Simone’s

I know this place is super popular, if not THE go to place in Pilsen, but it just gets too packed for my taste, sometimes we can’t even get inside and the line is down the block, and if you do get in it takes forever to get served and you can barely move. If that’s your scene though, good for you. However if you go real early when it’s not crowded it’s not a bad time, they have some pretty good beers on tap and the inside décor is cool

Five stars for the beer selections and «bar» food. They’ve got a fair share of bar basics: nachos, pizza, fries, chips. But the pizza is elevated with quinoa; fries come «mixed» (sweet potatoes and white potatoes, together, truly American!) and there’s even a selection of portabello fries served to umami potential with sides of wasabi aoli and soy sauce. Vegetarians can eat well here.
«The Shining» plays on loop here, which seems notable for some reason, and the music selection is solid but never too quiet or too loud — making this a no-​frills, reliable spot to post up and kick back for a while.

I was having a great time with my friends, the food was great and so was our server. Everything was great until I ordered Vegas bombs and as I was sipping on my bomb, I notice something in my Vegas. I stood by the bar for like 5 minutes and the man with the long black hair and gauges was VERY RUDE by completely ignoring me and talking to me as if I was dumb. So then the other bartender that was white gave me attitude, said there was nothin in the drink when there clearly was and he says «you already drank it». Im a bartender as well, and if someone comes to me saying there’s something in their drink, the first thing I do is APOLOGIZE and offer them another one. These 2 men were completely rude about the situation. Safe to say I’m not going back. Our server Alina and the other man with glasses in the front bar are great and wish I was at the other side of the bar to not have experienced such rudeness. Horrible customer service!

I just realized that I have been coming to this place for almost 10 years now. I come for the NACHOS!!! Great neighborhood bar, the music is always different and all the staff is very friendly. Always a good time.

I really liked this place! We tried it out for lunch one day and I picked it only because of the pictures I saw on Unilocal of course! Well I got the tuna steak sandwich with regular and sweet potato fries which was cooked perfectly! Not overcooked whatsoever which I always fear with fishes. My BF got there tomato soup which he said was some of the best tomato soup he’d had and a salad. I’d definitely come back for lunch again. And the bartender/​waiter was excellent as well!

Ok I am cool. I passed by this place a million time going to Jumping Beans for coffee. So I was bored and stopped in. I must say it is a unique place. The drinks r awesome. And again I am a cool guy. I didn’t eat but the food looked amazing. And I am a cool guy. Try it once and u decide. And once again I am a cool guy.

An ok place can get very crowded. Uncomfortable crowded. If your not a regular this isnt your spot. Service was ok. Think i might go back.

Great burgers, great atmosphere. Cool old pinball machines as lighting/​decorations. Friendly staff that is knowledgeable about beer choices. Hope to be back soon to try other items on their menu.

Good beer good Blt sandwich. The burgers are very good and the French fries are awesome! The atmosphere is very cool. A little pricey for the food but not out of the area.

Bartenders were very friendly and helpful, great vibe and great décor. Good also good w a lot of Mexican inspired options. Definitely a go to in Pilsen.

Pretty cool place that specializes in craft brews and plays 90’s music. The interior décor is fun and funky. Can’t wait for karaōke Sunday!

Salmon burger was delicious! Chipotle chicken empanadas were good but pretty small. The mixed fries that come with the burger were good too. The regular fries were really crunchy while the sweet potato fries were delicious.
My sister got the Pilsen pizza and that was really tasty too.

We come to Simone’s quite a bit. It is close to home, the food is good, they play good music, their cocktails are ok, but not great. The prices are pretty reasonable, and they usually have some draft special going on.
The two star review is due to the consistently terrible service. There is no host to seat you, so if nobody notices you taking a seat, good luck. Even if they notice you, they might pretend not to. I’ve had to wait ten minutes for a menu on multiple occasions. I’ve flagged down kitchen staff and begged for water and utensils after my meal finally arrived. It is clear the staff there couldn’t care less.

Great blt.
Small draft list.
Fries come mixed w/​regular and sweet potato. Or pay 1 $ more for all sweet potato.
Free street parking on street near nearby school on one side. Other side permit only.

