Been meaning to check this place out for awhile and finally made it-really glad I did! Really clean room with beautiful wood beams and high ceilings and pretty lighting. Great pool tables and service. Lots of good drinks both hard and NA. Haven't tried any food yet but I'll def be back! Good prices to play and weekday happy hour for shooting pool and drinks. read more

Very fun and chill environment! We rented a pool table and had a blast as the pro came over to try to help us. We were quick for drinks and able to order food out of house which was so nice. read more

I've been to Surge a few times in recent years, even though I'm no great pool player. This location on Montrose used to be Marie's Golden Cue back in the day. I never went to Golden Cue, but I imagine Surge is way nicer than the old joint. The other day I had a decent pool outing, actually knocking in an occasional ball with some sort of semi-skill. Surge has some fun murals, and the bathrooms never seem to be gross. I've not had any food or coffee here, but Surge has a decent beer selection. read more

Really solid attendance and care for customers. Can be pricy but you just need to be mindful of your time, honestly. Lots of open tables even on a a Friday. They have a pool league! read more

Dont waste your money on the tacos, 3 small bites is all they are for $13. Besides that everything else was solid. A lot of pool tables, enough room in the first half of the cafe bar if you just wanna chill read more

This is a great addition to the area. Family friendly on weekend days, we have been coming here with our 13-14 year old son and his friends and their parents. The food is fine, service is good, prices are very reasonable for both the billards and the food. I am so glad Surge is here and made it through the panny! read more

Premier is the only place in the burbs that my friends and I go to for pool. We decided to try a place in the city to have some drinks and to play some pool. This place is fancy, nice and has a great vibe. Pretty busy because we had to wait about 35 minutes until it was our turn for the pool tables. The cocktails here were nice as well. Our only issue was the fact that the hostess/ waitress here do not communicate. We had the table and the back right corner where there were sofas and tables. We set out drinks down while we played and some were taken away because the lady taking away the empty drinks was not aware that our drink was not finished yet. We found out that it was the her first day on the job. She apologized and gave us a free drink to make up for it so that was nice of her. If you are in the area and would like to hangout with friends at a place with good vibes and music, come check this place out. read more

Food & Service is amazing! Atmosphere is very chill! Definitely recommend the lechón tacos read more

We went in around 10 pm and they were really busy which is good. However, it being a weekend, it's the norm to get your own drinks from the bar instead of trying to get a cocktail from the cocktail waitress. The food is really good and it helps out since the kitchen opens late. It's a great place to have a date night as well as a friend gathering. There are six single gender neutral bathrooms, which they keep clean. The music is lively and consists of reggaetón, hip hop, country, to indie. It depends the type of night and reason why they choose the type of music they will play. For example, tonight was a celebration of Latin American heritage so they put a variety of reggaetón. read more

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The place LOOKS great. Really, it's beautiful. Tables are nice, they have spots to lean the cues (I'm amazed not all pool halls do this), the lighting works perfectly with the colors of the table, yada yada. Clearly a lot of attention was paid to the design of the space. Food could use some help. Tostones really lacked flavor. Thinner cuts and more salt would be great. Fries could also use more seasoning. As for the drinks, let's not be so skimpy on the cocktails. Use a full 16 oz glass for Bloody Marys like everyone else does if you're going to charge what everyone else does. And staff: be a little more attentive. I waited up front while one of the staff members spoke to a friend for a good three minutes. Literally just waiting for them to finish chatting while I didn't even get a hello. That's not cool. Is three minutes the end of my life? No. Is it a good first impression for a new customer to ignore them while having a completely non-work-related convo? Also no. Serve the customers and then return to your convo. Win-win. read more

Surge Coffee Bar & Billiards - Pool Halls Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Went in on a Sunday night, bar was already packed & pools tables were getting filled. I haven't had a chance to try their food, minimal on the drinks. I wish it was a better way to order things over so it's less hassle asking for everything at the bar. read more

Service was great and so was ambiance! Food was below average and I would not eat again. The empanadas tasted as thought they were stale and rotten! read more

Surge Coffee Bar & Billiards - The bar and trivia night on Wednesday! - Pool Halls Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I've been playing pool off and on for more than 60 years. Yeah, I'm an old man and not a great pool player. BUT - I've been around. SURGE on Montrose in Albany Park is my favorite place to play pool, meet with friends and the food is fabulous! Parking is almost always available on the street. The staff is friendly and more important - extremely competent. The tables are in great shape and always clean. Same for the restrooms. There are pool leagues available. Been going there for a couple of years and never had an issue. OK, they could turn down the music but then, I'm an old fart. read more

Awesome friendly environment! Came for a game and some cafe! Delicious and chill environment! Family friendly and enough space to enjoy in this pandemic and open on Sunday's! Pool tables in good condition and clean. read more

