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Categories: Bars, American (Traditional)
Neighborhood: LakeviewSouthport (Brown)
Don't Just Wish Someone A Good Holiday, Give Them One With Chili's.
This bar is fun! If you want to have a good time, come here.
You'll want to come early, which will (sometimes) assure you a table. If you are gregarious, shoot for a table in the front of the bar, next to the windows. It's more spacious than other parts of the bar, plus it's great people watching (or hookup hunting....whatevs).
I feel dirty after I visit Messner's. I'm not sure if it's the greasy food or just a few experiences I've had with slightly obnoxious boys, but the thought of it makes me slightly uneasy.
On the other hand, it's the closest youngish bar w/dancing by my apartment, and to prove to my former college friends who visit that I'm not old and wrinkly, I take them here and pretend it's the norm for me, when really I'd rather split a bottle of wine at a restaurant and actually be able to hear each other talk.
I would say you will have fun at Messner's if:
*You like college-aged boys hitting on you
*You are a college-aged boy
*You feel the need to relive college going out nights
I find all of these things odd b/c it's on Southport where there is a constant stream of strollers and couples, yet somehow it manages to attract a crowd of younger people. Maybe it's the wings, which I have to say are fairly good. Oh, and if you DO come here for the food during the day, do not expect to have amazing service. It's not AW-ful, but be prepared to have about two hours to get through lunch and pay your bill.
I am into south port bars and this one is probably my favorite. I had lived in that area for a year and used to come here a lot. Above average bar food, above average service. I was here on fri/sat/sun afternoons and nights. I can't point out anything that would make this place stand out but there is something about this place that made me come back always.Maybe great service, maybe crowd or maybe atmosphere in general. If you're in that hood and looking for a hangout, go for it. At least give it a try.
Me & some friends made a pit stop here because we couldn't get into the Music Box for a free movie screening (bummer). The place was nice, not very crowded and the people were friendly. Big plus for the apple martinis! Not a place that I would deliberately make a trip to, but definitely a place for a drink if I'm in the neighborhood.
My second time coming on a Sunday. $2.50 miller lites and $5 nachos are too good to turn down. I really enjoy sitting outside here, lots of good people watching to be had. The only thing that's bringing it down a star is that we waited 20 minutes to be served (for the 3rd time this weekend! To the point where my boyfriend asked 'do we smell?') Anyway, i'm always up for biking around lakeview and stopping to sit outside at Messners.
Messner's can come off as just a typical Lakeview bar, but it does stand above the rest in a few areas.
1. The food is very good. I ordered the Honey Turkey sandwich and it tasted amazing, and I was sober! Also the tater tots were nice. A friend of mine had some mac and cheese that was also quite good.
2. The place is large. Don't get discouraged if the main room seems packed, just to the right is a stairwell that leads upstairs to another large room with it's own separate bar.
The music may be a little loud and the beer selection isn't anything amazing, but it's still a decent bar if you just want a good time.
A MESSNER'S HAIKU
Crap, no place to sit.
Where's our server? Should we leave?
Meh, but damn good tots.
This bar is fine for the area. The best part of it is the roominess. A second floor with lots more tables and another bar make this bar bigger than a lot in the area, which means more room to park it and have a couple.
The door staff was especially friendly, and the bartenders were just fine. Nothing too exciting has gone down on the nights I have been here.
Lots of TVs for sports-watching...if you're into that sort of thing.
Not a bad spot to pop in, but I doubt I'd make a special trip here.
WARNING: This is a drunk review.
Just so you know.
Not that I'm a drunk or anything.
I'm serious here!
TOTALLY SERIOUS.
Okay, I'm drunk, I admit it. But I'm not *A* drunk.
There's a difference, you know.
But I love Messener's. Where else can you write on a friend's white shirt with a sharpie that he's a stupid d**k complete with the Superman insignia, or that he's where's the wild things are? Or find that a friend of a friend of a friend is actually a long lost classmate from my college days and graduated the same year in practically the same major but never crossed paths until now? Or give a bull's eye on a woman's imaginary tramp stamp that she's a target?
But I didn't say what kind of target. Get your mind out of the gutter.
Seriously.
Where else could the bouncer call me to give me the impression that he was going to kick me out for being obnoxious but he just wanted a slice of the birthday cake.
With extra frosting.
Yes, of course I obliged. I didn't want to be booted out.
