The Belmont Barbershop
2328 W Belmont Ave
(between Clybourn Ave & Oakley Ave)
Chicago, IL 60618 (773) 296-0894
- Hours:
Tue-Fri 8:00 a.m.-7:00 p.m.
Sat 8:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. - Price Range: $
- Accepts Credit Cards: No
- Parking: Street
- Wheelchair Accessible: No
- By Appointment Only: Yes
56 Reviews for The Belmont Barbershop
If you want a real honest to goodness 'barbershop' in Chicago, this is the place. I have had two... count em, TWO barbers my whole life. It would have only been one had I not moved cross country when I was a kid. Just moved into Chicago, so I needed someone to call 'my barber' here.
Well, thank you to Andrew at Belmont Barbershop. Great cut, good conversation, and a great shop overall. Too bad I didn't have time for a shave, or a game of pool. You guys rock. Definate five star place.
Below average haircut. I was looking for an establishment closer to home. I've been getting my hair cut by the same guy for 15 years, but lately my schedule has been too tight for me to get down to his shop as often as I'd like. I read the great reviews about this place, and hoped that it could be my new barbershop. Like I said, my haircut (a straightforward cut) wasn't that good. My chops weren't close to even. I only noticed this when I got home (and fixed em' myself), since the barber (who was a nice enough guy) didn't let me face the mirror for about 95% of my cut - so I had no idea what was going on. I was never asked about length, other than verbally (other barbers I've been to will always grab a bit of hair and ask if the length their holding is okay. Typically they'll offer you a hand held mirror at the end of the cut to inspect. None of that occurred. As far as the cut, everything else was even, but it just wasn't right and I wasn't happy. Honestly I can't remember the last time I was that upset about a haircut. Thankfully hair grows back.
No one in this place talks either. It's well designed and layed out, but I'd like a little banter in a neighborhood barbershop. I found the place uncomfortably quiet, and the guys there didn't seem particularly interested in socializing. So I think I'm gonna stick w/ my old barber who I've had for 15 years. Maybe I can't get down there as often as I'd like, but at least when I do get down there, I know my head will be in good hands.
I'd heard some great things about the Belmont Barbershop so when it was time for my husband to get a trim I sent him that way. He's fairly particular about getting his hair cut, and, doesn't really enjoy it much, but he says he has found a new regular place now!
He was early for his appointment and spent a little time checking out the prints and old time barber equipment on the walls and the bookshelf with some really great authors on it...and said it was definitely a comfortable environment.
He got his hair cut by Ryan and he did a great job. He even squared off his sideburns with a razor and shaved his neck. He's gone to a lot of different places over the years, but that attention to detail, etc. was a first for him. He said they talked the whole time, and it was good conversation.
Cash only. $15 haircut, $30 shave, $45 for both.
I've had some bad haircuts in my life so I am a bit wary of new places. But I was extremely happy with the overall experience here and I will definitely be coming back.
Highly recommended!
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Chicago has too many unisex shops. More gal than guy, I do not look forward to the bright red nails and dog-eared issues of Cosmo. Nice lines but I want a hot shave and as slap of Clubman Bay Rum.
Can I get a haircut the way my Dad and his Dad did? Well, yea, now I can. The only thing missing are the Playboys and white smocked old choppers named Floyd. He's been replaced by the guys you'd lose a chunk of your weeks pay to in a mismanaged hand of Low Chicago Stud.
Make a reservation. Stick to it. Get a haircut the way it was intended. And BS with these guys every two weeks the way things were intended. Cash only. It's ok, you'll thank me for the warning and gladly cover these hurtles after your first cut. Who carries cash these days, right? Your Dad did and so did his Dad so shut it. Right.
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Yeah! This place is the place for a normal man who wants his hair looking consistently good to come and get a haircut. I went here after reading the raves on here and was not disappointed. The men in this shop know how to cut hair in a fancy old-fashioned way that you may not have had a haircut ever before.
I have deep respect for a barber who knows psychically that what I like is to come in and say all these vague things and act like I was giving him useful information (prefaced with, "so, like, my VISION is..." and have him turn that into a directed, nice-looking haircut, and also that what I like is to make like three jokes at the beginning of the cutting process just to get comfortable with the person and then silently sit in a non-awkward way while my hair gets cut.
Two bonus great things about this place. First, they cut my hair with me facing AWAY from the mirror which I loved because otherwise things look all drastic and I freak out and sweat and worry and hope things even out. Second, next to their coffee maker and the creamer and stuff they had a bottle of Johnnie Walker Black Label, which was basically a really classy way to go about having a coffee machine, in my opinion.
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I have to say, I had been spending most of my time getting my haircut at a SuperCuts and only now realize I have been wasting my time and money.
