They don't usually mind "leave off" requests.

Per twitter @kumassous - Hand cut fries are coming back.

They were there today, at least, during my occasional pilgrimage to this temple of metal and meat. I'd describe my meal there, but I was in the midst of a religious trance, as usual. Top notch burger as always, though. Hand-cut fries were alright, but I'll still err on the side of chips, methinks.

Can anyone report what the May burger of the month is? I checked their myspace page (typically listed there) but its not updated yet? thinking of going this evening.
thanks

After a two year hiatus, I returned last night with open arms. The service was attentive, friendly, and fast. They accommodated our group of seven by finding two patio tables right next to each other. We arrived at 5:30, and were seated on the patio before finishing our beers. Unfortunately, the Kuma Burger did not do it for me. Bun, bacon, egg, cheese, lettuce, tomato, and onion were all fresh tasting and balanced. The patty on the other hand was pretty bad. "Rare" came out medium, under-seasoned, mealy, grey, and showed no sign of juice. The flavor was closer to wet dog than beef. In a dozen or so Kuma burgers over the years, this was the only one I couldn't finish.

As I mentioned above, it's been two years. Has anyone else noticed a serious decline in quality? I'm not posting to knock Kuma's, I just need answers...

Sweetbread wrote:After a two year hiatus, I returned last night with open arms. The service was attentive, friendly, and fast. They accommodated our group of seven by finding two patio tables right next to each other. We arrived at 5:30, and were seated on the patio before finishing our beers. Unfortunately, the Kuma Burger did not do it for me. Bun, bacon, egg, cheese, lettuce, tomato, and onion were all fresh tasting and balanced. The patty on the other hand was pretty bad. "Rare" came out medium, under-seasoned, mealy, grey, and showed no sign of juice. The flavor was closer to wet dog than beef. In a dozen or so Kuma burgers over the years, this was the only one I couldn't finish.

As I mentioned above, it's been two years. Has anyone else noticed a serious decline in quality? I'm not posting to knock Kuma's, I just need answers...

I went a few weeks ago for the first time in about a year. I too was pretty underwhelmed. Overcooked burger, crummy fries. I think I may be done with Kuma's.

Line around the corner.....for a burger?...... Really?

Used to go here pre-line...twice.. and while it was fine (and service was indeed lovely), I really don't see what the fuss is about.

It's all about the toppings here....who can even taste the burger underneath all the junk?

That being said, it's a cool bar....and these guys sure are masters of marketing.....have to admire their success in creating such a buzz......over burgers.....

was there on saturday for lunch. my burger was probably closer to medium than medium rare, but still juicy and delicious. mac n cheese was as great (and bigger) than ever (split 6 ways and still a healthy portion for everyone). the fries sucked - had obviously sat out too long. service was good.

Sweetbread wrote:After a two year hiatus, I returned last night with open arms. The service was attentive, friendly, and fast. They accommodated our group of seven by finding two patio tables right next to each other. We arrived at 5:30, and were seated on the patio before finishing our beers. Unfortunately, the Kuma Burger did not do it for me. Bun, bacon, egg, cheese, lettuce, tomato, and onion were all fresh tasting and balanced. The patty on the other hand was pretty bad. "Rare" came out medium, under-seasoned, mealy, grey, and showed no sign of juice. The flavor was closer to wet dog than beef. In a dozen or so Kuma burgers over the years, this was the only one I couldn't finish.

As I mentioned above, it's been two years. Has anyone else noticed a serious decline in quality? I'm not posting to knock Kuma's, I just need answers...

Had the exact same experience. Awesome the first time I went - revelatory even. The last time - overcooked burger, soggy fries for both my wife and myself. Was embarrassed that I talked the place up to out of town guests and it just wasn't good. Mac and cheese was still good, though.

does anyone know what the August burger is? Might be going tonight, thanks!

no specials when i was in there a week or so ago.

Two of the best, most consistent items at Kuma's are the make your own Mac N Cheese and the awesome Pulled Pork (available as 4 mini sandwiches on mini pretzel buns as an appetizer, or in a big sandwich with fries/chips as the Pig Destroyer). I also like the frest cut fries way better than the waffle fries - good riddance. Chips are good, but can be a little stale.

jfibro wrote:no specials when i was in there a week or so ago.

They never have specials when the patio is open.

It's all about the toppings here....who can even taste the burger underneath all the junk?

I'd disagree, it's all about the pretzel bun.

I used to love kuma's, I have also went on rants how it was nothing special on here, but right now I'm really enjoying it again. Have been a couple times this summer and each time my meal is great, though I do usually get the grilled chicken instead of burger, especially if the theme of ingredients is spanish or mexican.

Best time to go and I hate to put this in print is 10:30 pm during the weekend, the place is empty.

ParkLaBrea wrote:Line around the corner.....for a burger?...... Really?

Used to go here pre-line...twice.. and while it was fine (and service was indeed lovely), I really don't see what the fuss is about.

It's all about the toppings here....who can even taste the burger underneath all the junk?

That being said, it's a cool bar....and these guys sure are masters of marketing.....have to admire their success in creating such a buzz......over burgers.....

Why the hard feelings against burgers? I'd rather eat here the many times I have than to go to some other places that have created buzz over "fancy food" that turned out incredibly underwhelming. Just don't get the negativity.

As for, I've switched almost exclusively to the chicken sandwiches instead of burgers. Love the Plague Bringer Chicken. Just wish they would bring back the Darkthrone...

