Chicago City Limits

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  It's been about 4 years since I hit up this joint...there is really nothing special about it if you don't live in the area, and I do not.  If I did live in the area, I could see it being a nicer local watering hole but coming out from the SW burbs on a Friday night...I've experienced better.
  
  I went out to see my friend's band.  He lists me at shows and I don't have to pay a cover.  Before I got there he assured me I was on the list +1.  The door guy flipped a piece of paper over and over (quickly) saying he had NO LIST.  But, he told me I could leave my ID with him, and go get my friend who is in the band doing sound check to clear this up.  So I did, we both went back to the front door and there it was "Janine + 1" clearly on the BACK of the piece of paper he flipped around without really looking at it.  Great...moving on.
  
  Domestic beers were $3.50, the service was average, it wasn't busy so I really have no idea how this bartender would have handled a bigger crowd.  There should have been more people behind the bar than waitresses for the lack of crowd in there, but.... ok.  Other friends of mine ordered a pizza which was $7 - good size for the price.  The sound quality was good for the band so no complaints there.
  
  I would NOT pay a $7 for this place though...besides the drive, I just don't know what is so special about it for that cover.   $5 is the going rate.

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  Posted on 03.09.13 Janine K.

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  For me, I don't think there's anything not to like about this place. It's awesome... simply awesome.  
  
  Here's the skinny:
  I took a lot of picture's so check 'em out.
  Seriously great space for live music events.
  Whaaat? - New Craft Beers -$4.00? Hells Ya!
  The "Regulars" treat you like you're one of 'em.
  Fantastic staff! They know how to keep folks happy.
  
  Here's the fat:
  You don't need to read this... I posted enough pictures for you to get the jist of the place. That is all.
  
  So I came to see Your Villain My Hero and Hot Sauce Committee the other day, wasn't really sure what to expect but, as soon as I waltzed in I was impressed. The stage they had was great! They had an awesome lighting setup and freakin' laser beam stuff going on! Pretty damn tootin' for a local bar!
  The sound system in here is pretty amazing too, I've gone to a few bars with the live shows over the years and there aren't many that can compare to this place. Deep bass, rich highs and the mid range vocals... Not sure what speakers they use or who set up the EQ but, it's definitely ON POINT.
  The stage itself isn't "Huge" per se but, it's plenty for a 5 member band. During the show there were no tables in front of the stage so there was a decent amount of room for us to congregate and effectively "Rock Our Faces Off".
  
  Like craft beers? They've got a special running right now(Early January) new craft beers. $4.00 a bottle, not a bad price if you ask me. Oh... recent discovery - Angry Orchard - it's a hard cider, drink it, enjoy it, just be careful because it drinks like regular cider and you'll be on the 8th one before you know it...
  Picture This - <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/chicago-city-limits-schaumburg?select=uCVw_JKOU2nx8GM2KZs0qQ">http://www.yelp.com/biz_…</a>
  
  Great crowd here, really. Walking into a new bar or someplace unfamiliar is always kinda weird and awkward; at least for me. Soon as I sat down though it was pretty cool, people just talkin', chattin' and looping me into their convo... nifty. Oh and of course I did get asked "What the hell are you doing waaaaay out here?" Guess that happens when you show an Indiana ID. The patrons of this establishment seem pretty legit - cool and friendly, a few are ready to buy a drink for a newcomer and invite you to a shot of Rumplemintz... ya, let's do it!
  *PSA* Rumplemintz and Angry Orchard DO NOT taste good after another - FYI*
  
  Paid my $7.00 cover charge(Live Music) and was immediately put at ease, guy at the door started talking about the place, telling me a little about it, the "been here before?" and "where ya from?" all that good stuff. Bartenders are all over it too - busy bees they are, going back and forth customer to customer, chattin' it up a bit then moving right along. Pouring drinks and mixing shots, crackin' beers and running tabs... I'm surprised that they weren't dripping in sweat, they were seriously hustling back behind the bar.
  Oh.. almost forgot - The XX chromosomes behind the bar are smokin' hot!
  
