I saw TimeOut list Gabby's as 1 of the 10 best in the city, and was so glad I checked them out. Jeff (JEFFrey) was incredible. And I got there early, so watching the whole line of barbers, incredible to see how much care and time they put into each cut. Like half an hour for a $30 "detailed haircut." i was tired of the cut I'd had for years, so I asked for his advice, and we hashed something out: he listened, took my general direction, and suggested lots of possibilities. Then he said he'd like to do the sides 1st and take some off the top and then have us both step back and re-evalute, and go from there. I've NEVER had a barber spend the time to do that. I was the last of the day, and he spent nearly an hour with me, checking in to see if I liked the direction. (Instead of the usual: cut it all, pick up the mirror, and then Too late!) He showed me how to blow dry it, and products he suggested--which they don't sell, so nothing in it for him. He let me videotaped him doing it, and then continued with like a 4-minute question showing me different techniques and answering questions on tape. (The next day, I always try to duplicate, and I'm like, HOW did he do this?) I see why they're ranked best in the city. I just moved from Brooklyn, and better than any I found there. They were all super-nice, too--to me, each other, the clients. It was such a great vibe. I'm coming. back! read more

Gabby's Barber Shop - Dave Cullen haircut by Jeff Gabby's barbershop Chicago - Barbers Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Pretty disappointing. We had a miscommunication about they type of cut that I wanted which left me looking like lord farquaad. I went to great clips after to get it fixed. Smh. But miscommunications happen. The real disappointing part was that my guy got a go puff delivery in the middle of my cut and stopped for 5 minutes to check out his order and put stuff away. Then he stopped again for 5 minutes to figure out a payment transfer with one of the other guys there. All in all, I spent over an hour there and walked away with a bad cut. Cool vibes, nice guys but had a terrible experience. read more

Great haircut, took their time! Was greatly appreciated and priced right. Thanks okay

If you have curly or textured hair, I wouldn't suggest this place. My barber, Eric, was pleasant. Tried to make conversation, focused on his work, and generally kind. However, I wouldn't say he knew how to cut curly hair. I was getting a rather large chop for spring. My split ends had grown unmanageable, having grown my hair out to shoulder length, so I was hoping to get something nice. I was very clear with what I wanted. My guidelines were definitely followed! But I was left with a frizzy mess at the end due to overbrushing, flattening, and no real attention to making my natural curls look good. It looked like I had gotten a botched flat iron job by the end. We will see what it looks like after I shower and use my own products, but being embarrassed to leave a barber shop without a hat? And charging $50 + a $10 tip for it? That's not acceptable. The overall vibe in the shop is very vintage and cool looking. The chairs were old school, the walls were a lovely teal, and the decor was super cool. If they get someone who knows how to do the job well, I would consider returning. Until then, it was definitely an experience. SIDE NOTE: If you have an allergy to dogs, DO NOT COME HERE. There is a shop dog that sleeps near the refreshments. read more

Went here for about 10 years (2002-2012) back in the glory days of Wayne, Dawn, Debbie, Cathy, the bald guy at the end... that whole crew. Loved coming on a Saturday and signing in on the board. Times change. New ownership, place has gone downhill. Not the same family vibe anymore. read more

I arrived in Chicago yesterday. I asked a friend for the best barber and was recommended this salon. The worst experience I've had in 34 years. No respect at all. I asked for a beard trim and a shave, but I was left with hair all over and my beard completely ruined. No effort whatsoever. I'm truly very disappointed. I won't discourage others just because I had a bad experience, but personally, this is the last time I'm ever coming here. Now I have to go to another salon to fix this disaster. Shameful! read more

Gabby's Barbershop and Joey have been the greatest find I've had since moving to Chicago a few years ago. The shop: it's super cute and is perfectly decorated in a classic almost nostalgic way. From the floors to the photos on the wall then to the layout and the chairs: this place is gorgeous. The vibe is welcoming, genuinely friendly, and admittedly entertaining, There is a clear and genuine sense of care and respect in how well the team there interacts with one another and with their clients. In my most recent visit I had the pleasure of seeing them quickly exchange holiday gifts. From my perspective, seeing a staff with that sort of natural bond is rare and unquestionably something to celebrate. As for Joey: I was referred to him by 7 of his current clients. Seven. That's a substantial number of people (some of whom do not know each other) to refer a prospective client to a specific barber especially in such a large metropolitan area. Your hair and your beard (if you sport one), is the first thing people notice when making a first impression. Finding the right fit is so difficult especially because it generally takes 3-4 cuts for the stylist to get to know you, how your hair grows, and for new clients to feel settled in with someone new. We put alot of trust in these professionals just as they do in us. When I scheduled I admit I was nervous because it was a stranger doing my hair. However all the people who suggested I reach out to Joey are people I trust and who know me. And how particular I can be. Possibly the most important thing is to communicate clearly with your stylist. Tell them what you like, what you don't, what you're hoping to see when they are done. Eventually you'll build enough trust to go in and let them have their way with your hair because by now they know exactly what your hair will do and what it won't. Each time I see Joey, I consistently received compliments from friends and coworkers on my hair and my beard. Joey did an AMAZING job on my beard: I have a jawline now and it looks good! I've had a beard for over 20 years and this is the first time I can say my beard looks the best it ever will. It's all thanks to Joey and the careful attention to detail he puts in with his clients. No matter where you go be sure to remember it's not a business who cuts your hair: it's a person. My person is Joey. read more

