An absolutely great neighborhood place! Lavros is the best and takes care of all his guests everytime. This is definitely a wonderful place for neighbors and industry alike! The service is always above and beyond and the care for the locals is unmatched! Hope that this local gem thrives!!! read more

The food was slightly above average and the service was not good at all. We were in on Friday night and it was pretty quiet but still the work staff seemed overwhelmed with how hectic it wasn't. I love dive bars and this one needs some help with their service. read more

Food is decent . Service is even better. Music is amazing - I mean it takes you back in time. The oldies are the best! read more

Spectrum Bar and Grill - The band =) - Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Great bartenders and great food . This bar is in the middle of greektown . Offering wonderful grill food and a friendly atmosphere until 4 am everyday . I went on Thursday and I got chicken souvlaki for 2 $ each and one of the best mojitos in my life ! read more

Spectrum Bar and Grill - Great mojito - Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

What?! I haven't reviewed this place yet? The only reason I can think of is of some sort of subliminal desire to forget my behavior at Spectrum, which somehow always turns from shy to relaxed to having a good time to ultimately unacceptable by any earthly standard. Don't go to Spectrum on a Friday or Saturday night. People reserve those nights for cool bars. Rather, the best time to come here is if for some reason you decide you'd like to go out late on a Wednesday or a Tuesday - and on these days, it's packed. There's often a really great blues band playing - the best part, though, is the fact that this bar is always filled with weirdos. From all walks of life. I met this lovely young woman from Kentucky, killing time at the bar while waiting for her bus to leave. She showed me a picture of her kids and her husband. By the end of the night, she was making out with an Algerian cab driver on one of the tables. Another time, I found myself having to split up a fight between a transvestite that looked about seventeen years old and a die hard Ron Paul supporter wearing the mask from the movie "Scream." Everyone is puzzling here: the guy from Australia who had a German accent and quite a bit of trouble speaking in English when drunk. The soft spoken elementary school teacher who ended up threatening to punch me in the face because I grabbed her souvlaki. The guy who looked Mexican and spoke Spanish but claimed to be from Winnipeg. He did a tap dance number for me. Ack! For some reason I get crazy when I walk in here too. It's something in the beer . . . read more

What I thought could have been a cool spot due to the live band turned out to have a server named Jimmy who is just terrible. I'm not sure why he has chosen serving people as a occupation, but he should give it up. He is extremely rude and wants to rush you to place an order. Instead of maybe going to get us water he proceeded to stand over the table and wait. I literally had to tell him to give me a minute. After I ask him to come back he then told me in the rudest way "you need to order something there is a minimum we have a live band". Me and friend decided this is clearly not the place for us. After walking out I spoke with the bouncer and he let me know that this guy always has a bad attitude. Well that doesn't make me want to come back. If yelp would allow me to post with no stars that what they would get. read more

How did I wait so long to review this place. This is one of those dive looking place amongst other Greek town restaurants that have patio, rooftop deck and valet parking. This place has none of that. The five stars goes to the cheap but fantastic food! Greek meatballs, souvlaki, pizza, calamari... You should really just put their number on your phone so you can call for late night take out. I love it! read more

This place is a MUST! I am hesitant to review it because I feel like it's a hidden gem and want to keep it for myself. Let's see...how to review this wonderfully crazy place: First thing...the owner is always around and is always talking to customers and generously buys rounds of shots and drinks if you chat it up with him. His wife comes too, and they are extremely nice and make you feel like you are in your living room instead of a bar in West Loop. Second (this should be first, actually), the food here is amazing! You would never know...it's got a chic Mediterranean menu full of shiskebob, pita sandwiches, kalamari, feta sprinkled french fries (*YUM*) and their salads are AMAZING. Also has great thin crust pizza. Open until 5 a.m. on Saturdays and 4 a.m. Sundays, and their kitchen is open until 3 a.m. The crowd is always eclectic and fun--I never know who I'm going to talk to or what's going to happen when I go there. This place is great. Check out the live BLUES every Saturday too starring "Hoochie Man" a lot of the time. He said he plays at Kingston Mines too and is an allstar Blues singer. read more

I've been here twice. Each time I have gone, I was impressed with the atmosphere and the service received. The drinks are a bit pricey ($9 margarita) but they make them well. Every weekend, there is a live band crammed in with the patrons. The food is actually pretty friggin good considering they aren't a complete restaurant. Their gyros rivals the other Greek places on the block. I can definitely say it is a place to go when you just wanna knock back a few good drinks and have great conversation. The music is not bothersome nor are the servers snobby or inattentive. They appear to be in a good mood! You see every sort of people here and it is worth the trip to Greektown. I suggest you go! read more

