Reviews of Beat Kitchen (Restaurant)

Vicente Ramirez

Amazing food. You have to get the empanadas if it’s your first time here. Chorizo and Chicken are the best. I’m looking forward to trying their burgers next!

Eddie Medrano

Don't let the neighborhood fool you, these guys get down! Great food, great drinks, and guess what else? Great bands! 6/5 stars for this hidden gem. Don't forget to tip your bartenders.

Whitney lynn

solid place for shows, nice bartenders. bearded door guy sucks. obviously has some power trip complex and is one of the worst human beings that exists on our planet. incredibly rude and quick to love telling you no, for absolutely no reason, other than he just flat out sucks and enjoys ruining people's nights. there's no way his life is fulfilling. were friends with the band and they told us that the venue even warned them about how bad he would be ahead of time, and they were right. be warned.

Matt Maxwell

Veggie burger with grilled potatoes is good.

Steve Herber

Went for the Tuesday night with my adult daughter. We both laughed all night long. Six different comedians, fast paced, 90 minutes were over before I knew it. Lots of fun and I will go again next time I am in town.

Jacklyn Andersen

The best food! I love this place so much, from the bar to the venue, it's perfect.

Val Douglas

Good live entertainment venue.

Geoffrey Isch

Saw Brian Posehn. Awesome little space. Cheep beer, for Chicago.

James

Very nice staff and great nightly specials. The lineup of comedians was incredible. You cannot ask for more at a $5 cover. The Thai pizza sounded unusual but it was delicious.

Rob Brennan

Great food and great venue!

Michael Silver

Really cool music venue and great staff!

Eric Bushong

Nice friendly part of town easy to find parking. the venue part is threw door in the back of the bar. a open square with a small stage and a bar the they only use for shows. fairly priced drinks,bathrooms are ok, and they allow in and outs. it gets a little cramped when there is a packed house. but over all great part to see a live show

Matt Bult

Probably my favorite Northside Chicago venue. Amazing beer list with a bunch of locals (yay pipeworks) and great specials, really good food selection with bar bites and some surprisingly delicious and thoughtful dishes (yay portobello burger) and so much indie music MOJO it makes me want to start a band just to play there. Good safe venue for all-ages shows as well (spoken as a dad). Win, win, win!

JOANN DAVILA

Delicious BBQ sandwich! Give it a try.

Kenneth Ropiak

Awesome venue for any music

Konrad AmunRa

Excellent value/bar.

Josh St.Cyr

Decent food but a good venue to see mid level bands in a intimate environment

Gregg Swanstrom

This is a great heavy metal dive.. . . But so much more! The food is awesome. And I do mean awesome! A great craft beer selection. Really nice , skilled staff. And, it's a great heavy metal dive!

Ethereal Energies

First time, great experience

J O

Saw my favorite band, Tops, here. Cool back room where the band plays. Good sound.

Jared Stanley

Great bar, great atmosphere, great venue!

Jake Blade

Maaaaaan, if you want a great beer and a super intimate show, this is the spot ladies and gents.

Zylah Andrea

Really nice venue, good sound, great staff but security sucks! Was there on Saturday for the bombflower album release(great band check them out) and there was some girl there who kept punching people in the crowd intentionally over and over again and the security guard did nothing about it but "break up" the 15 "fights" (people defending themselves) multiple people told him she was a problem and needed to leave and nothing was done. Security is there to protect the venue AND PATRONS. They should have dealt with this issue the first time!

Paul Haney

Good food, not great. Some bar staff were either mad to be there or just not very happy in general. Music by faux furrs and temporary pharoahs was awesome-great place to listen to live music. Retro feel in the bar and music venue. Bathrooms left some things to be desired.

Phil Renda

Did metal yoga here and thought it was awesome. First time doing yoga and glad it was like this. Also they gave a great tap selection. Can't wait to catch a concert here.

Chris Pilotte

Went here for a show. Ate a burger at the bar beforehand. It was excellent. Good beer selection, and a nice, big room in the back for live music.

