I was really pretty disappointed with this place.
I was expecting a country bar, with a country feel, and country music. Â Me and my wife stopped in on a Saturday night, and granted there was no show that night, but the fact that the bar tender was playing hipster indie music through their personal device was quite a drag. Â No juke box either, so you are at the mercy of whatever the staff finds satisfying, and if they don't like country... well, its not a country bar anymore.
Nobody else was in the place, so we spent most of our time talking to her, and she was very nice, but I don't think that she comprehended that this particular establishment wasn't in Wicker Park.
Then, to add insult to injury, a couple more people came in that look like they got lost trying to find 6 corners, not to mention over half of the draught beers were tapped out.
That was enough. Â
On a positive note, they did have good food, so I gave them a couple of stars for that and the country decor. Â
If you are looking for a true country bar, and there is no band, this isn't your place.
Good times with good BBQ sauce. The pulled pork was among the best I've ever had--they even toast the bun for you before dissolving said bun in succulent meat. The wings were delicious also and are a mere .25 cents on Wednesday. Â Their beers on tap (Harp, Blue Moon, Daisy Cutter, etc.) are 5 bucks with exception of a Bells beer which is $6.00.
Go but be warned it is loud on the weekends
I like the setup of this spot.. its a divey feel but has a stage so has local music playing often. There are tables in the back with a private appeal to them so you can get away from bad music if needed.. Good food, fare prices ( 6$ makers shot, nice! ) The bartender was a nice girl... bathrooms are funny old and wierd.
Review Source:My boyfriend and I got a big plate of meat for a reasonable price. Â It was exactly what I was craving. Â The pulled pork was delicious; however, the plate was so cold our chopped brisket and chopped chicken was room temperature, even a bit chilly, when it got to us. Â That was my major issue, but I was hungry and we were on a schedule. Â The jalapeno cornbread was dry, but still relatively tasty, and the fries were pretty standard issue. Â They have a smaller draft list with excellent beer choices. Â Good specials, friendly service - overall, a good experience.
Review Source:Writing from the perspective of someone who has performed here, here are my (strong) impressions: terrible sound guy, flawed sound system (what was up with those effed up mics?), surly bartender/possibly owner (why would you go into the service industry if you obviously hate talking to people?). Definitely not interested in ever coming back.
Review Source:This is a total dive hangout, AWESOME. It used to be that they would have quarter beer nights on Tuesdays so that's what kept me coming back every week. I'm not sure if that's still the case, but when I used to go on Tuesdays the bar would be overflowing with college aged patrons carrying a tray full of beers for which they only paid $2.
Tables were extremely hard to come by and people were usually friendly enough to let you borrow a corner of their table to set down your tray of beers. Occasionally they would have a live band of some sort so that would be a bonus.
The bar is decorated with nostalgic beer cans and liquor bottles and is super dark and dingy looking. The menu is predominantly bar b que, though I rarely ever saw anyone eating. I did order a pulled pork sandwich once and I recall it being mediocre. I don't think they bring in the crowds for the food, but for quarter beer nights it was a blast.
I am new to the city of Chicago and do not know of too many places yet. Â I went to this place last night because a friend invited me out for a free show. Â I did not try the food, but loved everything else about the place. Â First off, the place has free shows! Â What better way to meet people than a free show at a bar? Â They have $3 tall boy PBR's... now with some of the places I have lived, this seems like a joke. Â I am used to paying $1 max for a tall boy. Â But this is Chicago, so it isn't bad. Â The bar has a rustic feel to it, which I love. Â Everyone is really nice that was working. Finally, I don't have to go all the way downtown to find a good place to hang out. Â
I am always in the market to learn about places worth checking out. Â I only know the people I work with in Zombie Army in the city right now.
I went there last night to see an Improv show and really was not sure what I was getting myself into when entering this "dive bar".
Anyway, my experience there was very good! They have friendly staff, good drink selections, great food, and pretty good prices. I had the house special, the Horseshoe, and while I have had better, it still was very good and much more affordable than most Horseshoes. Like I said, the bartender./server was very nice and helpful, but she was the only employee that I saw.