Gabby's Barber Shop - Nightmare Before Christmas themed Christmas Tree in the barbershop over the 2023 holiday season - Barbers Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I went into the shop on a relaxed and cold afternoon which allowed me to enjoy the experience. My barber Jeffrey and I discussed the direction of the stye and my concerns "If you take too much of the sides at the top, I'll look like Zippy the Pinhead". Jeff listened and gave me a great partial fade and really took his time making sure it looked great and also managed to tame my Rip Van WInkle beard into something I could take home for the holidays. Very pleased and not looking like Zippy! read more

My barber, Jeffrey, was incredibly detailed and really took the time to make sure everything was clean and sharp. The atmosphere in the shop was relaxed but professional. great music, good vibes, and super clean. The service was top-tier from start to finish. Highly recommend if you're looking for quality and care in your cut. read more

Oh hell no. Watch out for JEFFrey, possibly the worst cut I've ever had. Butchered my hair and than gaslit me that it was my fault for critiquing before he was done read more

This was my second appointment at Gabby's Barber Shop with Nicholas Britton. While the first visit was quite pleasant and made me coming back in January, I got disappointed by the second one. First, upon booking with Booksy, I have selected the "Classic Gabby's Haircut and Beard Trim" for $30 as indicated on the website. In fact, got charged $35+ while it took even less than 30 min to complete. Not a big deal but looks kinda cheap for the reputable place. Second, the mustache trim was not accurate enough leaving the side asymmetric, so I had to fix it by myself afterwards. Won't likely, return anymore. Pros: pretty cheap prices Cons: place look a bit run down, accept cash only read more

Gabby's Barber Shop - Barbers Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

First timer here! I went for an early morning haircut with Cathy. She is meticulous and has excellent attention to detail. I told her what I thought I wanted, and she advised me that she thought the top length I was requesting seemed a bit short, so we should try to start with a higher clipper first (and she was right!). She also ran through my hair a few times afterwards to make sure it was completely even. I'm extremely happy with my haircut and will definitely be coming back. To top it all off, the haircut was $20! Such a good deal! Be aware that they are cash only, so I had to run to the nearby Walmart for some cash back. read more

Quick and simple Easy going environment and Sam is versatile with African Americans styles read more

Cathy is the bomb. Takes her time, listens to your requests, just a great barber! My turn!

i want to start off by saying i came here last month after just moving to lakeview and looking for a barber (i'm very hesitant/picky about my hair and going to someone new) and Eric did NOT disappoint. He gave me one of the best cuts i've ever had and i'm not being dramatic! When i decided to come back yesterday, Eric wasn't available so i had to get my cut with Nicholas... Long story short, i will NEVER go with Nicholas again and will wait for Eric to be available. Starting off, i showed up at 5:05 for a 5:20 haircut. He took someone else into his chair at 5:10 and told me it'd be about 6pm instead of my appointment time. (there's a way on booksy to change times and notify your client so i'm not sure why this wasn't done as i left work early to make it on time) I finally got into the chair and showed him a 360 video of my cut from last time with Eric and that i wanted a mid-fade, short on the sides and trim a bit off the top. I reiterated that i could pull the video back up at any time throughout the haircut if he needed to see it again. He seemed overly confident and after what felt like an eternity (45mins-hour) he finally finished razoring the sides and back of my head and turned me around to face the mirror for the first time... horrifying is an understatement. My entire head was bald up to the top of my head and he even made a comment saying "i was mentally going through it it looks like you have 2 different haircuts going on" ummmm yeah YOU just shaved my entire head? he then asked if eric designed this haircut or if it was something i've gotten in the past and i said i just told eric what i wanted and he did it perfectly. Needless to say it looks like i'm being deployed for basic training and there is absolutely no fade whatsoever. My head goes from bald to full head of hair on top. My friends and family are horrified, respectfully, and so am i! I have an international trip in a week that i got this haircut for and can only hope and pray it grows out by then! Thankfully, the one pro from Nicholas is that he recognized his mistakes and only charged me half price, so thank you for that. I will now ONLY see Eric here as he did phenomenal. read more

