The palm trees on the sign might lure you in...but once you step inside the disconnect between what you find and the sign will be just one of the many things that make you wonder, "Hmmm" at Hiden Cove Lounge.
I did not expect to encounter anything upscale, trendy, or pretentious here...and in that sense it lived up to my expectations. But it is also not your average neighborhood dive bar...though I wish it was.
Based on the handful of occasions I've been here, my take home message is, "You never know what you're going to get." The clientele seems to vary with the entertainment. The night I watched a Beatles cover band play, it was mostly a crowd from the Old Town School of Folk Music. The time we stopped on the way home from Lincoln Karaoke, it was a bizarre mix of hard core and hard-living karaoke singers, girls in cheerleader uniforms, and men in shiny track suits drinking glasses of wine.
If you're looking to write a screenplay about a place where quirky characters and worlds collide, this might be a good place to spend some time. If you're looking for a good place to sip a pint, you might be better off traveling a bit further South on Lincoln Ave.
It's really hard for me to give a bad review. By the time I got to Hidden Cove last night I was totally drunk already. However, the bar tender gave me a free drink because it was my birthday outing.
Negatives..the whacky crowd.. there were some really creepy men in that bar.. one practically introduced himself by shaking hands with my chest. There was also a men older woman who was kind of a bully and stole the microphone from my friend. She didn't have any teeth or manners. I thought the bartender was skipping my songs..but REALLY it was some chick who was crossing off other people's karaoke songs so she could sing.
When I did FINALLY get to sing everyone was on the dance floor. I had fun. I got cheered on..people sang along. A lot of people were really friendly there. It was fun. I would definitely recommend the place and probably would want to go earlier in the evening or maybe on a less crowded weeknight to check out karaoke.
I went to Hidden Cove for my first karaoke experience, and although I had fun, I'm sure that was mostly because of the skill of the singers and my awesome group of friends. The KJ continually messed up the song order, dropped entire songs, and was simply hitting on chicks all night. The bartender was good with a crowd, but my drink was completely unimpressive.
Hidden Cove is a big space--enough room for a dance floor and side tables plus a bar along the back wall.
There was only one working mic with a not-long-enough cord, and the sound system was fairly atrocious.
Thank goodness my friends are amazing. Even with them at my side, I don't think I'll jump at a chance to return to HC.
I feel like I should rate this for what it is: a dirty 4am karaoke bar. As a disclaimer: my experience in this field is limited, as my level of inebriation required to participate in karaoke exceeds the level of inebriation required to put me into a pant-shitting coma.
That said, I had a wonderful time drinking gin & tonics and watching the blitzed regulars steal karaoke songs from my vastly more talented friend. This has to have been one of the most confusing / interesting / disturbing mix of people I've seen under one roof, and the weirdest ones of all seemed to really, REALLY want to play pool with me.
Leave your shame at home, and don't wear your nice clothes.
I love the vibe of this place. Â It's a dive bar, which means cheap drinks all around (and that includes the floor), and decent cheap bar food (wings, mozorella, the usual).
But I come here for the nightly karaoke, starting at 10:00 PM any day you want. Â And some of the regulars here can SING. Â There are no rules, no official KJ, no pretention. Â Just a bunch of locals hanging out and having a good time. Â The bartenders are also really sweet, which is why I think the people here tend to be nice, too :)
My friend Nelis, Maria F. and I had stopped at three bars before this one and Nelis got it in his head that he wanted to do karaoke, which is pretty much what he ALWAYS wants to do when we drink. I'm a fan, so I was like, "Let's make this happen!" Only we didn't. Well, I should say Hidden Cove didn't.
The beer  prices weren't bad, but the service was slow and the KJ wasn't very helpful. I don't completely blame him. The place was packed. But I saw people going up multiple times and none of us ever got to sing in the hour and a half we spent there. The only reason we really stayed was because all the drunk dancing people were actually pretty entertaining and we held out hope we'd get a chance to sing. No such luck. We gave up and left for Golden Nugget, which was an upgrade.
If I just want a drink then I'd return, but if I want to do karaoke I'm going to head somewhere else. The letdown of the night was only multiplied by the fact that I had not one, not two, but three separate drive-by ass grabs. Granted, I had on my awesome jeggings and I've been working out, but that was uncalled for. The graber(s) didn't even have the cajones to man up and say something or even approach me (except secretly from behind). I still have no clue who did it. It was pretty tacky and quite frankly, kinda creepy.