Surge Coffee Bar & Billiards - Pool Halls Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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My love affair with Surge continues. What a great place to work during the day, hang out during happy hour, meet a friend for a drink after-hours. And let's not get it twisted: it's not the uber-chill atmosphere, the delicious coffee, the drinks with freshly ground/squeezed ingredients, the tostones, or the music that makes the place so great; it's the people. There has been some staff turnover, but the new folks who work daylight hours have won my heart. MK is a ray of effing sunshine and always down to split a cookie with me, which makes guilt-free cookie-buying possible. Mike, the new manager who has stepped into the illustrious and hardworking Haley's shoes, is killing it and has perfected _both_ Magic Milk (created by Haley, London Fog-ish) and the fresh ginger Tito's mule (first perfected by Alex, who has an amazing collection of irreverent t-shirts). Go! Drink something nice, shoot pool if you can, work if you must; but definitely tip well! read more

Wow! My first time here last night and I'm def coming back! Staff really nice and friendly, drinks were great. I didn't order food but I did get fryers that were great! Ambiance was great as well. read more

Loved this place. Legit old school pool hall with a modern feel and an excellent bar. Great draft beers and spirits. Places to hang if not playing pool. Nicely redone interior . Classic barrel roof chicago building with tile facade. My buddy had his birthday there. Total blast. read more

I love the vibe in this place to hang with my friends. Although I don't play pool, I do like to come here and have a quick bite and drink. The staff is always very friendly and the food is always brought out quickly. They have good after-work specials such as four-dollar tap beer. Another plus is the parking on the side of the building. read more

I really love that this place exists! Doesn't have the dive bar vibes I usually find with pool tables, plus the cafe option really classes up the place. I did come at a pretty empty hour, but the tables are honestly so clean and fun, I would come and wait if I had to! Really cozy and pretty reasonable pool prices for an hour, plus apparently women play free on Wednesday's! read more

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Absolutely love this place. Great spot for coffee, cocktails and bar bites. There are always ample pool tables and darts. The staff is kickass and super chill. They always support the community and this is great local spot to hang with all our friends. They always play really good music too. There's a lot of comfy table spots too with outlets for laptops. Support local!!!! read more

Surge Coffee Bar & Billiards - Pool Halls Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I want to start by apologizing for taking my frustrations out and directing them towards the person working the register. He genuinely shared our views. I'm sorry for the way I spoke and meant it when I said f*** the place, not you. You're a solid dude. I am genuinely sorry that my frustrations felt pointed towards you. The review: Amidst the surge of COVID-19 cases, it seems that the ownership of this business does not care about other small businesses in the city. It seems like they encourage folks to walk around without masks. The policy is: "walk in with a mask, take it off as soon as you rent a table. It seems like they're dissuading staff from saying anything to anyone. It seems like they're letting the APA League of Chicago run the show with reckless abandon and self-serving carelessness for the virus that is literally killing its constituents family members and friends. Good for Surge. I wish that I could completely forget societal needs for the sake of business. Bummer. Again, I'm sorry for saying, "wow, it's really crazy that you guys LITERALLY do not care if people wear masks" to the guy at the register. He seemed to care about the situation and felt helpless about it, and I didn't mean to take it out on him. I'm genuinely sorry, man, but our livelihoods are at stake here. Keep fighting the good fight. read more

Amazing place & service. 10/10. Wahib the owners is a great host & the staff was very friendly. Can't wait to come back again read more

Surge Coffee Bar & Billiards - Pool - Pool Halls Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Fun night out! Took the kids here and we had a blast. Typical bar food and the drinks were good.

Great atmosphere, always chill and friendly vibes. Very interesting food menu with some great cocktails to match. read more

Awesome spot, we defiantly need more places like this in this neighborhood. I was looking for somewhere to work on editing photos, and I saw Surge pop up in my yelp. I had passed the place in the past, and it always looked empty. It's a pretty large space with a bar in the front (coffee, tea, beer, booze, wine so there is something for everyone,) and billiards in the back. I came in on a Tuesday and met Henry, who made me a mojitoo even though he's claimed to be more barista than bartender. It was great, and I had a blast hanging and working there the whole afternoon. Also had a fun string of patrons who came and went, all seemed to enjoy their time and many knew Henry by name. I'll definitely by coming back! Oh and they have food. I can't wait to try! read more

Surge Coffee Bar & Billiards - Drinking and working! Music was good, place had plenty of seating, comfy temperature, and great bartender - Pool Halls Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

We had a great time at Surge last weekend! Alex the bartender is incredibly helpful and knows any cocktail you could order. Also, if you don't drink, their coffee is outstanding. It's clean and roomy with plenty of pool tables and seating. We will be back!!! read more