Joey is the best in the MIDWEST! Soooo happy I found this place! Thank you for saving me and making me look nice and tight for New Year's. Have the best New Year's ever. You are amazing.! Thanks Joey :) read more

Found this place off a recommendation from a friend. I am in love with this barbershop! I just moved here recently and have been looking for a spot since I showed up six months ago. Shop is very reasonably priced and the barbers are super fun and attentive. I really enjoyed my experience and also got a fantastic cut. I will definitely not be shopping around for Barber's anymore. read more

$76 later and I finally have a decent haircut. Shoutout to Mary over at Sports Clips for salvaging what I have to assume was an inside joke from Sam and the crew at Gabby's. I've had a few bad haircuts in my life but this one is like the Lebron James of them all (because he is one of the GOATs and also has a bald spot on his head). On the plus side, the pictures inside the shop were pretty neat. read more

Gabby's Barber Shop - Barbers Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I had gone in the morning as a walk in and the lone barber told me they weren't taking walk-ins. I went home and got an appointment for 11:50. I walked in at approximately 11:45, there were four barbers, no one said anything to me, not even a hello, welcome, do you have an appointment? I waited a bit, got up and left. One the guys ran after me but it was too late for me. I believe courtesy and welcoming to the Customer is key to a going concern, not a good sign, they won't get my money. read more

Appointment times here seem to be just a placeholder, not an actual appointment. On last few visits my barber was late and yesterday topped it off. I arrived at 2:30 for a 230 appointment. There was someone in the chair when I arrived at the barber was working on. The barber finally acknowledged me at 2:50 and said he was running late. I asked how much longer would be and he said another 20 minutes. since his appointment times are 40 minute blocks that means he started somebody else when he should've been starting my appointment. I will not be back. I used to go to a place that was probably a third mark expensive and I will have to go back there since at least they keep their appointment times. read more

I've been seeing Cathy for over 2 years now and I don't trust anyone else in the city with my hair. She's always punctual, friendly, pays attention to detail, and leaves you with the exact cut that you're looking for. On top of all that, their prices can't be beaten in Chicago. I'm a happy customer! read more

Great barbershop. As an FYI for regulars, Wayne and Kathy have both RETIRED. Nick and RJ still there. Expect some new barbers or tighter schedule. Online reservations for the most part. read more

I have been going to Gabby's for over 6+ years now and by far think it is the most bang-for-your-buck barber in the Lakeview / Lincoln Park area. Started out by not being specific on Barbers but have recently pledged my allegiance to Wayne, who, in my opinion, is by far the best in the Shop. I appreciate his pace and conversations style (leaves you alone if you're in a rush, willing to chat if you're in the mood & have time). My only gripe was the wait time which can be long (esp. on a Saturday morning) but has been resolved by scheduling via the Booksy app. Have not had an issue with waiting since they've implemented this post the COVID-19 lock down. I highly recommend this spot if you need an affordable haircut in the LP/LV neighborhood and do schedule Wayne for your cut. read more

This quaint old fashioned little shop employs great stylists, has fair prices, and does a fantastic job. It's our go to for our teens haircuts. Tip- cash only. read more

JeffREY was awesome!!!! Very skilled barber and worldclass scissor skills. Definitely would recommend!

Not really sure why there is so much hype about this place... I get that it is an old school feel with writing your name on the chalk board.. I thought my hair cut was average the 2 times went here... Honestly it did not wow me for getting a simple fade...The wait in this place can be so long for just an average haircut. It felt like all out of towner transplants that were the customers coming here.. Definitely never going back with the wait times and average haircuts! read more

Once again, Cody works his magic and takes me from a savage beast to a more presentable man! Thank you!

Tried this place once because I was in the area and read the great reviews, probably will not be back. Pros: * Pretty inexpensive (a haircut is only $18). * Cool looking space Cons: * They are walk-in only and the wait took f o r e v e r. Maybe that's just on Saturdays, but it was easily over an hour. * The cut itself was Super Clips esque. Granted, I just needed the sides and back cleaned up a bit in between hair cuts (which they do for $8). But the lady literally just cut a quarter inch gap above my ears without blending it all. It looked super goofy/awkward. I ended up just going and getting a full haircut somewhere else the next day. read more

