MarkO's Bar & Grill

Nice atmosphere a nice place to grab a quick drink

Not that bad.....

For starters, it is common for bars to ask for a credit card these days. I've read the reviews upset about that, but come on. That's a pretty standard policy.

Food is excellent. Wings are great.

Service is decent. Those outfits are absurd though and the girls look embarrassed.

Great selection of booze, reasonable prices. No specials, which I like because it keeps 21 year olds away.

Bouncers would be a nice edition. NWI guys are a little too comfortable saying whatever they feel because these tiny girls can't throw them out.

All and all, not bad. Getting better. Seems they've cut out some of the original staff. Some were great, some were definitely not. But kuddos on the effort. They're getting there. Should be great for warm weather.

Lot's of potential here... I can see why some of the reviews aren't stellar but, I think it's more than a 1 star place.

Here's the skinny:
Parking lot is in the back.
Service- spotty but, got better eventually.
Drinks aren't bad, "What's a French Martini?"
Beef & Pork Tacos were pretty decent, pricey though.
I don't know exactly what to make of this place...

Here's the fat:
I was expecting a corner bar 'n grill because of this picture - <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/markos-bar-and-grill-munster?select=5J11TZURNIf3DDb-d9CkLg">http://www.yelp.com/biz_…</a> . Nope, it's in a small mall. Gotta park in the back, and walk through the courtyard - not much fun in the freezing rain. To me the parking lot looked kinda sketch... don't know why just did.

When I first walked in it took a while to be noticed even though there were 3 or so bartenders and an abundance of empty chairs... wasn't off to a good start. Eventually I was asked if I've been helped yet, nope... the first bartender, though energetic was pretty forgetful. I asked for a menu... 10 minutes later I get it. "Must've given it to the wrong guy" OK... considering there were so many people (20ish tops) I ignored that. The second bartender(shift change) was a lot better, she seemed a little bit older, wiser and was more on the ball. She noticed when drinks were empty, ashtrays full, people were ready to order... cool beans.

First  drink I wanted - French Martini, they didn't know how to make it. OK... not that kinda place, Tanqueray & Tonic it is. T&T was ok, first one was weak but, they also got better(shift change).
They have a good selection of beers too, Fat Tire, Gumball Head, Blue Moon etc. and of course the standards too - Miller and all that.

I thought the food was pretty good, at least the Tacos were. I don't know about $6.25 good but, good. It's 3 tacos, loaded up with some cheese, lettuce, tomato and grille onions. No sour cream or hot sauce brought/offered though...
Picture - <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/markos-bar-and-grill-munster?select=libviNb6t5VQMSdPtyJqWg">http://www.yelp.com/biz_…</a> The meat was flavorful enough and not greasy at all, though it was a bit heavy on the Cumin, I did like the grilled up onions though.

I'm not sure how to describe this place.
The bar itself is backlit in pink... there's a shuffle board table, Plenty of TV's with good quality picture. The uniforms are something else... black, short skirt, triangle opening in the back... bartenders and waitresses are kinda "punky" I guess, which is not something I've seen in bars around here. It all kinda goes together... if anything it feels like the Disco Era dying and transitioning to the (Real)Punk Rock Era... Some like it some don't, personally I kinda do.

As far as the first 2 reviews go...
I didn't think any of the staff was "rude" per se, a bit forgetful maybe but, not rude. At least when I was there for a quick bite and drink after work.
My bar tab seemed legit, $21.40 for Tacos and 3 Tanqueray &Tonics.

I'll be coming back, it's definitely got big potential. They Just gotta pull it together a bit on the service I think. If they do that, this place can be pretty awesome.

SYOY