Dive bar - I LOVE it.
I karaoke and I don't care :)
Nice and supportive crowd during karaoke, even if you suck. Â I rock it singing, so the crowd is even nicer for me.
Reasonable drinks, kitchen open late with typical bar food. Â Bartenders are nice. Â Place gets crowded around 1am as I think people trickle in from other bars. Â I can always sing 2-3 songs in 2-3 hours of being there.
Other karaoke bars, there is a much longer wait.
Great bar, I am there from time to time, so come on down, ya'hear?
I wasn't prepared for what I was about to walk into: a terrible cover of the equally horrific original, LFO's "Summer Girls." Don't remember that one? Well, let me jog your memory... "I like girls that wear Abercrombie and Fitch." LFO = LOL.
Anyway, this bar is bad. It's seedy. You'll run into some shady characters. But, the beer is cold, and the karaoke is so amusing.
I'm a fan.
This stretch of Lincoln Ave. has changed since I was a little lad, but the Hidden Cove has always been there. Â The sign with the palm tree & the neon coconuts just ooze of cheesiness from the 70s (or maybe even earlier)
This place fits in the category of dumpy dive bar. Â Totally my kind of place. Â For what the place lacks in decor, it more than makes up with heart. Â The barkeeps are cool, the patrons are laid back & the overall vibe of the place is non intimidating.
Decent karaoke selection, okay acoustics. Â More than enough of a beer selection to give me the courage to get on the mic. Â Can't wait to get another group together to sing our drunk hearts out.
keeping in mind this was a dive bar for karaoke I setup my expectaions accordingly. Â What it does it does well. Â Very reasonable specials on beer, bud light @ 350. Â A few good drafts (franziskaner, just wasnt in the wheat mood) and a decent enough kitchen that was piping out tacos, fries, and mozzeralla sticks around the bar well into 3am last night.
Was it clean and shiny? Nope. Â Is it going to be the hip spot anytime soon? Probably not. Â But it provides an enjoyable atmosphere for a saturday night with friends, beers, and oh yeah karaoke.
Very enjoyable time with karaoke, although about 2 hours in the staff person running it seemed to just skip half of a page and go to the next one. Â By the time i noticed this it was loaded with like 20 songs. Â Net result? I sang one song the whole night despite being there from 930-3am.. I sang the first one right near the start maybe at like 1030ish, and put another one on the list shortly after. Â If it was crowded not a big deal, but this just a case of I'm going to stop using the rest of this page and skip over to this new one. Â And what do you know we started seeing the same five or six people over and over again... lame sauce.
If i find myself in the area with a hankering for karaoke i'd go again, and it was a good time. Â but when i'm among the first people there when the thing starts and myself (and two other yelpers) get skipped over for nothing I just dont have the urge to spend 5 more hours there.
Looking for late night karaoke without busting your wallet? You may have found the ideal venue if the dive atmosphere doesn't drive you to tears or ultimate disgust. Hidden Cove is a polarizing kind of place, perhaps the Obama of Karaoke Bars - you either hate it with guns blazing or you think, "Yes, we can! Yes, we can!"
Hidden Cove is tucked away in Lincoln Square a few blocks from San Soo Gab San on the corner of Berwyn and Foster. The first thing you'll notice is the coconut tree on the sign out front and then inundation from the music and singing coming from within, a small group of people may be smoking outside but you can assure yourself the bouncerman will be checking your ID the second you step in the door.
Step inside and you'll see a dive that resembles Mark II Lounge without the carpet, one pool table, a Tetris machine, an electronic dartboard, TVs set on random and likely someone up and at it on the mic if it's past 10 o'clock. The patrons of the bars run the gamut, you'll find old locals who like to sing and drink by themselves much to the bemusement of the crowd. You'll find some over the hill ladies or guys sporting the Blago hairdo depending on the night of the week. On the weekends you'll find a mix of diversity worthy of a bar bordering Albany Park - cookie cutter is certainly never the theme at Hidden Cove.