I tried. I really did. I saw the good reviews on Yelp for Gabby's. I liked that they didn't take reservations and just took walk-ins. I loved that they were a locally-owned business. Really, I tried. But I went by on a Sunday morning and checked in. Write my name on the board? Ok... How long is the wait, I asked? How many are ahead of you? 16? Ok, about an hour, so feel free to go run an errand or whatever. Great, I will. So we went out to get a bite to eat and such. We came back after about an hour and 15 minutes, took a seat and waited. And waited. And waited. And fucking waited. An hour later, I looked to see how many names were still ahead of me. 14. Yep, fourteen. One-four. Are you shitting me? I'm really glad Gabby's is packed and doing well. Seriously, I am. I love seeing local businesses thrive. But I am not, repeat NOT, going to sit in a goddamn barber shop, however hipster douchbag as it might be, for an entire day, just to get my hair cut for about 10 minutes. I don't have enough hair to make it worth my time. Sorry Gabby's. I want to love you. But the wait is absurd. And I didn't even get to figure out how expensive your plain old hair cut is. Wanna guess? read more

I moved from New York and stumbled upon this barbershop while searching for a place to cut my hair. I'm very picky about who I let cut my hair and I decided to give Gabby's a try. They're amazing! Everyone is super nice and the price is awesome. They do a great job at trimming my beard too. Definitely recommend them. read more

Worst haircut in my life. Barber totally ignored my request, telling me it will grow back since it's spring. Just hope this dreadful haircut will improve by my daughter's wedding in five weeks. After five years, I'll be looking for a new place to cut my hair. read more

The price for hair-cuts are very reasonable for all the perks you get with a normal cut ($14). The perks are magazines galore, the friendly dog who walks around, personality of the barber and a great cut with your neck (back of your neck) shaved. This place is usually packed and they have a green board by the door for you to write your name. The barbers will call you when your number comes up. Tip: There is no line when the cubs are playing. read more

Amazing place. RJ the owner is great. One of the last affordable places you can get a GOOD haircut! And the music and banter is unmatched! read more

I followed a barber to this place when he moved from another shop and can't say enough good about Gabby's. It's laid back yet professional. You sign your name on a chalkboard when you enter (requesting a specific barber by writing their first initial) and take your seat--read a magazine or just zone out listening to the intersecting conversations. Last time I was in there, one of the barbers was heckling a loud guy talking on his stupid bluetooth cell phone receiver. Of course the guy was completely unaware. I certainly approved. read more

This is the first review I have been able to write since I left my position working at Yelp and am pumped to do so. Gabby's is that old time barber you use to be able to go to as a kid. A bunch of cool old artwork and everyone here is awesome to get a cut from. I'm always satisfied and I've had every barber cut my hair here since I've been coming. Big bonus where else can you get a haircut for $20 in the city still? Wayne chooses some awesome music always like Frank Sinatra or some big band swing. What else could you want from a barber. Sometimes they run late Bc the customers show up late, but who cares. A classic local place. read more

I've been coming for 2+ years. I've gone to other barbers in the city. But for the price, level of excellence and just the neighborhood barbershop feel, there's nothing like Gabbys. The haircuts are accurate to what you want. They shave your hairlines and sideburns. And as others, they offer gel products. Don't mind the diversity of barbers because they are all fantastic. They have free wifi and cuts are about $16. The lines are super long so plan your haircut appropriately especially if you have a regular barber. They are all great barbers but sometimes you connect more with one over another. In an unrelated note, they have awesome xmas decorations and it's a homey feel during the holidays especially when the wait is 2+ hours. So bring a laptop or tablet and relax. read more

Gabby's Barber Shop - Barbers Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Cool space with old style chairs and decor - Super poor customer service Booked reservation for cut on their required site - showed confirmation to them and was told no reservation available. Mind you that I'm the only person sitting waiting and four barbers available. Simply left and went to another barber around the corner. Even in pandemic they refuse a customer and revenue. Wonder why? read more

Great old-fashioned barber shop. They were really good about the new Covid 19 regulations. Nick was my barber and I highly recommend him. He was efficient, and still gave me exactly what I asked for. I believe you have to use Booksy to reserve, as there are no walk-in appointments during Covid 19 shut down. My only wish is they were closer to where I live, but definitely worth the trip. read more

This is my favorite Barber shop. I've been coming to Gabby's for years. The prices just went up from $16 to $18 for a cut but it's still really reasonable and the barbers are all friendly folks. There is often a wait but it's not bad generally. Put your name on the board and if you have a favorite Barber then their initial next to your name. I highly recommend them. read more

Gabby's Barber Shop - It's time to get the hairs trimmed. - Barbers Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

So glad I found this barber shop in Lakeview. The cut and neck shave was unbelievable and unbeatable for the price. Came out of there feeling like a new person. Couldn't recommend this place enough. Can't wait to go back! read more