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Categories: Bars, American (Traditional) [Edit]
Neighborhood: Ukrainian VillageMonday - 10 Cent Wings
Thursday - $5 Pizzas
Every day - $3 Schlitz Drafts
Mon-Fri. 4:00 p.m. - 2:00 a.m.
Sat. 11:00 a.m. - 3:00 a.m.
Sun. 11:00 a.m. - 2:00 a.m.
Don't Just Wish Someone A Good Holiday, Give Them One With Chili's.
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Ummm....this place is great. They have a large outdoor patio for the warm summer months, usually a decent beer of the month special, and the food ain't too bad, either. The bartenders and servers are friendly (you'd think they'd be angry hipsters, but that's totally not the case), and I really like that I can stumble home after getting seriously tipsy.
But the icing on the cake is the free buffet on Saturday nights. Nothing says lovin' like free late night food!
I've been to the one in Bucktown once before, it's a little too clean and shiny for my liking. Stick to the original - pull up a padded leather bar stool and get ready for a fun night.
I don't know how I've never reviewed this place before. It's got to be one of my favorite bars in the area. I've been there so many nights. The staff is friendly, on busy nights, the doorman will also play host and make sure if you've been waiting for a table, you get the next one that opens and some new person who is just standing in the right place at the right time snags it.
I've been there for rib night on Tuesday, not that best ribs, but pretty good for only $5. I've been there for Italian Beef night on Wednesday. I got to say, this is a damn good beef sandwich. And I've been there for Pizza night on Thursday. Really good. As good as a pizza place, no, but better than most bars I have pizza in.
Oh, also on Saturdays, they have a free buffet, can't beat that.
Another reason to love Cleo's:
Sitting at a table by the bar, enjoying my food, but feeling crowded by the group of nerdlets by the bar (and feeling the large bag of one of the chicks continue to bump me as I attempted to eat my delicious salad), I felt one of their arms come to rest on the back of my chair.
No sooner had my eyes turned to their murderous annoyed state, the door guy walked over to her and said "Hey, can you move your arm off the back of her chair please?"
I love him. And I love Cleo's. For always. I might even get it a BFF heart necklace one day. Keep your eyes peeled.
So, I must love it, cuz I moved right by here.
And I love each of their specials more than the last.…
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I've always liked Cleo's. What I didn't realize is that they totally deck it out in holiday decorations for the season. Well done! It's always a chill vibe and they play good music (for the most part...there were some 90's songs that snuck into the rotation that I could have done without). They have a free food buffet on the weekends with the purchase of a drink - whether it's alcoholic or not. Who wouldn't like that? It's not gourmet but if you're hungry and don't have money then it's great. The regular menu is pretty extensive for a bar and looked better than I remembered so I'd recommend ordering from it. They serve food until 1:00 AM.
This is a great place in UK to grab a drink and eat whatever great special they have going on. I come here to watch games, have a drink with my friends, have gotten asked out on dates here (!), and had a few drunkin night here! Their patio is AMAZING!! Like a past ylper said the doorman doubles as host on busy nights! The service is kinda slow on busy nights so just order two shitty beers at once and enjoy the friendly atmostohere!
Finally found a good bartender in Chicago! This is a good, chill spot to grab a beer. I wish I could have stayed for the free buffet....
Me and some friends went here after seeing a Collaberaction play nearby - we were STARVING and this was the first time I've been to Cleo's but everyone else suggested it for great food. I shared the pesto pizza with a friend, and I tried the giant gyro calzone that someone else got and it was AMAZING! My boyfriend got the turkey club & said it was disappointing due to its lack of size but someone else got it and she couldn't have been more pleased with it. Someone else ordered the nachos and let me tell you, if you want LOTS of cheese then these nachos are for you! We totally cleaned it but definitely made lots of jokes on the amount of dairy lying atop the pile of chips. The service was very good, the beer & water was filled regularly & they played The Cable Guy on TV. I'm quite glad that I have finally been introduced to Cleo's!
