In need of some chow after an extended tour of the Western Illinois campus, the family and I journeyed over to Chicks on the Square after several people on campus gave glowing reviews. Our first impressions were generally positive, as the restaurant appeared clean and well maintained. The first signs of trouble came when our server appeared. While she appeared in a timely manner, she just went through the motions as she dropped off the menus and robotically took our drink order. While our server performed all the required tasks (taking our order, keeping us hydrated, checking in after the food was served and dropping off the check in a timely manner), she gave off the vibe that she really preferred to be somewhere else. I'm not sure if it was because her employer required her to don a tee shirt with the goofy "got lips?" phrase emblazoned across her chest or that her skintight jeans had squeezed the soul from her body, but her lackadaisical attitude set the tone for the mediocrity that punctuated the rest of the meal. Famished from our walking tour, we eagerly ordered the chips and salsa as an appetizer after our server assured us the salsa was homemade. The freshly poured from the bag chips paired perfectly with the salsa that tasted suspiciously like the mild Tostitos salsa from the local grocery store - so much for homemade. For our second appetizer, we ordered the waffle-cut fries, which were typical freezer bag to deep fryer bar fare. The one thing that stood out was a couple of semi-frozen fries at the bottom of the plate. I was not sure if they were a garnish or if I should redeem them at the bar for a special prize...strange. Since the other Yelp reviews sang the praises of the chicken lips, the signature dish of Chicks, I ordered the Chicken Lip Wrap. As soon as my laconic server delivered my entrée, I realized I chose unwisely. It did not even pass the eye test as my meal was enveloped by a waxy, largely flavorless tortilla with a greenish hue that only the wicked witch of the west could love. Things did not get much better on the interior of my wrap, filled with pre-grated orange cheese, chopped iceberg lettuce and two "chicken lips". The bland lip sauce inside of the wrap soaked the breading, making it slough off into a soggy pile of mush. Without the breading, all that remained was large stick of unseasoned, rather chewy white meat...just not my deal, sorry. For sheer suckitude, the grilled spinach pizza took the grand prize. Its razor thin pepperoni added no flavor. The limp, thin crust added absolutely no texture and the institutional-grade cheese provided little flavor but added a lovely greasy sheen to the top of the pie. By far, the worst component of this dish was the foul creamy spinach sauce...epic fail. My 18 year old could only stomach a couple of pieces before throwing in the towel. While Yelp did a superb job of guiding us to some terrific restaurants during the rest of our trip (Springfield and St. Louis), the four star rating of Chicks has me puzzled. If my son decides to go to Western, I think I will just pack a lunch when I visit him rather than return to Chicks on the Square. read more

Chicks On The Square - The soggy Lip Wrap entrails (lip sauce, iceberg lettuce, pre-shredded cheese and lip breading) - Burgers Near Me - Macomb, Illinois

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When I graduated from Western Illinois University, this place didn't exist. I didn't discover it until three years ago when I took my family down to visit and see the campus. On our tour through the square, we saw this place advertising "Chicken Lips". Our curiosity got the better of us and ever since we've been hooked. Chick's on the Square is not your typical wing joint. In fact the most prominent item on the menu is their Chicken lips. Chicken Lips are like giant chicken tenders. They have different sauces you can put on them, but my favorite is the original. The original lips sauce is unlike any wing sauce or buffalo sauce I've had anyplace else. Although the BBQ sauce made with their lip sauce is also very good. My entire family loves them and at least once a year we make the trip to Macomb so we can get some. It helps that we have friends that live in the area so we can say we didn't drive 3.5 hours just for Chicken Lips. However, we do make our friends come with us to Chick's so it's all good! You can order the lips in different quantities. If you are there with a large group of people, it's best to get one big order and share it. When it's just my wife and I we get a plate of four. Two for her and two for me and that is plenty. In fact we often end up taking the left overs home. The other nice thing about Chick's is their Martini list. They have a variety of specialty martinis. Some are good, some are not so good, but they will have something for every taste. It's a lot of fun to try different ones and find a favorite. I'm normally a Grey Goose vodka martini, slightly dirty with blue cheese stuffed olives kind of guy... but I'll let you all in on a little secret. I do love me some blue drinks and they had a blue Martini called "The Electric" that was almost perfect. Not too sweet, not too tart, but just right in the middle. Just don't tell anyone I was drinking a blue martini, it might ruin my reputation! Wait... oops! On my last visit the prices on their list ranged from $7.50 to $11.50 for the Martinis we tried. It's reasonably priced for martinis. The only complaint I've ever had with Chick's is the service. Sometimes it's good and then the next thing you know you are waiting a long time to get a drink. On our last visit one of my friends that were being stubborn and didn't want a martini ordered a beer. Everyone else at the table received their martinis while he waited for his beer. We said something to the waitress twice and she said it was coming. I don't know if the bartender was taking his time with the beer because he was making so many martinis, but realistically the beer should have been the first thing out as it was the quickest. So yes, if you see me in Macomb, you better believe I'll be stopping in at Chick's on the Square to get me some Lips! read more

