I like this place, me and my girlfriend go there often to watch others sing karaoke, it's a fun time.. There food is not that great but we don't usually go there to eat.. The only reason I didn't give them 5 star's is because they do NOT take credit cards which sucks sooooo much cause I use my bank card for everything and never have cash on me.. They'd get a lot more business if they accepted credit.. So it's a fun place to go for drinks and it's pretty clean but just don't forget your cash or you'll have to use there cash machine.. read more

The Bartender working last night Monday the 23rd April, was really rude to me and my friends and was very uneducated. Rather then stay and give business we had our one drink then left. I'd advise managers to look into the bartender last night for he is rude and above all racist. read more

This place is awful. Not sure how they still have a business license to operate. If you want to use your credit card to pay, they swipe the card for a pre-set amount (about $50) and they only give you back about $40 and keep $10 as a "service fee". Guess what? I'm pretty sure that's not legal and the whole thing is a scam! Oh, and don't bother asking the bartender for a glass of water to go along with your 3rd or 4th cocktail. They'll charge you $2.00-$3.00 for it. Seriously? Another total scam. Unless you like being ripped off, don't step foot in here. I will not be. Ever again. read more

I mainly go her for the karaoke, but we didn't this last time we were here. We basically ate and drank. Two of us drank Grey Goose on the rocks. I have had this drink many a time, and the drinks I had here were surely watered down. I actually went home and made myself a Goose on the rocks, and you could definitely tell the difference between that one and the one I had at sidekicks. We also ordered food. Another disaster. We had onion strings and pizza. Not sure what that sausage was made of, but it wasn't tasty. The onion strings were okay I guess. Last time we were here and we did sing, the DJ would not take your request unless you tipped him a dollar. I would have tipped him anyway, but something about making it a requirement rubbed me the wrong way. I don't know if that policy still exists, I didn't see the usual guy there this night, so maybe it has changed. If I am with a group, I will probably go back, but I will not be the one to suggest we go there. read more

I had my 21st birthday party here.. Overall I was pretty happy. They let us come in ahead of time and put table covers n balloons to reserve our tables, It was a Friday night so of course like all places in Chicago there were no drink deals but for a Friday night the prices were alright.. Its a what you see it what you get kind of place. its just a small bar there's not a lot of dancing n music all depends on what people get up there and sing.. my sister has been there before and said she likes the DJ they had before because the one that was there was kind of an ass but the other workers were all nice.. I even came back a week or two later and the waitress remembered my name and my drink witch I thought was nice :-).. Over all a nice laid back place where people just want to go to let them selfs go and have a good time.. read more

I planned a small birthday gathering there n prior called to confirm any details I cld think of....so I got there on my special day n set the table n my family guest was comin in n was stopped at door because they were 24yrs old n a the guy jus pointed at a sign that says 25 n older....im like whattt? For karaoke n I'm like I called n no one specified that distinct age..n he showed no compassion n fussed back at me even in like its not even on u guys website...so as I was packin up...he then says 'Dont forget ur balloons" I admit even now I'm still hurt n they cld not even work with me even they r my party guest n over 21....my nite was ruined n on top they jus cared less...like why?????:( read more

Karaoke without a drop of pretention! I have been going here since age 21 and I love the mellow, supportive, neighborhood, mostly blue collar crowd. Not a place to meet the hot young singles, but a great place to hang with friends. This is a great pace for parties too! I love the warm staff (Crissy the weekend waitress is the best; fiendly prompt service with smile and always remembers what I like). People here love Karaoke and cheer on the good, the bad,and the ugly. Expect high fives and a crowed dance floor for the most mediocre singing of popular favorites. Great place for karaoke first timers: this crowd never mocks. The place has a very neighborhood, lost in time, feel and the food is good. The Karaoke book is HUGE and there is something for everyone. If you want a singles bar hit Trader Tods for the drunk frat boy crowd, if you want to relax with friends for reasonably priced drinks hit Sidekicks. Right off the blue line=handy as heck too! read more

I was there with a group of 20 to celebrate my wife's 50th birthday,' I had a-friend give the DJ $20'so my wife could sing. Finally her name came up and she started singing, problem was that the mike was not on. I approached the DJ and asked him to turn it on, next thing I know, he is telling me I have been hassling him all night long, and calling me all sorts of names. Have no idea why, but I told him to fuck off and walked away, next thing I know he came out of his DJ booth and pushed me and wanted to fight. Started to walk away and 3 of his bouncers asked me to leave. Can I get my $20 back? The last thing I am looking for is to get in fight, I was with 20 middle age friends from the neighborhood who are fighting for more bars and restaurants, but if it comes down to it, I will fight like hell to have sidekicks closed. Why do you have a DJ that is so angry? read more

