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Category: Pubs
Neighborhood: Lincoln Park
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I don't understand places that have way too tall chairs with way too short tables....
Cheap bear, cheap eats, what more can you ask for? perhaps a real size beer...
Service was not awful, maybe a little slow, waitress was very friendly but also a little bizarre, she would kind of forget our requests, but then suddenly remember when we would request it again, also when it was time for the check, we did ask for it in English, yet the waitress looked at us as if we spoke no English and continued with, "Did you say check?" with a confused look on her face, there were a total of 5 of us, we all looked at each other with this WTF kind of look, the waitress then said, "Oh yeah... the check".
We ventured over to this place for a monday evening. We came solely for their specials, which was 1/2 price food and .75 cent beer.
Well the 75 cent beer is a serving that they would sell at Minnies, for those that have not been to Minnies, it is a restaurant where EVERYTHING is mini. One friend said she can drink it in 2 gulps.... seriously, it was fine. more than 2 gulps, but I really wasn't in a drinking beer mood on Monday anyway, so these mini beers were good for me.
We tried the wings and they were actually very tasty. We ordered tots which were delish but at $5 (regular price) we expected a basket to feed 4-5, because that is how it is at other places when you order fries or tots, a huge basket with a generous serving. Well luckily the waitress suggested we ordered 2 cause the order was small, we probably should have ordered 3 to feed all us 5. Had I been paying regular price for them tots, I would definitely had thought they were overpriced for the serving.
All in all, it's a fine place if you're in the neighborhood. I wouldn't go out of my way to come here. Although I would say the atmosphere is good for large groups if you can get one of those long booths.
Add this place to the list of bars that raise prices but conveniently forget to update their website. Also their pricing seems to change with the wind. One Saturday Coors Lite pitchers are $5, a month later they're $6, a week later they're $9.
The atmosphere is meh, the booths are way too large and the bar is set rather high. The service is pretty good overall though.
On their ultimate deal on Fridays and Saturdays: most of the food other than the pizza is not that good. The pizza is okay. Its a good deal if you like Miller Lite, PBR, their house ale or any of the included well drinks.
So anyhow don't go on the website read their sign placed outside for their current specials. I would pay $6 a pitcher to drink Coors Lite here but not $9. It gets three stars instead of two because they still do have some deals.
Went to crossroads for lunch on a Sunday, and was less than impressed.
There was nobody in the bar, which made me wonder why it took about 25 minutes to make a grilled cheese that came out cold and and a grilled chicken wrap, that was just ok.
Server was friendly though, which makes it hard to be an ass about a cold grilled cheese.
You won't typically find me hanging out in a bar that men with man-blouses frequent, but Crossroads might become a regular hang out for me. On Fridays and Saturdays it's $20 for all you can eat (typical bar food) and all you can drink (domestic beers and well drinks) from 6:30-11p. That's a pretty sweet deal, no?
The service was up to par and our waitress was super sweet. I loved the big booths. Made it very easy to sit and chat with everyone in my group. I will be back, no doubt.
This place always looks empty when I walk by, and the three times I've been inside, it's never been more than a quarter full. Good for a quiet group or a relaxed night, but it's built to be a crowded college bar, it just never is. The best part are the specials, the worst part are the actual special items. It's hard to complain about watery domestic beers when they're $0.75 and the tasteless wings when they're $0.50. The staff are always friendly and helpful, but it does seem like the management keeps it understaffed.
A few of my co-workers and I went here for our lunch break and waited over an hour and 20 minutes to get 4/6 plates. The last two people had to wait 15 more minutes. We were one of two tables in the restaurant/bar. The other table came in after us and walked out.
The food was mediocre for its price. And the waitress did comp. those 2 meals.
Bar does have good food/drink deals all week long.