The beer selection on most nights includes $2.50 Old Style or PBR and Hidden Cove does it right by serving tasty Spaten and Sam Adams in case you're willing to spend a bit more. Sam Adams and Spaten run about $6 and if you're lucky they'll serve the Spaten in a big boy pilsner glass. Unfortunately wine fans, you'll only find the finest selection of Franzia wine, which certainly attests to the dive conditions for which Hidden Cove is universally known for.
Music selection has not been updated in the past six months I have been rolling out to the Cove, but that doesn't frazzle me as the karaoke staples are certainly in place. Songs are organized by artist name in the front section and by song name in the back section with miscellaneous songs strewed in between the two sections. You'll find Pop Hits of 2001, Top Country Female Hits, a little bit of Destiny's Child, but no Lady GaGa if that's your thing.
Things I've Learned at Hidden Cove:
1) Karaoke is AWESOME!
2) Duets are badass
3) Saturday nights are waaaay to busy, the waiting line for singing takes twice as long and the bar is crowded beyond comfort
4) There is food at Hidden Cove, but I wouldn't try it. The small kitchen area looks very rudimentary, so it looks like they can grill some food and deep fry, I wouldn't try much else here.
5) To make stubborn mules sing, it is just better to sign you and them up then drag them up to the mic for forced karaoke!
I think karaoke is one of the most fun things you can do with a group. Personally, I really enjoy coming to Hidden Cove on a weeknight so that there is less of a wait and it's easy to order a drink or sing a tune. Without doubt there are better and more awesome karaoke places, but Hidden Cove is cozy and feels like home even if it doesn't the biggest and shiniest karaoke bar in the city.
we do a gig here every eight weeks from Old Town School of Folk Music. Â This is one nasty-ass-sh@t hole--but here a couple of survival skills for a place that is really a very fun place
1. Find out what the beer special is, and dont drink anything else--they do have some decent expensive drafts that are ok
2. The place is quite loose, and you can bring in your own water or gaterade,etc.
3. Although the place is filthly, the guy runs a decent flat top operation--I get a decent BLT with decent freezer fries for $4. Â Tacos are decent--they would be outstanding in any town other than Chicago
4. The scene is a good one, oretty decent free street parking,overall cool place.
5. Â Only use the bathroom if you must
Since I've moved from the Twin Cities, I haven't gotten to know the Karaoke scene here in Chicago too well. Â The only other time I've sang karaoke was at Cafe Bong HO, and that place smells like fish, rotting, festering fish.
Anyway, I feel as if I took a step in the right direction this past Friday with a trip to hidden cove. Â
After an extensive appetizer party at a friend's house (mini-sliders, lil' smokies wrapped in crescent rolls, prosciutto-wrapped baby mozzarella balls with fresh basil, and beer, did I mention beer?). Â
Everytime I had gone by or heard tell of hidden cove, it didn't look good. Â I expected an equally fish-smelling type scenario. Â With over-served whiskey hounds belting out crappy Frank Sinatra songs. Â Why do/did people like Frank Sinatra? Â Was it the womanizing, the drinking, the smoking, the rat-pack mystique, the tailored suits, the eyes? Â Because it sure wasn't the talent. Â I always thought the guy was a little a-tonal. Â But don't tell my Dad's buddy Ed I said that, he'd be mad. Â Â
Regardless, I was pleasantly surprised by an accommodating, hipster-filled barroom, lit with beer signs and Christmas lights. Â The general odor was nothing like that of the Bong HO, thank the lord. Â If you're familiar with the TC, think country bar, but with twice the space and half the STD's. Â Those are good ratios for me, ratios that keep me out of trouble. Â
Nobody's a huge rock star here, just regular folks having a rowdy good time. Â Things get sloppy, people have a good time, falling on the floor, why not. Â The barman was extremely friendly and made it a point to memorize my name after the fifth time I complained that I wasn't singing RIGHT NOW!
Two complaints however (good before the bad). One, there wasn't a door on the bathroom stall. Â I've negotiated something like this before (Dinkeytowner (RIP)), but it's not something I enjoy. Â It usually requires a copy of that day's newspaper, and unflinching resolve.
Two, too many (white) ladies singing salt 'n' pepper and Prince (paisley park woot woot!). Â I guess It doesn't matter if they're white or not, but some of those Salt and Pepper songs are friggin' hard, and should only be attempted by Karaoke professionals. Â
But really, if those are my only complaints, I'll just make sure I 'run my errands' before I go there, and plug my ears when I see a bohemian goddess with a silly woolen cap strolling up to the mic.