Still, I really haven't been to a better "dive bar" that serves good drinks and food. I asked to see the menu and its pretty big for a bar.
I will go back because it was really fun!
This place is total hit or miss. Â I've only been there during Ribfest when it was packed because it was one place right by the stage and rain was occurring on and off. Â They have some great door size windows that open all the way to the sidewalk so I can imagine summer nights there could be really fun.
The other time I tried to take a friend there and it was closed on a friday night? Â
Finally I caught it on a good night when a band was playing from Nashville. Â I am from Kentucky so I really like bands that have a southern tinge to them and I had researched the particular band playing to make sure I liked them. Â
So I met a friend there and we caught two shows Adrian and the Fine Print as well as The Young Republic. Â Yeah both bands were awesome and this place has no cover!! Â At the end of the night these particular bands went around and collected their own tips.
I think if this place kept up a facebook page to let people know when a good band was playing they might actually be able to get decent crowds to the appropriate shows. Â I felt like I really had to be proactive to find show listings. Â The best thing to do (if this venue doesn't take a hint and get the word out) is to write down the dates from the flyers the bands have put up inside the bar when you're in there. Â
I also really like the fact that they serve 3 PBR tall boys.
I really like this place, not only because it's literally right around the corner from my house, but also because they've got good food and live music most nights.
It's got a cool vibe too, basically a dimly lit dive bar with a Texas theme going on. Â You walk in, you have the stage to your left, at the front of the bar, (which might feature a punk-rock band one night, then a country band the next). Â The bar area seats 10 people or so and they have good stuff on tap. Â They also have a few dinner tables/booths in the back away from the stage if you're mainly concerned with eating, and if you are, you're in luck. Â They've got good ribs with a nice, smokey flavor. Â Good burgers and wings too, but I would definitely recommend the ribs if you're going to order anything.
In summary, this is definitely my type of place. Â Local neighborhood dive-bar that has live music most nights, good beer, and serves ribs? Â Oh, and it's stumbling distance to my house? Â Check, check, check, and check. Â I like this place.
This is a good small venue for a show. The sound guy Ian hooked us up, and I was impressed with the acoustics.
It's strictly BYOF (bring your own fans) because there was no foot traffic at all. There was a touring band from Denver last night (good stuff and nice kids) and if my band and our friends hadn't hung around, they would have played to an empty house (well, except for the nice sound guy and the bartender).
There's kind of a kitschy barn decor to the place -- most prevalent in the bathrooms. They host karaoke on Wednesdays and a monthly songwriter showcase on third Fridays called Folk You.
We also had dinner before we played. They've got a fun drink special -- $5 for a PBR tallboy plus a shot of whiskey. I didn't partake, but that's a good lil deal. They had serviceable versions of some yummy comfort foods like mac and cheese and collard greens. My husband had some brisket, too. (I don't know what a brisket is. Is it a cow or a pig?) Either way, he liked it.
It's a fun place. Strange that I never knew it was right in my own 'hood before.
The place itself was cool. Reminded me of The Lyons Den.
The food was horrible. Being a vegetarian, I was excited to see so many options. Thing is, the corn on the cob tasted like soap. The collard greens ...I asked if it could be made without the bacon. They said, "no problem." I ate about 5-6 bites and noticed pieces of bacon all throughout the dish. Â The mac and cheese tasted as if it we're old-out of the box, Kraft...Granted, it's not a vegetarian restaurant but, with all the options, I had hoped it would be better.
3.5 stars.
Some of the best little-known BBQ in town, despite a few setbacks...
I've long had a sneaking suspicion that Horseshoe is a cover for some sort of illegal trafficking ring. Why? Their promotion is so bad that it could be considered counter-promotion. Case in point: They have some of the best (and most unique) BBQ in the city, yet they fail to pop-up on anyone's list of top BBQ joints- instead they seem to be content being seen as a Texas rockabilly bar serving cheap Pabst when the real highlight of this place is not the kitschy, overdone bar environment, but the food. Also, their food and drink specials change so often and with such little press that it is impossible to know what to come for on what night. Because of this I, and I am guessing others, attend the place a lot less than I normally would. But let's get to the food:
-The frito pie is amazing; a bowl of beanless brisket-chili topped with fritos and cheese and served with corn muffins. The one complaint is that they try to get away with too-fatty pieces of meat by hiding it in the chili. Lean up the brisket!