Just moved it to the neighborhood and I've checked out the local bars and this is my least favorite. I cannot believe how RUDE the bartender was to me. I just joined yelp just to vent my rage about this place. Not only was this guy a total jerk to me and my buddies, after telling a friend about my incident, she told me that she had the same experience with a different bartender(who i think owns the place). It does have some good qualities but I don't intend to go there again.
Cleo's is right across from my best friends apartment and every Wednesday after America's Next Top Model we order take out. EVERY Wednesday. Although I'd rather dine/drink in, because it's really the ambiance that makes the place, it relatively inexpensive and quick.
I know I only review pizza joints, and rest assured, Cleo's does indeed serve pizza. The crust is great, interesting and dare I say, bubbley. Something about the cheese they use though, makes it a little....stinky? Leaves a bad taste in my mouth. To the point where I've actually ordered not pizza off the menu, which was also just alright. I will say however, that they have KILLER grilled cheese sandwiches.
In restaurant service is slow, at best. Whether you want to or not, you'll make a night out of Cleo's.
Great, laid back joint to hang out at on the weekdays. Gets a little crowded on the weekends, but a great bar to grab a drink and some smelly pizza :)
I'm just a really big fan of this bar. I have now been there more than a few times and I never leave disappointed. Once I even had a very slow and unattentive server and it still didn't bring me down. The reason it didn't bring me down? The nachos. They are something. Basically it's a pile of chips, beans and what not covered and I mean COVERED with melted cheese. Oh, and if you add the guacamole for $2 you get a bowl of it on the side! How awesome is that?
Recently I discovered their sangria and the patio. Love the patio, it's so cute back there. Even if Ratatouille decided to come out ever so often and look for food around the empty tables. The sangria is great, not too sweet not too bitter. I can actually taste alcohol in my glass. Hehe.
Love this place and I think everyone else should too...
I love it here! The staff is always friendly and attentive. Food is really good,... from the juicy burgers to the big fresh salads. (The Cleos Salad is my favorite.) Wings are yummy and I usually don't even like wings. Prices are reasonable and they have great weekly specials.
Best cheap wing special.
Lots of yummy IPA's.
Friendly enough staff.
I'm a big fan of this bar. They have an exceptional patio area, great music, good food and fabulous food/drink specials. And my friends and I received really good service on our visit on Saturday night (free food buffet from 11 pm - 1 am; I was told the quesadillas were delicious). I dont remember our lady server's name, but she gets a thumbs up from me.
Cool, relaxed atmosphere with good beer selection and (again) great music. Fantastic people watching too. Just get here early enough to enjoy the pretty patio!
I came here this morning for brunch with a gal pal needing sustenance to soak up the alcohol from last night. I ordered the french toast, she ordered the chorizo breakfast wrap.
I picked wrong wrong wrong! But! Her choice was amazing!
I kept eating hers, which is quite fine because it was an enormous portion! My french toast was a bit soggy in the centers and the syrup was the crappy kind in the little diner containers so that didn't help.
Next time I'll DEFINITELY be getting that wrap. And a bloody mary to try out their bloody bar.
I absolutely love this bar. Great atmosphere. Delicious food and a very nice patio area.
They have a great selection of beers on tap and $3 16oz PBRs always. Plus 10 cent wings on Monday night... definitely one of my favorite bars in the area. Very happy to be within walking distance to this place!
I've been to Cleo's a few times before, and just stopped in again last weekend during West Fest. I was pretty excited to get a chorizo wrap because I was awesomely hungover from the night before, but they weren't doing brunch! No breakfast food or bloody mary bar! I went with my staple of grilled cheese and bacon and as usual it did not disappoint. I love that their menu has a little bit of everything and is so well priced. Also their sangria was delicious although it had no fruit in it...come on now. And because there was a festival all the drinks were served in 12 ounce plastic cups instead of pint glasses which did not please my friend who got a beamish...and then we couldn't even take them outside, so really what was the point of the cups? But I still have had too many good experiences here to not give it four stars.