Down with the Bong HO!
Up with the Hidden Cove!
The Delphonics back in the 60's said it best. Â "La, la , la, la , la means I love you". Â Ok- so maybe love is a little strong for how I feel about Hidden Cove, but I am definitely in strong like and obviously still singing all the songs from the night as you will soon see.
Wandered north off my beaten path as I had heard the rave reviews of this place. Â Cheap beer- good shots, food and karaoke! Â Sounds like a perfect place to me, like a "Magic Carpet Ride". Â We got there right at 10 as the earlier band was packing up and the karaoke guy was setting up. Â As we flipped through the song list, I knew we were in for a fun night cuz "That's the way, uh huh, uh huh, I like it"
Now we all have our "Signature karaoke songs" you know the ones. Â Your "go to" song when faced with a microphone and a bar full of people expectantly waiting to see what you picked. Â My two are "I love Rock and Roll" and "Before he Cheats" but can sometimes belt out a ballad like "Insensitive". Â I was in luck as all three were in the book.
You really feel like a rock star in this place as people come up and dance to whatever you are singing. Â At first it was distracting but then if made it just that much more fun. Â And we all wondered "Who can it be now?" when the next song came up.
A word of warning.  This is a 4am bar.  Those darn bars trip me up all the time as I am having so much fun and the next thing I know it's 4am.  4am!  Urrgh!  Hmm . . . that reminds me of another  couple of songs like"The House of the Rising Sun"  or "Take the long way home".
Hidden Cove, as the Partridge Family would say, "I think I love you"! Â See you soon.
The second stop on my Penny Lane adventure was at the Hidden Cove for some karaoke. Â We grabbed the strolling musicians from the Muppet and dragged them with us (willingly, of course!)
By this time of night...wait, no...by this early in the morning, it was time for me to switch from beer to water. Â You know, I gotta protect my voice for all the sweet karaoke I was about to do. Â The water worked because I belted out some Janis Joplin like nobody's business...and then I ordered a beer. Â A big yummy German beer served in a big beer barrel type mug. Â I honestly don't remember what type of beer it was, but I enjoyed it.
What I do remember are the twinkling lights on the dance floor, the awesome fun girl who was tearing up some Madonna, dancing, singing, Toto's Africa, laughter, applause, more dancing...all in all, some rockin' fun times were had at the Hidden Cove that night.
Crappy dive bar, cheap beer. Bar band of old (hey, that's relative) guys who just like to play out. Any other questions? I didn't think so.
Corona bottles: $4
Bathrooms: acceptably clean (have they been reading Yelp reviews?)
Glitter ceiling: awe-some
Hanging out with my friend of 20+ years: priceless
Seeing another cool friend I'd not seen in 20+ years: priceless
I came out ahead on this deal.
I went back this weekend for the first time in... maybe a year and a half? When did the smoking ban go into effect? It was definitely before then, and I'll tell you how I know:
The smell.
Holy christ. It reeks of vomit in here. I have a suspicion that the smell was always lurking, but the smoke covered it. Well, dear non-smokers, you may leave with clean lungs, but you'll be wishing you hadn't. You know how you get used to smells? You kind of get used to this one. Then you go to the bathroom and it hits you on your way back. After a quick trip to the bathroom! That is a horrible smell.
Speaking of the bathroom, good luck with that. Both stalls can be empty, but if someone is washing her hands, you cannot get to them. Probably the worst bathroom set up I've ever seen, and I've seen some bad ones.
So, smell and bathroom. Two stars gone (more like 1.5 for smell, .5 for bathroom). Otherwise, I love this place. There's this amazing karaoke bar in New York's Chinatown, Winnie's. It's like my favorite bar ever. Hidden Cove is the closest thing I've found to Winnie's in Chicago. They even have a lot of the same horrible '80s-style videos! Divey, frequented exclusively by karaoke enthusiasts and drunks, drinks slightly overpriced. It may not be heaven to you, but it is to me.
I was there between 1 and 3 a.m. and nearly everyone was gathered in a semi-circle around the dance floor that serves as a stage. Singing along, dancing, having a ball. This was good times. You should go to there.
