Sokol Brookfield

Their spaghetti is absolutely phenomenal! The meat sauce is the best I’ve ever had. The service is great and the bartender Dave asked me «when» while filling up my drink. That deserves best bartender ever status! I highly recommend Sokol for anyone interested.

«Was that the Frank Lloyd Wright house?»
«Was that the house with the creek in the back?»
«Was that the house with the slot machines in the basement?»
«Was that the reunion where I got sand thrown in my face?»
«Why didn’t those old men let Dad play bocce ball with them?»
–Things I asked my mom in regard to family reunions from the late 1980s to early 1990s.
A distant family member (not a resident of ANY of the above mentioned homes), is a genealogy enthusiast and wanted to do another family reunion. Unfortunately, it wasn’t at any of the ultra-​cool homes I remember from being a kid (the owners of the Frank Lloyd Wright house have since sold, moved to Arizona, and are 90+ years old now). So we were left with a few options…
My visit to the Sokol Brookfield was for a family reunion this weekend for about 60 people. They chose the Sokol for the central location and price. At $ 12.50/person, we were able to rent out the space which included fried chicken, pizzas, various Pepsi products, a keg of beer and 2 security guards.
That’s a pretty oddball combination of things, and I don’t know why we needed security. Our family contributed individual dishes to the meal as well. The fried chicken was very good, but the pizza was not good. Edible, yes, but I didn’t go back for a second slice. I didn’t catch a glimpse of what vendors the Sokol uses, but during those preliminary e-​mails from family, they seemed very flexible about packages. They are not at ALL your stuffy, cookie-​cutter banquet hall.
It appears that our family was responsible for the set-​up as well, from setting up tables to warming up dishes. Our pierogi arrived late, but only because the caterer didn’t know it was supposed to be delivered. Aside from security, there is no «planner» or on-​site assistant available.
For the price, this venue is great for an extremely tight-​budget wedding or reunion. It’s very no-​frills both inside and out, but the space could’ve easily held possibly 100 (or more) people. It’s your typical VFW-​style hall: brown paneled walls, white vinyl tile floors, and it’s located in the basement of the building which unfortunately had a gross mildew smell in the entrance.
The parking lot is a bit small considering how many people can fit into this space, but I didn’t hear any complaints, so I am assuming there is easily accessible street parking in the area.
I don’t think I would organize my own event at the Sokol, but that’s mainly because there are so many other venues like it. There’s enough room here to spread out and not be forced into awkward chit-​chat with your second-cousin’s child from a third marriage.