Sopo Lounge & Grill

05/02/07

Very Trendy

by tbwus at Citysearch

The food isn?t great but it?s cheap. Sopo attracts a young crowd and if I was 21 I?d recommend it, but I?m not. I thought the staff was nice, but the seating was cramped.

04/03/07

RipOFF

by chismi at Citysearch

Wen to a private party and they made it a cahs bar twenty minnutes before the deal was over. There was no excuse and they were quite rude. There's about 200 bars within two miles of here. That's 200 reasons never to go back.

Boo Sopo, Boo!

• Pros: Couldn't think of one
• Cons: Rip OFF service

11/20/06

$3 Chocolate Martini's are the best!

by paigeveronica at Citysearch

If you are looking to an alternative to Coobah's $5 sangria deal for the winter- try Sopo! During the summer my friends and I always do Coobah, but now that it's getting colder we are all about Sopo's $3 Chocolate Martinis. They are so yummy and three of them do the trick. My one friend won't go back because she ripped her designer jeans on a piece of metal sticking out from the booth. Sopo offered to pay for them, then they never returned her call. But how often does that happen? We still go back.

10/04/05

SoPo so poor service!

by jesnhardy at Citysearch

Someone else complained that women are treated poorly here. I thought it was in my head but I guess not! I got such the cold shoulder from the wait staff when I was sitting alone at a table, waiting for my husband. I sat for 15 minutes for someone to wait on me and the waitresses sat at the bar and socialized and never came over. My table was right next to bar and they would look at me but not approach. I'm sure part of it was laziness and bad service all around, but there is an attitude that the female servers give off that is such a repelent. I ended up leaving and one of the waitresses looked at me blankly which did not surprise me. Not even a simple "can I help you?" Managers here need to know that their staff is turning away business.

09/20/04

What a waste!

by carey75 at Citysearch

Absolutely the worst food on the Southport Corridor! My Pork Chops had fake grill marks and were paper-thin, the mushroom red wine sauce looked like they poored the red wine straight onto the plate! The service was non-existant and the drinks were average. The only plus this place has is the atmosphere and music...not worth the trip however.

• Pros: atmosphere, music, location
• Cons: , staff, everything

11/25/03

Rude Bartenders

by kayjaycee at Citysearch

Never again!

Rude bartenders make the SoPo experience more than unpleasant. These female bartenders treat paying female patrons as if they were invisible. When we were finally waited on, we were intentionally shorted on drinks. Who pours a martini glass half full?!

The owner/manager was fantastic in hearing our complaint and personally took care of us the rest of the evening. Too bad, b/c I think that is the job of his employees.

• Pros: great area, cool lounge, attentive management
• Cons: rude bartenders, pours short drinks, crowded

09/23/03

Lounge serving requisite martinis and upscale eats without the attitude.

by Contributor at Citysearch

The Scene
Just across Southport from the El station, this neighborhood hot spot from Bar Celona and Matisse owners has been hopping since its March 2003 opening. Dark wood, deep colors and exposed brick balance trendier touches like the front-lit bar, kitschy chandeliers, flat-panel TVs and oversized booths. A mostly Gap-friendly staff bustles among similar clientele and low-impact house tunes.

The Draw
SoPo (short for "Southport," like "SoHo") dispenses with lounge exclusivity and dress-up, making it cool and comfortable for most social situations. Popular drinks include a dozen drafts to appease post-collegiate pals, almost as many martinis for the scenesters and the bar's signature white wine sangria. Food offerings like zucchini corn quesadilla, pear and chicken panini, sweet potato fries, and grilled salmon sound haughtier than they taste, but adequately satisfy palates and pocketbooks.

08/27/03

Pretentious

by crampmystyle2000 at Citysearch

I almost gagged when I read the catch-phrase on their menu: "Chicago style- New York attitude." How tacky is that? There seemed to be about ten "managers," all with heavily pomaded hair and unbuttoned shirts who were all sitting at a booth near the front. They got up periodically to yell at and talk down to the staff--which was really impressive. It's an attractice place, but it will be hopelessly out of date in about two years. The bartenders were very nice, though.

• Pros: service

04/19/03

Good experience

by atalissa80 at Citysearch

This place was very crowded when we arrived on a Friday night at 11pm. But I liked the atmosphere. Drinks were good, and fairly strong which was a good deal, since they had $5 Martini special. I didn't quite get the decor, though. I guess it's supposed to be like Manhatten-esque, maybe to look like a Manhatten loft? But it seemed mismatched to me. Was very fun, though. Want to eat there sometime...

• Pros: drink specials, fun, trendy/popular
• Cons: crowded