Food Nut wrote:I believe the owner has a few dogs...Kuma is one.

OK, I take back the bacon on the lip recommendation. I've seen one of those dogs.

LTH,

Had a latish dinner last night at Kumas. Scallops were spot-on, mussels suffered none of the Monday blahs of my last visit and were Ellen's pick of best dish of the evening, beef carpaccio was fine, though a bit strong on the mayo (mayo on carpaccio?) and the Kobe beef "sliders" were good, though would have benefited from being made to order internal temp wise. They arrived med-well, I would have preferred med-rare or rare.

Three Floyds Robert the Bruce, in a bottle, was malty and quite enjoyable, though subtleties were lost due to earlier consumption of Ezra B 12 Year Bourbon

Service was surprisingly terrific for 11pm on a Saturday with a full bar. If there is better bar food, with the possible exception of the Grill at Smith and Wollensky, available at 11pm in Chicago I'd like to hear about it.

Enjoy,
Gary

G Wiv wrote:I went with the Kuma Burger, a manageable 8-oz of Angus with cheddar, bacon and fried egg on a pretzel bun. Right at med-rare, as I asked, and the runny yoke fried egg was the perfect compliment, I really liked this burger.

Dinner again at Kuma's last night with some friends. I finally went with the Kuma Burger, which was just excellent.

The female bartender let me in on a little tip: put the lettuce and tomato under the burger so the egg makes contact with the bun. That way, when the yolk breaks, it doesn't slide off the lettuce and onto the plate, but it gets absorbed by the top bun. Nice tip, worked very well.

There's only two small changes I'd make to this burger: I'd go with a sharper cheddar cheese and I'd serve it with a high-quality pickle spear. Overall a great meal.

As far as featured tap beers last night, there were two beers that I had not tasted before, both of which were excellent:

--Two Brothers Cain & Ebbel: A hoppy red rye ale that has Thai palm sugar added to it.

--Lagunitas Freak Out (a tribute to Frank Zappa), another hoppy, sweet red ale. If you like Fat Tire, you'll love Freak Out.

Kuma's is becoming one of my favorite bars in town. Friendly, knowledgable staff, very good food, and excellent beers.

Best,
Michael

A Kuma question: Based largely on the good words I've read here, we've planned with friends to meet them there for dinner tomorrow (Sat.) night at 7. Here's the thing. We're old. (Mid-fifties.) Is the noise level going to be too much for us? Will there be raucous punk rock (or whatever the kids are listening to these days) on the PA system? The food sounds perfect, and since some of you have taken your children there, the atmosphere would seem to be benign--and yet I guess it's the tatted waitstaff that makes me wonder: Is conversation possible? Will we have any "personal space" around us, or will we be completely jammed in? Is it a "civilized" place to drink and eat? I know the staff is friendly and I'm sure we'll be welcomed there, but that's not the issue. The issue is, will we feel like we've entered some kind of madhouse that only people 35 and under can tolerate? Or are all those tats just throwing me off?

I've taken kids-- but early in the evening, and when we could still sit outside.

I think the noise level isn't bad, but I've mainly been there on half-empty weeknights.

So I'd say there's still a possibility you'll find it too noisy for you on Saturday in prime time.

I'd say go, have a beer, and see what you think. It wouldn't be the worst place to have one very good craft-brewed beer before dining elsewhere.

riddlemay wrote: The issue is, will we feel like we've entered some kind of madhouse that only people 35 and under can tolerate? Or are all those tats just throwing me off?

Actually, I think the crowd there is pretty mixed. Although I am over 35 (well over), I have never felt out of place at Kuma's. Despite the tats and elongated earlobes, the proprietors and their regulars are very civilized and friendly people.

However, it can get pretty loud and very crowded on Friday and Saturday nights. It is primarily a bar, after all. That said, 7 pm is pretty early. You should be OK at that time, but you might want to move your plans up by a half hour, to make sure you are finished before the lights go down and the volume goes up. I would call and ask them when it starts getting crowded on Saturday. Of course, after a few pints of their good beer, you might not care.

riddlemay,

I would say that Kuma's is a civilized madhouse tolerable to people of any age who enjoy good beer, good food, and nice people.

It is also primarily a corner bar that plays hard rock music, keep that in mind. That is not to say that it is not a comfortable place for people of any age to eat and drink: it most certainly is that.

I look forward to your impressions, should you decide to go.

Best,
Michael

I think we're probably going to go for it.

If we do, will we be the first people to ever order martinis there? I know it's a full bar, but one known for its great beers. So, like is it insane to go there and order a Chopin martini straight up with a twist, equivalent to going to Shaw's and ordering steaks all around?

