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    The Forge

    2.9 (69 reviews)

    The Forge Photos

    THE FORGE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Live music
    Very loud
    Casual
    Good for kids

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    Reviews With Photos

    Samantha V.

    Pretty nice little venue. I came for a...comedy/podcast kind of thing...Violent J's What Had Happened Was... Very chill crowd, surprising especially for Juggalos! But it was a good show and every spot seemed to have a good view/sound. You could even hear it pretty well in the bathrooms which were quite clean for a music venue. Staff was friendly and fast. I had emailed for ADA seating which they didn't originally have ready, but were able to work something out pretty easily. Where they put us wasn't 100% wheelchair accessible but I think the rest of the place is still accessible for a wheelchair if you need it. I love that the parking situation is pretty easy. I was lucky and got a spot right across the street and you don't have to pay after 5. Probably a huge benefit for a smaller town. I would come back for sure.

    Struggle jennings meet & greet autographing a shirt!

    Struggle Jennings & Catlin were amazing along with the & mozzarella sticks enjoyed the meet n greet the most thanks! It was worth it , even if the kid fell asleep at BEST PART!!!

    Finnish death metal band INSOMNIUM plays on 9/6/17. Hardcore stuff, bruh!!  \m/
    Eric S.

    PRECIOUS METAL An intimate venue for live music feature above-average sightlines. This time around, I was Nichole C's +1 for the evening, as she treated me to some seriously headbanging tunes on 9/6/17. Although the headliner was EPICA, they had several lesser-known openers (symphonic metal band Elantris and Finnish death metal band Insomnium) as well as the terrific Italian metal band LACUNA COIL. A lined had formed shortly before doors opened, and we entered as the 2nd band finnished (hah!) their set. All of them were metal, and the crowd dressed accordingly in lots of black and leather. Then there was me, looking like a preppy douche in my aqua blue polo shirt. Talk about a fish out of water.... The bouncers gave me a pretty thorough pat down upon entry. Bottled water was $3 (no free water!), I don't know how much beer cost. There was an upstairs area for VIP's; the main floor was crowded and a mosh pit formed halfway thru Epica's setlist. Frontwomen Cristina and Simone sounded fantastic, a credit to the excellent audio quality at The Forge. The stage was raised so even people at the far back could see stuff, which we both appreciated. Lighting was pretty good and security seemed tight. Bartenders were sexy. Apparently this place used to be called Mojo's, yet I can't comment if this venue is better or worse than the previous version. Even though I'm not usually one for smaller places like this (I prefer my big-ass arena rock shows), I liked what these guys had going on. Joliet's not the best place to be, but if you see an artist slated to play at The Forge, it might be worth your time to check 'em out. Double horns salute, yassss! Fingers to the sky! \m/ \m/

    Point North

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    11 days ago

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    1 year ago

    You have to go to this fine food eatery, the service is so good and attentive. The food is excellent and not over priced !

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    2 years ago

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    4 years ago

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    2 years ago

    Nice small venue for a concert saw living colour the other night my 1st time there looking forward to going back

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    4 years ago

    First dish we had was Their wings. They're among the best we've ever had fall off the bone

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    4 years ago

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    5 years ago

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    2 years ago

    Awesome music venue with amazing staff and great atmosphere! I highly recommend you check out a show here you won't be disappointed

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    6 years ago

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    4 years ago

    Pizza was really greasy and the manager was very rude. I would not recommend this place to anyone at all!!

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    Page 1 of 2

    Ask the Community - The Forge

    Hello, my husband and I are going to the Forge for the first time on Saturday to see Middle Raged. I see they have a food menu, but is there an area inside to have dinner before or during the show?

    Yes, while the doors to the show are not open until a specified time, you can go in early to eat dinner.

    View All 2 Questions

    Review Highlights - The Forge

    Mst recent shows seen there include Sevendust, Trivium, Asking Alexandria, Otherwise, Smith & Myers, to only name a few!

    Mentioned in 2 reviews

    Read more highlights

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    Urban Kitchen Restaurant

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    First time here - very nice ambiance inside. X-Mas decoration up…read more Had the Cauliflower Bites for an appetizer, Market Salad and Birria Queso Tacos for main dish. All were Hot, well prepared, and Tasty!! Service was great. Will definitely be back.

    Merichka's Restaurant - Sweetest server ever. Perfectly cooked filet. garlic bread was to die for.

    Merichka's Restaurant

    (413 reviews)

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    I just came from my first visit Merichka's. Loved it. I…read morehad the single grilled pork chop. It was thick cut, perfectly seasoned and served a hot grill type platter. I got the twice baked potato with it. Large enough to be 2 potatoes. That came with applesauce plenty of butter, The salad was just the standard lettuce with croutons, but the blue cheese dressing made it special. If there was one small thing, I'd say they need to label their handicapped entrance better and maybe put another sign near the main entrance. I didn't know they had one until I was leaving. I'm old and find stairs difficult, but a few of them aren't impossible. I would have used the handicapped entrance if I had known it was there. But thank you for a great Sunday dinner! I'll be back. :)

    My husband found this old school restaurant that was established in 1933 with high Google ratings…read morethat was conveniently located on the way to the Rialto Theatre where we were headed for a concert. So we tried it. Merichka's serves good food with good service in a non-fancy kind of restaurant. It has various dining areas and a small bar. The room we sat in was nondescript with not one decoration on the walls. The multiple ceiling fans were running so I froze all throughout dinner. I didn't get our server's name, but she provided good service and was engaging. She always came back to check on us. The other staff we encountered was thorough in delivering food and removing dirty plates. We started with cocktails, a bourbon neat for him and an old-fashioned for me. My husband enjoyed his bourbon, however my old-fashioned was Wisconsin style which I didn't enjoy. We shared the mushrooms as a starter - I have to admit they were perfection! The portion was generous and the crust was perfectly crispy without being greasy. I think we missed the boat, though, because we didn't order the onion rings, which looked sensational. Dinners come with a relish tray and a couple sides. The relish tray had cottage cheese, a bean salad and a pasta salad. Again, generous in size. My hubby had a steak with fried shrimp for dinner and his sides were a salad and twice baked potato. He ordered the steak rare because he didn't trust that it would be cooked to medium rare. He was right to go rare because it came out a little pink. I opted for the baked cod for dinner with a salad and twice baked potato. My cod was 12oz and was moist and flaky. I didn't even put a dent in my dinner because I was full from the mushrooms and relish tray. We ended up bringing most of our entrees home. I'm glad we tried this restaurant out, but honestly even though the food was decent, I didn't enjoy the bare bones atmosphere and being uncomfortable throughout dinner because the fans were on. If you like a supper club without the frills, I think you would like this place.

    The Forge - musicvenues - Updated May 2026

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