-The hot wings are fucking awesome. Some of the best around. I've ordered them three times, unfortunately the last time they came out room temperature. There seems to be someone in the kitchen who knows exactly how to prepare a dish, but does it on his own time...
-The BBQ sauce: Probably my favorite BBQ sauce in the city- they put two bottles (a spicy and a mild) on your table. This thick sauce is not as sugary as it is smoky, and it is full of a dark chile (ancho?) flavor and has a coarse (not syrupy) texture.
I could go without the overdone feaux-Texasness of the place, but the bartenders are friendly, the drinks are reasonably priced, and the music is good (lots of Johnny Cash, Hank Williams, etc.).
Usually dead on weeknights. Haven't tried the main dishes because they are a little pricey for a cheap bargoer.
I had my birthday here in October and the staff was GREAT!! Our numbers changed from 20 down to about 12 and then back up to about 30 (damn people who don't RSVP on Facebook!)
They helped us set tables up, served our incoming guests in a timely fashion and made sure we had enough room, all on a busy Saturday night!!
The music was great. I got ribs and they were GREAT! Also, +5 for having Lone Star.
I was missing Texas and the atmosphere + hospitality + music + food really gave me a great birthday away from home. Thanks Horseshoe!
This place makes me want to move to North Center. Â I go here all the time to see great music and hang out. Â Welcoming crowd and the door cover charge is usually a voluntary band donation. Â The owner is always in there having a good time and owns the bike shop next door also. Â You can usually strike a conversation with him and he will try to sell you a bike.
FOOD: Â I ate here only once when my band played because we got a discount. Â The food was awesome. Â They serve a huge variety of great meals for a descent price which suprised me for the size of the place.
DRINK: Â This place has a good number of good taps. Â Beer is moderately priced. Â I find myself almost always drinking Goose Island 312 in this place... don't know why. Â Also, the shots are normal city prices. Â Friends and bandmates always used to do the beer shot combo.
ATMOSPHERE: Â This place is a good time. Â They commonly have good swing and rock and roll on the weekends. Â Dance floor gets swinging. Â Nice people, great neighborhood. Â The southwest motif really makes me feel comfortable. Â I love to hang here and I love to play here. Â Alot of seating, booths in the back, chickenwire all over, three bathrooms and booze.
This place is one of my favorite places in the city. Â I walked by it countless times before I went inside, and now I kick myself for all the passed opportunities of fun before I knew.
*Snob Alert*
I miss the Horseshoe of four years ago. I miss Bluegrass Brunch even though I know it was nowhere near cost effective. I miss the rockabilly kids running amok. The dudes in bands, the scooterists, the blue collars. I don't know what Horseshoe changed, but it's a lot less cool now.
$3 PBR tallboys on the weekends, decently-priced food, good brisket and great bbq sauces (hot and sweet, thick and thin). My 1/4lb cheapo burger was said to come with fries via the menu but when I was asked for a side, turns out, that side was in place of them. So I ordered fries separately. Bah.
Nice staff, Lacking in the details. It's just ok. Bring back Bluegrass Brunch and then we'll talk.
Horseshoe is one of those places that has a lot of potential, but somehow the pieces just aren't quite falling in to place.
Horseshoe hit a very rough patch for a while, with some poor management, but I have to give the new owner/staff credit - they're trying their damndest to bring the place back to life. Â They menu is a little smaller than it used to be, but there's been a noticeable improvement in the quality of the food.
Still, the place has been nearly empty the last several times I've been there. Â Granted, I haven't been in to see a show, but it would be nice to see more than one other table filled. Â I'm hoping they can succeed, but they need to get some bodies in the joint.
Ye ha!!! If you like dim there meat and dim there yeller stuff then pick up your boot scutes and mosey on down. Slap me tickle, you'll have more fun then my uncle's monkey.