I haven't been to Kuma's in a while, mostly because I don't want to deal with the crowd. However, every time I've been it has been fantastic. I remember a monthly special called the Municipal Waste which was chili mac topped with a burger, topped with pepper jack cheese and jalapenos. It was glorious. I do consider myself lucky because I have a friend who was a regular when it first opened and has a golden ticket of sorts to jump the line!

Shaggywillis wrote:I used to love kuma's, I have also went on rants how it was nothing special on here, but right now I'm really enjoying it again.

I will have to Kuma's another try, each time I've been I just didn't see what the big deal was. With Paradise Pup right around the corner, I'm pretty happy with my burgers.

I have a question about Kuma's. When ordering a burger, can you just custom order the toppings you want?
i.e. Just Cheese, Onion, and some mayo on the side?
Some places try to make you stick to the menu.

Been a while for me but I recollect Kuma's staff being resistant to any alterations to one of their signature creations. Your approach seems to be to create one from scratch -- as long as you keep it simple, I'd think you'd have a chance of getting what you want. If I were you, I'd throw in a quip about wanting to taste the quality of the beef which you've heard about.

I don't eat cheese on my burgers , so I always have to ask for a burger there without cheese. I usually pick one on the menu that I want as far as toppings go and then I subtract the cheese. My favorites are the Led Zeppelin (with pulled pork and bacon) and the Mastodon. I don't think they'll be thrilled with building a burger the way you want it, I do recall an extra charge on the menu for people who try to do that.

I tried in vain to call to order a Sleep, but they are not answering. G'bye Kuma's! Hello Bop n' Grill!

We went during the Super Bowl - no wait, or a very short one, the entire time we were there (approx 5:45 pm on). And, more to the point, no football

Anyone know what the February Burger of the Month is? Thinking of going, havent been in awhile. But is Kuma's really still worth going? Or has Bad Apple/others taken down the one time champ?

boshow48111 wrote:Anyone know what the February Burger of the Month is? Thinking of going, havent been in awhile. But is Kuma's really still worth going? Or has Bad Apple/others taken down the one time champ?

Don't have any suggestion for better places but so far I have been underwhelmed by Bad Apple.

I'm done with Kuma's.

A while back a friend and I went for dinner there. Burgers were good, etc .. Bill total was something like $60, my friend puts $12 for the tip and we leave. We're chatting outside when the waitress comes up to us and gives my friend a hug. Friend is like "uh .. OK .. what was that for ? Did I overtip you or something ?? (joking)" and the waitress says "Oh .. uh ... umm ... I just wanted to thank you for ... leaving" (???). We both were in serious "WTF ?!?" land at this point so we just left.

Three to four weeks later my friend gets her credit card bill and it turns out that she somehow mistook $72 for $172 and rang it up as such, blatantly lying to our face when my friend asked if she accidentally overtipped. A call to the manager yielded response of "tough sh**". Friend had to eventually dispute the charge with the credit card since she didn't have the receipt anymore.

She eventually go her $100 back but at least two of the staff at Kuma's don't give a s*** about customer service.

tem wrote:A call to the manager yielded response of "tough sh**".

That is so dumb. The manager ended up giving the money back anyway--against his will--when the credit card company ruled against him, as it was bound to. So he could have given the money back nicely, and made a friend for life, or he could refuse like a jerk, and make a bunch of enemies for life. (Thanks to the power of word of mouth.) Same result to his balance sheet either way in the short run--big difference to his balance sheet in the long run. Why isn't this more widely grasped?

Hmm. As the OP on this thread, I wonder if it is time to put it out of its misery after six and a half years. I have not been to Kuma's in at least two years, mainly because of the posts in this thread bemoaning the falling standards, unbearable crowds, poor service, and generally bad value of the place. Now I learn that the "tough shit" attitude of the management is not just a show. Very metal of you, Kuma's. It will take a lot to rehabilitate their reputation after this kind of asshattery. Somebody must be getting some value from Kuma's, but who, and why?

Tourists.

You wouldn't believe how many people from out of town want to go to Kuma's. No longer do people want deep dish pizza or a chicago hot dog or italian beef or whatever other type of food Chicago is known for. People want to go to Kuma's.

That's my personal experience at least

TCK wrote:Tourists.

You wouldn't believe how many people from out of town want to go to Kuma's. No longer do people want deep dish pizza or a chicago hot dog or italian beef or whatever other type of food Chicago is known for. People want to go to Kuma's.

That's my personal experience at least

Well, then. If tourists are keeping Kuma's afloat, then presumably they do not need repeat business. Riddlemay, sorry to say it, but your otherwise cogent analysis seems to be based on the perhaps false premise that Kuma's reputation with its customers might be important to its bottom line. Maybe not so much. Just a couple of dozen $112 tips each week could totally keep them in the black.

JimInLoganSquare wrote:

TCK wrote:Tourists.

You wouldn't believe how many people from out of town want to go to Kuma's. No longer do people want deep dish pizza or a chicago hot dog or italian beef or whatever other type of food Chicago is known for. People want to go to Kuma's.

That's my personal experience at least

Well, then. If tourists are keeping Kuma's afloat, then presumably they do not need repeat business. Riddlemay, sorry to say it, but your otherwise cogent analysis seems to be based on the perhaps false premise that Kuma's reputation with its customers might be important to its bottom line. Maybe not so much. I haven't thought too much of them since they stopped baking those fine biscuits; Two-Way Grill has replaced you in my heart, Kuma's.