This is a good neighborhood spot- the service is really good and the wings are great. However, don't bring your parents to this spot if they're visiting from out of town. I took my family here to have a few drinks and to play fooseball. There was a man and woman (who have obviously never met before) practically having sex at a table. I was surprised no one wanted to ask them to leave. It was 8 PM at night! A bunch of drunks decided to play beer pong in the middle of the bar and one guy spilled beer on my mother. If you're looking for cheap food, good wings .. this place may work. for you. I will still visit this place but not as often after an experience I had a couple of Saturdays ago.
This place is a JOKE.
I should put as much effort into this review as our server put into serving us, but if I did this review would end here. Not going to happen. A quick recap of our experience:
1- We sat for 20 minutes before our order was taken. 20 minutes in a bar that was only a quarter full. Really?
2- The food was inedible. We ordered nachos and a frito pie. The description on the menu was "fritos covered with our homemade chili and cheese and then baked until bubbling." What we received was a bowl of tortilla chips with lukewarm gross "chili" (Hormel, maybe?), nacho cheese and some peppers. The frito pie was a dish of fritos topped with the same nasty lukewarm chili and cheese combination. It was definitely not baked nor bubbling (don't believe me? Go look at the picture I posted).
3- The frito pie sat uneaten, and our server didn't even ask if everything was ok. If a customer orders something and then barely touches it, something is wrong. I thought that was common sense, but I guess not.
3 strikes and you're out, Crossroads. Better food AND service could probably be had in a number of high school cafeterias across Chicago (yeah, I said it). Your crazy specials are the only thing that keep people coming back to this dump, but I am not going to fall for it again.
Crossroads Public House is good for only one thing-- $5 pitchers of Coors Light. The CPH beer is… Read more »
The Good:
Crossroads is amazing in my opinion because of two reasons- Cheap beer and small crowds. I can't stand crowded places and it doesn't bother me in the least when my friends and I are the only ones there (it's been that way on a couple occasions now). To me, that means faster service and no stupid drunks to deal with. Not to mention they boast FREE foosball (just hand in ID at bar), 2 of the touch screen games for all you Photohunt enthusiasts, and an occasional appearance of Wii, although I have not had a chance to play it as of yet. Specials range anywhere from 75 cent PBR's to an all-you-can-eat/drink buffet for a slim 20 bucks. And that deals on Friday and Sat nights from 7-11pm!! Honestly, I don't even have to check what specials they have before visiting since they always have so something amazing.
The Bad:
Loud...like head ringing-ears bleeding loud. But that's just on weekends.
Overall:
Fun place, low crowds, nice seating options, friendly servers, cheap beer, and no cover make this one of my favorites.
I went in with low expectations but this bar was better than I thought it would be.
+1 star for playing "The Bad Touch" by Bloodhound Gang. I had almost forgotten about that song.
+1 star for un-cranky, competent staff.
+1 star for the screen that you could send text messages to. This was entertaining, especially the person that wanted single Asians and did not specify gender.
$6 for a Blue Moon?! I guess it was Friday night...in Lincoln Park. Sure, it's not my scene but you gotta try new things every once in a while. I left before I had to use the bathroom for the second time because it was so contemptible.
In closing, "God rest our souls cause I know I might meet you up at the crossroads. Ya'll know ya forever got love from Bone Thugs baby."
This place is just gross. It's not at all the type of bar I usually frequent or would even admit being dragged to, but since there is most likely photographic evidence of me being there, I'll just go ahead and review it anyway.
I went after a Yelp event (see - I have an excuse!) and I was starving so I opted for the $20 greasy buffet and weak well drink/watery beer package. After downing a "meal" of pizza, mini-corn dogs, and bland tater tots, I kind of just wanted to throw up in the bathroom. After walking into the bathroom to find it flooded (at least I was wearing rainboots!), I wanted to throw up even more. My rum and diet was very heavy on the diet and I noticed the bartender was actually measuring out every drink he poured. After the first hour I felt more sober than I was when I first got there. There were plasmas everywhere, some of which displayed text messages sent from people at the bar. I think it might have been some sort of chaddy mating ritual or pre-missed connection device but I can't be sure.
