Bar Louie

Here is a little story about a boy and a girl’s second date.
Boy takes girl to I.O. for a show (getting girls to laugh big +)
Boy then takes girl to Bar Louie (conveniently right next door), though packed we found seats at the bar but were quickly engulfed by others
Boy and girl were having great conversation all night
Boy after a few delicious Bar Louie cocktails he starts thinking «aw yeah it’s on»
Then all of a sudden girl touches boy’s leg
Boy gets overly excited and accidentally grazes girl’s boob
Boy is extremely embarrassed and starts to think he blew it when girl backs hand away
But then girl goes for it! Boy and girl passionately… ok more like ravaging each others lips
Boy stops to open his eyes, notices everyone has backed away from boy and girl, almost making a bubble around them. Boy gets silly looks from everyone
Boy starts thinking he can’t believe he is doing the «PDA» and with his eyes closed no less
Boy starts to wonder why people close their eyes to begin with, are they imagining other people or is it to hide from the leering looks of others
Boy some how starts thinking about Bar Louie’s fantastic comfort food
Boy then realizes he is still kissing girl and tries to get his head back into the game
Boy and girl eat a little, make out a little and so on
Boy can’t help but start to wonder if he is getting lucky tonight
Boy then starts to wonder if girl will respect him in the morning and almost laughs out loud (all of this while still making out)
Girl takes boy back to her place (boy lives far), girl says we can cuddle only…
Boy’s hopes crushed
Boy wakes up to girl saying «Wow, good dreams» (If you don’t know, well… boys are excited in a certain way in the morning, You know down there)
Boy is embarrassed again
Girl goes for it, starts rubbing all over him and undresses herself then…
Boy wakes up
At least boy got to see some improve and eat well. Bar Louie is good for these kinds of nights if you’re stuck in this area

Hmmm woodchuck on tap
I had a delicious burger here, Backyard BBQ; it was cooked fresh to order and brought to my plate steaming hot. The ingredients are common, Cheddar, Bacon, BBQ sauce, and fried onions. But it was cooked well and it didnt taste like a frozen patty reheated. It was mouth watering good.
Sidenote: Tuesdays is $ 1 burgers… not sure if the qualty is as good. should be. But just a tip.

5 stars for the smothered tater tots! Damn, how have I gone this long without them? Decent beer list, pretty good service. There’s nothing that special about it but I still go back! It gets treated sort of like a club later on in the evening so negative stars for that because it’s really not that type of place. I mean I get they need to follow suit because all the bars in Wrigleyville do the same thing, but just not good for it. I do like to go here when it’s not packed for a bite.

I went here on like a random thursday because we were bored and the beach was gay so we headed to wrigleyville for a drink. The place is pretty small but the specials were pretty good, which was like half off appetizers after a certain time. The waitress was nice and the bar was dead but it seemed like a cool place I would like to go back to.

I went to Bar Louie for brunch and their «bottomless mimosas». Or so I thought. They advertise brunch on their website, but according to our waitress yesterday, they no longer serve brunch. Talk about shattered dreams.
So, we try to salvage our «brunch» by still ordering the mimosas. Another let down. The mimosas were served in the same ginormous glasses they serve soda in. It didn’t even taste like a mimosa. It was just champagne & orange juice. Meh.
BUT, there is a silver lining, we ordered chicken quesadillas & the chicken florentine pizza and both tasted great. But the pizza wasn’t hot. It was more room temperature.
Oh Bar Louie, I once loved thee. Now our love is nothing more than a memory.
Best,
Shakeia

I’m sure alcohol here is good, but since I don’t drink, I can’t really review the «bar» part of Bar Louie :)
I can, however, review their dollar burgers… And now their brunch! Dollar burgers are excellent because they will put anything you want on them, such as pepper jack cheese and a fried egg. Or bacon and guacamole. Or pepper jack cheese and bacon. Or all of the above. It sucks that they charge 50 cents for pickles now though. The burgers come out hot and on nice kaiser rolls and are generally too much for me to finish.
Their potato choices are also good. Garlic fries-​always good. Tater tots-​super duper greasy, but delicious. Now would be the time for me to mention their hot sauce because I enjoy fried potatoes with hot sauce immensely, but am picky about hot sauce and carry around my own bottle of Texas Pete… But, I don’t need it at Bar Louie because their hot sauce is not Tabasco :)
Brunch: You get a free mini Bloody Mary and donuts. They get the 5^th star because they made mine (and Joe’s) virgin, but still tomato-​y and spicy and delicious… For me because Joe doesn’t like tomatoes. Double fun for me… And the drink still had all its bells and whistles too! They gave us a bunch of dipping sauce, but not a bunch of donuts. I ordered the breakfast burrito and it was HUGE. The menu says that it comes with potatoes, and I was pleasantly surprised that by potatoes, they meant tator tots!
The atmosphere is kind of hit and miss. Brunch was completely empty when Joe and I went on a Sunday morning around 11. It is a good place to meet up Tuesday nights after class, but sometimes it is too loud (but hey, it is a bar) and too dark (but hey, it’s a bar???) and the service can be pretty horrible too. I am definitely not a bad tipper, but I admit that once I went by the «dollar a table» rule because our waitress was so bad.