Off nights can be fun for groups but on the weekend The Hidden Cove is a little too cool for it's own good sometimes. This place is a Dive Bar that has a beat up Karaoke machine and very short order kitchen.
When it's good it's an ok place. Not too many people and you can sing karaoke on a store bought microphone. What gets murky is when hipsters descend on the place for birthdays or random celebrations. Usually on the weekend. The place gets packed and out of control. And since it's kinda gross there's no reason to stick around.
They also have bands that usually play till 10 when the Karaoke is supposed to start. Sometimes, though, the band stays. Which is a riot when you see people, one after another, leaving when there is no Karaoke. The place is just too small for a live band. It's just too loud to actually enjoy it. Smaller 1-2 person groups are much better suited. Full on drums and everything is overwhelming and I honestly feel it drives people away.
As for the atmosphere, the bathroom is a mess and everything else is pretty beat up. If it's an off night this place can be pretty fun. If it's the weekend and people are there it blows.
Okay: the bathrooms are ridiculously small and gross and the drinks are a smidge overpriced, considering the divey nature of this bar. A star does deserve to be taken away for that. Maybe two stars should be taken away. But I just can't bring myself to do that. I had such a blast at the Hidden Cove. The selections of songs for karaoke is outstanding (I did a moving rendition of The Thong Song at 2:30 am with my sister). Â
The crowd there gets really in to it , especially after midnight and granted, that is probably mostly booze related. But still, it does settle jangled nerves for those of us who are a little freaked out by doing karaoke.
I have not had their food, but I think that it's safe to say that it probably shouldn't be trusted.
So again, yeah...this place is a dive of mammoth proportions. But honestly, what do you expect from a place that has karaoke seven days a week, located in this sort of no man's land on the north side?
I guess that my feelings about the Hidden Cove can best be summed up through a subway poster for New Zealand, featured in Flight of the Conchords:
"Don't expect too much and you'll love it."
I really don't know what to say about the Cove. Â I have been here several times, but never really had a GOOD experience. Â The first time I was in, it was after German Fest one year, and there were just people everywhere - some came just to drink, and then there is the small portion there for the Karaoke.
Why someone would come there just to drink is beyond me. Â It is truly a dive bar, but not even a good dive bar. Â It is old, the bathrooms are small and disgusting, and the prices on their drinks are just too high.
The crowds vary - more often then not I had thought that the hidden cove was a lesbian bar  (I came in with two other friends, and the table of women darted their eyes at us like we were not welcome in the bar), other times the bar has been full of older people - just sitting at the tables watching the Karaoke - but not making a sound, kind of creepy actually.
I say skip it, really. Â Unless you are already drunk, then you won't remember it - which is probably for the best.
Hidden Cove one word for you and that's yuck!
You have wine in boxes! Â And you serve that wine for $6.00 a glass! Â You have amaretto...I don't dare ask what kind of amaretto but then again you only charge $4.50 for a thimble of amaretto sour. Â You have an "extensive" beer list...ummm no not really. Â And your tables even with table clothes are sticky and icky. Â
I didn't dare use the bathroom here because I saw two woman enter and exit the bathroom with plastic shopping bags? Â I didn't ask and didn't want to find out why.
Also it may have been the rain but you Hidden Cove need a bath! Â You smell funny and no one wants to be the smell kid in class...no one!
The karaoke was only enjoyable because of the group I was with but besides our group of 6-8 there were probably 5 other people in the bar and that's after the craptastic band left.
Yup not going here again. Â Sorry D!
My first thought upon entering Hidden Cove was, "Not enough whiskey to make this good." Â After careful reconsideration, I thought enduring two nights in one week of karaoke had skewed my perception. Â Then I came to my senses and realized I was correct in my first impression. Â Grab your hand sanitizer, hold onto your wallet, and proceed with caution.
I knew I was in trouble when the bartender carefully inspected the glass he was going to use for my beer. Â I'm fairly certain it wasn't just a check for cracks. Â Whatever it was, it apparently passed. Â For that thrill-ride I paid $5. Â I was happy to discover $3.50 bottles of Sam Adams because I couldn't stomach a second round of glass inspection.
Tips for the night:
-Don't touch the menus on the table.
-Don't touch the tablecloths.
-If you dare to use the restroom, brush up on your yoga skills and hope that you're not claustrophobic. Â Don't go in groups.