Poorly light (which might have been a blessing), all wooden bar (serious I think I got couple splinters from the walls). From my understanding they build a little stage in front for live music from time to time. I'm not going even tell you how scary the bathrooms are, you'll see for yourselves... I'll just say chicken wire. The staff is great sometimes and sometimes they just ignore you... nothing new. They're probably tired of hearing that "Badunkadunk" song, that would make me ornery too.
The food is great if you like BBQ but for people who don't eat meat you don't have a lot of options. I am pretty much stuck with a salad and big Texas fries. You'll really have to take Horseshoe for what it is... a country bar. If you don't like country then you don't belong. Trust me I know I didn't belong. But unfortunately it was close to where I lived, plus the food and drinks are cheap!!!
Sing it!  "...Deep in the Heart of Texas...!"  This is a great little bar with some good food.  It's not an overly priced joint and sometimes the music is good.  I went there the other day and they were playing pop music?!?! WTF?!?!  Where did the rockabilly music go?  It was just there the week before.  I like dive bars and avoid the "meat market" bars like the plague.  Over the last 2 years, I can see a bit of a "sell out " brewing.  They recently opened the front to have an exposed view of the outside.  They lost a bit of dive quality  when they did that. Â
The food is good. Â I wish I didn't have to add my own BBQ to my food. Â I think it would be better if stuff like pulled pork was served with BBQ. Â
You won't break the bank when you go there...Stomp on Horseshoe Bar...stomp on... Â YeHaw!
I still love this place even though it went through a bad management change. Â
The food is still good although they've added a couple of items. Â I wish they would bring back the sunday brunch...OK, YUM!!!
Our recent visit this past weekend have been like many visits there, Â just not enough people, which is sad. Â The food is very good except the mustardy collard greens...yuck. Â If you are undecided about what to eat and like burgers, get the Horseshoe, you'll know what I mean. Â I actually think this place has better BBQ than Smoque, sorry Smoque, I like you too, but your sauces are blah.
The service is good and the decor is cool too. Â I've seen many bands here and they are always fun to watch. Â The crowd is fairly eclectic which is what I like.
The 50 cent drafts are gone, but oh well, it brought in a lot of crazy people too.
Cool place, great food and always an interesting selection of trash videos on tv, ie monster truck or odd things done to catch fish.
Oh the jukebox is not my favorite, but hey it's rockabilly, which is better enjoyed live.
Not a thing wrong with the Horseshoe...considering what it is. Â Laid-back, dimly lit, wooden little bar with great staff, cheap beer and good BBQ. Â I'm a huge fan of the pulled pork sandwhich with a side of beans. Â Don't opt for the cornbread...its on the dry side.
Another rockibilly place with live music and fish wrestling or something silly like that on the tube. Â I have only one gripe about the Horseshoe and that is the washrooms. Â It looks like they are made out of an old fence and I feel that they are probably as stable as a ricketing old fence. I get the feeling that if I sneeze in there, I'll end up in the men's room, which you can hear everything in while you are taking care of your own business. Â Aside from that, great place to grab a cheap drink and kick back.
I hope what happened to LoungeAx doesn't happen to the Horseshoe. Â The Horseshoe is a great little neighborhood bar that features live music, usually country rock. Â I'm not into country, but when my friends' bands play here, I go. Â The bar itself is shaped like a giant horseshoe. Â Pretty cool. Â There are booths in the back room where you can eat Texas BBQ that they serve nightly. Â The stage actually is in the front and faces toward the back, unlike most Chicago venues where the stage is in the back room. Â So when you enter, it's to your immediate left.
What happened to LoungeAx, you might ask? Â Remember the movie High Fidelity? Â Remember the shot of John Cusak walking across Lincoln Ave. with the Biograph (R.I.P) lights flashing in the background as he goes to see Lisa Bonet's character perform? Â That was LoungeAx. Â
For the peeps who have transplanted themselves here in the last decade, LoungeAx, on Lincoln Ave. just north of Fullerton, was one of Chicago's premier local music venues. Â It was a dive (like the Horseshoe), but it was always packed because they had great local bands play. Â LoungeAx was basically ousted by the Lincoln Park council who didn't want the noise and "riff-raff" in "their" neighborhood. Â Another Chicago gem gone because the richies want their Chicago to be Naperville. Â I bet the space is now occupied by some boutique or Queeezno's. Â Don't let this happen to the Horseshoe!
