Villains Bar & Grill

Villains Bar & GrillVillains Bar & Grill
Villains Bar & GrillVillains Bar & Grill
Bar, Eatery

649 S Clark St
Chicago, Illinois, 60605-1701
United States

// CLOSED //
PLACE STATS
Average:
4.21
Reviews:
7
Ratings:
7
pDev:
6.89%
View: Place Reviews
Recent ratings and reviews.
Photo of Shibbykaiyai
Reviewed by Shibbykaiyai from Michigan

4.22/5  rDev +0.2%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4
A damn good place to have a beer, but just be ready for the unexpected....

Most hours of the day, this is a nice South Loop trendy (not in a bad way) bar. Good bar selection, service is damn good, odd movies playing on the tv, and a nice vibe all around. Back in the day they used to have a couple pool tables, but from what I have been told, they don't have them anymore. Either way, the prices are good and the beer selection is quite good. And it is not filled with the usual south loop people you see every day.

As for the unexpected, well I guess you just need to see it for yourself because you wouldn't believe me anyway....
Nov 05, 2011
Photo of botham
Reviewed by botham from New York

3.95/5  rDev -6.2%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4
Villains is a good stop in the South Loop, without much competition aside from Binny's South Loop, Hackney's, and Kasey's. Villains does well to project a very urban aura, with spray-painted signage and bathroom stalls. the walls are an agglommeration of strange patterns and textures. there doesn't seem to a method to the aesthetic madness, nor does it really matter once the beer list is explored. there is a front booth that looks out to the street, and just screams to have an operating window.

quality and service are good. the beers are all served in tumblers and nonic pints. the glassware was clean, and the service was prompt and friendly.

selection was solid. Great Lakes Nosferatu was the highlight for this BA; the other taps included GI Night Stalker, some Three Floyds, and others, nothing too hard to find or crazy. bottles were a mildly sporadic selection, encompassing many styles and regions, but again, nothing that stood out.

overall, this is a solid stop in the South Loop, as long as you don't get a headache from all the patterns on the walls! cheers!
Oct 08, 2009
Photo of tapman
Reviewed by tapman from Illinois

3.83/5  rDev -9%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4 | food: 3.5
I am a resident of the South Loop and began to visit Villians after it took the place of the Butcher's Dog pub.

Atmosphere is grungy, which I don't mind. On weekends the music is way, way too loud and often there is a very pretentious DJ in the booth who won't turn it down even if you ask him to (though now I feel pretentious). Similar to Map Room, what's with the obnoxiously loud music?

Service is okay. Don't try to get any recommendations from the bartenders past the "most people like this one" line.

Selection is decent in that they do rotate pretty regularly and often times will compliment the two other bars across the street, Hackney's and Kasey's, by filling in brews from the same breweries. For example, Hackney's has the Lagunitas Pale, Kasey's has the Lagunitas IPA and Barleywine, and Villians has the Lagunitas Red Eye. I don't know if it is on purpose or accident, but it usually works out well. I do find, however, that they often run out of popular brews and can be out for a week. One plus is that they generally have $4 pints of Beamish.

Food is pub fare. No Gruyere and Walnut crusted Tilapia in a cranberry reduction here. Sandwich and tater tots, or a reasonably priced sloppy joe for the bears game.

The value is good, owners are a couple young guys. When Hackney's and Kasey's are filled to standing room only, Villians is usually a safe bet for good beer and some elbow room.
Oct 07, 2009
Photo of emerge077
Reviewed by emerge077 from Illinois

4/5  rDev -5%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4
9-2012:
Sadly the landlord of Villains has made it impossible for the bar to remain in their current location. Rumor is that they'll be relocating somewhere in the area. RIP Villains. https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=471170279583129&id=108872125812948

10-07-2009
Stopped in with a few other BAs this evening. There was a black/white/red noir style mural on the façade, sort of Sin City-ish. Inside, the space was a long and narrow Chicago style bar. There were lots of patterns on everything, from the baroque wallpaper to the geometric wood panels, to the stenciled up bathrooms. I wanted to stare out the window or watch the TV to let my eyes relax. Dark reds and black walls. In the front there was a small booth that we took over in the front window. Further back there were a few larger open ended booth tables, and table seating in the back. The bar was long and seated 20+. There were 3 flatscreens mounted behind the bar, muted thankfully. Above the bar was a nice arched bow, and minimal shelving displaying the bottle selection.