Why on earth would I give such a douchetastic fratfest 3 stars? The staff. Everyone who worked there was ridiculously nice and our waitress remembered my drink order after the first time. I was clearly out of place with my Threadless tee and holey jeans but nary a snide glance was cast - try doing the reverse in my neighborhood and you're likely to be shunned from the bar! I'm not sure how it's possible to work in such a soul-sucking environment and still keep a smile on your face but I applaud them for doing so.
Looks like I'll follow the herd and also give Crossroads a 3-star review... baaah.
Okay, so the $20 wristband is a fantastic deal if you enjoy Miller Lite and well drinks. I'm no drink snob, but low-quality liquor makes me sick and cheap domestic beer? Just can't do it. But... for 4.5 hours and a smorgasbord of greasy snacks, it may be perfect for you. I chose to drink the best beer available, Guinness, for $6 which is average.
On to the food. My panko-crusted chicken wrap made me sad. I do not send food back, but the terrible honey mustard sauce made it inedible. Matt L tried a bite and had to agree. Our sweetheart of a server had the kitchen make me another and while it was only marginally better even sans the sauce, I ate some of it just to make her feel better. Yea, she was that nice.
Bottom line: service is great and the seating is ample. Food and washrooms? Not so much. One of the guys told me he saw mold in the toilet. Ick.
Okay, I headed here after a Yelp event, or else I'd have never come here. It gets two stars 'cos it's the Hey, Sushi! space, and YAY!!!! Hey, Sushi is out of business (look up my reviews for my jihad on that place). Also have to make it clear that I'm not dissing Adorable P, fellow Yelper, who set up the after party here.
That said, it's just not all that. Completely indistinguishable from other places on Rush, Clark, Wrigleyville (no place I go) et. al. - your basic Dude Lair. Cheap, weak drinks and a $20 wristband for a "good deal" of a greasy bin of food (which I didn't partake of, but observed). Beer posters, TVs, giant space - just . . . meh.
The bartender was sweet, friendly and charming. The stars are for him. I have no doubt that he'll be be besieged with job offers in the service industry when this place goes out of business. I'm giving it a year, at most.
All those other handjobs that went there last night that are dropping 2 or 3 bombs on this joint are foolish. Pizza was disturbingly good for such a dump. I can't really say the same for the rest of the food, but whatevs. $20 4 hour open bar specials of shwag booze with food on a Saturday night is pretty damn good, speshally in the LP.
Our brunette cocktail waitress was pleasant and blazingly fast with the drinks. So fast that I handed her a $20 on the way out just for my drinks. Time is money bitches.
Despite having gone to a Big Ten school, there's still a high schooler inside of me who dressed in all black, listened to The Cure, and wrote angry/sad poetry. This inner-malcontent won't let me give this bar three stars. I keep trying to tell him that Crossroads for the January Elite Event after party wasn't so bad but he keeps yelling back at me, "look at all the chads!" For six months, I've been holding him at bay and haven't written a review about a bar in Lincoln Park to avoid him escaping and screaming "TRIXIES!" all over Yelp. But for CPH...my older self fails!
Student douchebags! Yuppie douchebags! Drunken slut douchebagettes! Oh my! Every flavor of douche (ew!) on the planet frequents this bar!
This bar definitely has some redeeming qualities though. They have large screen Wii, a computerized bar message board (or as someone referred to it "the weakest way possible to deliver a pick-up line."), and a $20 all you can eat and drink buffet on Saturday nights. Though the beer selection on this is limited - Miller Lite for the "usual clientele" and PBR for everyone else. Vodka, gin, and rum drinks are also included (and make it a better value).