The guys at Belmont Barbershop really know how to take care of the customer; offering the occasional beer, use of the pool table, or a shelf full of all types of books and magazines to read as you relax in the leather couches for your cut.
Step into the chair, and the guys listen to what your looking for in a cut, and do it. Ive sat with both Billy and Josh, and have never been disappointed. These guys are worth the time to make an appointment and get in there..
Check it out.
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Can't believe that a haircut there is only $15. It wasn't crowded when I went there so I didn't get a chance to play pool or have a beer.
My barber, Andrew, is a dead ringer for Jason Priestly. It was almost too eeary (sic). He did a great job at cutting my hair. It was way too long. I agreed with him about how I wanted my haircut to be like.
I will definitely be going back there. The haircut was top notch and it didn't cost me a lot of $$$.
Awesome - Josh took great care with my fine hair and fragile ego today and gave me a great summer cut!
I will be back!
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First time I get my hair done at this place and my experience was reputable. Walk in time was a brief and the barber who cut my hair was unruffled. As for the actual haircut, I got to admit I liked it. No complaints from this place.
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In a previous life I lived in Lakeview, not too far from the Belmont Barbershop. I was walking along aimlessly, saw it, and decided to stop by and get a haircut. This was when they were just getting started and an appointment wasn't really necessary. The cut was great. I loved it. Chicks dug it.
So, I'm going out into my social surroundings and being all like "Hey! Have you been to this awesome place on Belmont for a haircut yet?". And they're totally like "I go there all the time! when you'd start going?". Then someone else would be like "What are you dudes talking about?". And we'd say "The Belmont Barbershop!". And they'd say something like "No way! I love that place. It's rad! Beer and pool and some awesome dudes!"....
Anyway, you get the idea.
Two years later I'm still getting my haircut there, I'm still drinking their beer, and the chicks still dig it!
I'd like to thank the Belmont Barber shop for consistently making my boyfriend look handsome.
He also smells great, thanks to the Layrite they sell him!
Fellas: Go here.
Ladies: Make your fellas go here.
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I have gone to Supercuts or Fantastic Sams for as long as I have been paying for my own haircuts. (My mom refused to pay for them anymore when I came home with a mohawk when I was 14).
Thankfully, I decided I wanted a new look. I needed a change, but I had no idea what I wanted or what would look good. I found this place on Yelp and seemed like the kind of place that could help.
Absolutely loved this place. Josh was so cool. "What's it going to be?" he said. "You tell me. I'm looking for something hip and edgy that I can also where to work in a corporate office" "How about a pomp like mine?" I was so excited. It looks so good. I've found my barber for life.
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After trying this place (the highest rated place) for a haircut in Chicago, I have come to the conclusion that Yelpers have no freaking clue...
I'm done with trusting Yelp for anything.
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Comics, PBR, Pool Table, Books on Sideshow Banner Art, Crunchy Music, not much more that I could ask for in a barbershop. But wait.....the haircut. I have been searching for a good rockabilly tight-cut for a while. I told them what I wanted and they knew right away. The owner, Billy, cut my hair and gave me some suggestions for how to get the pomade out of my hair and it worked like a charm*. I can see why you need an appt to get in. These guys always had people waiting. Apparently being open for just two years and they just had to hire a 4th cutter. (No not an angsty goth teen that "cuts" her arm for attention). Thy gave the hot lather shave on the neck which is ALWAYS a plus. I liked these guys so much that I feel they set a new high. I might go back and lower all the other barbers by one.
*the trick for cleaning the pomade: A small amount of baking soda mixed in palm of hand with shampoo.
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I FINALLY talked my husband into going somewhere other than Great Clips for hair cuts.
his hair has never looked better! thank you Belmont Barber Shop!
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Great old school barber shop! pool table, pbr's, and a sharp lookin shop....also good dudes work here..... they make Bill Smiles the envy of Belmont Ave. haha......
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Billy and Josh kick ass!
This is the best barbershop I have ever been to. Great prices! Great haricuts! Hilarious conversation.
I just discovered The Belmont Barbershop the other day, and it may have contributed to my finally joining Yelp, just so I could give this place a good review. It's like the best of both worlds-- the cool atmosphere of an old-timey barbershop, without the worry that the seventy-year-old dude who works there is going to give you the same look he gave your dad back in the sixties.
If you're like me (a pampered metrosexual who's spent embarrassing amounts of money on his hair, having only gone to salons for the last decade or more), you may find the experience of sitting in a chair, talking for twenty seconds, then having someone go to town on your head a bit jarring. ("Where's my shampoo and head massage?!") But don't worry-- the guy who cut my hair- I think his name was Josh- knows what he's doing. You won't end up with that "shorn sheep" barbershop look. And you'll walk out actually feeling like a man, instead of a pretty girly-boy.