Beer list was solid, on tap was Night Stalker, DFH 90, Nosferatu, and a few other standard crafts, no macro. There was a healthy selection of bottled Belgians, including Cantillon. The flipside of the list was all 12 oz. craft, some good stuff from FFF, Goose, North Coast, Ska, and others. Founders and Bells were slim. It was definitely a nice handpicked list, but it seemed like there were a few omissions like Founders, Bells, Flossmoor, Half Acre, and Metro (just my personal preference, not to nitpick). They did have Sofie and Dreadnaught, which were a couple gems.

Service was attentive and quick. The crowd seemed a little younger, and it was sort of a trendy neighborhood place. I'd return and try more of the food (thanks Wil for sharing the tasty quesadilla!), and hit Kaseys in the same trip.
Oct 07, 2009
Photo of jcpaulun
Reviewed by jcpaulun from Illinois

4.68/5  rDev +11.2%
vibe: 4 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4
This spot has quickly become my favorite neighborhood hangout. I usually stop in to grab a quick beer after work, watch a game in the evening, or hang out with friends on the weekends. Villains has consistently won my business for a number of reasons.

First of all, they rotate their ten tap handles regularly with quality craft beer. I have yet to see a handle in the place devoted to any of the macro beers. The selection is varied and there is always something on tap to please everyone. In addition to the taps, they have a very nice beer list as well. It includes a wide variety of American craft in bombers and 12oz bottles. They also have a nice selection of Belgians, with a good showing of the Trappists. Also, the bartenders and servers take care to make sure the beverages are served in proper glassware.

This brings me to the bartenders and servers themselves. Everyone I have met in the bar since becoming a regular has been incredibly nice and helpful. The bartenders will let you sample any of the drafts and can make suggestions if asked. The owners are usually also in the bar quite a bit and have gone out of their way to make me feel like a valued customer on a number of occasions.

The food is typical bar fare, but is done well. The pulled pork sandwich is delicious and served with tator tots as a bonus. The kitchen is also open late for those looking for a bite later on in the night.

The atmosphere works well for the place. There is typically a good vibe helped along by good tunes on the stereo. The music tends towards alternative and indy rock, but there are some surprises thrown in from time to time as well. There is also a pool table in the back for those that want to shoot a game of stick.

I really enjoy this bar and almost consider it a secret of the South Loop. I almost hate to review it in fear that I won't be able to find a bar stool next time I drop in. Fears aside, I hope to see you there.
Jun 25, 2009
Photo of Srodri10
Reviewed by Srodri10 from Illinois

4.25/5  rDev +1%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4
Great place...I frequent here often. They rotate great beers on tap frequently. They have had Goose Island Night Stalker, Russian River/Avery Collaboration, lots of FFF, and Pranqster. They usually keep some great bottles as well from Languitas, Blanche de Bruxellse, Achel, Ska Brewing, two brothers and tons more. Food is good too. The pulled pork is awesome. As for appetizers the villains quesidellas and their guac and chips are great appetizers. All in all Definately a great place to visit....
Jun 02, 2009
Photo of barmut2
Reviewed by barmut2 from Illinois

4.55/5  rDev +8.1%
vibe: 4 | quality: 5 | service: 4 | selection: 5 | food: 4
Great beer selection, 10 on draft alot of two brothers, lagunitas and 3 floyds. Nice selection of belgians, Konigshoeven, Kwak, Achel 8 and the goose island Juliet and demolition were the clincher. I can hang out at this place. Also like the ska modus Hoperandi in the can. Pulled pork was great, didn't try the burger but have heard its really good. The atmosphere was chill and the patrons were ordering good beer. Bartenders were pretty schooled on the beer selection. Check this place out its cool place to drink beer in chicago.
Apr 04, 2009
Villains Bar & Grill in Chicago, IL
Place rating: 4.21 out of 5 with 7 ratings