Kuma's Corner: User Reviews

Worst experience at a restaurant ever
By PS1979 from avondale, April 28, 2008

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I've been going to Kuma's since they opened back when they had a full menu and I have always enjoyed the food. The burgers are top-notch. Last night, however, they lost mine and all my friends business for good. The service has never been very great there. I don't know where the bartenders learned their trade but if you are serving people it would help to look up to see if anyone is waiting for a drink every once in awhile. Last night, my friends were waiting for about an hour when we told the hostess we were going to do take-out instead, she told us we could eat at the bar if we wanted to. So we tell the bartender we want to eat at the bar to which she makes a rude comment about my friend because he is standing. After waiting for ten minutes and not being served we ask the hostess if she can take our order since the bartender hasn't. She apologizes, says she will grab a stool for my friend and tells the bartender we are waiting. The bartender comes over and stares blankly at us, finally I say we want to order food and she tells us to hang on a minute. She proceeds to serve everyone else around us, finally my friend leans over the bar and tells her we want to order. Her reply? "Oh, I've been ignorning you since your friend is standing and we can't serve people who are standing up". Do you think she could have told us this 20 minutes ago when we first told her we wanted to eat? Also, why didn't the hostess tell us this? Who admits to ignore a customer?! The manager came over and gave the standard, we are busy routine. He wasn't really aware of the situation. As the bartender leaves, she mutters something under her breath that I doubt was complimentary. Obviously the loss of my business won't put a dent in their wallet but if they continue to employ people like that, I won't be the only one not returning.

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If it wasn't for the long waits...
By doomdiva from Logan Square, March 22, 2008

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I would be in heaven! Absolutely delicious food that more than justifies its price tag, wonderful service and great music! And bless them for having veggie options! Even vegans can eat here without having to worry about going into minute detail about their order.

The only thing that I think they could improve on is to EXPAND! They need a bigger place, that's for sure! I have to wonder if buying out the apartment upstairs like Pequod's Pizza did would be an option. Then they could have a bigger kitchen, more bathrooms and room for more hungry people! :)

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Best burgers in the city
By MiaLu from MiaLu, March 20, 2008

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We went to Kuma's on a Friday for lunch. Simply put: The burgers are amazing. We had the Kuma Burger and the Iron Maiden and highly recommend both. Service was nice and it was an enjoyable experience. The restaurant is small, however, and it can get quickly crowded. If crowds bother you, we suggest going right after the lunch rush.

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This place rules face!!
By Yoda from Ravenswood, January 29, 2008

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If you live in, near, around, or are planning to spend any amount of time in Chicago, you absolutely must make it a point to go to Kuma's Corner. I went there for the first time with my buddy over the weekend and quickly fell in love with the place. Its a metal bar, with a nice decor, flatscreens, an excellent beer selection, and burgers that you've dreamed of, but have been too scared to create. In addition, the burgers (there's more than a dozen to choose from) are all named after metal bands. From Black Sabbath to Zeppelin, a lot of great bands are featured in burger form with the burger having a subtle nuance to its namesake band. I had the Goblin Cock, which was a 1/2lb Burger, Bacon, Cheddar Cheese, ¼lb. Vienna Hot Dog, Tomatoes, Onion, Neon Green Relish, Sport Peppers, Pickles, Celery Salt, Mustard all on a pretzel roll. It was a burger that would make Beefcake the Mighty tremble, but it was fantastic!! Washed it all down with Delerium Tremens while listening to punk/metal bands. The staff was genuinely friendly as well. We went in for lunch and ended up spending about 5hrs in the place. I can't recommend this place highly enough. Go go go!!! GO!!!!

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Excellent!!!
By leyla from wicker park, January 9, 2008

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There was a wait (of course) but the waiters were so nice and gave us free beers for taking the time to wait. The music was not as loud as I was afraid it would be. You could have a nice even romantic conversation. Burgers were juicy,very delicious, grilled to perfection, and came on a pretzel bunn! I will go there agian until I try all the burgers on the menu.

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good food, very poor service
By lomax from Avondale, January 6, 2008

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I've been to Kuma's a few times, and I have always enjoyed their beer and burgers. The service, however, is poor, particularly when busy. All restaurants get slammed on weekends, and many handle it with aplomb. Being busy in no excuse. Today, when I told the hostess we'd be ordering to go, she didn't return to me to take my order (she did do so with subsequent guests). Fortunately, I approached the bartender who took my order. 45 minutes later, the hostess belatedly checked up on us, and only when I approached the bartender regarding my order, she admitted that she had forgotten to turn it in. This was after my noticing her pick up a slip from the counter, scan the crowd, and then shrug her shoulders. She said that though the cook was upset with her, he put it in the front of the line. This was untrue. Ten minutes later, 3 other orders had been tendered, and there were no burgers on the grill - he hadn't even started on mine. I didn't even receive an apology, and if the cook was indeed angry, he shouldn't take it out on the customer. Instead, he should rely on the thrashing music in the background for catharsis.

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Metal Chefs
By miles davis from wicker park, December 19, 2007

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My sister and I came in there for the first time about two months ago on a busy Friday night and had the experience of a lifetime ; with the crazy chef that was cooking our food to the drink selection. This guy came to our table and was so curtious it frightened us due to his external appearance but this guy really won us over when he brought my sister ice cream for her birthday. I had this burger they called Sweet Cobra , apparently the chefs create burgers after local bands ! The place was great but we went back last week and the crazy chef that won our hearts was no longer working there.

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fantastic
By Ms. Lucy from Lincoln Square, November 15, 2007

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I WENT TO KUMA'S WITH A GROUP OF FRIENDS, AND WE ALL LOVED IT. THE BBQ PORK SANDWICH WAS VERY TASTY, THE BURGERS WERE EXCELLENT AND THE MACARONI AND CHEESE THE BEST I'VE EVER HAD. THIS PLACE IS DEFINITELY OUT OF THE ORDINARY, AND THE STAFF COULDN'T BE FRIENDLIER. PORTIONS ARE LARGE, SO DON'T BE AFRAID TO SHARE.

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Excellent service, great food!
By LBoeck from Lincoln Park, November 15, 2007

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Went there last night and could not have been happier. Service was excellent, which is hard to find these days. Food was good, and beer selection even better. Very casual spot with the right level of noise and a polite, diverse crowd.

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