They use some bad-ass old time equipment here: vintage chairs, massive corded clippers, big old shears and a cool-as-hell old fashioned hot lather dispenser when they straight-razor shave your neck at the end of your cut. They all seem like good guys, and they're fun to talk to. And when you leave, having dropped only twenty bucks (including tip!) you'll be leaving your salon days in the rear view mirror.
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Don't listen to the review by 'ol Skippy. This is a great place for a haircut. Although I must say their satellite radio station sounded just like the Loop or any other generic classic rawk station. Why pay the subscription for that?
I have never gotten my hair cut here obviously, but my husband has and they do a great job every time. He is very particular about his hair, so when his old stylist left from another salon we went researching to find a new place for him to go. They have a pool table and a cool atmosphere and they offer haircuts for $15 and straight razor shaves for $30. Great place for men to get a haircut! Make sure to bring cash though because they don't take debit or credit cards.
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So getting haircuts is not really my forte, but I was in need of one. Judging from my pic, you might get the idea. Anywho, I yelped around and found one just down the road from me. These guys were awesome. Very down to earth and didn't make me feel uncomfortable. I really enjoyed the "change of scenary" that I remember from most hair joints. Nothing like a PBR, game of pool, and reading Tattoo Magazine before my appointment. I loved every minute and even my short hair now.
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The guys that work here are some of the best. Not only as far as barbers go, but all around humans as well.
Every detail about this shop is outstanding. From the instant you walk in it feels as if you are at a friends house hanging out. I can't speak highly enough of these guys and their shop!
Once you go, you will be a customer for life, and know exactly the way a barbershop should be ran and operated!
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I used to go to this small barbershop in Madison, WI where I got a great haircut at a reasonable price, and received old-fashioned, friendly service. Worried that I would have a hard time getting that again in Chicago, I was amazed at the Belmont Barbershop.
The wait was made easy by plush leather couches, free coffee, and a pool table. The shop's specialty in men's styless showed in the precision at which they cut my hair.
Friendly service and an old fashioned neck shave topped everything off.
At $15 per cut, which is close to the price at Cost Cutters, the price didn't break my pocketbook. I am definitely going back.
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I kind of just want to hang out there one day, drink beer, and play pool. But, that might be a little awkward.
I'll stick to the haircuts, and reading on the comfortable leather couches as I wait, and the good value they give. It's a guy's place, without being misogynist or creepy.
I recommend it to all.
EDIT: I am editing to specifically call bullshit on the racist remark. I don't believe it. I, myself, am not white (obviously). And I've never been treated with anything but courtesy, respect, and professionalism.
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If anyone ever gives this place less than 4 stars, maybe they belong at Halo or a women's salon. These guys are awesome and they deserve a loyal customer base. I went for my first cut today and was very impressed both with the quality of the cut and the professionalism of Billy. The atmosphere is a nice perk as well. My only disappointment is knowing they've been in Chicago for over two years and I hadn't gone before. Highly recommended, even for those like me who live a couple miles away.
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One of the best barbershops I've ever been to. I went on a Saturday and all 4 barbers were hard at work. You are best to have an appointment, otherwise there is a good chance they will not be able to fit you in. This is an awesome place where a guy can get a very good haircut for a great price and without the foo-foory of 'salons'. This is a guy's hangout all the way.
I was looking for something new and had heard they do good retro/classic cuts; when I stepped in, I immediately saw exactly what I wanted - Josh was sporting a classic 50s slicked back pomp with a side part. I just had to have that cut. Jeremy cut my hair and did an excellent job. He was very meticulous to get it just right. I've suffered real butcher jobs at the hands of some barbers elsewhere, especially when they go to taper the back and sides. My cut by Jeremy came out perfect! He used Layrite pomade on it and it looks just awesome. I will be sure to ask for Jeremy next time - I'm sure any of the barbers there would be able to cut it like I like, but I think if I keep going to the same guy, he will know exactly how I like it every time.
Once again, thanks Yelp.
I walked into the door after a short bus ride and one of the owners immediately asked in a very polite way "can I help you"? I told him I was the 4:20 appointment, and he replied cool, have a seat, play some pool, and there is beer in the fridge if you are interested".
I dropped my jaw and started to do a little dance (in my mind). This has been a bad week for me with the crappy weather bringing the worst, including me at times I must confess. It was a joy to have someone be friendly...they made my week.
I was watching the two barbers cutting some business types, when I noticed one had a backstage pass to a Mastodon show on the wall(sweet). With a PBR in my hand I knew they were going to take good care of me. This is the first place in a long time that knew exactly what I wanted in a hair cut after my short and feeble explanation. The cut looked great (even though it was conservative...got to do it for the job).