Gary Stewart

Great spot for some live music.

Charles B Haller

They book some of my favorite bands

Judy Zimmerman

My 2nd time there to experience great food! Their pizza is amazing! The atmosphere is friendly and I love the fact that they have bands! I came 84 miles just to see the band Steve "n" Seagulls.It was the highlight of my birthday experience. I will definitely go back!

Amanda Flores

Lovely staff and great food and music

Ginji Terrano

I'm sure the food was good but it came out bro cold. We came to see a show and it was standing room only. We had planned to eat during it. You have to eat outside the show showroom so you can't watch and eat at the same time. Maybe this was just a crazy popular show because I did see tables and chairs stacked but I had an unpleasant experience because it was 2 hours of standing in a poor spot because I was starving and decided to get an appetizer an hour before the show.

Ken Ugel

One of my favorite venues to see bands and to play.

Adam Lee

Someone staged dived and knocked two beers to the ground. Would go again.

Samantha Erosa

Amazing empanadas! Had mole and chorizo and I'll definitely go back for more after visiting them at the taste.

Vanessa Lech

Great venue for a smaller show. Usually plenty of room to dance. There are hooks in the performance area for u to hang a coat or backpack.

this that

Super groovy great space nice people weird people every kind of people welcome. The show I saw was actually truly loud which I loved and super fun. The kitchen has great food. Staff also nice. This place seems to have been remodeled and/or improved. All in all a seriously rockin night. Thanks beat kitchen!

Justin Loveless

Got a 5 inch gash on the top of my head from the last show i went. 10/10 would get cut again

Shawn Meilicke

Cool little venue. Free water, good food that's kinda pricy. Bathrooms lack any sort of privacy

Scott Seaholm

Awesome place for a little concert.

Em Bjärk

Friendly staff, intimate venue, lots of fun!

Tabatha Smith

great little venue.

Sleepthieves

Great venue! Inexpensive and plenty of good stage views. Also great place too see local, regional, as well as up and coming artists.

A. Jas

Great food, friendly staff.

Sarah Jo Robinson

Sweet cozy venue, great food, friendly staff

Maxwell Shaw

It's a decent little venue. It's kinda tight and the layout isn't great. Overall it's a good experience!

Anna name

Great bands, great food, good time...this is a nice, comfortable restaurant/bar. It has a good vibe. They also cater to kids events upstairs. Or rent the same room for adult party or events. I gave it 4 stars because the bathroom in the basement is quite small.

mike Gossett

Old School awesomeness!

Katie Turows

Absolutely enjoyed myself for a concert there. Staff is very friendly and helpful. The show itself was awesome and food is wonderful!

Raz Yamamoto

The venue itself is kinds cozy, staff is cool. But the sound system was trash. I'm talking popping, tinnyness, and feedback. Like, an excessive amount. Not the baseline, low, inevitable amount.

Robert Kaltenbach

Sat for 20 minutes after being handed menus. No one came over to take our drink order or anything. Plenty of service at the bar and outside. Can’t justify spending money after being ignored. Place used to be great, wonder what happened?

Terrence McGill

Nice little spot in a nice old Chicago neighborhood. Didn't try the food, but saw it all night and looked really good. Nice little venue in back, with plenty of space. Good place to catch a show.

wanderlust715

Awesome place to grab a bite to eat and see a show!! Great service with a super friendly staff too!!

Jenny Poole

Great food, great music especially Red Scarves.

Jeff Lee

Cool club/pub eats too

Joe McHugh

Very intimate. This is a tiny place, but the sound was good

Lynn Calderone

The pesto omelette was amazing and the wait staff so friendly and accommodating. We'll definitely be back!