Or where else could I talk the ear off of someone about my love for all things Buffyverse and Joss Whedon?
Let's see if he adds me as a friend on Facebook.
$3.50 for PBR????? $4.00 for High Life???? What?????????
Oh yeah, we're on Southport....
Hey at least the people here were really nice and the bartenders were attentive. It was kinda weird that every single person I talked to was not from Chicago. It's definitely not like the southside where it's more like 2 degrees of seperation than six. Where everybody knows a guy who knows a guy you know. Not knowing anyone is kinda nice sometimes.
GREAT FOOD!
Small bar, even with the newer addition to the upper level. The food here is awesome..I said that already didn't I.
TVs are OK, not the best place to watch a game that u want to place close attention to. TVs are plentiful, but depending on where you sit you can have a really bad view or a really close view. The have low ceilings here so the TVs are standing level.
However, if you crave the food you'll suck it up and come here. :-)
GREAT FOOD!
Small bar, even with the newer addition to the upper level. The food here is awesome..I…
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I think this place isn't nearly as "trendy" or "trixie" as some of the places on Southport aspire to be (although I'm not sure why - maybe because those adjectives are equated with money? Dunno....)
The interior is cool can you ever go wrong with wood interior? Don't think so.... There are plenty of TVs to watch baseball or the Olympics, and you can celebrate a Cubs win without the main post-game crowd falling into you, and possibly throwing up on you. I think the DBs stay a little further South on Southport.
The service was pretty attentive without being overbearing; don't worry, drinks will continue to be ordered and consumed. I could have done without the one-man band playing cover songs, but he was pretty good all the same (and he even threw in #41 by DMB, which I hadn't heard in ages and embarrassingly enough, enjoyed!)
Love. This. Bar. It's my neighborhood pub for sure. Only once have I had poor service, so I'm chalking it up to that girl either having a bad day or just being the one girl there that is incompetent.
The food is good, the drinks are moderately priced and the place doesn't get too over crowded most of the time. in the summer, they have the baseball package and with the amount of TVs they have, the bartender is always wiling to flip mine over to the Indians game if I ask. On Thursdays, they have a crappy solo guitar guy who plays cover tunes. I think I'm being fair when I say he's crappy. I've been in their sober and was able to ignore him enough to still enjoy my evening. After a few drinks though, he's not so bad because everyone is singing along and having a great time.
This is hands-down my favorite bar in Chicago. I love the Southport area and I like most of the bars, but I wouldn't call myself one with the Southport crowd. Messner's is different, though. It's really laid back, has a comfortable atmosphere and the waitresses are really nice (at least one of them has been there the entire time I've lived in Chicago!).
The food is awesome - they have a Mediterranean salad which is amazing, the veggie burger is awesome, my boyfriend LOVES their blue cheese burgers, the turkey, broccoli, and cheese stuffed pita is like the most amazing gigantic hot pocket ever, and their $5 nachos on Saturdays can't be beat.
I honestly don't think the crowd is that bad - the most annoying person I've come across is one of the bouncers who just mindlessly shouts things at the TV every 2 seconds, trying to be funny. Really irritating when you're actually there to watch a game!
But my favorite thing about Messner's? They serve Strongbow - in a can. That alone makes me love this bar. The rest is just bonus. :o)
Eh. A totally predicable Wrigleyville/Southport Strip bar. Decent enough crowd, but got packed on Saturday. Decent acoustic cover band that evoked the usual scream-alongs to U2 and Dave Matthews covers.
The crowd along the Southport corridor usually rubs me the wrong way, but this one was actually pretty decent. I don't live in the neighborhood so I probably won't be back, but I guess you could do a lot worse with this as your neighborhood tap.
It's more like 3.5 stars. Nice ambience, except music too loud. Nice selection of bar food, except kind of overpriced. Nice TV's, except I don't really care about the game. One nice server, one not so nice server. You get the idea.
So the flowers and patio are pretty. Bathroom clean. The first waitress was very unenthusiastic even though the place wasn't busy. She kinda rushed through the drink specials and when asked to clarify said "I don't know, I'll be back to take your order" and walked away.
The food: one person ordered broccoli and cheese and she said it was fine. She wasn't talking much that night. I jumped off the vegetarian wagon for the night and ordered chicken caesar salad. It wasn't worth it. And the caesar dressing is heavy on the anchovies so beware if you don't like that. Someone ordered a bacon onion ring burger and said it wasn't worth paying more for this one crappy onion ring on top of it. The person that ordered the wings gave them an 8 out of 10 points.