Chicks On The Square - Burgers Near Me - Macomb, Illinois

My friend who moved to Macomb recently brought me to this place. He said this restaurant is one of the popular. While the downtown area was empty, this restaurant was packed around 7:30 on Tuesday. Because we wanted a table, the server quickly cleaned the table and seated us. However, she used a wet cloth, so when I put my phone screen, it had water all over; I had to ask for a napkin so I could wipe it myself. Basically, Lip is a chicken finger, in their own unique cut and shape. I got the Lips Salad, which I think was $9, had two Lips with the salad; the dressing was written to be blue cheese, but you can choose other options. The visual wasn't pleasing when it came with sauces dripped on my plate; it wouldn't take much time to wipe it up if they gave more interest. I cut a piece, the crust was falling off the chicken; more like slipping off. The chicken meat was not seasoned at all and was super bland. I had to chew and blend in the sauce before I tasted it with my tongue. The crust was crispy, but also hard that hurt my teeth. He green was overgrown, and it was dry and wasn't refreshing at all. There were small cubes of tomato and also tomato wedge; was that a variety or were they just throwing in any tomatoes they had prepared? The tomatoes were watering, so it was uncomfortable eating. Macomb doesn't have many restaurant to choose from, which make restaurants less competitive and lack improvement, but I hope restaurants pay more attention to every detail, because customers can come and eat, but it doesn't mean they will walk out contented. read more

Chicks On The Square - Burgers Near Me - Macomb, Illinois

This is a small place, but worth the 10 min wait. Per the name most of their chicken is in large breaded strip form with their buffalo style sauce called lips. It was very good. I had the lip fries and my companion had the lip quesodila. Friendly staff. Clean. Don't bother with the key lime cheese cake.. bland and it had coconut on it. read more

Chicks On The Square - Burgers Near Me - Macomb, Illinois

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Decent sports bar located on "The Square" in Macomb. We were warmly greeted when we walked in and seated at a table in the front windows. The menu is typical bar fare; sandwiches, salads and appetizers. I learned that Chicks is known for it's "chicken lips" (everything on the menu features them). For the unindoctrinated like me- "chicken lips" are giant pieces of split breast meat, deep fried and coated with a spicy hot sauce. You can get them alone, or on salads, in wraps and on other items. We started based on our servers recco with the "chickadedo" sort of a chicken wrap split and served with sour cream. I then had the tortilla soup (needed to be warmer) and a chicken sandwich smothered in Swiss cheese. The sandwiches come a la carte so if you want some of their waffle fries- you will need to order them separately. Service on this night was so so. The food came up quickly and the server was friendly, it just took a while for her to come over and she never noticed that we needed more drinks at the table until we asked her for them. Since the people I was with were locals- I have to give this place the benefit of the doubt as they swear by the food here. It was okay- but nothing that I couldn't get anywhere else. The best way to explain this place was that it is a typical college sports bar. Plenty of spaces to park out front so that is a definite perk. And the serving sizes are huge so share if you can and save yourself some cash. A-Ok sums Chick's up perfectly! read more

Fantastic place to eat! The chicken strips are some of the best I've ever had! The appetizers are delicious as well. Can't wait to go back!