I stopped in here before and after the IO.
The bartender was really nice.
we decided to go back after io we wanted another drink and ended up eating!
Dear Bar Louie…
Oh how i love thy ranch… i would eat it everyday if i could!
xoxo,
Nina
great service. Great food. Great beer selection.
:But be aware hipsters…:
you might feel like your eating at a corporate restaurant bar and I’d hate for you to feel like you weren’t damning the man. =)

After a long day of work and studying, I found myself in Wrigleyville with a friend looking for a late night drink and the possibility of food. After stopping at around six or seven Wrigleyville spots and not wanting to grab pizza, Taco Bell, or McDonald’s we stopped by Bar Louie which was the only place on a late weeknight that fortunately had a kitchen open!
A friend and I sat ourselves and were greeted quickly and in short form we ordered an order of BBQ wings and a burger apiece. Absent on the weekday night were the obnoxious loudmouths that line every other Wrigleyville bar during the weekends! There were enough big TVs to watch all the games and get latest score updates and the service was great and we were given lots of attention.
I don’t remember what the special was that night but I do remember drinking some Sam Adams. The wings came with a lot of BBQ sauce and were individually small, but the portions more than compensated and made me wonder how many wings they would load if I ordered a large! The burger went par for the course but I was just so thankful the kitchen was open at all!!!

Inconsistent, average, uninspired.
I went here with some friends after a class tonight. We were just looking for a place that was open and had food and drinks and was close. It’s proximity is the only thing that drove us to go here.
The veggie wrap I had was alright for the most part, but it had goat cheese and avacado in it. You put those two ingredients into anything, and you’ve got a gold mine.
I’m pretty sure I was overcharged in the end, and that is why I hate eating in groups of 8 or more.
The beer was cold, and they had a $ 3 special on Sam Adams so everyone else was happy. The fries were cold and clearly underneath a heat lamp for a solid hour, not to mention there were like five of them.
The waitress was nice, but unfortunately they recently changed their shoe policy and make her wear little red Vans shoes for some reason. Poor her!
Luckily there was no Cubs game, so they had a full menu and weren’t crazy busy. If there is, be ready to be price gouged by this place.
Bonus: Oh yeah, someone clearly broke a glass while we were eating, and there were huge piles of salt on the floor when we left.
I bet I’ll be here again on a Sunday night, I’ll update. We’ll see if I get food or not.

ugh im so disappointed… took the bf here after raving about their pom. marg. for months…
$ 10 bucks to get served in a plastic cup (with half the amount of drink i had on my previous trip here)…did not taste anything like my last drink here… did not come decorated with fruit and sugar as it should have (yes, when u write on ur menu every little ingredient in ur drink… i expect it to come out exactly like that)
wont be back… too many other bars on this strip to get jipped twice

Burgers Burgers Burgers.
I live in the neighborhood. And when there isn’t a home Cubs game they’ll deliver. And in the dead of winter when I don’t want to brave the elements and go out on my balcony to grill a burger, I call Bar Louie on Clark because they deliver. Yes, they will deliver a single cheeseburger to my front step.
You would think in the time it takes to get the burger to me it woudl lose flavor or it would be all cold and mushy. No and No. The thing arrives in perfect condition. The taste is fantastic. I love this burger. And I love their pickles!
And don’t forget an order of bruchetta. They give you SO MUCH! It’s fantastic! Give it a try. You’ll like it!

I have been to various Bar Louie locations a number of times, but my experience last week has actually prompted me to write a review.
Bar Louie is a standard chain bar that reminds me of a booze-​focused TGI Friday’s or other comparable casual dining restaurant.
Last week, after the fantastic Illinois/​Northwestern game, we were hungry and having a hard time coming up with a bar that was still serving food (it was past 11:00). Surprisingly, Bar Louie was.
We sat at the bar and immediately the bartender asked us about the game, what year we graduated from U of I, etc. He poured some great Guinness (Guinesses, Guinness’, Guinni?) and we ordered some food. I had spinach dip (standard but good) and my friend got a huge grilled cheese sandwich with bacon on it and french fries (which looked awesome).
Ultimately, we learned that the bartender was, in fact, the manager and his name is Patrick. He invited us to come back and the next time he’d buy us a round. Very nice guy and I think I might just go out of my way to go back!

