Geek Bar

the food is ok bbut the staff are awesome. not a big fan on the awesome sauce as it is some wierd thoudand island hotsauce mix. but the environment makes up for that. The trivia nights are pretty awesome. and the chicken strips aka bhats family reunion is awesome.

Food is absolutely amazing and the drinks are pretty good. The Chocobo wings literally fell off the bones. *superb*.
The reason I go with two stars instead of four or five (which the food would imply) was due to the rudeness of the wait staff. Instead of «excuse me» they said «move». A friend spilled a drink and the wait staff was genuinely angry and exceptionally rude («what spilled?» «Beer I think?» WHAT SPILLED?” «???») Holy crap, is this the first time that there was a spill? Is waitstaff generally supposed to be passive aggressive, and barely passive at that? The waitress acted like serving us was a chore; this is your JOB miss, and since my group spent well over a thousand dollars I’d think a smile and being a bid polite would have gone a loooong way. That, and not giving the impression that waiting on us was a burden.

I use to love this bar, but last night I decided to bring a friend to share the love and did not like any of the recent changes. For some reason they were blasting tecno music so we could not talk or enjoy our game we were playing, a little odd for a bar set up to play board games. Not only did they not have the drink my friend requested we had to ply a recommendation out of the wait staff for a different drink, and when it came we had to beg for a glass. And then they didn’t have my second drink I requested even though it was supposed to be an ingredient of my first. It will be a while before I come again.

Awesome place to play an old/​modern game with great bar food and a creatively good drink selection.
Ample board games (with duplicates), video games, cards, and tables comfortably large enough to play on.
Food–
Patty Mayo: 5
Beef was delicious, and the entire burger made me forget it was bar food. Came with a bowl of really great popcorn. Must-​get!
Sammie of Mandragora: 4
Very good, crispy fried chicken sammie on tomato focaccia. Came with a bowl of really great popcorn.
Large bowl of that really good popcorn: 5
Must-​have with board games!
Ipas and Ciders: 5

Geek Bar is welcoming to all. The staff are wonderful and it is a true geek paradise. Good selection of beers, the board games are now free and they do all kinds of fun geek events. Food is a bit hit-​and-​miss at times but the rest more than makes up for it.

Great concept: A bar with board games, video games, geek-​themed drinks and food, but not great execution. This bar feels more like a bougie setting that happens to have games for nerds. The pumpkin seed & habanero salsa was flavorless, the drinks taste good but are expensive and not strong, the Moon of My Life grilled cheese had good flavor and combo of cheese, truffle oil and crunch to it, but I’ve had better for that price. The servers weren’t that attentive or hospitable. Had high hopes for this place but it is overrated.

The idea of Geek Bar is incredible; food and bites in a nerd-​friendly atmosphere where you can game to your heart’s content while getting good meals and adult bevos. If it didn’t exist, I’d want to invent it. The execution, however, is lacking pretty strongly. The beer menu is solid and the drinks are good, but the food is only so-​so. The atmosphere can be a bit hectic, but that’s to be expected; much harder to justify is the mediocre-​to-​bad service. Additionally, their hours seem to change randomly, and events are scheduled that are then canceled, postponed, or changed, with no notice. A place so saturated in the nerd social media aesthetic should know better. I hope they keep trying, but they have a ways to go.

Fun place to have a drink and play games!!!
They have a large selection of board games and card games, and then of course the old video game consoles. Overall, a great spot to have a few drinks and hang out with friends.
Note: we didn’t get any of the food when we went, but it looked and smelled delicious. I will definitely have to go back soon.

First time in Illinois and bethany the bartender has been super awesome! The staff is great and delicious drinks.
Geek out!

I love this place!
It is great having a bar where you can play board games, video games and drink! The menu of drinks and their food changes quite often which is nice. They’ve a great selection of games you can borrow while there that is stored on few bookshelves. Geekbar is great if you’ve big groups that want to hang out and chill for a few hours. I’ve always wanted to play Risk here, but that is a game that would take days. The seating is perfect for large groups and seem to cater to a wide variety of groups. The service here is pretty chill and they’re always willing to give recommendations.
I recommend the place since it is nice to be in a bar where the lights are not so dark, no need to yell over music nor are there annoying drunks chugging jäger bombs or wearing the latest Tap Out shirt… Sorry brah… not that kind of place.