My sister and I went here on a Friday to peform our famous Phantom of the Opera karaoke act. We make costumes only from materials at the bar. We picked one of the busiest nights according to the fun regulars. We waited two hours to sing. Yes, I said TWO HOURS. I thought for this place the drinks were overpriced. And cash only is pretty bs anymore. We have a lot of patience so we did wait to sing. Since there is a stage and a dance floor that brings this review back up to four stars. By 2am we were drunk and having a great time. The karaoke host graciously ended the night with my solo, perhaps b/c he knew we were new and hardly got to get in the rotation. They serve food at a window which is cool too b/c who doesn't want to eat greasy french fries all night long. However, I warn you, the woman behind that window is quite possibly an evil gremlin. You'll see when you go. Lots of hilarious characters to hang with and lots of great impersonators (Tina Turner in full costume) and ameteurs. Right off the blue line at Montrose, quick walk. Go with your girlfriends and have a blast, its way better than Louies Pub and Trader Todds yuppie crowd any day. read more

I cannot BELIEVE how my friends and I were treated at this place!!!!!! We have been here before and had a great time. That is why we decided to go here on New Year's Eve. We walk in the place ready to get our sing on and it all goes to HELL within 15 minutes. We grab a menu and start looking for something to order. The waitress comes over and asks if we would like something to drink. We tell her not at the moment we are gonna order food first. She comes back 5 minutes later and asks us again if we are ready for a drink.. I consider this rude seeing as how we had already advised that we would like to have something to eat first as well as pick out our songs. One of my friends had just gotten off from work and he hadn't eaten yet so we wanted to chill before we started drinking. At times he gets a bit dizzy and has passed out on a few occasions. He started to not feel so well so I asked the waitress for a water. When I did so she gave attitude as if she was upset it was not an alcoholic beverage I had requested. We are waiting and I see her at the bar so I just go up and order the water myself because my friend needs it. I bring the water back to our table and he has his head down trying to get himself together. He takes a few sips and asks if his girlfriend can help him to the restroom. I guess the "owner" had been watching what was happening and came up to us and told us that we have to take him outside. He "LITERALLY" stands between my friend and his girlfriend preventing them from going to the restroom. I did not know who this guy was at the time, but I tell him to get out of the way because we are not causing any type of scene or disturbance. I tell him that my friend is dizzy and needs a moment to settle himself. He continues to point his finger in my face and tell us that we need to "take him outside". He says and I quote..." that's not him being dizzy, that's alcohol related". Now remember WE HAD NOT ORDERED ANY ALCOHOL!!!!!!!!! It would have been different if we had been there for hours and had been throwing them back and causing a scene then maybe he could have said that, but he had not seen any of us drinking anything! What he should have done was ask if we needed him to call an ambulance or even offer to help in any way, but instead all we were told is to get out. So I admittedly become very upset and tell him "no problem we will leave". He then continues to police us by standing in front of us as if we were taking too long. Now remember that my friend that is damn near passing out is still trying to get it together enough to stand. I tell the "owner" to step back because we do not need him to stand by us like a watchdog!!! We are not causing a scene and we are not disrupting his establishment. At this time the security guards are standing there and they are not saying a word. Are you ready? Here comes the BEST PART! . I guess we are not moving fast enough for the "Owner" so he TAKES THE TWO GLASSES OF WATER we ordered from our table and moves them to the table next to him. REALLY!!!!!!! At this moment I become LIVID. I ask him what exactly was he trying to prove. How dare he take water from someone who is damn near fainting! I could not believe it. Up until this point I had been very calm even though I was upset. Anger and disrespect get us nowhere! I was so hurt by the blatant display of inhumanity that I started to scream and cry and speak very disrespectfully to the owner...asking him how he could be so rude. The golden rule is to treat people how you want to be treated. How would he feel if he was passing out and was denied WATER!!!!!!!!! The "owner" just kept saying take him outside. We leave and I am so upset that I stand outside and yell and cry because it hurt me so deeply that a person could treat another human being that way. To say that my friend was drunk and he had not seen us drink anything in his establishment was insane! Just because it was New Year's Eve? My friend had just finished working a 14 hour shift!!!!!!!! I will NEVER go back to this place.. The treatment that my friends and I received is UNBELIEVABLE, DISRESPECTFUL and CRUEL! read more