Take it or leave it. Stumbled in after enjoying some great Makers mark cocktails in need of some grease. Typically in Wrigley I’ll go to Ian’s, but, Heineken regular and lights on special $ 3, drew me inside. I’ve been in Wrigley so many times and never ever cared much to walk in, till last evening. The only place I found with people in their 30’s and an acceptable mellow atmosphere. But., alas, it was a sausage party. Argh!
Had the cheeseburger sliders which were FUBAR, ketchup and mustard could not help the taste. My beer was chill, just not cold enough to enjoy. Tab was about $ 10 plus tip.
Mistakes I made, not telling the bartender how I wanted the burgers cooked, if I’d said raw, then maybe it may have come out medium. Should’ve gone for a draft instead of a bottle.
Music is supplied via online jukebox.

overall, i like bar louie…
ive been to the evanston and wrigleyville location and theyre both pretty similar. both times ive eaten here ive had the turkey sliders… and theyre actually really great.
beer & meals are overpriced (natch), but the servers are all really nice and it’s a good and quiet place to watch the nfl ticket on sun and usually not too crazy on the weekends.
i guess they have $ 1 burgers sometime during the week… id imagine people get packed in like cattle then! pun intended. HEYO.

Here on a rainy afternoon with no Cubs fans in sight (yay!), it was pretty empty but we were just there for lunch and conversation. Given that, the big games on the big screens were nice for an occasional glance, but the atmosphere leaves a bit to be desired and tables are a little cramped.
Had the burger and it was damn good, actually! Our server was super nice, but I’m not a big fan of the «memorized» order, they always seem to forget something, and sure enough she forgot my friend’s «tots» (get your own!) and her drink as well! Let’s leave memorization to the pro’s at Friday’s! Server was super apologetic and took good care of us besides that.
If I was ever strolling Clark St. on a non-​game day, I might stop in again for lunch, watch a football game on the big screen and tip back a beer from their big beer list.

Here’s what I like: the chicken nachos. They are, hands-​down, the best nachos I have ever experienced in my life and are pure deliciousness. If you try them and don’t feel the same, there’s no hope for you! The nachos are $ 10, but worth every penny. Guaranteed.
What is a little questionable — extra chips are 50 cents. Really? REALLY? That’s a little lame. The waitstaff has been pretty friendly when I’ve visited, although service a little slow. In addition, is it really necessary to make the bar temperature the same as a meat cooler? Man, was it freezing!
I’ve been here many times, especially since I seem to end up here to watch ball games on TV during baseball season, and another disappointment: they don’t serve the yummy nachos during Cubs home games. I mean, WTF. Come on. Which means, I will never go here again during Cubs home games.
The bar is stocked, and the food is good. It is a solid place visit when my Cubbies aren’t at home.

Bar Louie is probably my favorite place to meet up and chat with friends in the neighborhood. They have a large back room lounge area that’s usually pretty deserted, but it has a cool laid-​back feel to it. That’s in stark contrast to the usually loud, uncomfortable and cramped conditions of most other joints in the neighborhood.
The black angus burger never disappoints. The soft pretzel sticks are excellent. The tater tots are just like the lunch lady used to make.
The only thing holding Bar Louie back from a 4^th star is the lousy service. If you chill in the back room, you’re often forgotten. But sometimes that’s a good thing…

Bar Louie has great food! I’m just not a fan of the bar itself. As a compromise, I get takeout quite frequently from this location. My star rating is based only on the takeout as my takeout to stop in for a drink ratio is about 10:1.
One of my favorite things to order are the loaded cheese fries that consist of seasoned fries topped with healthy amounts of warm queso, chopped bacon, and gardeneria. I try not to order this unless if I have someone willing to share the plate as it is pretty hefty and finishing it alone would probably turn my stomach upside down. If I’m flying solo I usually opt for the cheddar grilled cheese with bacon and tomato on thick whole grain bread. I’m not a grilled cheese fiend, but this is a damn good grilled cheese! If I get a hankering to «load» my small side of fries, I can order a little cup of all 3 components for $ 0.75. One thing they do, that many other bars do not, is deliver — with no minimum. I usually walk, but my roommate has had a side order of fries delivered to our apartment 2 blocks away.
Now why don’t I like this place as a bar? I don’t feel like it’s a bar. The layout of the front room screams restaurant. Even the actual bar is more of a counter than it is a bar. When seated at the bar, you look directly into an open kitchen with food sitting in the window much like in a diner. The back room does look a little more loungeish, but as a whole Bar Louie just doesn’t do much for me. Which is pretty bad because I spent many nights down at SIU drooling over a bartender that currently bartends here. If hot eye candy can’t get me into a bar, nothing will.

Every Christmas season I partake in a pub crawl or two in Wrigleyville. In the middle of one pub crawl I was in dire need of food. I was hungry and needed something else in my belly besides beer.
My friends and I stumbled into Bar Louie and were served our food fast. I had the turkey sliders and some tots. The perfect drunk food. I must say, the turkey sliders were better than I thought they would be.
I’ll be back next Christmas, Bar Louie!

I come here for the $ 1 burger night which is excellent. The burgers are huge, and while you have to pay extra for any toppings other than lettuce, ketchup, and mustard, its still fun to create your own burger. I always get the tater tots too. This location is way better than the one on Damen. The service is much friendlier and they also actually cook your burger to order.