So this big dude comes up to our table and tells us a party of over 4 needs another table. We were 5 in the group and just got there. I wasn't even playing and sitting on a couch minding my own business drinking a beer. I told him I am not even playing and am just sitting here drinking my beer. He said. Are you going to sit there all night? And I said yes. He said well.....I will be watching you then. Really? I was there 2 weekends ago with a party of 6 and only 1 table. So what are your rules? Does it change every weekend? This employee was very rude and unprofessional. Needless to say we paid for our drinks and left. I wasn't going to spend my money on this place after being treated like crap. read more

I went here on a weeknight for my partner's birthday. We had food and drinks prior to playing pool, and the establishment met our expectations in every way. We all had a great time and will def be returning. My only complaint is small, but it's in regards to the shortage of pool sticks. We had to share two between the five of us, so if you have your own stick I would suggest bringing it. Highly recommend! read more

Don't let my friends know that I went out to play pool. Really, keep this between us. They all know I don't like to play games, and that my experience with pool comes from watching Paul Newman movies. I mean, I know which end of the stick you use to hit the ball, but not much more than that. So why was playing pool at Surge so much fun? But it was -- it was a blast, and my friend and I have already got our next outing planned. I only suggested pool to my friend because we were looking for something inexpensive to do on a Tuesday afternoon. She's in need of a hip replacement and is not working right now, so money is an issue. When I said, how about this pool place on Montrose that just reopened, that has coffee drinks and looks nice and not sleazy (Paul Newman movies, remember?), she loved the idea. It cost $7.50 per hour, per person. The lighting is low over the tables, but you can see very well. The atmosphere is more intimate than dark, somehow. When I (accidentally) hit my first ball into a pocket, she said, "oh, you want to hit the stripes and I'll hit the solids," I looked at her and said, don't be fooled by my seeming competence; it's pure luck, not skill. Pretty soon, I saw she was as bad at pool as I was. We laughed a lot and somehow played two games, enjoying every minute. There is a small food list, but we weren't hungry. Surge serves alcoholic beverages as well as coffee drinks, but, like I said earlier, it was mid-day Tuesday, and one of us needs a hip replacement, so you can guess that we aren't 25 years old anymore. If we had alcohol midday, we'd be sleeping on the pool tables, not taking 10 tries to knock one ball into a pocket. She had a steamed beverage and I had a Mexican mocha made with almond milk instead of cow-produced liquid. This is good for vegans (me ) and anyone who is lactose-intolerant. They also have soy milk. And boy, was that Mexican mocha DELICIOUS! It was a spicy coffee drink, and I loved it. Also, thanks to Haylee, who was making the drinks and handling the register. She was friendly and informative. Tip her and the other baristas well, people! Finally, thanks to my fellow Yelpers. I saw your reviews and bookmarked Surge. I never would've known Surge existed, were it not for you. Surge lets women play free on Wednesday. Look for us around midday on some coming Wednesday. We'll be the tall, graying women laughing loudly while getting seriously caffeinated. read more

Surge Coffee Bar & Billiards - Looking towards the bar - Pool Halls Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Best pool hall ever. Lots of high quality tables (close to 20 maybe?), pretty reasonable pricing, decent music, cool artwork on the walls. Went on a Friday night and didn't even have to wait for a table. Will definitely be back here again soon. read more

Surge Coffee Bar & Billiards - Pool Halls Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Just walked into this place and loved it! The food, music and the billiard tables are a delight! Just make sure that you put your name in to play before ordering. Just saves time. I would recommend the Mozzarella Garlic Naan. It is spicy and pleases the Indian palate. Would love to come again! read more

Apparently coffee bars, booze bars, and billiards all together are a thing. I was waiting for Surge to open for a loooong time. I lived right down the street and watched the location unfold before my eyes. I knew Surge was going to be a coffee bar, but I think I missed the billiards part. My husband went in before I did, and he was like "Yea, they have like...a bunch of pool tables," and I said "How many?" and he said "I dunno, babe. Like...a bunch." Since Surge opened, I have been in twice. He was right. They do have probably...12 pool tables. They have blue carpeting and look pretty cool. I'm not a big pool player, but it makes me want to play pool. They have a full service bar (beer, wine, liquor) and snacks as well as a coffee bar. At this point I've had a mocha, a beer, and tochos (nachos with tater tots instead of tortilla chips). All great! Though...the coffee was not to die for. I don't care because the overall experience of Surge is great. I think I will start working there on days I can work remotely because it's a large open space with all of the treats I need and a good vibe. Welcome to the neighborhood, Surge! I'll be back. read more

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I liked it! I especially appreciate that the music volume is low so you can have an actual conversation. Although I'd rather hear Acid Lounge: Little Dragon, Tycho, Koop, Dimitri from Paris. Keep a mental tab cuz these drinks can get quite pricey. read more