I've been going here for years, and it's always an adventure. First of all, nice facelift! I hadn't been here in well over a month, and just went and visited-- the place has been COMPLETELY re-done. There's a lot more open space, and the best part of all the renovations are the windows.., the floor-to-ceiling windows on Halsted now completely open to the outside, making the place that much roomier. Also, the menu's been redone. There are more burger selections and some new apps... I'm just glad that they've left my favorites-- the souvlaki (pork kabobs) and the greek meatballs (sheftalies or something like that). The only thing I wish this place added to the menu is dessert!!! I love this place, and it's always a great time. The owner really makes us feel special whenever we go. The drinks are stiff and pretty cheap, and the crowd is always changing, though if you visit enough, you'll always find a couple of familiar faces. read more

1.50 chicken or pork souvlakis and 2$ MGD's are just some of the late night specials just this past Thurs night. Great for poor med students. Most of us got the chicken. The meat came on skewers accompanied with some diced tomatoes and onions and some of the fluffiest, toastiest pita bread around. I wasn't so much a fan of the chicken as it was dry and tough but the pita bread was spectacular. Toasted that was nearly too hot to touch at first, tasty and chewy. Once could tell it definitely wasn't just out of the freezer and heated. Laugh all you want but that pita seriously mesmerized me. I wasn't even hungry and ate it all anyway. Buffalo wings were also a surprise treat. This is where all the tenderness of the chicken kebabs went. The meat was flavorful and juicy and it wasn't TOO greasy. Mushroom poppers were also fresh, though zit inducing with the fried breaded outside. Careful if you eat it right away, the mushroom juices can be hot and squirt everywhere! I wasn't too keen on the ubiquitous techno music boppin' over our heads but the crowd was eclectic, the waitress accommodating. A relatively healthier and different choice for late nite dining in Chicago. read more

The following is written in a satirical fashion. Please read in the voice of an 80's electronic store commercial, kinda like from Short Circuit II. Hey bluesman! Don't want to hang out with college students atKingston Mines, and don't want to pay a $20 cover to get it to any of the other north side blues bar around??? Well I have a place for you! Come on down to Spectrum Bar and Grill. NO COVER! GREAT BLUES! NO DOUCHE BAGS (some weirdos, but they keep to themselves)! HURRY HURRY HURRY! PS - Tip the bluesman on the way out read more

I think Spectrum has some real good comfort food. I get a little nostalgic in the place b/c it reminds me of my Joliet days growing up. It's a cheesy, little dive with a great location in the middle of Greektown. I like coming here with my friends b/c 9 Muses sometimes gets a little too Eurotrash for my tastes. It's not a first date kinda place, if you know what I mean, and I wouldn't come here just to drink. The foods got to be part of the deal. read more

Personally, I like bars that serve greek food. And I like diverse crowds. And on Saturdays, they have blues. However, this is another place where fancy people should absolutely never go. Don't be tempted, it's just not made for fancy people. Here's where my mind kinda gets blown: late at night it smells like smoke. I don't smoke, and I don't usually like it. But this place gives me a feeling of classic Chicago from the 80s/early 90s. The kinda place that could make an appearance in Blues Brothers. Everyone in here probably has a story. It might not be fancy, but it's a different sorta place to go. read more

Order the souvlakia (pork kabobs)! Just like homemade! I love that this place often has live music, and though it is a bar, the food is restaurant quality. Also, if you've never been to a Greek plate breaking, this is the place to go, it was quite an experience, and very fun! read more

How anyone could ever rate this as better than "it sucks" beats me... After reading some reviews I decided to drop by last Friday around 9PM - I was probably the 7th person overall in there (and probably the only one with a full set of teeth and the only who had taken a shower within the last week)... I still decided to sit by the bar and get some food (to the day I still wonder why...). However after finishing half of a semi cold sandwich with more fat than meat I decided it was enough and left the place- never to come back... There were so few people and so lousy service that even if I had gone there with 20 friends it can't be a good place - I would rather force the 20 friends to sit on the floor and look into a white wall while drinking boiling hot Jaegermeister - it will still be more fun than Spectrum... read more

I don't know what it is about Spectrum but it usually yields a good time. The food is okay for Greek bar food, but definitely hits the spot after some late night boozing and darts. It's true, this place is a little on the grimy side, but it's oh-so-good-grimy. The right level of creeptastic and shitsandgiggles good times. If you're with the right group of people, Spectrum doesn't disappoint. read more