Boring, right?
Oh, there is no Budweiser. Again, I don't really care, but perhaps you do.
Why do all the bars in Chicago look, feel, and smell the same? This weekend was my first time at Messners and it reminded me any other Southport bar. The drinks were good, specials were fine, and food was tasty. No real complaints, I am just craving something new and exciting. I didn't find it at this place.
This is not a bad place for getting your grub on in Wrigleyville. It's far away enough from the foot traffic of the games but close enough so you're still involved in the commotion and the excitement of the Cubs games.
Don't be quick to judge though-this is not a strictly Cubs bar. They place anything Chicago which I do appreciate. 20? plasma t.v.'s, cherry wood bars and a really warm feeling to the entire place. The beer selection is great and the food is deeee-lish.
Try the loaded baked potato skins or the mini corn dogs. MINI CORN DOGS!! How could you not love a place that serves that? The servings for the tater tots and the fried cheese curds are HUGE and they comes out steaming hot with plenty of sauces to spare.
I've never had an issue with the staff here-especially the waitresses and have always enjoyed sitting by the window on a hot day if I can't get a patio seat. I'll probably see you there soon one day.
Seriously. I don't know why my friends insist on coming here. It must be purely on convenience. The service here is utterly awful. I can understand if they are busy, but you can clearly see the staff sitting at the tables, usually drinking or eating.
Good atmosphere, especially for Cubs games. Waitresses disappear and are not friendly. One timed… Read more »
All the warning signs are in place -- a "Wrigleyville" tagline on its signboard, Jager specials on several days, remixed reggae on the soundtrack, guy in J. Crew shirt singing acoustic covers on Saturday night. And warn they will -- Messner's is the kind of cliched place that draws in a cliched crowd on weekend evenings, where if you're into dark wooden panels and mindless cheering for the Cubs, you'd probably adopt this as your "favourite bar."
But for those rainy Saturday afternoons when the Cubs game is struggling through rain delays, it's not a bad place for getting a few beers (Beach Bum Blonde Ale are August's $3 daily special -- of course, it's an Anheuser-Busch product) and just-above-average bar food. It's relatively quiet, and the patio is pleasant, and it's a nice hangout; especially with plasmas plastered all over, sports is always in view. The service is welcoming and accommodating, and you don't feel like you're overstaying your time there.
It can be a little expensive -- $8.50 for a burger, and additional charges for extras? -- but what's a buck or two here and there? We also had a hummus plate which we picked at the whole afternoon, and we left very happy. Well, I did... my friend Lindsay is a Cardinals fan, and they lost the second game of this weekend series.
great eats. Get there for lunch. Low key, nice staff - a little slow sometimes but food is worth the wait. Lunch discount prices sometimes too. Really like it.
I like this place- its got good food, a decent beer selection, nice staff, lots of specials, lots of TVs- the only draw back is the tab can get a bit high.
I am not always a big fan of the musicians they book here though- I have definitely left a few times because the music was driving me nuts.
Best Bar food in the city. My husband and I have lived in the area for 5 years and have been to so many differant bars this is our favorite! All of they're appetizers a great and they have awesome burgers.
The staff is fun and on top of things too:)
***UPDATE: 11/20/2007: Yeah. Never eating here again. My friend and I went for dinner and I paid $12 for the crappiest steak Caesar salad. It was doused in cheap Caesar dressing, bagged croutons that they must have gotten on final closeout and steak that tasted like rubber. Seriously. If I had a dog, I would have felt bad about feeding this to him. And I'm not certain what their idea of medium is, but maybe in Messnerese, medium means super well done. Yuck. I would have brought this to the attention of our server, but she was big on giving the slack jawed look when I asked questions. Great. I'm still not certain why we left her a 20% tip. Good thing my friend is a nicer person than I.***
4/22/2007: Unlike some of the other bars in the area, this isn't a rowdy dance on the bar kind of place. Quite the contrary.
They usually have someone playing the piano on Fridays, taking requests, which is a lot of fun. Inexplicably, it can become insanely packed on Saturdays.