I’m surprised I haven’t written a review for Simone’s yet! I love eating outside here in the summer. We had dinner here on Monday, since it was the last nice day.
I have had quite a few items on the menu here. Most are okay. The thing that keeps me coming back here is the salmon sandwich. This is amazing. It’s like a whole piece of delicious salmon on a pretzel role. All sandwiches come with a mix of sweet potato and regular french fries. I like having the mix! I also sometimes have the side salad instead, which is also very good.
They have good drink specials here.
The staff are all friendly and helpful.
The outside patio is on the sidewalk, but since it’s on a side street, there aren’t a lot of cars that go past.
I love how bike friendly this place is. There is a divvy station right in front. The have two different bike parking spots on the side next to the patio. (This also means we can easily keep an eye on our bikes, and on stuff on top of the bikes. So we don’t have to unload everything).

Simone’s is always a good choice. It’s never disappointing. I’ve been there a couple of times, and it’s never been a bad experience. There’s typically room for street parking, so it’s pretty accessible. There’s also a Divvy bike station in front of it.
The restaurant itself has a hipster vibe. It’s very casual. It’s also never been terribly packed in the times I’ve been there, which is always good. The service is ok.
As far as the food, I always get a Pilsen burger. I would recommend getting it medium, rather than well done. I got it well done once and it was a overcooked. But other than that, the burger never disappoint. And the fries are really good too. I never really liked sweet potato fries, but theirs are good.

Good to see my old neighborhood has a choice of decent bars to go to, unfortunately Simones is not one of of them.
No place removes so many negative reviews like this establishment otherwise they would be around the 2 star marker.
At first this looks like a hip place to go with the mixed crowd of hipsters to local gang bangers, yuppies to suburban psychopaths.
I have been here several times and the food is ok but the service inconsistent. The beer is good but the wine not served in a generous amount.
Also, this place operates in a high crime area but it only hires one bouncer and he is primarily check IDs, so a conceal and carry is highly recommend in case you need it.
So overall I would recommend to go somewhere else or drink in the safety and comfort of your home and invite some friends over.

Solid neighborhood place; always packed. Good food with a nice variety. Nothing mind-​blowing, just good food at a good price.
Cool vintage video game theme without being too kitschy.
This was a place that was in Pilsen even before it became «hip».
Divvy bikes right out front!

Me and a friend tried this place for the first time. I really liked it and it was my first time in the Pilsen neighborhood. I got a Pilsen burger and a Purple Drank. The tavern looks like an arcade with the way it is designed. The service was great and so was the food I really want to go back!

An old high school friend and my cousin wanted to catch up over a meal, so I suggested Simone’s. I’ve heard good things and it’s relatively close, so why not? They had a special for $ 5 nachos and we each ordered a burger. My Ahi Tuna burger was delicious. A bit no-​frills, but at $ 9? I’m not complaining! The fries were pretty good too. The atmosphere was relaxed, but unfortunately we were there during Trivia night. I’m not against trivia, but the host was making inappropriate jokes and dominated our meal. If I had known it was trivia night, I would have suggested some other place.
Service was alright. It was hard to flag down any help because we were in the corner booth. We met only a few days before the horrific stabbing, so it’s kind of surreal.

I came here for lunch on a Thursday, and it was pretty quiet. My friend and I shared 6 empanadas (2 spinach, 2 chicken, and 2 black bean). She ordered the Pilsen pizza, and I had the smoked salmon salad. The empanadas were okay. I enjoyed the dipping sauces that came with the empanadas, especially the yogurt like one.
My friend’s Pilsen pizza that was recommended by our server for being unique had black beans, ground beef, jalapeños, and cheese. It was basically a burrito on a crust. The crust was too dry, thick, and hard. My smoked salmon salad was near inedible. The smoked salmon was shredded on top a bed of spinach with almond slice, mandarin wedges, and a few pieces of beets. The smoked salmon did not go well with the salad. The spinach was too old and bitter. The citrus dressing was very bland. It was basically orange juice with olive oil. I barely touched my salad. I came back from lunch somewhat still hungry.
The server was friendly, but super slow. I will not be back.

This is place is so cool. It looks very artistically trendy. Came here yesterday with a friend and we both love it. The bar tenders were very attentive and friendly. The menu looks pretty interesting. I ended up ordering a special drink that’s called «purple drunk» i think which was so good. My friend got a special beer. They don’t have the tipical beers here but only different and special stuff. The whole place has a very cool relaxing atmosphere. Definitely recommend.