For me to like a cut I would normally never pay a $1 for is a big complement but the bonus is the cut only cost $15. I have paid $30-$50 dollars for a cut that I absolutely hated in the past so $15 dollars for a great cut, a beer, a cool conversation, and a cool place to hang out.....bonus!
They specialize in all kinds of cuts so if you want a Hawk, or if you want to look business sharp, they do it all. I can't wait to go back and get a straight razor cut.
This will be the place I get my hair cut from now on!
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Great place. Great guys working here.
I wish they actually washed your hair, but that aside, they do a decent job for the money. I wouldn't expect anything mind blowing, but they won't screw anything up either. Basically, it's a barbershop.
This one just seems to benefit from a lot of positive Yelp reviews.
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Every time my husband has tried to get a reasonably inexpensive haircut it ends up a waste of money. Belmont Barbershop seems to have put an end to that legacy. My husband just came back with a "thumbs up." Despite the fact that it isn't really conveniently located to public transportation my husband says he will visit again.
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This is an excellent place to get your haircut. It is an actual barbershop and these guys are by far the best barbers that I have ever been to. That is saying a lot because I have been to my fair share. Consider me a regular at this place.
Call ahead if you want to get an appointment. These guys are the best.
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Josh is the sh*t! He's a super cool dude who's like a ninja with clippers. Precision cuts for a very reasonable price.
Only place I know to get Lay-Rite pommade.
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I hesitate to write this because this place is such a find. I got my haircut by Billy yesterday and he read my mind...through my hair...it was amazing. Best haircut I've ever had.
One of the criteria that I judge someone who cuts my hair on is confidence. Someone who asks me a million questions about how I want my hair done and along the way needs reassurance from me that it is what I want makes me nervous. Billy and I had a short conversation and then he took over and gave me the perfect cut. That is high praise in my book.
From what I've observed, I think Billy does the more retro haircuts. I didn't ask for him specifically but I think they would have subtly worked it out so I did anyways. This is a class act.
Call ahead for an appointment and bring cash. The cut was $15 and for everyone that I saw there, a twenty covered it. They deserve it and it's worth it.
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These guys run a kick butt men's shop. I've had Josh cut my hair a few times and he always does a great job. They don't charge an arm and a leg either. They always seem to take their time, even when I have been a dummy and come 5 minutes before closing. They are just nice guys that know what they are doing.
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Great, inexpensive place to get a quality haircut from guys who care and also know what they're doing. $15 for a haircut.
Also, their Pomade is fucking amazing, smells like vanilla. I seriously love the stuff, and its only $15, which is the cost of the haircut. so far i'm probably 1/3 of the way thru it, for a total of 4 weeks, so not a bad purchase.
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I moved into the city about 6 months ago and I still found myself driving to the place I always went to in the suburbs. I then decided to find a new, local place and was excited when I read about this place. I stopped by the other day and got a great haircut. For $15, it was pretty good value. I like that they take appointments too, it makes the wait short.
Just remember to bring cash, they don't take credit cards.
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Excellent Barbershop. I have been going here for about a year and have to say that this a true barbershop in every sense of the word. The services offered by Josh and Billy are great! I appreciate the fact that these guys cater to men only and use traditional methods when it comes to cutting. The warm shaving cream and straight razor at the end of the haircut is awesome!!! I highly recommend this barbershop to any man that wants a true and traditional haircut and barbershop shop experience. Oh yea, and the pool table is cool too! I have found my barbers for life!
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If I could hug Josh (lambchops) and Billy in a very manly way in a very manly place, I would totally do it. I got the hint to go there from this site, and thank "dear baby jesus". I'm used to places like Floyd's out in Denver and JJ's near Detroit. No nonsense, great places to get your hair cut. F'ing Chicago has to have $10 Hair Cuttery where they can't cut an asian man's hair or $50 salons! I even tried to go to D'Jons which is more like the movie Barbershop then a place I should be going into. I mean D'Jons was good, but I just didn't fit in.
Anyway, make sure you call ahead and get an appointment. Much easier that way. I've had both of the guys cut my hair, and they both did an excellent job. Again...thanks to "dear baby Jesus" for these two guys. Figures that they aren't from Chicago...
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If I lived in Chicago or was visiting, I would be a patron of the Belmont Barbershop. A lot of places in America say they are a Barbershop, but when you walk in, their is not one man cutting hair, and when you ask for a shave, they say they don't do shaves or that shaves are illegal. It's good to see that the full service Barbershop is still alive and well.
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Great $15 haircut. Gave a little back of the head custom razor shave which was cool and unexpected. It was empty when I went so I didn't really get to check the ambiance or play with the pool table. the place has a nice feel for it and the two barbers seemed cool. i probally will be back when I need a good cut.
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