The door guys are all nice but there's one bartender who is really rude and arrogant. Possibly the worst bartender I've ever encountered. I went in there with a group of friends and our dim-witted server messed up our order and our check and it was very difficult to flag her down for help. Why you may ask? She was busy. Doing what? Gossiping with some friends that had come in. She looked at us, saw us trying to get her attention, and she blatantly ignored us. No tip for you, crappy waitress! (Okay, we tipped her. But not as generously as we usually do. Take my 15% and go buy yourself a new attitude ya jerk!)
So you may be thinking... Why the 3 stars? 3 reasons:
1. I really like the space and the interior is charming. Very simple, neighborhood vibe.
2. The food isn't bad! We had some tasty snacks on Superbowl Sunday. Nothing to write home about, but they have a TON of options.
3. The piano guy. Seriously, it was a lot of fun!
The first time I went to Messner's, I had lunch with a friend. Wings. Yummy wings. I'm making it my new mission in life to be a wing connoisseur, and Messner's makes some very tasty ones. Lots of napkins required, because these babies are just drowning in delicious sauce.
The second time I went to Messner's was later that same night. I know, right? Who does that? I do, clearly. Since I'd already filled up on wings earlier that day, I decided to branch out and try the hummus plate. Hummus in a bar? Strange, perhaps, but it most definitely did not disappoint.
That hummus led to an interesting encounter. See, I'm the kind of happy-go-lucky kid who really likes to tell everyone about how awesome stuff is. Probably why I like Yelp so much. These guys walked into the bar, and said "Oh wow, they have hummus here?" They most certainly do have hummus here, and I was enjoying it! So I shared some. This proved to be a poor decision, as they took it as an invitation to sit down at our table and interrupt the conversation I was having with my roommate. However, on the upside, the rude boys informed us that there was a guy who comes in to play requests on acoustic guitar. Bonus!
Like my roommate mentioned in her review below, the guitar guy does NOT play "Mr. Roboto." He does, however, play "Take On Me" and a nice selection of Ryan Adams songs. We'll be back for sure.
Not really much reason to either rush here or to avoid it.
Pretty much your standard Lakeview/LP pub. Not bad not great. Small beer selection left me a bit disappointed.
Good place to watch a game on account of the many tables, chairs, and tv's.
Went to Schoolyard afterwards and had a much better time.
Overall it gets an ambivalent "Meh..."
Mini corndogs. GET THEM!
We like Messner's. My husband will go there frequently and just sit at the bar - it's a comfortable kind of place. Also dig the outdoor seating and the food is always good. (And I've had a pretty decent range of stuff on the menu).
Not really a fan for late nights, but this is our favorite place to drink beer during the day on Southport. In fact, I went in there the other day after a pedicure in flip flops and lounge pants and nobody even batted an eye. (Which is more than I can say for most of the bars in the area.)
+ The food is awesome. The wings are literally swimming in a puddle of buffalo sauce, and the cheesy enchilada soup is phenomenal.
+ Every Saturday night, there is an adorable guy who plays guitar and takes requests. Even though he won't do an acoustic version of "Mr. Roboto" - he'll do most everything else. Also, he's adorable. I know, I said this already, but seriously - adorable.
+ Really friendly staff. Everyone is super personable and helpful.
+ More often than not, this is a bar full of good-looking people. And anyone who tells you that they don't like to "enjoy the view" while drinking beers is an outright liar.
- The downstairs gets REALLY crowded. The upstairs is REALLY humid. You can't win. Either way you're sweaty.
- Beers seem to be more expensive here than other places I've drank at.
- If you order a round of shots, you may wait a while (5-10 minutes) for them.
I live right down the road from Messner's & it is definitely a favorite on Southport. I especially like hanging out there on Sundays for NFL games & $5 nachos! The crowd is typical for the area, but if you get there early enough on a Sunday, the vibe is a bit more relaxed.
It's also a great place to grab a beer/bite to eat during a Cubs game - they have a great outdoor space & the crowd is always a lot of fun. Messner's has reasonable specials throughout the week & list all of them on their website, so you don't have to break the bank if you are looking for a bar to go to with your friends.
I have been to Messners a few times and have never been overly impressed. We went there one night for a special olympics bar crawl, and long story short (after we had ordered) the owner (huge bitch) came to our table and told us she could not honor the bar crawls food special (a difference of $2-3), as it would put it her out of business. After a long argument we said fine just get out of our face we will just pay the full price and never come back. Never have gone back.
I did give another star because a couple of their breakfast sandwhiches are somewhat decent. Many better options on Southport.
