04/27/09

Best patio for food, drinks and cigars

by MNeigh

The patio outside of the Matchbox is my favorite place to be on a warm Chicago day. The bartenders mix classic cocktails to perfection. There are dozens of cigars available. and the food from the Palm is always excellent.

• Pros: Patio, bartenders and excellent food from the Palm
• Cons: No cons

05/11/08

To the last reviewer!!!!!

by astandsforactual

To the last reviewer: Take a hint!! you get lousy service because your a lousy tipper...obviously you've never worked in the industry!!!

09/05/06

Demeaning and stuckup service

by tracybartels

I have frequented the Matchbox in the past in hopes that I would have a good time there. I was there one night and was actually accused of being a "bad tipper!" How hard is it to tip a bottle of wine into a glass and how much do you think you deserve for that talented maneover? Get over yourselves all ready. My husband went in just last Saturday - 9/2, and could not even get someone to wait on him in what was an very uncrowded bar. Whatever happened to service? If I can avoid it, I will never go there again simply because the service of most of the male bartenders is appalling. The girls, great, always helpful. But the guys seem to think they only have to wait on the pretty, single girls and the guys who are big tippers, and let's face it, you're working at a bar and you're almost 40 years old. Get over yourselves.

• Pros: Most of the drinks are expertly made
• Cons: Service is not a word that applies to this establishment

10/12/05

Check any notion of personal space at the door--this West Town watering hole is Chicago's most intimate bar.

by Contributor

The Scene
Kitschy pop-culture memorabilia and candlelight add even more character to this unbelievably tight corner hangout. The bar and a dozen stools consume all but a few inches along the length of the narrow, window-lined room; a handful of tables and chairs accommodate patrons out front in warm months. Music is bartender's choice, which generally runs the edgy-rock gamut from the 1960s to now.

The Draw
Human gridlock is part of the bar's odd charm--20-something fringe types mashed together with older neighborhood regulars--but beverages are the main attraction. Besides impressively large selections of bottled beers, wines and top-shelf liquors, Matchbox boasts acclaimed (but reasonably priced) cocktails incorporating fresh ingredients and mixers made from scratch; popular offerings like margaritas benefit from hand-squeezed lime juice, and bloody marys are custom-built with horseradish, patron-chosen seasonings and pickled veggies. Food is limited to bagged snacks at the bar, but the adjoining Silver Palm restaurant serves supper-club favorites.

09/23/05

Best Drinks in the City

by john60612

True to it's name the Matchbox is diminutive. What they lack in elbow room however, they make up for in value. Their bartenders make the BEST drinks in the city. You can go to any expensive night spot in the city and pay double but you won't receive as good a drink. The Bartenders are fun and personable and will ususally leave the shaker for you, with a little extra in it, after mixing up one of their concoctions. A great spot.

• Pros: Great drinks, Good prices, friendly

09/13/05

Not an ordinary martini

by czugay

Martinis better than you'll find anywhere, which makes the place so much fun. You can't help but drink more than you should. As a result, a lot of breaking glasses, and spills. Go durng the day in summer and sit on the patio, watching the city cruise by. Special recipe cosmos, lemon drops and margaritas make it outstanding, and the bartenders are geniuses, but don't look it.

• Pros: Patio, Martinis, Martin shakers
• Cons: crowded, tight, yuppies

08/19/03

Too small, too smoky.

by al01

Intimate is a very nice way of saying this place is way too small. Plus, when the door is closed, spending a couple of nights here will give you lung cancer from the second hand smoke. I literally had to climb over people to get to the bathroom. I guess I just don't understand why people like this place. There are just better places in the neighborhood. The drinks are way too expensive for a 'dive bar'.

04/26/03

Terrible Experience with my Date

by pmac21

I had a simply awful time here with my date. The service was painfully slow, the waiter spilled a drink on my date and he even poured us the wrong drinks...The food was not good and the atmosphere is hardly romantic.

01/30/03

For the love of the martini

by jazzchick

For the love of the martini.... my favorite lemon drop, by far the best in the city, made with fresh squeezed lemons. A place to come and leave attitude at the door. With it's close for comfort atmosphere you find a friend faster than you can order a drink. For non smokers wonder off next door to the silver palm, where you can enjoy same great drinks and not worry about the cigars, and while you are at in grab a bite.

• Pros: exellent drinks, wonderfull service, great frendly crowd
• Cons: smokey

11/27/02

Craving a Cosmo!

by GrlNxtDoor

A little off the beaten path - but totally worth it when you get there. I moved away from Chicago 3 years ago and can still taste their Cosmos like I was just there! Take the Blue Line to Chicago Ave. and you're there.

• Pros: Excellent Drinks, Consistently Good
• Cons: Seating, Parking