-Be prepared for a very interesting mix of a crowd as the night wears on
-Bring your sense of humor
-Apologize to your ATM card in advance
Will I be back? Â There's not enough whiskey to make this good.
I do not like you, Hidden Cove.
I do not like you, Karl Rove.
I do not like karaoke blues.
I do not like watching Fox News.
Though your barmaids are friendly, your bathroom's a joke.
I spend too much time looking for excuses to smoke.
There's little worse than being overcharged for watery drinks in a grimy bar.
I drive by this bar daily on my commute to work, and in the daylight it looks like a dump with its storefront setup, burgundy velvet curtains, and cheesy hanging sign with palm trees. Hey Hidden Cove, the 70's called and they want their ....well you know how the joke goes.
A guy I dated last summer religiously made this bar his last stop before going home (he lives practically across the street) and he convinced me to stop in last July after a night of celebrating (and by celebrating I mean non stop Car Bombs) my roommate's 25th birthday. Truthfully, all I remember from that night was that the bar was packed and everyone was singing. It was a good night, so I didn't put up a fight when he wanted to return for after hours on a night where we were less inebriated.
The staff is a little older - but friendly, and the interior is just as antiquated as the exterior. Try and picture an old school airport bar complete with track lighting. However, despite the old looking room and the old bartenders, the bar was mostly full of younger Lincoln Square locals fresh from a night of drinking elsewhere. The karaoke is informal with only a microphone stand in the middle of the room. This lends itself to the random "I gotta sing" impulse that drives the energy of the night. I've never personally participated, but I've had a few enjoyable times watching. All in all, it's a nice after hours bar to come, sit, and laugh at people making asses out of themselves in the name of fun.
Where do you finish a pub crawl? Â Where do you go late night? Â The Hidden Cove is where! Â Actually nothing good can really come out of going out "late night" but what the heck. Our last stop on a very long pub crawl........came to a halt at the Cove! Â
I do remember the lousy singers trying  to do karaoke.  Not good!
I do remember the Miller Lite, going down very smooth!
I do remember.....ordering at least 3 orders of Mozzarella sticks......what was I doing? Â
I do remember it being way after 3am.....time to get the F*ck out of there.............good times....late night........gotta love the Cove!
Since I am a Blue Ribbon Jug Band official groupie, I hauled bum up here Friday night to see the juggers open for another Jug Band (The Hump Night Thumpers). Â I was luckily downtown at 5:30 p.m. (instead of way South per usual) and I was able to train / walk to the Hidden Cove in a little over an hour. . .damn this bar is way North of any place I usually go!!!
Besides the inconvenient (for me) location, the Cove has it's pluses. Â Beer and mixed drinks are reasonably priced. The bartenders are pleasant but a little slow. May I also note they have created the weirdest garnish ever - Â a CHOLIVE (olive soaked in cherry juice!) Â Eek! Â
Do not order wine here unless you are a Franzia fanimal. Â Good lord. The decor is Florida meets dive bar meets dusty basement. Â I couldn't tell you the normal crowd since the Jug Band age median is about 60 years and I could not tell the usual suspects from the musicians. . .sound like fun? Â Hehehe. Â Well, there WAS karaoke late night (or post-jugs) and I am bummed I did not stick around for it. . . I was thinking maybe some Copa Cabana by Barry Manglenote would have been a solid performance choice.
All in all, this place has enough character to make it worth a trip or two. Â Getting home is pricey (and can be dicey if you are wondering the streets alone) so if the jugs come back, and/or if every other close karaoke joint burns to the ground, I can see myself revisiting the Hidden Cove.
My rating of Hidden Cove is skewed, because I landed there one night only after making a series of very questionable decisions. It was a night of escalating dares and I'm glad it ended with me at the Hidden Cove singing 'Summer Nights' with a stranger and not married to G.O.B.
It's kind of a dive. This may be a good thing. It is a serviceable and relatively inexpensive bar (mixed drinks- $4) that offers a good time for the low, low price of your dignity. Which I keep giving away for free anyway.
Dirty. Smelly. Sticky tables and floors. Â
Not my Sister-in-Law's apartment - The Hidden Cove.
Honestly, it is amazing the board of health hasn't gone into investigate this place. Â I think the tar and smoke from years past is holding the brickwork together.