I brought my family there once on a weekend evening.....and we were shouting across the table and bitching about how loud the music was...., but we all enjoyed our burgers and entrees.....

riddlemay wrote:I think we're probably going to go for it.

If we do, will we be the first people to ever order martinis there? I know it's a full bar, but one known for its great beers. So, like is it insane to go there and order a Chopin martini straight up with a twist, equivalent to going to Shaw's and ordering steaks all around?

I just got back from dinner at Kuma's and it was quite good as usual. I had the saltimbocca and petit pois had the burger with fried onions and blue cheese. We split the scallop appetizer. Kuma's has a knack for cooking food to just the right temperature.

I'm sure they can make a martini (no guarantees on the Chopin) but let's put it this way: I've spent a handful of hours sitting at the bar during prime dinner hours and I've never once seen a bartender handle a shaker. This is a beer and whiskey bar.

The music tonight was a mix between 70s funk and rock (think Parliament and the Dazed & Confused soundtrack). Loud enough that we had to speak just above conversation level, but not too loud.

Best,
Michael

eatchicago wrote:I look forward to your impressions, should you decide to go.

WE LOVED IT.

Yes, the music and ambient conversations were a bit loud, but there are a lot of "fine-dining" restaurants where the ambient noise is just as loud. We had to raise our voices a bit, but not to the level of a shout or anything close. So, no problem.

Yes, the only vodka on hand was Stoli (probably a bottle that had been last handled during the Cold War), but I'm not fond of Stoli so instead of my customary martini I went with the flow and had a craft-brewed beer on draft, Lagunitas Freak Out. Revise that: I had three of them.

Yes, the girls are tattoed and goth-y but they couldn't have been friendlier. We felt thoroughly welcomed and comfortable. Our waitress exchanged friendly badinage with us all through the evening. The service was perfect--there's no other word for it.

The crowd? The place was doing brisk business, but it seemed that at any given point when new customers came in, there was one or another table available for them. So, no big crush around the bar of people waiting for tables, nobody breathing down your neck or standing over your shoulder as you ate. Extremely civilized. A mix of folks, a few of whom even looked like us.

The food? As good as you all have been saying. The four of us shared the scallops and the mussels (the former excellent, the latter superb), and two of us had the salmon special for an entree and two of us had the pork chop with scalloped apples from the menu. Plus a side of "build it yourself" mac and cheese shared by the four of us (our choice of add-ons was bacon and peas).

Our friends (who live not that far from Kuma's, in The Villa) thanked us profusely for turning them on to the place. So I'll "pay it forward" by thanking you profusely for turning us on to the place.

riddlemay wrote:WE LOVED IT.

Riddlemay,

Happy to hear you enjoyed Kuma's, while it's definitely a bar they manage to pull off the bar/good food/attention to detail with unique style.

After reading Michael's (Eatchicago) account of having such a pleasant time at the bar, as opposed to siting at a table, I found myself having a few drafts of Freak Out, interesting conversation and a damn good, thick, meaty bone-on pounded pan fried pork chop w/frisee and cherry tomatoes last week, the tomatoes were slightly warm and dressed perfectly. The chop was reminiscent of a bone-on pounded veal dish I had at Follia in August.

This was my first time sitting at Kuma's bar and, as I was solo that evening, appreciated the easy way conversation flowed with both customers and bartender.

Enjoy,
Gary

I have been fortunate to have picked up so many wonderful recommendations from this forum in the last few months and last night was no exception.

My boyfriend and I bundled up and headed over to Kuma's last night. The main reason why we went is that they have a special of $2 off any belgian style beer on their menu. And even though I live in Andersonville, within spitting distance of the Hopleaf, I have grown a bit tired of the wait, the smoke*, the attitude, and the prices. And after last night, it seems like Kuma's just might be my new Thursday night haunt. We enjoyed a seat at the bar, where I had a Delirium Tremens and a Trois Pistoles (which I enjoyed tremendously). BF went the non-Belgian route and had Lagunitas Cappuccino Stout on tap and a St. Ambrose Oatmeal Stout. We also had some dinner. He being the vegetarian, BF had the dress up your own mac and cheese with zucchini, caramelized onions, and mushrooms. I, being the carnivore, had the Kuma Burger, in all its yolky meaty glory.
The bartender was wonderful, unpretentious, and friendly. There were only a few patrons in the bar (on account of the miserable cold). But there's something to be said about living in Chicago in the dead of winter. I love enjoying a fantastic meal and a couple beers and feeling that warmth spread in my belly and then stepping outside to walk to the car--it's quite invigorating. My sister in Miami Beach just can't quite understand nor experience anything like it!