Awesome dive. Big area, darts and obvi kareoke. Downsides are the lack of cheap drink options and terrible food. Don't eat here. Can't wait till my birthday, wanna throw it here!!! read more

If you are looking for a low key place to get your Karaoke on....this is it! My friends and I decided to check this place out for a birthday celebration and we were not disappointed. The space is very big, and the atmosphere is typical of what you would think of at local neighborhood bar. The difference is you do not feel like you are in the city. I felt like I could be in any small town or suburb hanging out. The crowd is very diverse and there are a number of locals that will be on the mic throughout the night. (Don't expect everyone to sound good...or even bearable.) What makes this place stand out is the setup. You get to go on stage and rock some of your favorite karaoke tunes like a star. They do serve food, but it is your standard bar fare....and the drinks are really cheap. Overall, if you like to let your inner rock star out in a non intimidating space...definitely check this place out. read more

Great place to hang out and have a drink! They are open till 4 a.m. and serve a wide selection of food. Chris is prob the best bartender in the Midwest and with in five minutes you'll think you knew him all your life! If your looking for the club this is not the place to go but if you want a drink and some conversation come on down! read more

My friends and I used to frequent this place but decided to stop going back in September because we have had it with the "regulars" aka the old guys who drink too much, scam on young women and still live in their parents' basements. On more than one occasion when ordering food, our meals have arrived cold/without simple items that should've been included (like cheese on a cheeseburger or fries that were supposedly part of the meal). Besides the "regulars" being creepy and inappropriate, they're also sometimes mean by booing other singers or talking trash about their singing right in front of their faces. I've been coming here for the past four years but I'm done with this place. read more

This place sucks. The place is a dump and the staff is rude. Gets 2 stars for for being a 4 am bar, but there are better places.

Always have a ton of fun here. Great for groups - plenty of room to sit, sing, dance or whatever you enjoy! Old enough to have character (and characters!), dingy/dank enough to drive off yuppies who are surprised and irritated to discover that a place described as "dive bar" is exactly that. Staff is invariably pleasant - especially if you don't behave like an entitled asshole. read more

Had a college graduation celebration there about six weeks ago. It was AWESOME! The staff was FANTASTIC! My guests all took turns to get up there and karaoke. We even danced. Having the kitchen is awesome. I fed my guests all night (the mini tacos were AMAZING). I really like this place. Did not give it 5 stars only because of the women's bathroom. They are in desperate need of a makeover. ALL IN ALL, GREAT EXPERIENCE! read more

sidekicks is a very good bar were you can eat drink sing and have fun the best days to go is thursdays,fridays,saturdays . supercool. .ted and the gang behind the bar is awsome!!!!!!!!! read more

Place is awful! Years ago it was fun and friendly even affordable. Not anymore!! We hosted a birthday party there yesterday. Not only were the glasses a joke but they couldn't even throw in a soda once for the birthday boy. The door men were rude the bartender Lenny was sarcastic. They couldn't even pour a decent drink. I don't mind paying high prices for a cocktail but give me a break, check out their glasses....All glass and one single small shot! Place was only half full of people on a Saturday night, ha! See where greed will get you, nothing! NEVER again will I or any of our party recommend this place or go back! Horrible! read more

Went there with 4 friends from New Zealand. Made to feel welcome from the start - reasonably priced drinks and friendly staff. Went back 2 days later for a late night session, and then two days later for a few in the afternoon. We loved the place. Yes it's not the cleanest, brightest or most modern - but that's the point. It's down to earth and you feel like family when you rock in the door. Chris and Emily were great, as was the bouncer on Saturday night, and all the people in the bar were friendly as well. Had a couple of Malorts so feel like a true Chicago native. Thanks on behalf of all the boys. read more