Sean Boyle

Words cannot describe how I truly feel about this place, but I will try anyway. The cheeseburgers here are absolutely epic. They are on special on Thursdays for $6 with fries or tater tots. There isn't a ton of seating, so you might have a tiny bit of a wait for a table. There is always live music going on, but you don't have to pay if you stay in the front section of the bar. The beer list here is very respectable with a constantly changing selection of local and craft brews on tap. Oh, the fish tacos are pretty darn good as well.

tony cooney

Amazing bar and venue

Carlos Hrndez

Love this place! The stage has some aesthetics to it!

JP Bader

The venue was small and intimate. There is enough room to dance and not feel to crowded however there's no place to easily dispose of your empty beverage container. That said, the price is right, drinks are fair, and the staff was kind. I definitely recommend.

James Wheeler

Good food, great sound system!

Quinn Delaney

Amazing local venue. Always has great bands. Plenty of bathrooms. Great specials. Close to transportation. Also has comedy nights that are a lot of fun!

Emily Cantafio

I found myself at the beat kitchen because of a friend's band and really enjoyed myself! I like the fact that the venue is separate from the restaurant/ bar area. The music was great, but it got a little loud at times. They also have a great outdoor patio! We had a lovely night.

Randy Kim

One of the best dive bars / venues in Chicago. Food is also terrific as is the service. Small, intimate and in a cozy neighborhood

Wendy Roehl

Excellent place for food, music and friends!

Ryan B

i saw the lillingtons my favorite band currently on tour. i got the setlist and the band signed the tour poster i have pictures and recorded the 90 min show audio of bands make war lill headlined. i stayed outside and missed the first really poppy band and found out my close friend chin who came and met at the show is a level 6 guide lol cheers everyone happy 420!

James Fox

Very nice full bar in front, jammin: bands in back. Excellent acoustics, great sound. Outstanding musicianship.

SOMFxCUDDLY Blah

A large crowd of hipsters amassed to watch four white guys get sweaty on a stage. 10/10

Greg Gaffud

my band has played here a few times, and the staff here are always super nice and helpful to us! the sound guy is really helpful, and to boot, he makes us sound good! the food is pretty ok, but it's definitely good for a right before a show snack! would recommend.

Matt Sponholz

Dude. THIS place. Freaking Brilliant.

Stacy Kuhn

Everyone is super nice. Good food. Decent priced booze. Great show venue. Don't mind me, I'm just gonna live here....

Kelly Frumento

Great food, cozy bar, intimate venue for small concerts

Amy Brice

Great place to catch a show, small venue, good food, great beer selection.

Erika Williams

Awesome venue. Not only is this a restaurant but there’s also a cool venue in the back. Would recommend .

Timothy Casey

Steak salad is worth the trip!

Angus Kroll

Small but very nice venue. Had a few drinks at the bar before a show. Prices very reasonable. Food looked/smelled great but I didn't have time to try. Venue is tiny; basically a box. Bathrooms are inconveniently located in the basement. Sound was great. I'd definitely go back.

Jared Bosi

Slow service if you want food. Intimate venue to catch some of your favorite up and coming bands.

Ant Aros

Best small venue for live music

Liv Gomes

Great venue and bands! But we always have a hard time finding a seat to grab a bite!

Colleen O'Donnell

Good burger. Funny server

Connor Heckler

Nice place to go to see comedy or music. Great interior and great service. However, the back room's lines were filthy and my Oktoberfest beer tasted like there were three different sour beers mixed in that were two weeks old (and there were). If it weren't for that, this place would get five stars. Just stick to the main bar.