If they got tater tots, I'd like them more. just sayin'.
LOVE IT HERE! It is chill and just what you need when you just want to hang and not worry about wearing the right outfit. Come as you are. I have only had the grilled cheese so far and it was good. They had some good brewskies too. Good prices too. I had my bday here and it was awesome.
After 5 years back I still ask myself every Monday why 10 cent buffalo wings don't exist in Europe...
Cleo's got a shove from a 3-star to a 4-star review for two very important reasons. 1. The kitchen is open til 1am and 2. They have photo hunt.
That's all it takes to make this late night girl happy.
The burgers? Huge and excellent. The fries? Crispy and plentiful. The cost? About eight bucks. Worth every penny in avoiding an inevitable hangover, yes?
The bartender couldn't have been nicer, the patrons were very cool (and were very happy to keep me and my friend "company") and now that I think about it, my friend and I were the ONLY girls in the bar. Was that a fluke?
My husband and I treked into the city from Schaumburg to find a more, local and unpretentious bar to go watch the Cubs game at. Cleo's doesn't look like much on the outside and without the encouragement of the menu and prices on the window, we probably would not have gone in.
Yet, in we went. We were presently surprised by the decor, which is a hip and interesting hodgepodge of stuff but all creatively displayed. It is dark but not too dark, the music is loud, but not too loud and a good combo of stuff (Ben Folds and Fiest).
The bartender was great, one of the best I have ever had. He was fun and interested in what we had to say, the drinks were cold and cheap enough.
We were hungry so we ordered food. First was the cheese balls. Yum! Breaded cheese in dime-sized balls that were perfectly melty.
We also had the goat cheese pizza. AMAZING and seriously not what I would have expected from bar food.
My husband found a local to talk about the game with and the staff was attentive but not hoovering.
Honestly this was one of my best bar experiences in a long time and I think we may be making the trek back into the city again soon!
Semi-dive bar. But the drinks are cheap and tasty and the staff is quite friendly.
I'll visit again. =)
Looking to find a neighborhood bar, with no pretentiousness, make sure to visit Cleo's. The food is good, the service is great and the drinks, well the drink selection is extensive but not too over the top.
You never would think that a local neighborhood bar would have a great brunch. But Cleo's Sunday brunches are just that, great. My husband and I visit Cleo's Sunday brunch at least once a month and enjoy the Eggs Benedict, French Toast, and of course the DIY Bloody Mary bar (the bar is my husband's favorite). The brunch is tasty, every thing is freshly made and the mimosas aren't bad either.
Cleo's seems to be like one big happy family, the staff is very welcoming to the regulars as well as the newbies to the bar. So be sure to check out Cleo's and give it a try.
All I have to say is $4.99 Pizzas on Thursday, I HIGHLY recommend the Buffalo Chicken Pizza with a side of ranch
I need to come back in the Summer were my first thoughts as I entered Cleo's the other night to grab a few drinks and a bite to eat. For while the inside of this place is interesting- the large beer garden with its cute bistro tables and chairs really made me long for the days of Summer.
We quickly grabbed a booth in the back and began to peruse the menu. Maybe it was me- but I found the menu a bit hard to read (dim lights, small typeface and lots of graphics). I finally gave up and asked our server what a couple of her favorites were. Turns out she and I are kindred spirits of food as I went with all her suggestions and wasn't disappointed.
Started with deep fried cheese (served with your choice of dipping sauces) Must be a leftover from the days I spent in Wisconsin but I do love me some "fried cheese".
It also must have set a "cheese" theme for me for the evening as I went with the grilled cheese sandwich with tomatoes and bacon and my friend had the steak sandwich. Very good all the way around.