Decent food. But management sucks. Called in because my order was totally wrong instead of lips fries and all the fixings I just got waffles fries. I called in to inform them of the mistake. When talking to the manager I was accused of wanting free when I wanted was what I ordered. ‍ read more

Chick's is the best restaurant in Macomb--we are so lucky to have this place! I've been there probably 100 times since it opened; it's a place my family frequents. Their food is reasonably fairly and much cheaper than you'd find in a large city, but the quality is just as good. There is not a single bad thing at Chick's. If you're looking for healthy options, you can get a salad or grilled lips, but most things here are generally are fried or covered in sauce. Don't think this is just your average fried food though--it's nicer than average. Chicks also has a great selection of alcohol, which includes a wide array of martinis. My favorites are the lemon drop, lime drop, and sheeky cheeky. The atmosphere is also one of the best in Macomb. Although it's nothing to rave about, it's a great change from the normal atmosphere offers. read more

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Came back second time. Potatoes soup outstanding. Also get the fried portabella mushroom fries. Will continue to visit each time in town. read more

CotS checked all three boxes on my dining wish list: good food - substantial portions - reasonable prices. I had the Lip Smacker sandwich and enjoyed a lot. The sauce was tasty without being overwheiming. My son had the pizzadilla ( a mashup of chicken lips and cheese but with pizza crust instead of a shell) and liked it, too. We will be back next time we're at WIU. read more

BIG chicken lips and super yummy!! The lips were moist and crispy! We ordered the lip salad. It was very satisfying! Delicious! Restaurant is centrally located. It's a sports bar so it's a bit noisy and tables are close together. Great service! read more

Best place in Macomb for food. The specialty there is Chick Lips (chicken fingers) and martinis. If you want a nice cocktail or good food, this is the spot. It's nice to be able to grab food in a college town that is more upscale without having the typical bar food. Chick Lips with blue cheese is my go to. They're huge so you can order just one if you want. The chicken meat is white and juicy, breaded and dipped in their buffalo sauce which has a perfect spiciness to it. Make sure to try the portobello fries as well they use the same batter as they do on the Lips. If you need an appetizer the loaded potato soup is killer. read more

Chicks On The Square - Chick Lips, portobello mushroom fries, bloody marys and good company. - Burgers Near Me - Macomb, Illinois

If I find something on the menu that I really like, I end up being a bore and ordering ONLY that no matter how many times I visit. In the case of "chicks on the square," I would HIGHLY recommend the potato soup. It comes with chives and cheese (and bacon); it is among the best (and most filling) I have had. It is much better (and cheaper) than the potato soup I had at the Cheesecake Factory. The waffle fries are pretty delicious too :) And for dessert, the half-ass cream pie. You cannot go to Chicks and leave without trying this baby. It is super yummy. Overall rating - 3/5 read more

My friend who went to Western Illinois University, located in Macomb, IL, graduated a few weeks ago. Because of that, I now have no good excuse to go to Macomb unless I were truly bent on revisiting Chicks. Chicks makes me drool. Imagine: a standard order of three chicken strips that are each at least six inches long, tossed in a tangy buffalo sauce, dipped in blue cheese dressing, with a side of fries, and a martini from the 30 martinis to choose from, all for very cheap because its located in Macomb. Drool on... drool on. read more