I went here for a birthday party & to sing karaoke. Â I had never sang karaoke before, so it seemed like a good idea.
When I came in, there was a woman sitting at the bar - I was afraid her buttox might inhale the stool she was sitting on at some point. Â The men on either side of her had their heads down on the bar itself. Â In hindsight, they might have been stuck to it.
The bar has a layer of grime on it thick enough to scratch your name into with your keys. Â Or if you wear Lee Press-On nails, you could probably use those too.
And then the bartender - who was nice, but seemed preoccupied. Â We kind of were the only other people in the place. Â I was scared most of the time.
The bathrooms were even dirtier than the bar - it was like stepping into Grey Gardens, pre-East Hampton's raid. Â It was so disgusting. Â I should have just peed in the bar, no one would have noticed.
I've heard that since my visit a few years ago, a much trendier crowd frequents this establishment. Â Most of the motels around this place have been razed, and condos built in their stead.
I give them one star because I have to at least do this....I think the place could stand a good scrub down, and disinfecting. Â I won't be going back. Â Ever. Â
Unless I'm drunk, and I see a hot guy walk in.
As a karaoke junkie, I can't not like this place. Â The Cove features karaoke every night from 10 p.m. - 4 a.m., and has a pretty vast selection of tunes to choose from (certainly more than Trader Todd's) - granted, the book hasn't been updated in 7 or 8 years, but I see this as an asset - it ensures that patrons will stick to killer 80s tunes. Â Beer is cheap, the bartenders are friendly, and the crowd is diverse and interesting - from college kids, to hipsters, to trixies and chads, to neighborhood folks. Â There is nothing funnier than watching a clean-cut white guy in his early 20s belt out a little late 70s-ear Michael Jackson - which I witnessed last night. Â I suppose that's why I'm willing to go out of my way every so often to check out the Cove.
Sure, it's dank, dirty, divey, and in the middle of nowhere. Â But all good bars fit those criteria!
To the people who think Hidden Cove is too divey and you can't deal- you clearly have never experienced an establishment along the line of the Sexty Sex lounge on the South Side. (Well, neither have I, but I can imagine, in fact I'd love to imagine what goes on in there!) If Hidden Cove's mild sketchiness means an absence of Trixies and Chads, that's okay by me. I have never felt unsafe or creeped out by this place.
Hidden Cove is an awesome place to sing karaoke, get drunk for cheap, and have a blast. The crowd is usually awesome and fun (last night I was grabbed by a stranger for interpretive dance interlude to my friend's rendition of "West End Girls"). There's usually a mix hipster homos who are too cool (broke?) for boystown, their faghags, and dorks who generally enjoy spazzing out drunken renditions of Whitney Houston and Meatloaf.
I knocked a star off for the fact that both toilets were clogged in the ladies room (ah well), and the two FLAT SCREEN TVS WITH BASEBALL worked better than the karaoke system. I mean, who goes to hidden cove to watch sports? BAH!!!
UPDATE: Went to the Cove a few months ago and it was horrible. Scary, and no longer in a way that entertains me or that I can tolerate. Terrible, awful bartenders. Pregnant bartender smoking. I'm not here to judge, but I'm here to say I don't need this place any more. Told us (regulars) we couldn't sing unless we bought 3 drinks each (which is a very easy feat for us; they should know that.) Crappy mics, everything was just miserable!
Even a dive can jump the shark.
Chris A sez it all:
I recently returned to The Cove after a six month absence to find that they had removed the stage. Â I inquired with the bartender why it had been removed. Â His simple answer, "Too many people were falling off it". Â I thought that comment pretty much summed this place up
I noticed the stage problem, too. I asked and was told "[Grunt.] Trouble makers." So that does sum it up.
Makin' trouble is what the Cove is all about. The last time I was there, a fight broke out over some guy hollering, "You f'n suck" to a crooner. One guy had a weapon of some sort. Cops were called and everyone was told to leave, they closed early.
So, the Cove is great fun, cheap, but by no means is it for the faint of heart. Â (Also, as others noted, it has been attracting more of a polished-up crowd, so they're upping the prices. THANKS, white boys from Lakeview by way of Dayton, OH)
I recently returned to The Cove after a six month absence to find that they had removed the stage. Â I inquired with the bartender why it had been removed. Â His simple answer, "Too many people were falling off it". Â I thought that comment pretty much summed this place up.