We moved to the bar to listen to the jukebox and to finish our beers out while watching the locals flit in and out. Good mix of people even if hipster berets were the choice of headgear for the night!
Good beer selection, tasty food, friendly service and a beer garden that I must check out when all this snow melts! Sounds like a winner in my book!
Came here before our anniversary lunch at the Ukrainian Village Restaurant. I was hankering for a bloody mary, and when we went in, I saw the most beautiful bloody mary bar I've seen in years. I can't seem to find one in Cali, so if you know of one, let me know.
Anyway, Craig our bartender gave me the drink and had me go to the bm bar to spice it up. I didn't do so well.
I had Craig make me one his way. It was awesome!!!
Craig and Steven are the best bartenders there, although I didn't see Steven this trip.
Come here for a bloody mary, stay for the food!
Recently, I went to Cleo's in Ukraine Village for Sunday brunch. I would recommend this place over the Armitage location.
The food wasn't that bad. I got the Vegetarian Wrap which was average and it came with hash browns which were real good.
The place has a Bloody Mary bar on Sunday's. It was good also. I've seen better but it passes.
The best part about this place is the outside patio. It's a good size and is just off the side of the bar enclosed with fences so there's privacy from the surrounding houses. It's a great place to go with a group for Sunday brunch when the weather is nice.
Lastly, the wait staff was awesome. They were attentive and we didn't feel rushed out- even though we stayed for a long while.
I only go to Cleo's because of it's location and it's specials. Monday is 10 cent wings (although you can only order 12 and I think you also have to order a drink) and Thursday is $4.99 pizza (also with the order of a drink). The service is abysmal. I think they only have one waitress, even on busy days. My table waited 45 minutes before she came to take our order. I have always had to wait for a seat and the last time I was there some joker had programed in an entire Jane's Addiction album into the jukebox. The place is plastered with flat screen televisions broadcasting at least three different sports at a time. Plainly stated, the atmosphere leaves much to be desired.
Food is blah. The last time I ate there I had the barbecue chicken pizza and it tasted like barf, exactly like barf. The wings are ok. Drinks are standard.
I just returned from eating at Cleo's with a few friends. On Tuesday nights, they have a $6.99 half slab of ribs and fries special.. At first I was a little sceptical, and almost opted for the pricey grilled cheese with bacon, but I did it anyways. To my surprise, the ribs were amazing. My friend actually got the grilled cheese, and it also looked good. This is a small taste of the variety that this small pub offers on its menu, but it sure made a good first impression.
This pub was a pretty decent place to chill and have a few drinks. It seemed to be a more homey version of Liar's Club if you are familiar. It had more lighting, different (and just OK) music, was slightly more decorated, but had the same layout. Keep in mind, I was there on a Tuesday night at 7 o'clock, so I'm not holding "just decent" music against them either.
I only have one thing negative to say about this place (which was also the cause of a lost star). Some girlfriends ordered a few glasses of wine with their food, and to my surprise, they were $7 a glass. I think this is just a little bit ridiculous. I could understand $4, or maybe even $5, but lets get serious... $7?
Living just a few blocks away, it's hard not to become a regular here, especially on Mondays ($.10 wing night) and Thursdays ($5 pizza night) when Jay is behind the bar. When my husband (then-boyfriend) moved to the neighborhood five years ago, this was the first bar we discovered, and we scarcely find reason to stray. People are friendly, there are enough TVs to appease everyone, they can accommodate large groups when people decide they want to be our friends, and the back patio makes summer complete.
The servers and bartenders, and even the bouncers, are all nice and welcoming, and I have yet to find better wings--not to mention the 10-cent price tag.
Certainly a typical bar. Nothing particularly themed or specialized. A few things noteworthy --
Per recommendation by a friend, I tried the grilled cheese. It was delicious. I only got through about half. I would suggest it as an appetizer type idea. Get one order and cut it up for several people at a table to enjoy a few bites.