  If you're lucky enough to be local enough to frequent this place, call me jealous.
  If you just happen to be in the area, DON'T PASS IT UP!
  I want to come back here, like sooner than later... 63 miles though :/
  
  SYOY

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  Posted on 01.07.13 Christian K.

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  This place is a a bit of a dive. Not that I would go to a bar alone, but I would strongly advise against any average suburban girl going alone as you won't last a minute in here. The bigger the group, the better. I have been here to watch a wrestling match and a football game. The crowd is lively, and if you're a people watcher like I am, hilarious to observe. Drink specials are pretty good; food is on the crappy side, but when you're buzzed, does it really matter?
  
  I agree with another reviewer that the crowd is diverse; it's nice to see people go out to hang, not give a damn about what they look like, and just enjoy the game.

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  Posted on 01.02.13 Chloe H.

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  great place.. .
  always a blast...

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  Posted on 11.06.12 DEALS D.

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  I've recently become somewhat of a regular at City Limits and am glad to have found a suburban bar I enjoy going to. I love that the drink specials are all week; $3.25 mini pitchers, $3 wells, $3 domestic bottles, and $12 for a 14" cheese pizza and pitcher of beer..all great deals! I like coming here because it usually brings in an older crowd so its not as crazy/obnoxious like some of the other bars in the area (coughSNUGGERYcough) but that's just my preference. They sometimes have bands play, I avoid those nights just because I'm cheap and don't want to pay cover. Service is hit or miss..I've noticed the female bartenders obviously favor their male clientele and since I'm a girl I've gotten pretty lax service a few times. Other than that, a good spot!

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  Posted on 08.07.12 Amy S.

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  PROS:  Location (not many places to see live music around here); Food was good;  lots of fun rock bands.
  
  CON - only 1:  Most of the bartenders (all were female on my 3 visits)  seem to be very unfriendly.  
  
  Overall they just made us feel like we were inconveniencing them by wanting to order a drink.  And - no "hello", or a smile... nothing.  Ugh... very uncomfortable.  
  
  One in particular was a real gem ..... I ordered a drink, she mixed it completely wrong, and then got really mad - and I do mean mad - at me when I asked for the right drink (I said please....)   She was slamming stuff around, including slamming my now-correct drink down in front of me & stomping away.    
  
  I will say that the "shot girl" was very sweet & fun  - suffice it to say we spent & tipped her very well.
  
  I've come here with both female friends, and with my hubby.  All agree with this review.
  
  After a few bad experiences with these gals  - we now have drinks elsewhere before we go there so we can just enjoy the music.
  
  We'd come here a lot more  -  and spend a lot more money -  if the bartenders  were nicer.    We actually have a nickname for this place now... B---- Bar, LOL!
  
  I'd easily give this place 4 stars if you took the bartenders out of the equation :)    
  
  Come girls - lighten up!!!  Don't be haters!!!  
  We just wanna have fun here - you should too!

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  Posted on 09.01.11 A J.

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  The best place to watch Sports

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  Posted on 05.25.11 Shawn C.

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  Yes.....music that was made before the year 2000 is my weakness...'80's hair bands are a guilty pleasure.There are few things I like better than putting on my black eyeliner and rocking out to the music I grew up with.
  Saw a friend's band here last weekend,Broken Hip. They play covers from the 1970's and  '80's and they play them well!
  The venue is what you would expect to see host metal and hair bands...and not in a bad way.If you are going to see a specific band,make sure you tell the bouncers,so the band gets their fair share of the door! Mellow crowd, no problems seen. I would have no problem going back to see a band again. Service was good, nice selection of beers and they have food and drink specials.

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  Posted on 03.29.11 Patty V.

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  My buddies and I had a stint where we'd come here weekly and then just stopped.  It really didn't have anything to do with the bar, just that we got tired of it.
  
  Food is passable... just stick to the fried stuff and pizza - the All That Jazz sampler is pretty good.
  
  Drink specials here are weird.  It seems that if a particular special does really well... they just stop it.  Not much of a selection for beer on tap and I've had a couple skunky beers, but if you're not looking for anything special, there are worse places to go.
  
