Managed to get a patio table last night around 6:30 with only a 15 minute wait. We were all first-timers and most of us ordered the Swine Flu with delicious results.

Does anyone else find it annoying that Kuma's will not quote a wait time over the phone? Not a "wow it is super crazy", not a "not so bad"... nothing. I'm not asking for a reservation, or to go on a list, just to find out if it is already and hour wait before i battle the 5'o clock traffic to get there.

Grrrr...

WahooWilly wrote:Does anyone else find it annoying that Kuma's will not quote a wait time over the phone?

Oh, yeah, absolutely. Not only that, but why can't they turn down the metal music, how about collar shirts for the waitstaff, maybe a wider range of non alcoholic drinks, tea would be nice........Don't get me started

I don't believe that a smidge of information is asking them to change the way they do business or change the character of the establishment or turn them into a "yuppy dining establishment" if i read the intent of your posts right

I travel with a pal who is handicapped and 1 1/2 hour waits can be tough. He is a giant music fan and loves his metal.

WahooWilly wrote:I don't believe that a smidge of information is asking them to change the way they do business

If you read through this 700+ post thread you will notice suggestions, complaints, ideas etc galore. My point is, was, and remains Kuma's, like Popeye, yam what it yam.

If you call and mention that your friend has a mobility issue, you might get a better response. I have called and asked similarly indicating we are coming with a guest in a wheelchair, or when my husband had a broken leg, and been given an idea of the wait time. But, basically, you can figure on a wait. Every night. All the time. No question.

It appears neither of the websites are working now. I was trying to check out their hours and I got an error message for the old address and just the front page for their new one.

They told me they open at 11:30am Saturday and Sunday, although that doesn't seem right to me, and I worry that they misheard. Don't they open at 10 on one of those days?

I believe they open at 11:30 on Saturday, and I'm pretty sure at noon on Sunday.

Get there 20 minutes before they open to get a table. Last time I went on a Sunday the room was already nearly full at 11:45, when we left at about 1ish there was (surprise!) already a substantial wait.

Metromix, although not renowned for up to the minute data, indicates you are correct Pie Lady, 10am on Sunday.

Don't know for sure if this is still the case, but as of today's Mix:

Hours:
11:30 a.m .-2 a.m., Monday through Friday; Saturday 11:30 a.m.-3 a.m.; Sunday 10 a.m.- midnight.

Take with grain of salt.

We tried to get in tonight (Saturday) around 4:30- it was going to be a 45-75 minute wait. We had roller derby tickets, so couldn't wait since even once you're seated, it could be 45-60 minutes before you get your food. Too bad- I really wanted to get a swine flu burger before the end of the month. The hostess said the Check, Please episode aired again, and with the Playboy thing, they've been slammed again.

We ended up at the Atlantic.

I was watching Unwrapped last night and they had a feature on a burger place in New York that was no stranger to lines.

They set up a live webcam so you could check out the length of the line on the Internet and make your decision.

Pretty cool.

Panther in the Den wrote:I was watching Unwrapped last night and they had a feature on a burger place in New York that was no stranger to lines.

They set up a live webcam so you could check out the length of the line on the Internet and make your decision.

Pretty cool.

I've been trying to talk Doug Sohn into doing this over at Hot Doug's, but alas, to no avail. It makes more work for him, so nada on the line cam.

Fear of not getting in before the place opened today led me to Kuma's last night. I got there a little after 8 and I was seated at the bar in about 30-35 minutes, not bad when the wait for a table was 2 hours. I was getting pissed though—there would be 2 people at the bar and 2 friends would walk in, be surprised to see them, and stand over their shoulder and gab. Then the first two would leave and the second two would grab the seats. Lots of folks there just like to linger, which annoys me when there's a wait that long. But whatever, I got a seat—though it still took 90 minutes before I was served. I really wish I'd brought a book. The Swine Flu was worth it though, and this time I was able to polish the whole thing off, fries included, in one fell swoop. I was asleep in less than 2 hours.

Pie Lady wrote:there would be 2 people at the bar and 2 friends would walk in, be surprised to see them, and stand over their shoulder and gab. Then the first two would leave and the second two would grab the seats.

That is indeed obnoxious. I don't much like being a tattle tail but I would probably mentioned this to the staff had I been waiting in line. I probably would have phrased it in a question... "I'm not sure how it works but if I set up a chain of my friends one night can we each skip the line?" Extra care, of course, taken not to be a brat... it isn't the staff that has the problem here it is the other customers. I don't have a problem if the staff shows favoritism to regulars but I'm not a big fan of the particular self entitlement of people that thinks that they don't have to wait like everyone else simply because they know someone that happens to be there already.

I've heard a bartender at Kumas ask people at the bar to get up if they're only there to sit and wait for a table. If they're buying drinks and eating, there's not much you can do, though, as there's no queue system for bar seats.

There is no queue for bar seats, and no way to accomplish it. I've been the recipient of folks turning around and saying "you guys have been cool, take our seats" (as opposed to the people standing around, looking sour, not buying beers, waiting impatiently for them to get up).

I suppose I'll just elbow my way in as soon as I see someone beginning to stir from their bar seat next time then... it is a metal bar after all...

I finally saw a couple at the kitchen end make their way to the door, so before they could leave I made a mad dash back there before anyone else could grab them. Turns out that was silly; no one sat in the other seat the rest of the time I was there.

In the case of Kuma's, I can't wait til October (November?) when we can place To Go orders again. There's just enough time in dry weather to get there and back on my lunch hour if I call ahead. I'm also trying to convince Pie Dude that getting there 10 minutes before opening is really worth the loss of an hour's sleep.