The waitress may just have been off her game but on three occasions in our two rounds of drinks, she couldn't remember the names of the drinks that we'd ordered. She remembered 2/3 when she placed the order at the bar but when she set them down she couldn't recall what they were -- she called my Captain and Diet Coke a "Black and Tan" Ummm, no. One of the three occasions, she got the entire drink wrong. She was a bit embarrassed and did bring back the right drink pretty quickly.
A little slow at times, and one of the worst pizzas I've ever eaten in my life, but I drank here two nights ago and I still have a headache. Drank there for several hours and only dropped like $30. I have no idea how that happened. God I hope I didn't do something that I can't remember to earn free drinks......
Eat before you come here, a lot if you can - you'll need the padding - and then let 'er rip. GREAT JUKEBOX.
I have been going to Cleo's for quite some time now. Julie and Mike, you rock!!!!!
Cleo's has some of the best bar food in Chicago. I highly recommend the wings.
The main demographic is quite a bit younger than me, but everyone always makes me feel at home. The music is usually pretty loud, but what the heck do I know, I'm old.
If you are looking for a great night out, good booze, great food and wonderful people? Cleo's is the place for you. Give it a shot, you will not be disappointed.
So last night the H and I stopped in for just a quick drink around 9 before we were going on our way to other establishments. Then the free shot came. Then we were told of the free food buffet that was coming out soon. Yes, our night was secured. We stayed at Cleos where we ate, drank and were merry. I heart Cleos.
My bar home away from home. Funky vibe, great food deals (ginormous $5 pizzas on Thursday), good… Read more »
This is one of my favorite places to hang out. I love the decor in the place. It is covered with lots of cool murals and funky lights. The people watching is great and they have really good and affordable food specials. They have a good variety of food, but don't go there looking to eat healthy. Most of the staff is very friendly, but slow at times. Steve the bartender is great, but beware he has been know to cause one too many hangovers.
I LOVE CLEO'S
it is one of my favorite neighborhood spots. the bartenders are friendly, the regulars are friendly, the waitresses are nice and mostly prompt, and the grilled cheese is TO DIE FOR.
They have awesome daily food specials and a nice beer selection.
I can't wait until it's summer and i can sit outside in their amazing beer garden and watch the cubs game.
Home away from Home.. Best bar in Ukie Village..
I love Cleo's! As others stated awesome bar food and great service!
Always have a great time/meal at Cleo's!
Update: Cleo's is still great! Yay. Oh and also screw High Dive.
Playing multiple Radiohead songs in a row = amazing.
3 Floyds on tap = amazing.
5 hours of two people…
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10cent Wings!!! And they are really good! Cleo's has a wonderful beer selection and the bartenders are friendly and helpful. You can count on some interesting people watching too. The decor is very original, done by a local artist. I can't wait to try more off their food menu.
Oh, Cleo's. I'm glad you are right down the street from me. I love your 10 cent wing night on Monday and your $5 pizza on Thursday. I love Wyder's Cider. The wait can be long when it's busy, but that's because there is usually just one waitress and once in a blue moon, there will be two.
If you want to play a joke on a friend, ask Julie, the waitress who is usually there. Julie rules, but yes, she is overextended, as other reviews have said, but she is super friendly and will apologize when she's slammed.
This is truly my neighborhood bar, along with Tuman's and now High Dive.
Cleo's stands apart because it is just friendly and comfortable. There are no pretenses here. Drinks are good. I leave with a "thankfully I live nearby" walk home.
Food is filling, I always take a box home-no complaints about that. The Gyros Calzone is quite tasty, even the next day. Potato skins are a great meal paired with a Caesar salad, yum. Their wings are exactly as Jonathan C. describes.
I used to be able to pick up some body's unsecured wireless here but not any more. I wish they would provide WiFi, I would spend more time drinking and Yelping.
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