So, in general, CPH is a bargain for Lincoln Park. Though when that initial layer of lack of sticker shock is broken through and the heart of the bar is seen, that's where the stars start sliding away. The buffet consists of mediocre butter noodles with a spicy (?) spaghetti sauce, some hard tater tots, and some below average delivery style pizza. I didn't even try the spinach dip - it scared me.
I do have to give this bar credit for a great sense of self-awareness in the music department. This, after all, is a step to recovery. Instead of trying to avoid seeming passe by mixing in techno or hip-hop, the DJ played nothing but party hits all night. While singing along to some of the songs was sort of fun, the cheeseball factor was just a bit too high. Even knowing what to expect in Lincoln Park.
Like everyone else, I have to give Crossroads a three star review for the staff alone. Our server (I wish I would have caught her name) was so gracious, remembered our drink orders and even looked after my inebriated friend and I at "last call" for our $20 open bar package by bringing us a few extra cocktails. I was so in love with our waitress that at like, 11:15, I handed her a fistful of money and was like, "You've been faaabulous! Taake alllll thiiis moneeeey." Yeah. I'd been drinking.
So now, on the the Chadfest! When the Yelpafia strolled in to Crossroads at 6:30, there were two douches playing Wii bowling. I asked Michael G. his opinion. He was like, "They're not from the Internet." Yep. That's about right. As the night progressed, a shockingly brazen douche wearing a vest and sporting some seriously long, overstyled hair was trying (unsuccessfully) to get my number. When I pointed him out to Pinkai, and commented on the vest, he was like, "I'm not as worried about the vest as I am about that hair!"
And so it goes. Another night in Lincoln Park. Now I remember why I don't hang out there anymore.
Oh yes, one final thing. Please, Crossroads Management. Fix the toilets in the bathroom. They were overflowing. Ick.
Like Hollie S. said, the staff was the saving grace of this place.
I had never heard of Crossroads until the Elite event after party was posted. I just assumed that that horrible Hey Sushi place was still there.
Crossroads seems to be the breeding ground of the unattractive, wannabe Trixie/Chad crowd of Lincoln Park. You know, the kids who grew up in Mokena rather than Naperville. I heard a lot of grumbling about "Trixies and Chads" but the only T/Cs I saw in the place were Pinaki and myself.
The bathroom was an abomination. Even at 6:15 when we first got there, the floor was flooded and the toilet filthy. This was a toilet that hadn't been cleaned in months. And one of the stalls ran out of TP within the first hour; I did my usual Lincoln Park bar stuff-a-bunch-of-TP-in-your-purse move and it definitely came in handy later.
Our server, Amber, was awesome. We had new drinks before we were halfway done with our old ones, and she let us stock up in the minutes before the end of the open bar.
The food was what you'd expect from a free bar buffet, but the pizza was surprisingly good.
They played the quintessential bar playlist, which allowed me to do the perfect amount of fist pumping.
A billion drinks were had and a nice hangover resulted. Work on the bathroom and maybe I'll see you at the crossroads....Crossroads.
My trip to this bar offered up some revealing things (some about me):
- I love mini corndogs.
- I'm one of the few that recognizes a Miley Cyrus song playing in the bar (and not embarrassed about it).
- I also recognize a song from the movie masterpiece Coyote Ugly (also not embarrassed)
- I never thought there was so much to know about Michigan.
Staff was incredibly nice. The $20 41/2 hour open bar is the longest i've encountered, pretty freakin good. And yeah this place is in LP, but not in the crotch of LP (the Barleycorn, Apartment area). Not too chaddy in my opinion, not as much as Barleycorn or McGees. I didn't feel the need to shower off the stench afterwards.
Just to make this review completely annoying and useless, i'm gonna give this place 3.38 stars, thus rounding down.
Wow, not sure if other yelpers have ever been out of Ukranian Village or Lincoln or Logan square or Uptown or whatever area that has recently been gentrified, but this is probably the LEAST "Chaddy/Trixie" bar in Lincoln Park that I've been to. I mean, I think I saw a lost hipster there with his v neck shirt, but I'm not sure.