Thanks to you, lthforum, once again!

Sharona

*N.B. Kuma's does have smoking, but since it was not so busy, there wasn't as much smoke

Sharona wrote:*N.B. Kuma's does have smoking, but since it was not so busy, there wasn't as much smoke

The night we were there, they were quite busy (just the right amount of busy--every table and seat occupied, but rarely anyone standing and waiting for a table or seat--the number of patrons matched the comfortable capacity of the place to a remarkable degree) and yet there still wasn't a lot of smoke. I actually don't recall any drifting our way. So Kuma's might attract more non-smokers, or else the layout of the place reduces the problem. Or else you and I were both just lucky. (But I choose to believe, unscientifically based on one visit, that it has to do with the clientele.)

LTH,

Thanks for another great recommendation. I made the trek to Kuma's for lunch today and had a delicous Kuma burger, a surprisingly large and tasty salad instead of chips, and a draft Three Floyd's Klaus Christmas Porter. This place strikes me as more of a gastropub than a bar. Friendly staff, nice surroundings, good food, and an interesting selection of draft beers. An earlier post indicated that Three Floyd's was no longer on tap, but it's back.

Mr. 2025 and popped into Kuma's last night, and split a plate of Kobe beef sliders, along with a salad. Between the burgers and the beer (and I can't remember the brand of the beer, argh, it was a porter on the $4 draft menu), we went home asking ourselves why we don't go they more often! I can't say enough about how good the sliders are...

Our visit today revealed a new menu.
They've decided to focus on what they do best - burgers!
The menu now boasts a wide selection of different burgers - each represented by a different heavy metal band.
Mrs. Johnny and I decided on the Judas Priest (beef burger with bleu cheese and bacon, apples and dried cranberries). Get it? Kind of fruity! Don't blame me - I didn't develop the menu.
At any rate, the burger was as good as ever and the beer menu contains a constantly rotating selection of great microbrews.
Most of the sides still remain (mussels, mac n' cheese, etc.) however, they have switched from their delicious steak fries to the shoestring variety - which I don't prefer.

Kuma's Corner
2900 W. Belmont Ave.
773-604-8769

I really didn't like the fries at Kuma's. I'm not a big steak fry person, of course, but still. They tasted absolutely average.

Even an average prefab shoestring is pretty good, though.

The saving grace of Kuma's fries was the spicy ketchup and dijon mustard, both really nice touches.

johnny wrote:Our visit today revealed a new menu.
They've decided to focus on what they do best - burgers!
The menu now boasts a wide selection of different burgers - each represented by a different heavy metal band.
Mrs. Johnny and I decided on the Judas Priest (beef burger with bleu cheese and bacon, apples and dried cranberries). Get it? Kind of fruity! Don't blame me - I didn't develop the menu.
At any rate, the burger was as good as ever and the beer menu contains a constantly rotating selection of great microbrews.
Most of the sides still remain (mussels, mac n' cheese, etc.) however, they have switched from their delicious steak fries to the shoestring variety - which I don't prefer.

Kuma's Corner
2900 W. Belmont Ave.
773-604-8769

I assume the Kuma Burger with fried egg remains????

stevez wrote:
I assume the Kuma Burger with fried egg remains????

You are correct Sir!

some good news and some bad news......i'll start with the latter by saying that to everyone's discontent, kuma's no longer serves their delicious bacon wrapped scallops appetizer (even though their online menu suggests that they do). they now serve their giant scallops (10 scallops to one pound is what they told us) on top of a bed of a corn and cherry tomato sauce. The scallops were cooked perfectly and we still enjoyed them quite a bit. so that was the bad news which isn't necessarily all that bad but we find that their prior incarnation was a bit more appealing.

we also had the mussels and split the kuma burger. there's not too much that i can add here as they both were as good as ever. i had the unibroue la find du monde which was a fantactic strong belgian ale....so so good that i'm gonna have to go pick some up from the store. nice malty, hoppy taste and very smooth. mmm hmmmmmm.

service was as friendly as i've ever experienced from any restaurant....i was given a sample of a beer ooff the tap to try as well. i thought that was pretty cool. thanks jessica.

all in all, i can't say too much more about the establishment. we'll find ourselves coming back to kuma's again and again.

Bumma at Kuma's...

