December 22, 2009
Great burgers. I always have a very difficult time deciding what to get. I’ve always had a great time here. Nice outdoor patio. Music is a nice change of pace. If you want a burger, go here.

October 17, 2009
Everyone needs to go here. My wife and I usually go here 15 minutes before they open on a Saturday to make sure we can get a table...because the wait here can be terrible at times. Usually a very good beer selection on draft. You go here for the burgers though...best burger in Chicago in my opinion. The beer garden adds a lot of room, so if the weather or season isn’t great it will be crowded and loud inside. I love this place though. The make your own Mac and Cheese is fantastic and burgers...yeah.

October 7, 2009
Kuma’s is a gourmet burger, biker bar that has a nice selection of craft beers. Staff is very helpful and knows their beer. Burgers are the best you will find in the city. Taps change more quickly than the menu, so make sure to ask what’s available. Also, it’s very loud inside, so if you’re w/ your parents or children, opt to sit outside.

October 12, 2008 [ Updated December 13, 2008 ]
saturday night, 8pm. VERY busy. people were waiting just to sit at the bar and a longer line waiting for tables. the bar is quite long and probably seats 25-30. there are about 10-12 4-top tables. about 15 beers on tap minimum and many more in bottles. despite the wild rush, the servers were very friendly and always gave a smile. the place was not nearly as edgys as its often made out to be. the metal music much mentioned (MMMM) was quieted beneath the loud ambient noise of the customers and unintelligible. speaking of customers, the clientele is largely hipsters and other folks that care not for beer and certainly not for metal. i saw many people ordering PBRs and mixed drinks, dont ask me. at any rate, i waited about 30 minutes probably for my burger, the kitchen was so backed up. served with waffle fries (very fresh, and actually visually seasoned!) my burger (the judas priest) was awesome. i asked for it rare and got it as such...often this is impos

September 29, 2008
Finally made it here. Burger’s are definitely the speciatly here with fresh hand made patties cooked perfectly. Maybe the best burgers, with a lot of options to choose from, in Chicago and the price is not outrageous. Sat at the bar and the service was attentive if not a little offputting. They were out of both Surly’s listed on their tap list, but did have alternatives. Beer selection is decent, not amazing focusing on American micros. It’s a love it or hate it ambience with the crowded room and metal music playing but I felt comfortable.

June 15, 2008
this is one of my favorite places in the world. all of the food is good. i mean really good. it can be insanely crowded during the dinner rush- but i’m more than happy to wait for seats at the bar to hang with some of the coolest people i’ve ever met that happen to be their bartenders. the beer selection is good for my tastes and did i mention the food? the people that own this place are seriously dedicated to good food good beer and their community. it’s the highlight of my week, every week.

April 2, 2008
LOUD! Not my kind of place but had an interesting menue of great burgers. The beer was a bit above average. Service that day sucked (she forgot my beer)! Different but not my style. Rock on!

March 30, 2008
This the place where I’m considered a regular. They lose a point for ambiance, only for the d-bags that come in and ask for myriad pale lagers or blueberry martinis. This place is brutal and dark, but awesome. The burgers are the real deal, be it the Yob, the Kuma, the Slayer, the plague bringer, there’s something for everyone. I appreciate the neighborhood (and kuma’s is around the corner from hot doug’s, for a bar food nirvana), glad it’s here and not 8 blocks east. This place is always crowded, but we always find a way to get seated. Big Black has gone so far as to ask a patron to take their jacket off of an unused chair and moved it over by our group. Bonus points for being one of the few places in the city for Surly. Double bonus for only carrying PBR as the only pale lager. Triple bonus for playing excellent metal movies, i.e. apocalypse now, samurai films, etc. Know that.

March 7, 2008
Holy crap this place is the most metal of restaurants. I absolutely loved it. The burgers are mind-blowing and named after metal bands to boot. I had the Dark Throne, with chipotles and goat cheese (excellent inside metal joke) which is perhaps the best burger I’ve ever put in my mouth. The music is killer and the ambiance would make Corpsegrinder proud. I actually only went here because my friend insisted it was the greatest burger joint ever, so when I actually looked at the taps my head spun around. Surly Furious on tap was the highlight of my morning there, though the Bear Republic, Great Lakes, and Two Brothers brews looked pretty good too. I was there at noon on a Wednesday and got the last table. Evidently this place gets full very often. I worship Kuma’s Corner. I can’t recommend this as a must stop in Chicago for the beer enthusiast, but for burger-loving metalheads, this is Valhalla.

January 17, 2008
This place was jam packed on a Tuesday night !?!?. I found out from the guy at the door that they were featured on a local channel’s restaurant review program, so the week night crowd should vanish within a couple of weeks. Small place and difficult to get around in, but that will change. I hope the rudeness of the staff will, too. Their menu has foods that my restrictive diet won’t allow, so I won’t be eating here. Still, they have a fine beer listy both on tap and in the bottle, so I just may be back.