If you need some food, and you like to get hammered, the $20 food/drink package is awesome for those Fridays and Saturdays you just don't want to spend too much money.
Pizza--great, tater tots- good, mini corn dogs, sweetness. Unbelievable staff. Set up is great for big groups and little groups (lots of high tables in the center) but not really conducive to meeting people since the area is kind of big. Big ups on the Wii, and they play the usual fist pumping party songs that people ages 22 to 31 who don't hate life enjoy.
I pat myself on the back for 'planning' the party that brought people here.
Thanks to Crossroads, I was able to ply Wii for the first time. I loved to Wii. I Wii'ed all night long and I Wii'ed with various Yelpers and we had a blast!
Crossroads also has the longest wristband special EVER! For $20 you can drink from 6:30-11pm and partake in the average bar food buffet. I would have been really wasted if they weren't serving me extremely weak drinks. I felt like I was drinking soda for half the night until our very clever server devised a plan for me to get my drink on...and I did!! I really loved our server. If I new any men that were worthy of such a wonderful girl I would totally set her up with someone. :)
The only other interaction that I had with the staff was to tell them (twice) that the toilet was overflowing in the ladies room. The staff may have been nice and all, but how long does it take (or how many times did they have to) clean up the ladies room?!? It was a shit swamp! And what is worse was that I overheard someone in the ladies room saying that it is always like that. Gross. Beyond gross! Hire a plumber!
I'd come back to this bar with a group of people. I didn't mind the Trixies and Chads. The DJ was playing some great booty shakin' music. I Wii'ed my socks off and I had some substantial amounts of booze. The bathroom situation was a major star deduction. I'll have to remember to wear rain boots the next time I visit.
The only thing that saved this place from a horrible review was the staff. Every single person who worked at this bar was crazy nice. The doorguy, bartender, our server, and the guy who occasionally came to clear cups off of our table -- all really stand-up, friendly people.
The downsides - The bathroom was disgusting (flooded, with no TP or soap). I went with the $20 special, but I had to work to make it worth my money. The food was kinda gross, and the "open bar" choices were limited to things I don't normally drink like clear liquors and crappy light beers. They couldn't really tell me what style of beer their own Crossroads beer was, just that it was "lighter." The crowd is definitely not my cup of tea, but the bar can hardly be faulted for that. I mean, you can't complain about all the Lincoln Parkers being chaddy when you're IN Lincoln Park.
Despite all of this, however, I'm gonna go so far as to say I wouldn't rule out coming here again, if I ever find myself in the area (God forbid), because yes. The staff is just that nice.
Definitely not my scene. So far from my scene that I might as well have been in the land of popped collars and bratty boys who won't buy a girl a drink because they're that suave with the ladies. Stepping into this bar reminded way too much of my days of yore.
I came here for the Yelp Elite after-party. I thought that I would maybe have a drink or two and go home. Once I got there, my hunger got the best of me and I caved on the $20 Saturday night drink and food special. I knew it was going to be an interesting night when I drank my vodka lemonade in one or two gulps not even remotely tasting the vodka. After the first drink, I got some food. It's your average bar food with spinach-artichoke dip, pizza, mini corn dogs, and chips. The spinach-artichoke was decent and satisfying. Whenever more food came out, the horde of Chads converged on it with wild abandon. They went crazy for some apps like no one had cooked them a hot meal in weeks.
Throughout the night, I had some more vodka lemonades served up by our awesome server Amber. Her spot on service was the saving grace of this horrible bar. Thanks to her, I drank way too much vodka lemonades because she made them readily available.