You can walk straight out of coal mine and into Spectrum and feel clean. This place is dirty dirty. But dirty dirty in a good way. I can't remember the last time I was in a place where I met Puerto Rican coke dealers, Italian mafiosos, students, an assortment of Greeks, Serbs and other fringe Eastern Europeans, drunk ass gueys and legit prostitutes working the room. Then again you usually don't come to Spectrum unless you are fucked in the head and need to keep drinking. Spectrum is a 4 am bar, but if the place had no windows you would not know what time it was because for some reason real drunks hang out here. I mean drunks that are drinking the strong stuff before noon, some even taking shots. Maybe it is the fact that Spectrum is under a transient "hotel." Either way, I highly recommend Spectrum if you are looking to put together a photographic portfolio of degenerate drunk bastards, most with gigantic booze schnozes, who clearly didn't get the memo about using soap. On the other hand, it is also a good place to go if you are depressed. If you go into Spectrum and you are depressed, after seeing the clientele the congregates here, you will walk out and never need another Prozac again. Translation; you have a long way to fall before buying some heavy rope. So all in all a very therapeutic experience not to be missed! read more

Met a friend here from out of town. First clue when I walked in was he was the only one here. Service - horrible. Clearly didn't want to be there. Beer was funny tasting - soapy. Soda in drink was flat flat flat. Not a fan. They must still be in business due to already buzzed after hours customer base. read more

Had a work Xmas party here last night and it is definitely a dive type bar but I thought the food was great! Had the gyros and I felt it was some of the best I've ever had and the cucumber sauce was dynamite! The shishkabob had good flavor and seasoned just right. I also tried the spinach pie and that tasted pretty good as well. I can't say what the bar feels like on a regular night but I thought the food was pretty good and I will make a point of stopping in again. read more

I was looking for a place that served traditional cypriot sausages called Sieftalia and stumbled across Spectrum. I emailed the to double check they were still serving them and they emailed me straight back saying yes! Hooray! So 5 of us went there for dinner! Wow! It was so good! Far too much food though! The kebabs were fresh and tasty, the salad large and delicious and great prices! Service was awesome! I will defo go back! read more

Went here on a Thursday night around 11pm. Wasn't crowded at all. The place is dimly lit, with only real lighting from the TVs and the bar section (from what I remember).. Ordered the Calamari and a Greek Burger. Both were made decently, and was awesome drunk food. I'm sure they are decent when not drunk too. Their serving sizes are enough. The calamari had about 15 pieces and was really good in my opinion. The Greek burger was large, just about right if you are very hungry. Otherwise I don't see myself finishing it. Prices were decent, in fact lower than I expected. Seemed like a very clean bar too. read more

I know that most of you who have frequented this bar have not seen t in the light of day and believe it to be just a dive bar but I work right across the street from the bar and grill so I go there for lunch and sometimes meet clients there because the service and the food is actually pretty good... and cheap! I've brought many a girlfriend, co-worker, and client to Spectrum on Thursdays for one reason and one reason only, $1.50 Kabobs (They call is Soulvaki)! It comes with about 6 ounces of lean marinated grilled meat, a Greek salsa salad, and grilled pita triangles. You get a pretty decent meal for just $2! There are specials everyday of the week and I have tried all of them. My advice, if you're hungry just skip out on the Wings special completely, they are the size of nuggets and there's a cap on the order, not worth it even for .25 cents each. The Tacos and the Burgers are SOOOOOOOOOO tasty. All in all, a great find and with a kitchen open from 11am to like 2 or 3am. I knocked off one star because its a dive bar where odd men sometimes go to drink in the middle of the afternoon... and the chicken wings. But if you're into that then its 5 stars all the way! read more

They get a late crowd due to the fact that they stay open until 4-5am. I arrived at approximately 1:30am, because I like to party. There were only a few people, but many others swarmed in shortly after. I enjoyed the fact that their kitchen seemingly stays open as late as the bar itself, so all the booze hounds can order something to grub on. I had a gyro plate with fries, and it wasn't exceptional, but pretty good. I witnessed the live blues band, who only sang about the women who betrayed them. I can get on board with that! Which is rare because I seldom care for live music. I wasn't too thrilled about the service, however. Particularly, the vacant responses we recieved whenever we asked for something. It was clear the bartenders/servers couldn't give negative asses of rats about anything. Too much jerk face also. The beer selection was weak. Where is this cheap beer people keep talking about? I overheard some guy order a bottle of Miller Lite, and it was $5 (WTF?). I would have been fine paying $5.50 for Blue Moon in 2006 when everybody thought was the best beer ever made, but those days are over. Not a place I'd want to spend an entire night, but for an after hours place, it's still okay. read more