  CCL's forte is really live music/events.  They have a great stage and once in a while can get some pretty big bands in.  As mentioned in another review, the live-band karaoke is a pretty neat idea (as good as idea can be with the word, "karaoke" in it).  Another perk is that they host the monthly WWE pay-per-view specials and don't charge a cover... which means is gets really crowded, really fast.
  
  Staff/bartenders can be a bit icy if you're not a regular... probably one of the reasons we don't come in as much anymore, but they've been known to have a few waitresses who are very cool.

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  Posted on 09.30.10 Jason T.

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  When I review bars, I do so as a musician playing at them as opposed to reviewing them as a patron.  
  
  CCL was a cool venue, the night we played there it was crammed!  Parking was a tad difficult but after finally finding a place, I got inside and got myself ready.
  
  Crowd was awesome, bartenders were busy but very cool, the door guy kind of sniffed at me but hey, they're not supposed to be friendly.  
  
  You will typically see very good quality local bands and some "bigger" acts here, there's a nice big area in front of the band to hang out and watch, some places to sit near the band, and a whole other area to sit that's away from the band if you want to talk with your friends and have the band not be in your face.
  
  From a musician's perspective this place is very easy in/out for loading gear.  The stage is raised a few feet, drum riser is a little smallish but workable.  Singer will be standing RIGHT IN FRONT of drums, good monitors.  It could use some new floor coverings, ugh.  
  
  Sound - the room has the potential for great sound, the guy who works there is really a genius... I'd say TIP HIM WELL and you'll get great sound.  If you don't, you're going to get whatever he feels like giving you that day from an effort standpoint. We got him to do some really great sound for us and had a good night there.  
  
  Pretty good venue for a sports bar in a strip mall, I'd say, and they have a decent sized natural crowd of their own, I've been there a few times now and each time I've been there, there's at least 100-150 hanging out and some nights have WAY more than that depending on the band.
  
  Go and have fun if you like to go see live music!

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  Posted on 05.15.10 Dan A.

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  Ok, haven't been to CCL on any other night than a Thursday, which is why my review may be quite different from some others currently on here.  I'll start off by saying yes, there are douchebags here, but that's just about any bar, isn't it?  Maybe more so here on some nights due to the amount of people CCL can accomodate & such, & I won't deny it.  When my bf & I first came here, we were outside & almost walked in through the wrong door as we missed the "please use other door" sign.  Before we even had a chance to read it, some snob yelled at us, "Uh, USE OTHER DOOR, hello!"  We were like, Uh, OMG, betch!  lol  Whatever.  These "types" of ignorant, unfriendly douches are in this bar, yes, but there is so much more that will make you forget that they exist.  Just ignore the fucktards.
  
  *Ok, so on to the PLACE ITSELF & SERVICE on a Thursday night!*  
  CCL is in more a decent condition, so I don't think I could really call it a dive.  It's also fairly large.  As you enter, there are 2 sides to the bar.  Usually there are about 3-4 bartenders, 1 on each side & 1 in the middle.  There is usually 1 waitress on each side from what I've observed.  We have never seated ourselves on the right side where there are tables, booths, & pool tables, but there is usually a crowd on the right.  The left consists of the large stage, left side of the bar, another set of bathrooms, sound booth, & tables with stools.  The bartenders on the left side can be kind of "snooty", but whatever.  Once we had a waitress who was pretty blah toward us & looked like she was basically asking / waiting for her tip.  I thought she was going to start tapping her foot for a second.  Thankfully she was only covering for my favorite waitress, & shame on me b/c I'm bad with names though I should know my fave's by now!  She has long brown hair, is uber cute usually sporting jeans & a tank, & has the best customer service of any of the staff!  I will not be served by anyone else but her so far, & I told her so.  Anyway, she's one of the most genuine servers I've met.  It's probably good to write down her name.  lol  
  
  Drinks & Food
  Thursday nights are $1 well drinks & $1 domestic including Berghoff (small plastic cups).  Mini pitchers are around $3.75, so it's up to you if $1 cups are a better deal or not, depending on what you drink.  We really don't drink anything that's not on special or pitchers, so I'm unsure about the pricing for their other drinks/shots.
  Their food is pretty decent for the price.  I enjoy their chicken wraps with a side for approx $6.  Their fries are a bit thick for me, so you can substitute pasta salad.    
  