I love board games and I love cocktails, but for me, this place had to measure up to Toronto’s Snakes and Lagers café… a tall order, indeed. Lo and behold, it delivered with a creative and tasty drink menu, a very decent selection of board games, and a friendly, diverse crowd.
The bar food was surprisingly good, too. We had crunchy calamari and light, fluffy kettle corn. The Saturday night we were there, our waitress let us try Netrunners for free (usually there is a small fee to rent games) and did her best to help us out when we couldn’t figure out some small nuance in the rules. An amiable group of guys invited us to play Super Smash Brothers on the N64 with them.
The cherry on the icing was the signs indicating Geek Bar is a trans-​safe space, and that all that the bathrooms are for people of all gender expressions and identities. That alone has earned them a loyal customer in me. I really hope these guys get the customer base they deserve. I want them to be around for a long time.

Went to a fun Star Trek themed meetup here.
This bar is centered around the not-​cool kids. They have spaces for gaming, big screens with Sci-​fi shows and movies, and lots of memorabilia from your favorite geek shows.
They have a solid and varied drink menu, and themed food choices. Not the biggest portions but tasty.
The wait staff was friendly and kept on top of our large group. They had no problem with giving everyone seperate checks– everything was done from an ipad at your table.
This was a neat place for those of us looking for a get away from the meat market bars in bucktown. I will be going back next month.

I love the concept of this place, but I think execution needs to be much better handled.
The board games supposedly cost money to borrow, which is kind of understandable given people’s penchant for accidentally pocketing things. But, the rental process wasn’t clear, wasn’t explained, and to my knowledge, when I was there, wasn’t enforced (I’m not really complaining about that part though!).
The drink I ordered, the 11^th Doctor, did not have a «mini bowtie» in it, which was very disappointing. If you’re going to be creative and fun with your signature drinks, make sure you make them properly.
My friends and I were there before trivia started and during trivia. Before trivia the place was pretty nice and laid back. During trivia the place filled up nicely… and the service went dramatically downhill from there.
Like I said, I love the idea of this place and will probably go back a few more times before maybe changing my rating but for now a 3 feels just about right.

This place first came onto my radar about a year ago I think when they were just getting started and were raising funds via a kickstarter. The idea of a geeky bar, a cool place to play games with friends, and just hang out in a chill place seemed intriguing. Unfortunately it took until now that I made it out to give it a try.
When you walk in you are immediately greeted by an enormous rack of games to «rent» for the evening. It’s a $ 2 flat rate to help offset the cost of missing pieces and such. Beyond that there’s one section with couches and multiple game consoles, several long tables, a couple other couches around the room, and a small bar.
We immediately grabbed Settlers of Catan and easily found space at a table on a Saturday evening. Our waitress came by not too long after and introduced herself as the Pokemon master and pointed to her hat. She showed us the menu and pointed out the cocktails and optionally alcoholic mocktails. The beer selection was pretty decent as well. We grabbed a few drinks and started playing.
After awhile we got hungry and noticed «Scott’s Tots» on the menu and immediately ordered it. It was pretty good with pork shoulder and cheese, though the meat was a little dry. I would get it again. Toward the end of the evening they had extra popcorn and gave us some of the ranch/​blue cheese popcorn. We should have ordered this immediately. It was delicious.
All in all this is a great chill spot in Wicker Park that’s great to spend the evening. Especially if you want to get away from the hipster crowds.

Hah, what an awesome concept! My friends and I stopped by here for drinks after dinner and we were simply enthralled with the place. You’re carded at the front, and immediately after you walk in, you’ll notice the place is lined with games. There’s Game of Thrones banners hanging on the far wall, a classic old movie projecting in the back, sleek tables, and staff that fit the part. The tables are arranged for fun and games, and you can enjoy a variety of board games, both new ones you’ll have no idea how to play, and old classics. We were seated near the front entrance next to some old TVs with old games to play. We decided to settle on a relatively new Game of Thrones card game.
I love their creative themed and named drinks. I ordered one of their special features, in anticipation of Jurassic World, called Dinosaurs Eat Man: Vodka, Lemon, Sugar, Muddled Seasonal Berries. It was delicious! I have to admire the creative, fun, atmosphere of this place and the ingenuity it takes to sustain the themes. Well done!

I randomly entered that place the other night, wondering what a Geek bar could look like… and it was one of my greatest evenings in Chicago! The place is so cool!
We went out and sat down at the huge tables they have. Ordering a few beers and whiskey glasses, we spent hours and hours playing board and card games. They have a huge choice and we had tons of fun playing so many different ones. This is exactly the kind of place I could spend my evenings.