Surge Coffee Bar & Billiards - 3 people with drinks, $117 - Pool Halls Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Great spot to grab a drink, eat yummy fries and play pool the music was a good selection of chill hip hop. Definitely a vibe and good spot to hang with friends or take a date. read more

So I've been here a few times now, and at about 2:30pm I am writing this review. I like to come here to study since I can sit at the bar or at a table (NO TABLE SERVICE), they are known to be a coffee shop AND bar, so it provides the opportunity to consume both coffee and alcohol (they have beer, wine, and spirits). I ask for an espresso martini in which they reply they cannot make that. I am VERY confused, as they have every ingredient needed to make one. The bartender says she is just a barista, and she cannot make that but they have maybe 5 other designated alcoholic cocktails that can be made. Again, confused, I ask why. The manager who is sitting at the bar doing laptop work speak across the bar at me (does not get out of her seat) and says they do not have the recipe and the bar is not prepped. Mind you that I have been working in the service industry for over a decade. I know they have the ingredients, there is no set up besides a shaker and jigger, and not only can I look up a recipe on my laptop that I am writing this review on, but the barista is also working on a laptop and the manager is also working on a laptop so we can honestly all look up a good recipe. Basically, after going back and forth with the manager (across the bar) I accept their answer of 'no' and if I am still around at 4pm when the "Bartender" arrives, I can order it from them. STILL SO CONFUSED Why can't they accommodate this request??? They have espresso machine, they have vodka, they have simple syrup... they might not have a coffee liquor but that's ok! I would have loved any creation that they would have made with those three ingredients at least.. but they would not even try. I ordered another glass of pinot noir Management - any rebuttal? read more

Three stars for the pool tables! They are gorgeous! But if you also want food and drinks...halt! On a friday night we were greeted and assigned a table. After spending a good 20 min waiting for service in the billard room, we went to bar. And mind you...it wasn't busy. So no servers in pool area. Bar was sloth like slow with bartenders clueless who was next. We actually ordered double drinks because we forecasted we would not get service at the tables. Reminder...THIS IS FRIDAY NIGHT! We order our double round of drinks and a few appetizers...onion rings and chips and salsa. The chips were totally stale and salsa must have been poured out of a jar (not homemade). The onion rings were obviously fried in reused oil...they weren't special. If you want to just play pool it is spot on. But dont eat here. Unless they up their game...the food was not worth the price. I honestly would expect a server on a Friday night. read more

First things first: It's snazzy. The dim lighting and modern decor instantly drew me in. I am super fond of places where I can get coffee and do work, but the setting is not your typical coffee shop. Add this to the list! They serve Metropolis Coffee and sell pastries from pHlour Bakery in Edgewater. I really wanted to love the iced Mexican Mocha that I ordered but it was just very clumpy and grainy. My friend ordered it too and hers was the same. The cocoa powder didn't fully disintegrate, so there were clumps of it swimming in my drink. That's how both drinks were served to us, and I thought maybe I just had to stir mine up more, but that didn't help. Honestly, it tasted good but the fact that it wasn't smooth and well made knocked down 1 star for me. The cafe is open til 5pm, to presumably allow for dinner seating and pool hall guests. FYI, there is a lot next to the building that they share with the neighboring business that is not available for Surge patrons until 6pm on weekdays. Since we got there at 1pm, we had to park on side streets, which thankfully didn't require permits. read more

They have pastries, coffee, and food at the billard. Customer service is nice and bartenders make good cocktails. Tap beer is served in cold glasses. Plenty pool tables. Clean bathrooms. Variety music. Good vibe. Happy Hour read more

This place was amazing. Went here for a birthday party, and it was legit. Staff/bartenders were great. Efficient, yet friendly, even when the bar was packed. The pool tables are clean. This spot is spacious and wide. Im so surprised I loved their food! Craving some munchies, we had the naan pizza with spinach and mushroom and maybe something else. It was a smaller pizza for sure, but flavorful, and swiftly DEMOLISHED! I could have ordered two more and still have been in love with it, as much as my first bite. We also ordered chicken tenders, which were huge! I just think it's great how shareable their food menu was. On to drinks. I'm in love. I had their margaritas, which come in maybe three different flavors. yes, yes, more yes. super tasty, concocted well. The pool tables were clean, and there were numerous tables. Beautiful. spacious. I don't think there would be any problems in terms of overcrowding. plentiful bathrooms (maybe 3 individual ones? but wasn't really a problem). Idk. I loved this spot, for a chill celebration gathering... can accommodate a ton of people, with numerous areas to chill and vibe in. I'm definitely a fan. read more

leaving this review because on the rise of omicron and covid cases the establishment is doing nothing to ensure patrons safety. the majority of league players are running around no masks. leaving other patrons to follow by example. other than that tables are great, love the vibe. beer and coffees good. just do better. read more