Now that May is over, am I the only one who was underwhelmed by the Swine Flu? It's actually my least favorite burger I've had there. Somewhere between the burger, hash and tortilla strips, there just wasn't much zing or distinct taste to it. Given the rave reviews, I was a bit surprised.

Now that May is over, am I the only one who was underwhelmed by the Swine Flu? It's actually my least favorite burger I've had there. Somewhere between the burger, hash and tortilla strips, there just wasn't much zing or distinct taste to it. Given the rave reviews, I was a bit surprised.

I'm with you Ralph, It was just okay...... I'm a huge chorizo fan and that is what attracted me initially to the burger...that and trying to order something new each time I go. I thought it could of used some cheese or some more sauce, mine was very dry and the chorizo kept crumbling off.

And honestly, the seat thing at the bar doesn't bother me. Going there I know what to expect and it's sort of like a mad militia on some days, so if my party and I happen to be around a bar seat when one opens, well more power to me...but then again you have to deal with people trying to get drinks, squeezing in, etc. So to me, I just wait and enjoy the music and beer.

Mr. Wiggum,

I thought I was the only one that was under whelmed by the Swine Flu. The descriptions here led me out of my way last week to get to Kuma’s to try the Swine Flu. Upon reading the description on the menu, I was even more excited – it sounded perfect and right up my alley. Then it came out and fell flat in my opinion. The flavors just didn’t pop for me like I thought they would. It didn’t help that they overcooked my burger a little, but I don’t think I would have cared for the Swine Flu even if the burger was perfectly cooked. A couple of nice Skull Splitter ales helped easy my pain. A few of the recent burgers of the month have fell flat for my taste. But I keep looking for something to overtake my top three – Plague Bringer, Dark Throne, and Bongzilla. We’ll have to see what June brings.

inter4alia wrote:We’ll have to see what June brings.

Speaking of which, does anybody know what the June special is? Not that I need another Kuma burger for awhile.

I just checked their My Space Blog where it is announced and no announcement as of yet.

The June Burger of the Month is the Jamaican Pearl. 10 oz Jerk Seasoned Patty, Jerk BBQ Pulled Pork, Fried Plantains, Pickled Mangos, and chopped red onions. I was skeptical of this burger being too sweet with the mangos and plantains. However, the fried plaintains were thin tortilla-like strips and the mango really pulled the whole burger together without being overwhelming. It is definitely a messy burger and, while not listed in the menu description, the jerk bbq sauce was deliciously sloppy. The sauce, described by the waitress as a 'Jamaican me crazy' sauce, could not be contained by the bun and dripped all over the plate making for a great dipping sauce for the homemade potato chips. Walking in at 2:30 on a Tuesday yielded a 10 minute wait. Walking out at 3:30 was kind of surreal since there were five empty tables and 11 empty bar seats. I only wish they hadn't ran out of gumballhead on tap

mkess wrote:The June Burger of the Month is the Jamaican Pearl. 10 oz Jerk Seasoned Patty, Jerk BBQ Pulled Pork, Fried Plantains, Pickled Mangos, and chopped red onions.

That sounds...interesting. Not sure I'd be adventurous enough to try it, though.

I'm watching the White Sox game on Fox, and Tim McCarver is going on and on about what he did on his days off in Chicago, the highlight being a Kuma burger. They are showing pictures of the burger and giving a detailed description. He liked it.

Kennyz wrote:I'm watching the White Sox game on Fox, and Tim McCarver is going on and on about what he did on his days off in Chicago, the highlight being a Kuma burger. They are showing pictures of the burger and giving a detailed description. He liked it.

Shows that even a stopped clock is right twice a day . . .

Did he refer to the Kuma's burger as the Derek Jeter of hamburgers?

cccpr wrote:

mkess wrote:The June Burger of the Month is the Jamaican Pearl. 10 oz Jerk Seasoned Patty, Jerk BBQ Pulled Pork, Fried Plantains, Pickled Mangos, and chopped red onions.

That sounds...interesting. Not sure I'd be adventurous enough to try it, though.

I'll gladly explain what you're missing: overwhelming jerk-sauce flavor with the texture of a burger and an occasional burst of mango when you bite into a slice of same. Given the numerous ingredients used to create this thing, I expected more nuance and flavor interaction. What I got was a concoction with all the subtlety and intrigue of an Andrew Dice Clay stand-up routine. Quite disappointing -- I guess I'll stick to their milder items in the future.

I went to Kuma's for the first time in a year or so this week. We went for lunch, 8 month old baby in tow. It was busy, but there were tables and seats at the bar available, prob'ly because the patio was open.

We had a Pantera and a Mastodon, and both burgers arrived considerably more well-done than the medium-rare we requested. Both were tasty, but slightly dry, and the burgers seemed more densely packed than I recall. I can't say I'm a huge fan of the waffle fries — though they were piping hot, and excellent examples of the form, I think Kuma's old fries were far tastier. Overall, I thought the burgers lost a half-step since my last visit.

On the plus side, the beer was excellent, the playlist swerved into punk-metal about halfway through our stay (hoorah), and the sometimes aloof and/or harried waitstaff were quite nice to our baby.

Tactical question for you, olivetti- where did you seat your 8mo? I wouldn't guess they had high chairs, but maybe they do? Or did s/he stay in the carseat? Have been wanting to take my mom there on a week day, but I'll have the 6mo with me and I'm not sure how that'll work out.