This was a fun place for my group to hang on a recent Friday night. A large, private booth in the back was open so we snatched it up and it was the perfect nook to get our game on.
I’m not a huge game fan and I don’t spend time playing games on a regular basis. However, once and a while, I love a game of Scrabble, chess, Tetris, or Intelligent Cube (circa 1997; Playstation 1 version).
A few members of my party ARE big game fans and probably spend far too much time playing games. So naturally, this was our go-​to choice for a night of drinks and games. We played King of Tokyo which I had never heard of, but it involved monsters and dice and green lightening cubes — and it was a lot of fun.
There were a ton of games available (old school as well as new/​modern), and the beer list was pretty decent. We didn’t order food, but a few sandwiches sounded tasty. Also, every staff member we encountered here was super friendly. Especially our cute waitress who thoroughly explained Kind of Tokyo and split up our bill three ways.
Keep this place in mind if you’re looking for something a little different in Wicker Park!

Some friends of ours were kick starting their geeky new biz at the Geek Bar, so we stopped in to support them and check out this place.
We started with Scott’s Tots… Who doesn’t love a tot, especially when they are perfectly cooked and top with pork! These are a winner!
I ordered the Moon of My Life… This was a delicious grilled cheese with all the right cheeses which I also added the yummy pork to.
The boy ordered the John Marten… The pork is getting outta control on a burger now!
We really enjoyed hanging out here! Our server was great and kept our drinks full. I just think that when it’s really busy it might be good to get people turned out who are playing free games and taking up space (yep, that was us). They need to make money!

No thank you… My friends and I wondered into this bar because of the Game of Thrones decorations around the bar. They also have video games which are free to play and board games/​cards which you have to pay to play.
Everyone and I ordered drinks from the special Game of Thrones menu. All the drinks we had were really disgusting. I tried all of them and it was just a gross concoction of liquor and other things. I would have given only 1 star but the staff is really great and I enjoyed the games available. I just wish that we didn’t have to pay to play the board and card games. Since most places don’t make you pay for it.

This is definitely one of my favorite bars in Chicago, but don’t get it twisted — this isn’t the kind of place to get super sloshed, nor does it follow the trend of popular barcades. In fact, this place’s posted closing time on Fridays is midnight.
What it is great for is good beers, good food, a huge selection of board games, and continuous support of multiple geeky niches.
I’ve been here for Walking Dead night (which they show on a projector and dim the lights for), playing Catan with some friends, and trying out new games with the significant other. They have a large selection of board games conveniently cataloged online and in their menu (with number of players and average play times listed), and some old school videogame stations set up if you can get on them.
Yes, it feels weird to call the PS2 and Gamecube old school, but that’s how it goes.
Definitely recommended especially if you’re a gamer or can find something of interest on their always packed event calendar. Then you can play my favorite game — try to figure out what each of their menu items is referencing! (And can we get some pro wrestling stuff sometime? It’s a geek niche too!)

Nerds unite!
While is has a good bar and food menu, Geek Bar is really a place where fans of any kind can gather in a safe space and geek out. Geek Bar is decorated with pop culture of all dimensions, from a cardboard Tenth Doctor staring out a window to Games of Thrones flags decorating the walls. You can rent a board game at $ 1 – 3 from a selection of about 50 games (or, they are absolutely fine with you bringing your own Settlers of Catan in). The clientele is chill and welcoming, so don’t be surprised if a perfect stranger dressed in Captain America cosplay asks to join your board game and you make a new friend. (Srsly, I played Settlers with the Winter Soldier. This is why Geek Bar is the best.)
Geek Bar also hosts frequent events, from Geek Trivia to Neil Gaiman vs. Joss Wheedon writing contests.
The drinks menu is not extensive, and emphasizes themed cocktails over beer or wine selections. Drink themes of my week were Doctor Who companions– I recommend the Martha– and GoT characters.
Unfortunately, Geek Bar closes rather early, at midnight. Service is friendly and attentive, without being pushy, since customers tend to take up a table for hours and get absorbed in Star Wars Monopoly rather than ordering drink after drink.

On my recent trip to Chicago my friends and I went to Geek Bar Beta not once but twice and very much hope to return.
There is a good menu of both alcoholic and non-​alcoholic beverages. The tea is a decent selection of Rishi teas and you get a mug and a small teapot, which is very nice. There are a good selection of beers and sodas and an interesting list of thematic cocktails including one made with pig blood. Our server assured my friends that it was pasteurized, but no one was quite up to trying it out.
Also on the menu are food and games. Food is marked for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-​free, and pescatarian. The menu was made with a lot of caution, so if you can handle stuff that’s done in the same oil as foods that contain gluten you can probably handle the fries. I’m pretty sensitive and did not have any trouble.
As you come in there is a sizable selection of games near the door, and a specific list is on the menu with rankings for difficulty, including some that are friendly for kids and some that are quite time-​consuming.
Geek Bar has their harassment policy included in the menu and also posted in the bathroom stalls. I got the chance to talk to one of the staff about this and she was very positive about how that had been working out: making clear that there is a strong harassment policy that will be quickly enforced has helped create a good environment.
The only issues I saw were that the décor could use a little work and that the bathrooms are gendered. On speaking to the staff about the latter I found that they were invested in making sure that everyone who comes feels safe to pee, so I am hoping to see inclusive signage the next time I come.