In my opinion, it's the perfect bar. And by perfect that doesn't meant they know how to make every drink under the sun, which I'm sure they do. But it's got your great food, great bar atmosphere, outdoor seating with the open windows when it's nice out, and you've got the guitar-strummin' man on weekend nights playing bar sing-alongs like "Sweet Caroline" and "Jack and Diane."
Messner's always has great food. I've yet to find something there I haven't liked! Cheeseburgers... good. 'Tatoe Skins... good. Beer... always good! The wait staff is friendly, the drinks are affordable, and the atmosphere's never uptight or stuffy. One of my favorite bars in all of Chi-town.
This is a great neighborhood bar with really good food. I hate the arrangement of tables in the inside back area and the service is hit or miss, but you can't beat the people watching from the outdoor patio. Buffalo Chicken Sangwhich wish amazing!
We randomly ended up coming here for drinks last night. I was kind of hesitant, as it looked like your average wrigley type of bar, but we had a pretty good time, and I discovered that it wasn't filled up with your average Dbags. The area was a little small to be a good bar scene, but we had a lot of good drinks- I hadn't had a jagerbomb in forever. Anyhow, it seemed like they closed earlier than early. I think they did last call at 1:30 and shoved us the hell out of there.
I love this place! It's now my Sunday bar for football. They have the NFL package both upstairs and down, so your game is bound to be on at least one tv. The food is amazing, they always have a daily special which is never a bad choice and the prices aren't to bad. The staff is awesome! Everyone is in great spirits there! On the weekends you can hear some live acoustic music from their house musician! Overall great great place! One of a kind bar!
You can find me upstairs every sunday playing the quarter game. You'll have to come see what its about!
Quality spot on the Southport Corridor. A little less spacious than some of the other bars on Southport (which is a good thing). Plus, after drinking here I basically telling everyone how much of a bad ass I am. Which is true, but I don't usually do that.
As far as bar food goes (sandwiches & fried goodies), this place is top notch. They have a pretty large menu and everything is delicious! Let's just say that I have walked six blocks in the dead of winter simply because I was craving one of their delectable sandwiches and sweet potato french fries. One thing I will say is that the servers will sometimes forget the add-ons (like sides of ranch, etc..) so when your food comes make sure everything is there.
P.S. One of the highlights of their menu is the old childhood friend, the tatertot.
After an afternoon of bar crawling, we ended up at Messners. All the tables outside were full but we found a table inside which was great. We order a bucket(on special, $14) and our waitress was SO nice!! Which was a relief as our last two waitresses were not so great.... We had a few and then decided to order food. We got nachos and curd bites. OMG, the curd bites were the best I have ever had and we got a ton!!! The bowl was heaping w/ curds which was great b/c there were 4 of us sharing them. They were great! The nachos were equally as good, HUGE plate of nachos w/ cheese, beef, guac, sour cream, lettuce all the good stuff! We also got a hot pita sandwhich which is really good too. Turkey w/ melted cheddar and Monteray Jack cheese, yummy.
This place is a decent bar w/ GREAT bar food!
Messners is cheap food and a fun atmosphere. We live down the street so we go there for dinner alot and have never had a bad experience. I really like their chicken fingers. They have several TV's to watch any current games. My guy friends also like the (ahem) scenery. In other words, the waitresses are hot.
I stopped in with some friends for dinner...YUM! I had a chicken caesar wrap, it was super tasty and huge! Definitely enough to share with a friend, or take home for a second meal. Both of my friends really enjoyed their food.
After a night full of bar hopping (do 3 bars count as bar hopping?). Anyway, after going to a few… Read more »
I use to come here all the time with a group of friends and absolutely loved it every time! The owner is always around and soo friendly! I lived on the veggie burger and cider here, but the food in general is amazing! We always met up here on Sunday's to watch the Bear's play and were always able to get a booth or table. Staff is amazing and so nice. Price is good as well and you can usually find a place to park on Southport or a side street within walking distance.
Steak & Lobster $39.95 on NYE
Neighborhood: North Center
$4 Great Lakes Christmas Ale…
Neighborhood: Wrigleyville
Neighborhood: Lakeview
Category: Pubs
Neighborhood: Lakeview
Category: Gastropubs
Neighborhood: Lakeview
Category: Bars
Neighborhood: Lakeview
Category: Sports Bars
Neighborhood: Lakeview
Category: Sports Bars
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