I LOVE the atmosphere. Â I feel like I've stepped into Texas when I open the door and stroll past the overly loud band doing original songs to a booth in the back where neon liquid shines through old liquor bottles full of the stuff behind chicken wire. Â Album covers from the 60's and 70's cover the walls near the bathroom and the bathrooms look like cabins.
The food is alright. Â It's not amazing food but to just sink into a plate of ribs while I can barely hear myself think is something that Chicago needs and it can be found right here.
Fun times. Drunken, loud, raucous, fun times, this place almost reeks of them. Such a fun place. Dark and dimly lit, friendly staff, tasty looking food, (I saw but did not eat), and good prices. Plus even better, good drink specials and prices all this withing a few minutes of my place... well stumbling distance.
Review Source:I want to like this place more than I do. I used to come by here occasionally for .25 cent beer Tuesdays. You can imagine what kind of crowd that drew. That's why I stopped coming.
II have been there on other nights of the week though, and found myself having quite a lot of fun while there. The whiskey prices are a little expensive, but they make up for it with cheap Lone Star and PBR. The music is usually rocking, especially when they've got a live rockabilly band in there. The food is actually pretty spectacular, especially they're burgers. Throw a little spicy bbq sauce on it, suck on your beer and smile.
The downside is that the staff here are extremely rude and unhelpful. Twice in the past I have alerted staff members to puddles of vomit and both times they have done nothing. The first time, someone has basically rendered the bathroom no usable and no one on the staff would get it cleaned, so the men were trying to share a washroom with the ladies, which of course, created some interesting arguments.
Overall though, not a bad place. Just do me a favor, if you're going to go to the Horseshoe, make sure your buddies don't puke everywhere.
I don't really "do" bars, so it may or may not to be pointless for me to review them, but I like live bands and I like a fella who likes beer, so I do visit them from time to time. Â I enjoyed the rockabilly bands at the Horseshoe. Â I saw the sound guy wipe up spilled beer so the high-fashion rockabilly kids in front wouldn't fall on their faces. Â I didn't gag on cigarette smoke. Â And the restroom was very clean. Â That makes this place okay in my book. Â (The book of bars for people who don't like bars?)
Update: Went all the way out there to see if the "vegetarian BBQ" was any good before we left town, but they were completely out of it. Â So their veggie burger, which purports to be a "hickory smoked combination of seasonal vegetables and pinto beans" was definitely a frozen Boca burger. Â Their mac & cheese was Velveeta. Â And the Fella's alleged "brisket" was so bad I thought he might cry. Â I guess we should have known better than to think bar food would actually be good, but this was downright bad.
DISCLAIMER: Â This is not the original review. Â I felt the need to change it completely after eating there a few days ago.
Okay, here's the thing. Â The Horseshoe, it's a five star bar. Â Now to me, a five star bar means that you have a lot of cheap beer options, you have hardwood floors, you have a good jukebox, you have a nice bartender, and if you put on shows, you put on shows that I want to see. Â The Horseshoe gets all those things right. Â The problem with the Horseshoe though is that instead of just being a bar, they purport to be an authentic Texas barbecue joint. Â They ain't.
The lady and I went out there a couple nights back to try the barbecue since we'd heard decent things about it, and since they had a vegetarian option on the menu. Â The lady eats mostly vegetarian cuisine and was real keen on the idea of trying some vegetarian barbecue. Â Too bad they didn't have any. Â So after some deliberation, she decided on the apparently made-in-house veggie burger, which turned out to be two frozen boca burgers with some cheese. Â Sure glad we paid for that.
