SoPo: User Reviews

Fell Short
By Sligoirish from Lincoln Park, September 21, 2009

Overall rating:

Good place for a drink, bad place for food.

Disappointing experience
By sama from Lakeview, March 29, 2009

Overall rating:

Friend had a birthday party there, private event on the 2nd floor. Place was nice, management, however, was terrible, extremely unfriendly, not at all hospitable or accommodating. Drinks were more expensive at the upstairs bar versus the downstairs. Music was decent. Would not recommend a private party there unless you want to deal with bunch of rudeness and “misunderstandings.”

Not bad.
By KimC from Lakeview, February 4, 2009

Overall rating:

This is actually a really fun bar on a weekend night. Music is great and I alwalys have a fun time. They also have great specials during the week. My husband and I like to go for half price food, apps and bottles of wine. However, the service is pretty bad. The place has been half empty are last two times and the waitress spent most of her time chatting away with the bartender. We had to get up several times to ask for our check or other things....

Terrible Experience
By Orbiteen from Rogers Park, July 12, 2008

Overall rating:

The food is awful, the service is ridiculously slow, and the general vibe is just another lame Wrigleyville bar. Don't waste your time or your money.

Fun Place
By avc83 from Northbrook, July 5, 2008

Overall rating:

I had never been to this place before, but was planning on throwing a birthday party for a friend and was doing some research, finding the right place. I first went to SoPo on a Monday night and sat at the bar. The bartender that night, Reggie, was fantastic. My friend and I had planned to stay for one drink, and ended up being there for about 4 hours, having a great time. The decor is nice, and the place is pretty cozy. The music monday night was great.

So, I decided to book the party party there, and reserved two of the three booths there. A few of us met for dinner first (This was a saturday night) and everyone enjoyed their food. For a place that has a pretty limited menu, it was really good. In fact, the girl I was throwing the party for ended up going back to SoPo for dinner a couple days later. Particularly once 9pm hit and the place started getting packed, the drink service did get pretty slow. I think the big issue here was not so much that the actual servers were slow, but that the bar in the place is physically pretty small. It wasnt a problem Monday, but it was absolutely packed. Since the bar is small, it gets difficult to go up and order a drink at the bar, so you end up having to rely on the overworked servers to get orders from a packed bar. However, the place is still a lot of fun, and if you have a little bit of patience, you'll be fine. I ended up just ordering my next drink when i received the one before, and things worked out pretty well that way.
I loved the place on both visits, and will definitely become a regular here.

Great place
By Chad from Lakeview, March 14, 2008

Overall rating:

Always enjoy going here. Downstairs is a little crowded but still not a problem to get drinks. Upstairs is a great room for hanging out, good music, drinks mixed well, all good times. It's nice and a good place to go hang out with friends.

Great Place!
By Melissa from Lakeview, January 7, 2008

Overall rating:

I recently went to SoPo with a group of friends for dinner and drinks during the week and we had a blast! The food was excellent and the server was very attentive and personable. We will definitely go back soon!

The service at this place...
By lisa from Chicago, IL, September 9, 2007

Overall rating:

The service at this place is very unprofessional. The Mangaer acted like he could care less if myself and group of friends ever came back to this establishment! His attitude towards me was rude and for someone who works in the servce industry his demeanor was unacceptable!

Recently threw a party here...
By J.M. from Chicago, IL, August 26, 2007

Overall rating:

Recently threw a party here - the service was great, the drinks were strong and the music was perfect.

Lively crowd. Outdoor seating is...
By ashrah from Chicago, IL, July 12, 2007

Overall rating:

Lively crowd. Outdoor seating is great for people watching on this bustling strip of Southport. Good specials, esp. the $2 Sangria. Disappointing chicken skewers were dry and got harder to chew as they cooled. The martinis are very reasonable and tasty. Service is slowish.