  *Entertainment*
  The left side is where live band karaoke is of course from 9:30pm-12:30am, by Sing With The Band.  SWTB has been doing karaoke here for over 2 years I was told one night.  You can have yourself recorded by the sound-man & get a CD for a small fee.  They have over 500 songs & are working on adding more.  SWTB typically opens the show performing 2 songs, the bassist on vocals for one, & the guitarist on vocals for the other.  They are a very cool trio of guys & excellent musicians.  The bassist shocked me with his vocal ability when he went higher than me (opera-chick style) on the backups for the bridge to "Heartbreaker".  Fricken' awesome!
  There are also some good singers in the crowd.  Sometimes vocalists from local bands come to CCL to jam with SWTB.  I've heard some "decent" renditions of Led Zeppelin, The Police, Judas Priest, Rush, & others.  Overall, the stage / setup / bar is great for live music.  
  
  *Other Entertainment*
  If you come to CCL for live band karaoke, you're bound to see "Melvis".  He has his own introductory music when he goes up to sing, & almost always wears his black tee that says "MELVIS HAS ENTERED THE BUILDING".  Melvis also brings his "real" guitar with no strings, & plays air guitar on it.  Sometimes he gets on stage with you to "play guitar", but he has never done so with me & my friends.  But if he did, whatever, have at it.  lol  
  "Animal" is another regular, with his long, grey ponytail & cane.  He likes to talk to EVERYONE.  I'll just add that you don't want to get too close.      
  
  BOTTOM LINE:  Sing With The Band, my brunette waitress, $1 specials, large space, & $6 wraps make me give CCL five stars!

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  Posted on 09.16.09 Jennifer S.

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  Hmm, interesting place. Came here last nite with my crew for Live Band Karaoke. One of the koolest things I have ever heard of! There is a live band that knows over 500 songs and they play and sing back-up while you steal the spotlight!
  
  Yeah, about stealing that spotlight - some people were HILARIOUS and had no shame!! It was funny to see the looks on the band members faces as  one person belted out a horrible rendition of Sweet Caroline (bah bah bah) and another guy who decided to change the words to Wild Thang to fit his more...uh,inappropriate demeanor (wild thang...you make my d*** swang? Hand gesture and all? WOW).
  
  Anyway the girls and I had some food (which was ok) and some $1 drinks that are on special for Thursdays ($1 domestic drafts and $1 well drinks). We had a good time laughing and singing along with the brave and ungodly!! The crowd is VERY diverse. I mean, there was everybody in their from old foggies with balding mohawks to "brosefs" to pretty young women like me and my crew.
  
  I am not sure how it is on weekends - probably will never go, but Thursday nite Live Band Karaoke and drink specials is OKAY with me!

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  Posted on 03.20.09 Ericka L.

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  I used to frequent here quite often when I first moved out here. Such a great bar to see some great live music. Have found some super fun cover bands here & saw Vanilla Ice!!! Yep you read correctly, Mr Ice Ice Baby himself, it was super sweet. They have decent specials during the week but nothing on the weekend, shocking I know! The service is alright, obviously harder to get a drink when a popular band is playing.

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  Posted on 02.09.09 Yvette C.

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  Ended up here with the band gigging awhile back, don't ask me how since we have zero fans or pull in the burbs.  Anyhow, pretty average suburban bar fare.  Pretty unimpressive beer selection, mediocre sound, average service, and the crowd is pretty much what you would expect...whoever you pull in and a smattering of grizzled regulars.  We didn't see a reason to make the trip back out.  Seems pretty cover band oriented, so I suppose it has its niche out there.

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  Posted on 12.19.07 Steve R.

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  The manager of this bar & grill was so rude to me and my group of friends, I was in shock.  And they tried to over charge us on our bill.  I do not recommend going to this place.  It has the worst possible customer service I have ever experienced.

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  Posted on 08.10.07 Cindy S.

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