If there’s one thing I could change about Geek Bar, it would be this: more locations. Preferably, more locations closer to my house. But maybe that’s for the best, because if they did open a location near me, I would spend so much money going here ALL the time!
When I came here last weekend with four other nerds, we had an amazing time! There’s just so much attention to detail, from your server being referred to as your «champion,» the naming of the menu items (a personal favorite: the «Fries with Awesomesauce»), to the bit coin ATM by the bathrooms. Speaking of which, the ladies’ room has notices in the stall informing you that Geek Bar does NOT tolerate abusive behavior toward female gamers, so if you’re experiencing it you should report it.
+ 1,000,000 points to encouraging a positive environment for female gamers!
We were in the middle of an unofficial bar crawl, so my group opted for a few short rounds of Cards Against Humanity to go with our drinks, but they do offer an extremely impressive selection of games. (If you’re into board games, you’ll know that some of them aren’t cheap. Being able to play a game and not have to spend $ 40-​$ 50 buying it is definitely worthwhile.) The best part is that even though it was after midnight, our «champion» (the waitress) was also obviously VERY excited about working there and seeing us have fun. It’s just so refreshing to see everyone working at a place like this EXCITED to be there and have fun too!
I can’t say enough positive things about Geek Bar, and I really hope they do well. It’s a wonderful concept with a lot of positive energy behind it, and they’re encouraging a great gamer community.

Attention, geeks! I’ve just found your new home away from home… and it has cocktails.
Geek Bar Beta could have just been a rec center place for gaming with some beer for sale. It’s SO much more.
There are tons of games on offer (check the back of the menu, which conveniently suggests how many players are needed for each, level of difficulty, etc.), and even events (last night there was a showing of the old sci-​fi-​parody show Mystery Science Theater 3000). But there’s also an ambitious array of food and drink.
All the menu items have cheeky names that will get a chuckle out of geeky diners. I got the Moon of My Life (reference: Game of Thrones), a multi-​grilled cheese on brioche bread. This was oddly served as a sort of inside-​out sandwich, with the cheese on the outside (I’m not complaining, because it made it super crispy, though it was somewhat complicated to eat).
My companion got the John Marston burger (reference: Red Dead Redemption), a hamburger topped with cheese, ranch, grilled onions and pork belly. She said it was good but the pork belly was overwhelming after the first bite: «A little went a long way.»
Both of these came with «Housemade Crispy Crunchies» (i.e. spiced popcorn); while tasty, this seemed a slightly odd choice, and my friend can’t eat popcorn so she was left with no side. Gladly we had supplemented the meal with an appetizer of «Awesomesauce!» and Fries, which were, well, awesome. The fries were square-​cut and extremely crispy; sauce was orange, and the spice was of indeterminate origin (sriracha?)
The other thing that was slightly annoying was the size of the plates: not very big, thus hard to maneuver one’s food, especially since the popcorn had a tendency to escape with the slightest nudge.
Parking is a little complicated here in the evening; we got a metered spot two blocks away but it had a two-​hour limit, so if you intended to stay for any serious gaming/​dining/​drinking you might be running back and forth to feed the meter. (Maybe only once, though: they have fairly short hours, except on the weekend.)
Overall, though, this is an unusual place that should satisfy all your geektastic needs! So grab a game board and raise your glass: «Live Long And Prosper!»

I wish I could prove that the owners of this bar have a machine that allows them to sneak into my dreams, because otherwise how else could there be a board game bar hosting Walking Dead viewings, Cards Against Humanity meetups, and is gloriously outfitted in the banners of Westeros?! You’ll be hearing from my legal sleep team soon.
Kidding aside, I happened upon this gem in my Wicker Park wanderings, and nearly exploded with joy upon the realization that boozy game night doesn’t only have to be at my apartment now! We tried the Gold Coin (goat cheese fritter) which was crispy outside and soft and tangy inside, a Michaelangelo personal-​sized pizza (boyfriend loved it), and two (yes, 2) Mountain Dew Chicken wings, courtesy of the other half and his «Do you have to order a minimum number of wings?» question. Answer: No.
There are a lot of non-​mainstream games here; it is NOT stacked with Sorry, Clue, Scattergories, or really any familiar family games. Board games have a $ 2 rental fee; card games are free. You are also free to bring your own games to play as well at no cost. While we ate we played a version of a card game called Fluxx, and also learned a Walking Dead card game.
I’ll most definitely be back; hopefully for one of the special TV viewings or game meetups. Nerds rejoice!