I went last night to go have one of the new burgers and, well, I can't entirely blame Kuma's if I was stupid. But I sat at the bar (no other choice), the bartendress starts chatting to me and raves, absolutely glows, about a braised shortrib special, I mutter something about being in the mood for a burger, I can see I've let her down, I peruse the menu further, she comes back, she describes the shortribs in ingredient-by-ingredient detail, before long I'm ordering the shortribs because it seems to mean a lot to her.

Then it turns out her shift is over-- why couldn't she have told me that before she took my order, I could have run out the clock with my beer and ordered a burger guilt-free from the guy with the dangling earlobes-- so now I have the shortribs coming AND I get hustled for a tip before she goes, which has to be an amount somewhere in between the tip for what she actually served me (one beer) and what I've ordered (shortribs and a beer), so depending how you look at it I either gave her a 30% tip or a 4% one, the shortribs come... and they're okay, they'd have been better in another hour or two I think as they're not as braised as I would braise them, reasonably tasty, too much chipotle flavor and not enough other flavor in the gravy but I did like the garlicky-parsley fried potatoes underneath it all...

...but all I wanted was a damn burger. Which would have been $10, instead of $24 (yikes!), like the shortribs.

So anyway, yeah, big honkin' hamburger list, led by the Kuma (fried egg) and the Kaijo (blue cheese and crispy fried onions). (Though I note the sliders no longer say they're Kobe, or Wagyu, or whatever.) Some interesting ingedients and combinations, garlic and chipotle mayos, that sort of thing. I wish I'd managed to try one of them, like I intended when I walked in the joint.

I could have run out the clock with my beer and ordered a burger guilt-free from the guy with the dangling earlobes

Just as an FYI that guy is Alex, the owner.

Mike G wrote:Bumma at Kuma's...

It's hard to say No to a glowing bartendress.

Taking tips from a server is tricky, because you don't want to "let them down," as you say (because we're all nice guys here, right?), but even worse, you don't want to eat something you don't really want. I usually don't ask for recommendations unless I'm absolutely unmoved by anything on the menu and/or have no solid expectations about what I would like to eat.

Many times, it seems like the server is perhaps more motivated by a desire to move product than to get me what he or (more dangerously) she thinks I might want to have for dinner. It sounds, though, that in this case her guidance (at least) was unsolicited.

I think her enthusiasm was genuine, not just an attempt to sell me up to a higher pricepoint, though it worked out that way. Unfortunately my wishy-washiness was genuine, too.

geli wrote:Just as an FYI that guy is Alex, the owner.

Geli,

I thought Mike, the stocky biker looking guy, was the owner of Kuma's.

Enjoy,
Gary

I thought Mike, the stocky biker looking guy, was the owner of Kuma's

Maybe they're partners? Or it's possible that I was just horribly misled...

When Gabe and I visited Kumas a few weeks back (after yet another failed attempt at Hot Doug's), they had this boxing machine in the front which was very annoying. Hope they loose this soon.

Especially annoying when you sit at the table nearest it as I did-
Stay away from the boxing machine and the fried calamari.

I thought Mike, the stocky biker looking guy, was the owner of Kuma's


Maybe they're partners? Or it's possible that I was just horribly misled...

I was indeed misled, Alex is the GM.

they had this boxing machine in the front which was very annoying. Hope they loose this soon.

It is annoying, and I also hope they lose it soon, but at least it seems to be only turned on after about 10pm. Apparently it makes them a ton of money, so it seems like a catch-22: use an annoying machine to generate money until the crowds start showing up, but risk losing those crowds with the annoying machine!

On a happier note, I had a great burger there the other night--I think it's called the Dark Throne, but I'm not quite sure. It's the last one on the menu, and it comes with goat cheese, chipotle peppers and pico de gallo. My vegetarian friend was denied his chance to experience the Kuma Burger because they were out of veggie burgers, but he had the Build Your Own Mac n Cheese and was very happy with it. They made us a grilled cheese so that he could at least experience the pretzel bread, and my friend said he could understand what all the fuss was about on that score, anyway.

When I was through eating, I had less than a 1/4 of my burger left, and I after mulling it over decided to go ahead and have it wrapped to take home. After a few minutes, our (very nice) server came back over to apologize, saying she had dropped it when trying to put it in the to go container, but that they were making me a new one. I said that was nice but unnecessary, since it was such a small amount, and I hadn't really been to gung-ho on getting it to go anyway. "Nonetheless!" she exclaimed (well, not really), and I got a whole 'nother burger, with all the trimmings including fries! Speaking of fries, I miss the old Kuma's steak fries, since they are the only steak fries I've ever liked, but the new fries were darned good.

I really like this place. So much, in fact, that I've taken to saying that it's my neighborhood hangout, even though it's 2.7 miles away, 11 minutes by car.