Spectrum was not what I was expecting. It has a bit of an identity crisis with what kind of bar it wants to be. Had an order of the Greek fries which were good, but they lacked something to put them over the top. The $2 Miller lite special was appreciated, but there was no signage to let people know about this awesome deal. Is it a sports bar? A neighborhood bar? The logo and sign outside makes it look like a boystown spot. They have some really good specials, but you'll need to look hard for them read more

GA-ROSS! my ice tea tasted like cod. not just a general fishy taste, but i could pinpoint the variety of fish it tasted like. the place is really weird and red. i get all agitated in it. i give it and extra star because my partner likes it for the convience to our place and the food is really not that bad, except the fish ice tea, not recommended. read more

Came here for the Greek town fest and this place was amazing. Chicken fell off the bone and the lamb was outstanding. Highly recommended read more

This place is amazing. The owner is absolutely incredible and wants everyone to enjoy the food they serve. We went during taste of greek town and he was so nice and the food was amazing. I cannot recommend this place enough. read more

Tiny little bar in Greek town. We had an hour to kill before dinner, so we sat here and had a beer. Bartender was nice. Not that many beers on tap, but there are the standard ones. There were only 2 other people here, so I don't think we came at the right time. It's passable. read more

Walked in here and the place was completely empty. The waiters seemed to have a problem that we walked in. The fries and feta were good. The cocktails were ok. read more

Right in the heart of Greektown, this is a great bar to relax and watch sports. You'll definitely see a lot of Greektown locals and thats what makes it so fun! read more

Spectrum Bar and Grill - Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Ended up here at about 2:30am on the 4th of July. I had no idea that this place existed. There was a live Blues band and they rocked! I can't wait to come back. read more

Food: good selection and is good and cheap. Bartender: very much "down to business" and nothing else. Drinks: about 10 beers on tap and decently priced. Think I'll come back when the live music is playing. read more

Don't bother going during lunchtime. The older male server is extremely rude. I used to love going to this place, but I will not because the service is just too bad. He rushes you, berated us for drinking too much pop, and overall just unpleasant. read more

If you are Asian, do not try to get here. I went here and had bar table with my GF. We are both Korean. There were 3 bartenders and they ignored us so we just sat on stools more than 20 mins with nothing. And we had to decide to get out of xxxx racism this bar. After came back our hostel, we asked our hostel manager about this bar. He said us "Don't go spectrum. Don't go spectrum. Do not go spectrum. It's local." Anyway, if you are Asian, let me tell you something. "Just don't go. And find other one. These guys have something wrong like no education in there life or family problems. read more

We just had late drinks here. Staff quick. Prices average for the area. Dive sports bar feel. The overall atmosphere was cool with the patrons. Food looked good. read more

Came here late at night (open til 4am) a few Saturdays ago. I was treated incredibly disrespectfully by the bouncer. I went outside to have a smoke and when I tried to come back in I was informed that the bar was closing and I was refused reentry. I tried to walk past this man and he aggressively blocked my progress through the doorway, causing my head to hit the door frame and while hitting my mouth in the process. I am sure it was an accident on his part but the next morning I had to go to the ER at Rush Hospital to get 6 stitches in my mouth. It did not only lose $300 dollars paying for the ER, but I lost complete and total respect for this establishment. A business is only as good as the people that represent it. This gentleman has completely changed the way I view Spectrum. I now shudder at the thought of just walking past this place. read more

Hi Michael. & Sandra Welch a friend and customer of spectrum 17 plus years so in love with the bar & grills beer drinks fantastik calimari. AWESOME have been all over chicago il no one can top Spectrum food drink and friendly people live blues way to go Andy nice touch Love you Spectrum always Michael and Samdra Welch read more

Hosted my team holiday party there last night. We had an incredible time as the place is nicely decorated and the food was amazing. We had cheese pastry, shrimp cocktail, chicken wings and kabobs. Kudos to Andy, Jimmy and the rest of the folks at Spectrum for making my team party a success! read more

Didn't want to serve me, because I didn't had valid I'd, although I did! Had no plan to order alcoholic drinks, just food, but they asked me for my I'd, I showed them my valid SC driving listens, and they said that they won't accept it, because it was a little piled on the side. Terrible place, won't suggest to anyone. Total disrespect read more