After a few too many of those, I had to visit the bathroom. The grossest bathroom known to man. The bathroom was filthy and understocked with neccessities. The bathroom flood seemed like a Titanic of crap all over the Travertine tile. I wondered why any bar bathroom would be tiled in Travertine especially this one. This bar attempts to be classy with their nicely tiled bathroom and heavy wood accents. It's still a Chad and Trixie bar wrapped in a prettier package but oozing from the melting jello mold inside.
I think my fellow 'Elite after party' attendees have summed up quite nicely the vibe of this place. Gross bathrooms, lame buffet (but really, what can you expect for twenty bones?), douchey douches.
But... like everyone else said, the staff! Man they were so nice. That chick waiting on us remembered what I was drinking every single time and was totally on top of it even though it was so busy.
I would never hang out here but it was a fun lesson in Chicago sociology.
After 5 hours of drinking and no peeing this girl gave up and walked home. Yes that's right I refused to use the bathroom here and part of the time it was closed anyway because they were trying to repair it. However, I heard it was a swamp in there and walking around in it didn't sound appealing either.
Drinks were all mixer and a tiny bit of alcohol. Maybe I should learn to like beer. The buffet was only average. The spinach and artichoke dip (which I love) was horrible here. The one redeeming quality as many of the other yelpers here have said was our waitress. She was a gem. Remembering drink orders and occasionally bringing us two drinks at a time won me over.
Will I be back? Doubtful. Sometimes I girl has to pee ya know?
This place had a stink to it. I couldn't place it all night. I don't know If I want to know what it was.
Our server was Great!! There were a few small complaints that I had heard, about the drinks not being strong, and about how she didn't go over what was included in the specials, but she did take care of me.
At about 10:50, before the $20 open bar was over, this was the conversation:
Server: Can I get you another before the specials are done?
Michael G: I'll have another.
Me: I'll have eight more.
Server: Eight?
Me: Yes, I'll have eight more beers.
Server: I can't bring you eight more. I can bring you(Michael G.) two more, and you(me) two more.
Michael G: I'll have one more, and you can have the other one.
Me: I suppose that will be fine.
Thanks to Michael G, for his extra drink, and the server for bringing me two more.
As it's been said many times before, the restrooms are something to be talked about. I remember walking into the mens room sometime after 10pm, and the toilet and wall were covered in piss. It was like someone stabbed their bladder, and it exploded all over the stall. If I have to step foot in here again, I'll consider getting a colostomy bag implanted.
The couches held nicely for a secure coat area, and seating for some of our crowd. With the noise, and crowd, it gradually became less possible to have a conversation without yelling at someone four inches away.
I had someone try to pick a fight with me out front, but that is a completely different story.
There is almost no chance of my return to this place, even though I walk by it almost daily.
I am here at least once a week, if not more. And given that Goldie's is around the corner from me, and this is not, that should tell you something.
They have the best overall wait staff in Chicago. They stay friendly, relaxed, and don't carry the attitude you normally expect in a bar on Clark street. The crowd is hit or miss, but this is a place you pack with your own friends. You can roll in with 4 or 40 and find a good time for everyone.
Their servers are lightening quick with the drinks and always serve them with a smile. My home away from home when I good place to watch a game.
The food is really solid as well, for bar fair. I recommend the chef salad. It is well made, large, and includes lots of tasty bacon.
Ehhhh.
We wanted somewhere new for lunch... Went to Crossroads for something simple.
My friend got French Onion soup, which was basically just onions in broth... Nothing special. I had a grilled cheese--it was strange... Like they just put bread in the toaster and threw cheese between it. Haha. Anyways, food was mediocre and I think overpriced. We didn't have drinks, so maybe it's just not a lunch spot. I'm not sure.
Oh, also, it took us probably 15 minutes to be acknowledged in an empty restaurant...
The servers and bartenders here are top-notch and their crossroads public house ale was pretty damn good...and only $2! On a Saturday night! Maybe southsiders own this place because they had some southside prices going on here! I also liked that there was only one very small cubs sign hanging up...which maybe means they either don't care about baseball or they are secretly sox fans who only put up cubs signs to please the trixies and out-of-towners who live in this neighborhood.