So I order up the brisket basket, choosing fries and macaroni and cheese as my sides. Â Now I'm not expecting to have the best Texas barbecue ever in Chicago, IL, but this joint does get the rest of the aspects of a Texas honky tonk right, so I thought the barbecue would at least be decent. Â Now brisket, for those of you who don't know, is slow smoked and has a sort of pink color (as most things smoked do) similar to prime rib. Â It is, when prepared properly, a credit to the cow it came from. Â What I got at the Horseshoe had grill marks on it. Â Um...what? Â Yeah, grilled, not smoked, even though the menu said smoked. Â And the meat? Â It was like two skinny, stringy steaks from Waffle House. Â Add that to the macaroni and cheese which was more a physical representation of the color neon orange than it was food, and I was quite displeased.
I have a thing about sending food back, and the thing is, I won't do it. Â I was a server for a while, I know that everybody has off days, I know that there are a ton of factors involved in preparing a dish that could go wrong. Â I just, I hate the idea of even sending something back. Â So I didn't send this back, even though I should have, because what I ordered wasn't brisket. Â So if you want to go have a (sort of) genuine honky tonk experience in Chicago, try the Horseshoe, but if you want barbecue, get your ass below the Mason-Dixon line.
Up here, they ain't got a damn clue.
Well well well, look who's back....
If it isn't you, Horseshoe! Â It's been a while since we last met, hasn't it?
Not a whole lot has changed since this local watering hold reopened its doors earlier this summer. Â The only thing missing is the throngs of underage kids starved for the cheapest, skankiest beer in town.
The Rockabilly music still hums above the din of people chatting and downing their $2 all day, every day tall boys of PBR. Â
I've never eaten the grub here, so I guess I can't say anything about that, but I am a HUGE fan of the Man in Black posters that adorn the walls - you can NEVER go wrong with Johnny Cash.
I am in like with this bar. Â I'm just not certain we're in love.
A kitschy, welcoming saloon in Lincoln Square, the Horseshoe serves up burgers, beer, BBQ, vegan BBQ, beans, and the tastiest Frito Pie in the midwest. The bands here are generally bluegrass--it's kind of a mishmash of southern sensibilities, I know--but the Horseshoe has a great sense of humor. There's Pabst on tap, too, so you can masquerade as a rough-and-tumble brawler, if you want.
edit: Also, I moved a year ago. HORSESHOE CLOSED? WHAT?! BRING IT BACK ALREADY
edit #2: Phew!
Yes, there are quarter beers Tuesday nights. But you have to get there super early for a table or just plain early to stake out a spot that will fit a tray's worth of beer ($5 = 20 beers).
I actually recommend visiting any day but Tuesday to get a feel for the place. They have different food and beverage specials every night of the week. The Tuesday night binge drinking can come later.
Forget Tuesday quarter beers in a paper cup that sounds nuts! You gotta go the last Wed. of  each month when my friends band plays The Bottom Feeders.  They also play every Wed. at The Abbey on the pub side. It is bluegrass but they are great and alot of fun. I didn't see any gang bangers. Maybe at the old Bluelight though. Here's a link to The Bottom Feeders for more info on them.
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Horseshoe is a well maintained hole in the wall. Â This is not easy to do. Â I loved the ambiance, although I do prefer Southern rock to Bluegrass. Â As far as Chicago BBQ goes the food is on par and very reasonable. Â I measure a bbq place by their brisket. Â Horseshoe's brisket was a little dried out.
I enjoyed our server, so I guess the service was pretty good. Â The $0.25 beer night sounds like a bad idea. Â There are more humane ways of torturing oneself.
This is one of those places that you want to give 3.5 stars. Â Additionally, I didn't see any gang bangers, so you can wear your blue or red colors again.
I guess it's under new ownership, so I'm going to have to check it out again.
Monday is $.25 wings night. Unlike the other bars in the area, you are not required to buy a drink to get the special price. These are my favorite bbq style wings by far. The chicken they use is a good quality meat. Another plus is that it's not too busy, so you get your food fast.
I miss Jennifer the girl who always worked on Mondays. She was great!
If you like 25 cent beers, this is the place to go on Tuesdays- it feels like I'm in college again with beers this cheap!
They always have live music and plenty of beer. I'd recommend eating the macaroni and cheese or the frito pie, which is chili and cheese layered with fritos - delicious!
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