Sean Garvey

From my limited experience, the Beat Kitchen is/was awesome. Additionally, it's a great value, for music event tickets (and live music entertainment provided at the event). [But compared to the dirt cheap music/show/concert tickets, the bar charges a decent price for most drinks at Chicago prices, comparatively. For example, the on-tap beer started at $3 or $4. A can of 312 was $6. (Prices vary.)] Back to my recent experience at the Beat Kitchen during last week (on a weeknight, a Thursday [night], of all days/nights!). Anyway, THE FACTS: The Knowmads ROCKED The Roof And Straight Lit The Beat Kitchen On Fire; It Got Hot In There... LOL. WHAT AN INTENSE PERFORMANCE BY THE UNDERGROUND, SEATTLE-BASED, HIP-HOP DUO 0F LYRICAL RAPPERS - FOR THEIR CHICAGO FANS & MEMBERS OF THEIR MUSICAL FAM! An Intense & Amazing Experience at 2100 W Belmont in Chicago (at the Knowmad's Live Concert/Show/Performance - [last] Thursday, October 4th, 2018)!!! Wasn't expecting much from the Beat Kitchen, considering it was less than $20 for the tickets, but I was pleasantly surprised - and left wanting nothing more! There was literally an unasked-for-encore, at the end, and then fans began chanting for "one more", so they did a second 'traditional style encore' to their 'original or first, originally surprise/unrequested/unprovoked encore'. It was amazing.. The Perfect Show. At the Perfect Low-Key Venue.

Robbie Bourne

I love playing shows here. The stage sounds amazing and the staff is super pro. Awesome selection behind the bar and really good pizza

Chinburn's Ripoff Recordings

Great small place to see kick ass bands like The Lillingtons slay it! Let me bring in my record box without problems, a very nice and friendly staff. Clean bathrooms for a punk rock bar. I will be back for a few more shows, including but he Dead Boys!!!

Karin Anderson

Nice intimate venue for music and good food.

Liz Pompe

Great venue. Sound is almost always great. Cheap beer/shot specials.

Lazy Ass Destroyer

Great music venue, with a great staff and excellent food.

Nathan Pabich

Cool spot for great music.

Xavier S

Love the comedy night, and I've seen a couple of bands here too. I like the space, bar and staff.

Dan Forbes

Great food, good people, excellent music

Pete Ziegel

One of my favorite places to see live music in the city. Perfect size for a music venue.

Vincent J Vatican

Was there Saturday night October 10th, and seen an incredible band named VATICAN. The atmosphere was great, as was the food and service. Two thumbs up Chicago!

Mark Amaro

It's very cozy for live music and the food wasn't bad either

Tommy Henry

Always a great experience. The bar up front is lively, with music played at a good level for conversation and the back room has live music with a sound system that is top notch. Big fan.

Christopher Sanders

Always a nice time. Friendly bartenders, good food and music.

Augustino Esposito

Always a spot to park and right near great restaurants. I've always had a good time at the Beat Kitchen

J Pitts

Staff are pretty cool, place has an extensive menu. The outdoor patio in the summer is.massive. the bathroom could use some work but overall it is a good place.

Chris Krueger

Nice smaller venue. Good place to get up close and personal with the band. Cheap beer always available.

Cori Meyers

Really cool place. Great standing room concerts and a nice bar in the front. I love going here to hear music on any given night or for specific concerts.

Angela Leone

Excellent little venue! Never had a bad crowd at a show I've seen here, and have always appreciated the variety and caliber of performers invited to the space. Bartenders, and door-staff are friendly, and drinks are a good price with specials often offered. If you're here for a concert, it isn't too much of a challenge to arrive slightly early and secure a spot with a solid view of the stage. Bonus points for a sound team who nicely balances levels without giving in to the "Chicago standard" of just blasting the low end until your ears ache and the notes are entirely massacred into noise.

Yesenia Cruz

Super small and intimate venue... perfect for a show!

Christopher Mazza

Their Fish Tacos were awesome.

roy arguello

Great staff and nice drink specials. Excellent dive.

Lawrence Shilney

Great atmosphere and local bands!!!!

Rob Kurylowicz

Went there for a concert (Green Jello) and was impressed by the set up of the venue and stage area. The bar area is good also, but the one draw back is that the restrooms are down stairs and in a narrow hallway.