I visited sidekicks with my wife last week and I have to tell you the truths about this place. We ordered a steak sandwich and a large sausage pizza. By the way you have to walk over to the ordering booth and ring the bell to get a person to wait on you. You just can't sit down and have a waiter take your order. So I went to the window and placed my order. A person does come to your table and bring your food. The pizza tasted like cardboard ( it was a frozen pizza); and the steak sandwich when it said on a toasted bun ( what a joke ) the bun was cold and when my wife opened up the sandwich there were 6 pieces of ( it looked like steak ) the sizes were as large as the pieces of sausage they put on the pizza. Anyway I took it back to the ordering window and the guy behind the glass window said he can't do anything about it. I just chuckled and told him this is a restaurant and I either want a real steak sandwich or my money back. He repeated; there is nothing I can do about it. I then said I wanted to speak to the manager or the owner. He pointed to the bar and said "thats Lennie" in the print shirt behind the bar. I called Lennie over and showed him the steak sandwich and he asked the person behind the glass window " is that how it comes", and the server said yes! Lennie then said give him his money back. The person behind the glass window reluctantly did. I had to remind him about the tax on the steak too. Also when I placed my order I asked for 2 glasses of water, and the perrson behind the glass window said you have to get your water at the bar. I asked for 2 glasses of water at the bar, he gave them to me but it seemed he wanted a tip. Also, when I went up to the ordering window and pulled out my credit card; he told me we don't take credit cards and only cash, and its an only cash bar too. I can't start your order until you pay me first. I then paid cash; $24.00 for the pizza and steak sandwich and then asked for a receipt. The person behind the glass told me there are no receipts; this is a cash business! This place is the lowest of the low; I would never step foot in this place again; also there was an odor of piss permenating in the air. How can this dive stay in business without paying there fair share of tax money. No receipts and cash only ( you make the assumptions )???????? read more

Sidekicks is your typical hole in the wall bar...the food is meh especially for the price, the drinks taste watered down and the bartender seems slightly annoyed when asked to make a specifically cocktail and also acted like we were an inconvenience as he was doing nothing but playing with his phone. Also I saw the bar's owner a few times and he was rude to customers and always appeared drunk. If your desperate and need a drink at 3AM, last resort go here...otherwise I'd find a different bar....not going here anymore read more

So I was in town the past weekend and met up with a couple old friends who suggested sidekicks. I did not know what i was getting into. Karaoke at its finest. We arrived before the crowd on a friday night which gave us time to get to know the staff. they were the only people in the place besides the five of us at the time, about 8pm. The bartender, i think his name was Bill, was very accomodating and funny. Too bad he left at 10 because his relief was rude, impersonal, and very difficult to get his attention when we needed a drink so we went and sat in the restaurant area closer to the stage, maybe he was just having a bad day. about 9pm the singers started rolling in. People from every walk of life you can imagine. Our waitress, Christy was awesome, she managed to get drinks to our table quicker than the bartender could get them to us at the bar. I think the cook must be the rude bartender's wife or sister or something because she was equally slow and impersonal. Once we finally did get our food, as signalled by the deli counter now serving sign... how cool is that, it was unexpectedly delicious . The drink prices are fair. We planned on only staying til midnight, but were having so much fun that before we knew it, karaoke ended at 2am and the awesome jukebox and the people watching began. Its one of the few late hour bars i've ever been to that gives you a reason to arrive earlier then 2am. In fact, we had so much fun that we went again the following night and the rude bartender was off and bill worked all night. there were only three of us and did not know him from adam but Bill made us feel welcomed and even when he got pretty busy, managed to keep our glasses full. We even felt comfortable enough to get up on stage ourselves ...after enough liquid courage. I would definitely go back next time i'm in town and would even recommend going when bill wasn't bartending, we had that much fun. read more

I'm only going to give my honest opinion and first impression of this spot. No mercy review here so I hope the owners are reading this. This spot has the potential to be an amazing karaoke bar with nonstop flow of customers from open to close. They have a parking lot (which was empty and I now see why). The space is HUGE! Song selection was awesome. Monitors are everywhere and they scroll the next 2 singers on the screen so that you're not caught off guard. Everyone (staff) seems friendly. Now let's get into what needs improvement. My #1 beef is the DJ, he purposely turns the volume down on your mic then turns it back up again when it's his turn to sing. How rude! I mean this is a KARAOKE BAR, is it not? What is the fun in going to a karaoke bar if you can't even hear yourself or your friends sing? #2 INVEST IN NEW MICS! Go on CL if you must but those beat up mics have to go or be fixed. #3 The drinks are THE WORST I'VE EVER HAD, I mean c'mon, not strong and tasted like cough syrup. #4 I appreciate a nice waitress BUT when it becomes more than obvious that she's working for tips it's just annoying. I feel bad but just be attentive no need to be a booty itch, I WILL tip you. I didn't bother going to the bathroom here so no comment on that. The back room has darts and you just give your ID to the bartender for darts. Had no idea they served food because didn't see anyone eating and didn't smell food but it was basically empty from the time we were there on a Friday night from 10:30-2am. Maybe the kitchen was closed? Please message me when you change Sidekicks! I have a TON of people I'd like to bring by for a great time and to spend money on a regular basis. I wish more people would write honest reviews instead of bias ones. read more