Greasy, greasy, and more greasy. I was not feeling this place at all. The menu is small and composed of fried chicken strips (called lips - okay), and burgers mainly. The place is confusing - identity crisis - as it has a HUGE island bar area and table tops surrounding. The bar takes up way to much room. Is this a food place or a bar? I realize it's a college town, but huh? There isn't enough room for standing around to drink, so just make it a restaurant then. As the bar takes up so much room, there isn't adequate seating and thus a standard wait (10-15min) to get a table, therefore you have people in and out about the entry door letting in cold drafts - bummer. Food - I ordered a chicken burger called the Big Hawaiin and my hubby ordered a plain chicken sandwich. Our friends ordered a chicken lip pizza and two chicken lips. Everything is ala cart - so I ordered a side of fries. The burger was OK, but really greasy for chicken. The fries come as a large size and although my fav waffle fries, they were excessively greasy! I seriously had a tummy ache all night from the grease. Everyone appeared to enjoy their food but it was just an ehh experience overall. If you are in Macomb go elsewhere, this place is mediocre at best. read more

First time in Macomb for work and was told to give this place a shot. It's a simple bar with college like dishes. Had the lips with fries and they were pretty good. I would come back if it wasn't so far from Chicago. Only downside but that cause I'm older was the service sort of lacked with college kids as servers and bartenders. It took a few passes for our bartender to ask if we needed anything and she was busy talking to her friends at the bar. read more

Hands down one of my favorite places in Macomb! Locals go here on a regular basis. Everything on the menu is great! Personal faves include portobello mushroom fries, lip pizzadilla, lip salad, and lip wrap. read more

Yum! Chicks, chicken is soo good. They're fried white chicken with a buffalo sauce (aka lip sauce). The sauces seem hand made and is soooo good. I'm addicted. It's a really small location and gets crowded really easy though. read more

I've always loved Chicks from my time at WIU from 2005-2010, but after my graduation I still make time to get over to this gem when I can, or am passing through the area. Macomb's food and restaurant selection is pretty slim and poor at best, and this is where Chick's steps in and blows most of the competition out of the water. The lips (boneless chicken) are phenomenal, and their buffalo sauce is one of kind amazing. I can't explain how many times I have gotten these wonderful, spicy pieces of chicken. They make cold and delicious martini's and have plenty of beers on tap for a small college town. The restaurant is a bit small, but honestly I have never been there where that was an issue. To top it all off they have probably one of the best people leading this store in Jon Meckler, he is a prime example of quality service to his guests/customers and great leadership to his staff. I would recommend anyone in the area or passing through Macomb to try this place out. read more

The chicken lip fries is everything your heart desires & more. Leathernecks got it good

The lips in their sauce is soo good. Also, I've tried their chicken sandwich with cheese, which is superb too. Only downside is the place is always crowded. read more

Best restaurant in town!! I moved away and every time I am back in Macomb I make sure I stop at chicks! Get the lip dip for an app and a couple lips with lip sauce for the main course. Quick service and great food. On the occasion you may have to wait for a seat but it's totally worth it. read more

Never a bad meal, appreciate the service even at busy times! My new favorite appetizer is the hummus plate. Being friends with vegans is hard to go somewhere that caters to both vegan and non vegans. Sure it's not outright a vegan establishment but there are choices on the menu that are just as delicious and satisfying as the non vegan options! read more

It's a restaurant started on a simple premise: boneless chicken tenders. In all honesty, it works pretty well. The actual chicken is good and the sides with it aren't bad at all. Most of my issues come from the lack of seating (Macomb is a dump of a town with a mid-sized university that's too big for the town) which had my group waiting for twenty minutes before we settled for four bar seats. The service was also pretty mediocre at the bar as well as a pretty limiting beer selection. read more

Good place to eat while visiting WIU campus. Enjoyed the lips and trying the various sauces. Been here a few times. Will be back.