Jason Klingler

Great dive bar with good food and great live music

Rosa Salinas

To begin with , if they have any future little concerts. Don’t even bother coming here for that. I was wrongly accused of apperantly smoking a cigarette/vape. Which was not even true . The security guy went from saying I smoke a vape then to a cigarette. When I tried to explain he was very disrespectful to me and my friend. I tried to ask the security to speak to a manager to explain the situation . He said their was no manager working, which is off because their should always be a manager working for things like this. Everyone that was around clearly told him that I didn’t. This escalated to much to where I had to call the cops bc of the way he was talking to us . I was also called a “b*tch”. Of course he denied but also several people heard him. No action was taken from the way he disrespect me and my friend. None of my friends will come here ever again due to the lack of communication and how disrespectful that guy was .

Peter Bock

Neighborhood spot for indie-rock shows.

Elizabeth Stolley

I went to see Brian Posehn here and it was a great experience. As busy as it was, the waitresses and staff were pleasant. I didn't order food, but I saw it brought out of the kitchen constantly and it looked and smelled good. Drinks were good, with prices you would expect. I have disabilities and even though it was a standing-only show, when asked they got me a chair and I sat up front on the left corner and had a great time with a lot less pain. I would definitely go to this venue again.

eric waggoner

Nice place , bar in the front and music venue in the back.

Heather

We go here exclusively for the Metal Market, which is a really cool experience (I hope it continues to grow!). It is, however, a bar, so the bathrooms are vile, and the floors are often sticky. Bring your own hand sanitizer! Street parking isn't too bad.

Ed Perkins

One of the best venues in Chicago. Great sound, good food, great vibe.

Manizha Kholmatov

Pizza was ok, beer was good, comedy show was pretty great. Recommend if you’re looking for an indie/underground vibe.

Eric P

Wonderful venue. Intimate setting with great audio. The food is delicious. I recommend their nachos. And a solid variety of drinks.

Dwight Haesler

My people had a monthly show and Beat Kitchen let us use their upstairs free of charge for it. Incredibly nice staff and they put on awesome shows downstairs.

Peter Andreadis

This place has been around forever and myself and all my musician friends have played here at one time or another. Just went back here last night, met friends, and had dinner/drinks. I had a delicious lamb burger with amazing tater tots. Our cocktails were just ok. The soap dispenser was broken in men's room. So, yeah it's a pretty loveable dive for a low key and fun night.

Kelly Ferrari

Dive bar feel with excellent craft beer options. Great seeing bands in such a tiny venue and tickets are usually pretty cheap.

Sam H

Supercute small venue! Sound system is good, and the bands have to walk through the crowd to get to the stage. Events have a more personal feel to them, and there's a bar for those seeking drinks. I can't review the bar itself because I did not partake, but for shows, I'd be happy to return to the Beat Kitchen!

Nathan Stankiewicz

Went there for a show. Staff was nice and personable and the sound was really good.

Marc Walls

Saw one of the best shows of my life here

gabrielle wright

Absolutely amazing tamales at the Taste... but they don't serve the same flavors at their location in Chicago. But the service was great..

Tony Buck

An intimate bar with local music. Popular with the hipsters, it is a decent place to eat and listen to music. We were not impressed with the food. People seem to love the pizza, the quesadilla. If you are listening to music, you have to leave the back room and go downstairs. Also the wait staff seems a little slow in getting back to the music room. Also the beer selection could be a little better in this age of fine craft beers. They really need to expand the place, it can get chaotic when a popular band is there. I actually wanted to give the place 2.5 stars, don't really think it deserves 3 stars, but I rounded up because i think it could be a better place.

Nicholas Swanson

Great place that sets the perfect atmosphere for bands.

Paul Carrano

Solid, intimate venue for a good rock/punk show. They have other cool events too, bluegrass bruch, comedy tuesdays, etc.

Alexandra Wright

I went here a few weekends ago for a show. I didn't eat any food so I can't write about that but they had a great beer special, but ran our of that beer. But the atmosphere was great with a punk rock kind of feel in the back. The front is more relaxed with booths and tables.