Only three stars because it's not in one of my all-time favorite neighborhoods, there were quite a few tools there taking over the wii all night (I wouldn't have been here without the yelpers) and I requested that they turn on the NU-Michigan basketball game and they never did. We ended up watching some random garbage instead. (I'm used to it though. Everyone hates on Northwestern.)
Another tip - the night we went they had a $20 open bar from 630-11pm which is quite a steal for a Saturday night. Came with free food too. However, I didn't plan on staying all night and already ate, and I realized that with $2 drafts, I'd have to drink 10 beers to make up for the $20. So I went ala carte and spent a whopping $8.
I have never heard of this place in my pre-Yelp life! We rolled over right after the Elite Event and I gotta say this place is ok. We got the $20 package which included buffet, vodka/gin/rum drinks and Miller Lite & Crossroads beer on tap. The Crossroads beer was actually pretty good and the vodka/cranberry was made to perfection. The pizza was actually pretty good, and actually it was good enough for me to get three plates full.
The service here was great. Bartenders were really friendly especially the tall blonde who could tolerate my buddy's constant rant about some girl he liked. The Wii games were pretty cool as well ( I only was a spectator for the game and actually I have never played Wii)
I saw a couple of ladies on here give the bathroom a terrible rating. I wish I could have a different comment, but I don't. The men's bathroom was equally disgusting. The toilet had mold and it looked like everyone just said fuck it and pissed all over the toilet area. I was afraid to touch the knobs on the sink to wash my hands, but it had to be done. I have seen worse bathrooms, but this is up there with the worst!
Not sure if this is a place I will check out again, but I wouldn't frown if someone mentioned it
Went on a Sunday afternoon into night. Place was pretty empty so the staff was very attentive and friendly. If you're into wings, i would give this place a try. Great specials throughout the week. Otherwise, its a pretty standard bar with numerous flat screen tv's and free foosball.
If you are looking for a place to hang out all day on a Saturday for some day-drinking without spending a lot of money - this is the place.
They have $5 pitchers (beer-of-the-month) and it's always pretty open with huge wooden booths that fit at around 10 people. They also have foosball, some arcade games, etc.
I agree with the other reviews - the food sucks (the wings are the only decent thing we've had on the menu) and the mixed drinks have sometimes been weak... but this is the place to get a group together around 1 in the afternoon and play games and hang out with cheap enough pitchers for everyone to have fun. The waitstaff are tolerant of groups and appreciate some liveliness in the place!
I was excited to go to this bar when it first opened up. After going there once, the excitement quickly evaporated. There are much better bars to eat/drink at. CrossRoads has so much space, yet the layout just doesn't seem right. Something is missing. Maybe there is so many tables in the bar so it isn't conducive to meeting people, which would seem to contradict what i think it is going for (a typical Lincoln Park bar). I don't know. Oh, and the bar is hidden in the back; I don't work in the bar industry, but with such a huge space and a giant window looking out at Clark Street, wouldn't having the bar closer to the window show off the number of patrons (and therefore potentially lead to people walking by and stopping in because they see people drinking/having a good time)?
Anyway, i'm rambling more than this place deserves. My food was mediocre, and the service unmemorable. It's not awful, but i give it one star for the misuse of such a great space/location for a bar in Lincoln Park.
Oh, i have never been back since the first week it opened.
Staff was rude, no Sunday brunch in a neighborhood where everyone has one, and it felt like a ghost-town... Worse, when I asked if they had brunch they acted as though they had no idea why I would ask and I was an idiot or doing so. If I want to deal with condiscending staff, I'll go somewhere that is worth putting up with it. Don't waste your time with this place.