Sure the Cove is out of the way and sometimes it's hard to get a cab home. Â Sure, the lighting is dark, the sound stinks and the song lists aren't well sorted and looked to have been printed in Courier font on a dot matrix printer in the late 80s, but this place has character.
The drinks are reasonable, the crowd and staff is friendly and they actually have decent food when the grill is open.
I can't seem to put my finger on the pulse of the crowd, though. Â This place seems to vary from week to week. Â I was there on Saturday a few weeks ago and the place was packed. Â I returned last weekend and the place was completely empty. Â If the place is dead late night you can always make your way over to Carols.
Ah, the 'cove.
First, let me preface this 5 star rating by saying it's a total dive bar, and I'm okay with that. Â The reason I'm giving the 'cove 5 stars is that whenever I go, I always have a good time.
There's always some really strange people to meet and you'll always go home with a story. Â You'll also get really drunk, and chances are 50/50 you'll witness a fight if you drink late enough, though the hipsters seem to have driven out the gangsters a little more lately.
I've been going here since I moved to this city about 4 years ago, and the bouncer still cards me every time. Â At least he's consistent.
Butter up the bartender running the karaoke if you wanna sing, otherwise prepare yourself for some hilarious and some just plain wrong songs/singing. Â Drinks are overpriced, so I stick with PBR - fits the ambience of the place, though even that might be too classy for this joint. Â This place is really more of an Old Style kinda vibe. Â
As for food - I've actually ordered food here about 4 or 5 times over the years, yet for whatever reason never actually received any nor have I seen others eat, so I question whether they really serve food. Â The other question is how drunk was I that I wanted to eat something that came from this place? Â I think I'd advise against it...
They took out the stage and pool table too!!! Boo!!!! Â Also - if gaggles of hipster annoy you like they do myself, beware, they seem to be multiplying there. Â The only upside is that it cuts down on the ice N' teeth.
Oh Hidden Cove... you've entranced me.
I get the worst vodka vision here. I always want to go here, but it always breaks my heart a little.
The good:
The obvious. Karaoke till 4 (5 on Saturdays)
Cheap drinks and cheap drinking food
Adequate seating (if you are there early enough)
Amazingly bad decor
Nice people go here
You can smoke here. YAY!
The bad:
the karaoke system SUCKS.
Kind get a bad hipster/snob crowd sometimes
no parking (you probably shouldn't be driving there anyway)
Overall, I really enjoy this place. I ALWAYS have a good time. I just really, really wish they would update the karaoke system. :)
Giving it even one star is difficult! Â I used to work there, ran the karaoke on Friday and Saturday nights, it wasn't so bad back then though... we (myself and the two other girls who rotated on the weekends) made sure that the regulars didn't clutter up the karaoke all night. Â I ran cycles and the regulars would give me a full list of what they wanted to sing, but on a busy Saturday night, they would only go up maybe 3 times (in say 5 hours)... especially if new comers were tipping well, heck I might not put up the regulars at all!
Anyway, the food sucks, it takes forever to get up to sing and I would not recommend going there. Â If you must karaoke any night of the week, try Sidekicks on Montrose at the Kennedy.
Go ahead Wendy--don't be shy. Belt out that Sinatra song. It's good to take breaks from building the set for the summer play, and there is only so much Monty Python that a person can watch. What's that? Sure, pull Mark up there with you too, if you want--you crazy kids. Maybe next you guys can sing "Summer Lovin'" as a duet. If you're lucky you might even get a chance to date him for a few weeks before he comes out of the closet.
But for real this is the worst karaoke bar EVER.
The 5 best restaurants in the 2015 Denver Restaurant Week
3,611 Views | Category: Denver
The complete list of 2015 Denver Restaurant Week businesses
1,972 Views | Category: Denver
The tourists' guide to Portillos: 5 must have dishes
3,318 Views | Category: Chicago
Pho = Pronounced "fuh" not "foe" for pho-king sake
2,915 Views | Category: Denver
Indulgery selected to exhibit at Collision Conference
2,987 Views | Category: Press Releases
Not Logged In
BUSINESSES
Local Businesses
Near Me
My Favorites
SOCIAL
Blog & News
MY ACCOUNT
Login
Register
Contact Us
Add Your Business