This was a tough one to score. Sat at the bar, great service and great drinks for sure! Can't beat the price of the vast variety of martinis. Started with the tortilla soup which was very good. The bartender recommended the burger, said it would be the best we ever had. So we ordered the burgers, cooked medium. We also ordered the cole slaw and mushroom fries. Burgers were rare and tasteless. Slaw was ok. Mushroom fries were very good. read more

Average is the best word. The service was quick and precise and asked the right questions, but the food was subpar but probably standard for the establishment. If you liked fried food - great place. If you are looking for something healthy - maybe not so good. read more

The service was great and the lips even better. I got 2 buffalo and 2 BBQ. Their in house made bleu cheese was creamy. I highly Reccomend to out of towners like myself. I am visiting and it is the top most suggested by my local friends. They also have hard cider on tap as well. read more

Chicks On The Square - The lips here are amazing! Got half and half buffalo/BBQ - Burgers Near Me - Macomb, Illinois

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I can't say how happy I am that we chose this spot to eat dinner! Came in with a group on 8 on a Saturday night and were seated quickly on a Saturday night! Our table tried a little bit of everything from the chicken fries, BBQ chicken pizza, spinach artichoke dip, honey bbq chicken lips, pizzadilla, the big Hawaiian sandwich and more that I know was delicious but cannot remember the names. My ultimate favorite was the pizzadilla! All the food was incredibly flavorful and the service was top notch I will definitely be coming back here when we visit Quincy again! read more

We go here every time we have to visit Macomb for WIU. I always get the Lip Smacker covered in Lip Sauce. Absolutely unbelievable, and messy. I crave this place all the time. read more

The drinks are good, but overpriced. The potato soup is excellent. The chicken is okay, but personally, I find it watery. The "chicken lips" almost taste like they're injected with water. The food is very well-priced, in my opinion. Sometimes crowded. It's a good place to hang out with friends. I'd give it a B by Macomb standards. read more

Chicks On The Square - Martinis - Burgers Near Me - Macomb, Illinois

The chicken lips where amazing and the sauces were even better. Only thing I can gripe about is the crowded spaces

Don't be fooled by the few bad reviews of people who clearly hate the world. Chicks is the best restaurant in Macomb and everything on the menu is great. I hate to admit but I eat there at least once a week. The martini's are amazing and so are the lips. The prices are what I would expect them to be so I can't complain, about $9-$10 per entree. Love this place. read more

This place had some really good. I got the spinach dip which was pretty bland but the tortilla chips were good. I also go the portobello mushroom fries, they were good. What was fantastic was the service. I don't know who our server, (I remember she's from McHenry) was but she was so nice and pleasant. She got 5 stars from me. read more

I've eaten here about 3-4 times and had take out maybe once. I'm not the biggest fan of the signature "chicken lip" to be honest. I feel like they are way too big, there's hardly any breading, the breading itself is bland, and because it's so big, it's easy to over cook and dry out. But that is all my own personal opinion. My mom really enjoys the "lip" and baked potato entree. I've also tried one of the salads, again it was bland chicken over hardly dressed lettuce. I vaguely remember trying a wrap, but it obviously wasn't remarkable enough to order again. I did, however, really enjoy the fettuccine alfredo. It was one of the better alfredo dishes I've ever had. Will surely be back to continue exploring the menu. read more

This is my fourth time coming here. I always get some sort of lip entree. They're always fantastic. I haven't tried their martini's but I've heard good things! It's always crowded and people keep coming back for a reason. I would definitely come here at least once! read more

Used to be a good restaurant but now ird okay. The food is bland and hurts the stomach after you eat.

Tried to sit at the bar and enjoy a drink with family on my birthday. A very rude, blond, bartender first yelled at two servers for seating us there (they had nothing to do with it) and then told us we could not sit there waiting for our table. She stated it was restaurant "policy". We left and enjoyed a wonderful meal and great service at Chubby's, a much quieter, friendlier establishment. read more

Chicks is awesome! It doesn't matter how you get them (wrap, salad, on a baked potato, with nachos), they are all delicious. The cocktails are perfect as well. This is a place you MUST stop at! Be careful around the lunch time, it gets super busy. I try to arrive around 11a when coming for lunch. If you get there around noon, you'll probably we waiting in line. read more

Great food and I was pleasantly surprised the last time we stopped in to see that they've extended their beer selection to offer a few craft brews. This place is definitely a must. read more

Chicks On The Square - There's really no caption necessary for this beautiful marriage between a spud and it's buffalo chicken counterpart. - Burgers Near Me - Macomb, Illinois