Crossroads is adequate at best. Let's start with what they deserve some credit for:
-Cheap draft beer
-Passable pizza buffet
-Edible bar food
-Lots of TVs
Unfortunately, all of the beer they have on tap has the faint taste of sewage, their pizza has usually been sitting out for long enough to get cold and their food is no better than most of the other bars on Clark St. between Fullerton and Diversey.
Finally, their Wednesday "trivia night" is an embarrassing event with weak participation and weaker prizes.
The food and deals are pretty good, but like everyone said previously, it is pretty fratastic.
See, I'm actually surprised that this place has gotten such low ratings. Though even with my surprise, I really can't give it anything higher than 3 stars because though I had a good time there, it was seriously nothing special for Chicago.
I went on a Friday and had I not been on this RIDICULOUS diet, I totally would've taken advantage of the $20 all you can eat and drink bracelet special that I believe occurs EVERY Friday. The buffet looked AWESOME! They had a variety of pizza's, mini-corn dogs, tator tots, I think I saw some chicken fingers... It seriously looked really, really declicious for a Friday night. And this, of course, included all you could drink beers, soda and basic vodka well drinks.
$6 vodka red-bull's which is pretty incredible for Chicago, but I would ask them to take it easy on the ice cubes. I somehow finished my entire beverage in record time because of the ice situation.
The crowd was the usual Lincoln Park crowd - no one over 35 on a Friday night (and those over 30 were very few and far between) and the music was basic and predictable (a little Bon Jovi, "Total Eclipse of the Heart," "Don't Stop Believing..."
The location is PERFECT for those who like to bus it! I'd definitely go back on a Friday when I'm not dieting... I just HAVE to remember - take it easy on the ice.
(Oh, and they have a $20 limit for credit cards...)
Nothing good about this place other than the $2 beer... but honestly, there are better places to get a $2 beer. I think of this place and I think of nasty frat parties and douche-bag guys. Not my scene, but to each his own.
The jury is still out on this place. I will have to visit again to decide if it's just my kind of place or just a place to avoid. I say this because when I add everything up the sum total is zero. I think about the atmosphere and it dips into the red. The place was completely empty on a Thursday evening and it seemed to be an unremarkable dive bar. (That right there is what has be torn. Usually I go for the dive bars, but the purposes of this review it counts against it). The food was neither good or bad. The artichoke and spinach dip was middle of the road, as were the chips. Bring in the $1 well-drinks and you're back in the black. They weren't super good or anything, but a $1 drink is always a plus in my book. We had two waitresses and both were very good and very nice. This, in large part, give this bar the 3-stars. I would definitely go back, but I will go with guy friends instead of on a date.
Pretty much your standard "Pub". The only thing that sets this place apart is that they have really good deals during the week and a Friday all you can drink special. This place never seems really crowded or "happening" when I walk by. Seems like it is confused on if it wants to be an Irish pub or a Top 40 dance place, IDK. Decent if you live close but I wouldn't travel to come here.
The burgers here ROCK. I've eaten them here twice and both times my mouth was super happy!! Guacamole burger was amazing, PS...try it! And the Tots...ohhhhh they have TOTS!!!!!!!
They also have awesome drink specials and flat screen TVs everywhere to watch the game on! (Best part..unlike many other bars,the SOUND was on for the games too!!!) Some of the specials that come to mind: Fridays they have $20 all you can DRINK and EAT!!!! WOW - and Weds they have a free pizza buffet with purchase...yum!
The only complaint I have of this place is every table/chair in the place wiggles. So weird considering this place is brandy new.
I will continue to come here bc I like everything (but the wiggle furniture) about it!!!
Food Specials
Neighborhood: Lincoln Park
$4 x $4 Every Day
Neighborhood: Logan Square
Neighborhood: Lincoln Park
Category: Pubs
Neighborhood: Bucktown
Category: Karaoke
Neighborhood: Edgewater
Category: Desserts
Neighborhood: Lincoln Park
Category: Pubs
Wood Dale, IL
Category: Bars
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