't expect an amazing beverage menu (the beer selection was kind of sparse). And the food menu seemed to rely heavily on the fryer (frier?). However, we had a really good time.
This is a good after-work drinks place if your idea of after-work drinks is Stocks and Blondes or Coogan's (which mine is- but I realize there are a few different types of "after-work drinks" places...).
Yeah, it's in a basement and it's always CROWDED even though it's fairly large. And they are severely understaffed. It took 1.5 hours to get 2 burgers and our drinks and check one night.
But you get what you pay for. Food is cheap (or free- pizza buffet and chilli during happy hour) and there are some decent beer specials ($2 pints of Miller). I don't think you can go wrong here as long as you know what you're getting into.
Definitely stars off for the service and it's a bit grimy.
This place is the Best kept secret in town. It's hard to find, and when you find it, your not sure what to expect from this basement bar. Well its Awesome!!!! I Love this Place! The daytime Bartender  Noel ,is Sharp, Funny, and on the ball, your glass is never empty, just how I like it. The waitress staff are always really nice, even to non regulars, but you quickly become part of the family here. The drinks are strong, and the prices are cheap for downtown, the food is good too.
The people I have met have been all ages, that's what we like about it, on one side you have all the regulars, that have kept this secret alive forever it seems, and then you have the young crowd looking to be them someday. Great people. Great conversation. This place is Huge inside too, plenty of TV's, and its not wall to wall people. Everyone seems to know eachother, and someone will always buy you a drink.
I used to go to that dive bar across the street Stocks and Blondes. We will never go back, since coming to Cardozo's. There is more room for our group of friends for lunch, and after work .Like I said the bartenders, and waitress are Great!! and you leave full, drunk, happy, and you still have money left over for a cab.
Check it out!! They always have cheap beer, and drink specials. The Food menu is Huge!! See you there.
This is probably the closest bar to my office so I end up here occasionally. Â Not really my first choice though. Â Fridays they have free food during happy hour. Â Really though the smart thing would be to avoid the food. Â Especially if you actually order off the menu and pay for it. Â I think the drinks are a bit pricey for what the place is. Â
It's a little freaky to go down into the basement only to emerge several hours later a little drunk and realize its pitch black and raining.
F__kit, I am the biggest Smoking Ban Fan around but they need to create exceptions or grandfather clauses or something for places like this--as it is, the smoke of all the years past is almost visible in the air, like a ghost!
Also, with all due respect to Ms. H., a pint of Guinness is $4.50 here--I don't have a Hermes bag or whatever the male equivalent is but I can certainly swing that.
Happy Hour has always eluded me as I've never in my life worked a 9-5. So I was pleased to have the evening off this past Friday so I could partake in some early evening boozing at Cardozo's.
My all-growns-up loop worker boyfriend had me primed to expect Grandma's rec room circa 1981... so I left my Hermes bag and Manolos at home (seriously... faaack anyone who goes to an underground Loop bar expecting it to be cheery. Go back to Rush St.).
We really did have a grand ole time. I'm giving Cardozo's 4 stars even factoring in the pricey pints, the questionable hot food display and the gaggle of drunk suburb moms (poofy bangs, dark turtleneck layered with Chicago team sweatshirt) at the table next to me all squawking about their Blackberries and kids.
Service was good. Booths were comfy. There was a gaping bass mounted behind the bar. Everyone was... happy.
I'd probably avoid the food and stick to liquid dinner. Does anyone find wandering around the Loop at night whilst drunk really odd?
I came here for happy hour and immediately felt depressed upon entering. Â It just has such a lousy look and feel; dimly lit basement, heavily treaded on carpeting, and ceilings that were too low. Â Even the tables and chairs felt dirty as if they've never been wiped down since 1970. Â The only bonus was free food on Fridays - sitting under warming lamps.
Review Source:Indeed, "divey!" I liked it. It looks like the rec room in someone's parents' basement, complete with fake ivy and Christmas lights. Definitely not a high-brow place, this pub is VERY laid back. The food was probably frozen at one (or more) point(s), but the alcohol is plentiful, relatively cheap and STRONG! Service is spotty, but I expect that in a place like this. Some questionable characters reside towards the back, perfectly set up with the view of the bathroom door, which was a touch creepy.
Overall, it was exactly as I thought it would be, no more, no less. Good place for a couple drinks after work, but I wouldn't get lit up there.
Ah, it's nice to have some place to go for lunch that's the same today as it was when I was a kid. Â I didn't go there as a kid, that I can remember, but it has the same feel as all the places my mom took me for lunch when I was a little girl and my parents had an office in the south loop.
Cardozo's is comfortable and the food is good, the service isn't too shabby either. Â It's nice to go somewhere and order a sandwich, get it, have the waitress come by and refill your drinks, the bus person clear off the table and get the check in an hour.
I'm so glad I can rely on having a place like this at lunch time! Â It's never too crowded and the food is always good.
Nice little nook for some happy hour after work - this basement location may lack in light but the personality and atmosphere make up for that. Â On Fridays, they offer a little free buffet of some burgers and hot dogs and chips to go with the beer that you're washing down from a long week at work
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