Anthony Gaines

Great venue

Andrew Wilson

Cool venue. Food is solid. Great neighborhood.

christopher adams

Excellent service good atmosphere

Meghan Thompson

Great bands, good sized venue. Doesn't get hot and stuffy like most other places. Great drink specials.

Matt Daniluk

Great little venue with good menu and beers

William Higgins

One of my favorite places to see live music in the city and good food to boot.

Danny Johnsen

Mike Corcoran is one hell of a bartender and awesome guy

Matty Field

Went to a Chicago Underground Comedy stand-up show and goddamn Hannibal Buress "popped in" for a set. It was amazing. This place is rad.

Anthony Bellezzo

Excellent staff and good selection of beer and music artists that play there

Rebecca Whittenhall

Usually a good time, but very strict with artists and guests, and not the best place for a very loud band... The sound fills the room easily. Average alcohol prices, with some decent daily deals.

kelly smith

Staff and venue are great. Awesome food and booze and beer selection. Would frequent again

Savannah Rasmussen

The Kid Cudi Experience was great, and had a cozy atmosphere. But the front door security was unnecessarily rude--even though I had a none alcoholic beverage, and no wristband, they kicked me out of my paid experience because my hand stamps washed off a good amount after using the restroom. One of them pulled me to the front and was dragging my arm. Hopefully they handle things in a more thought out manner.

Todd Graff

Great food and awesome live music

Zach Weber

Awesome bar however, the bartenders weren't very friendly.

William Richter III

One of the most awesome venues I've been to in Chicago. The staff was friendly, drinks were great, and it was awesome seeing Jeff Rosenstock sell the place out. I highly recommend this intimate venue to any music enthusiast!

Linda Samplawski

We saw the Steve'N Seagulls, and ClusterPluck. Both bands were fantastic. We had a fun time.

Greg Carrington

Nice small venue for local shows. Went to Forever Deaf Fest and it was great. Shout out to Nick Fury for putting it on.

Erika

I love coming here for shows and I can never leave without tater tots lol The sound here for shows is just awesome (Good job sound guy) and the beer and drink selection is just great. One of my favorite spots in the city. I enjoy their menu, the overall feel of the place is relaxed.

Darrin Lim

The food here was alright - decent thin crust pizza and good tater tots. The comedy shows (Helltrap Nightmare) they occasionally host, however, are the most interesting things ever. I’m still slightly confused/entertained/horrified/delighted. It was an experience.

Dave Hofer

Classic Chicago bar/venue. Lots of punk and metal. I've seen several shows here. Layout of the bar kinda sucks but whaddayagonnado?

peter Jamal

Intimate space, good sound, drink prices are fair. Been here quite a few times, always a good spot.

Glen Forneris

Bluegrass brunch was like a private personal concert. Food was tasty, too. Check them out!

Xack Brame

The Beat Kitchen is one of the best venues I've ever been to. Great food, fairly cheap beer, and a rotating line up of killer show after killer show. Also, The Beat Kitchen is hands down one of the best sounding venues I've ever been to. I'm not sure if it's the room or the way the sound is set up but this place sounds incredible.

CrashBobOmb

Great show venue and nice bar area.

Amira Stone

The employees are irrational and just want to make money, very cold and aggressive. Won't reason or listen.

Arno G

Sammie the lovely bartender is awesone!

Noel Price

AWESOME intimate venue to see live music! An amazing Chicago spot!

Scott Gelwicks

Good place to see a band & good prices on beer. A winner.

Tommy Gianforte

Absolutely love seeing shows here.

Bruce Breuninger

Hot Chicago jazz at its finest!

Felipe Fiorini

Awesome venue + good food. Loved!

Matthew Ulm

Well I have always enjoyed coming to the Beat Kitchen for music and a couple drinks with friends, I was not impressed at all with the Sunday brunch.

Charles Shields

This place is so great. I love food, especially the salad, which is savory and concise. The coffee is consistently good and the staff are consistently friendly. It would be easy to become a regular here if I lived in the neighborhood.