Toons Bar & Grill

I lived in Chicago for 20 years, starting in December of 2000. My friend lived nearby, on Clark and Byron which was two blocks away. This was the first bar I went to when I arrived. Neighborhood joint, but also good enough for people to make it a destination spot to visit. The Southport corridor has changed so much over the past two decades...bars and restaurants coming and going, upscale retail buildings replacing old one story strip malls. But Toons has endured and also thrived. I never lived in a big city before, and it was a crazy experience. I first lived near Lake Michigan on Sheridan- but still came up to Lakeview to play pool and for the first time I saw an indoor shuffle puck game in a bar. The freezer where they keep the popular liquors cold for shots is the same. Reminds me of my childhood and now is covered in stickers and decorations where you cannot find one open millimeter. It felt like nothing has changed since that night just under 23 years ago. My friend Sean now has worked here for almost 3 years now, and I disclose that while stating that he didn't when I first visited so that this is a genuine review of this place. Ally was also friendly, professional and easy to chat with. The entire team looked out for me, Tyler asking if I needed any utensils, extra items, refills- I never needed to ask for anything whatsoever. Laney was also super friendly, turns out we have a couple mutual friends. I'm in town visiting as many friends as I can, while helping my good buddy promote his new tequila line by making introductions- and decided to come by here and get something to eat before going back to my hotel for the night. It's 8 PM and the bar is busy but I was told "it's a slow night" I miss Chicago. Tonight on special was Annie's famous Wisconsin beer cheese soup. Sold! Got a bowl and it came piping hot, hearty with veggies and potatoes and a hot roll that I broke up like mini croutons and devoured it. By the time I remembered to take a photo it was almost gone so I am sorry for that photo heh heh.The food coming out of the kitchen is flying out at an incredible pace. I could watch this all evening. I ordered the popcorn shrimp and asked to sub out the fries with tater tots. Look at the photo below! These are not your ordinary popcorn shrimp. These are essentially actual shrimp (tail free!) and comes with Buffalo sauce and homemade Blue cheese dressing and some truly tasty pickle chips for a relief from all the fried items. I'm really happy to take a trip down memory lane and had an amazing meal while catching up with a friend I haven't seen in a while. Also bumped into some folks I knew from when I lived here- just another part of the amazing place and experience that is Toons. Support small owned businesses! Come on by, eat some great food, and have a few drinks and make some lifelong friends. Thanks to the team here at Toons for making a guy who came alone to eat feel like a part of the family/team dynamic. I gotta give my bud Sean a shout out for introducing me to everyone. Now I'm feeling the food coma coming on so I'm off to my hotel for some much needed sleep!

While visiting from out of town for the first time to catch a couple Cubs games, Toons happened to be a short walk from my AirBnb. After the game had concluded, I walked down and enjoyed a pulled pork quesadilla and a Bell's Oberon to drink. Service was great too!

This place was great! We got two servings of XL wings, 4 flavors, for four people. The wings were tasty and came with plenty of ranch. We sat in the back room and they put the game we requested on the TV, really appreciate that. Service was great and overall recommend!

I love Toons! Great spot for beer and they also have amazing food. The buffalo chicken tenders are so delicious with tator tots. I would recommend the Toons Wrappers Delight as well.Great place to hit on the weekend if you're on southport.

The worst pulled pork sandwich I've ever had. It was so bad I took the meat out and just ate the bread. Fries are decent and the drink menu is good and reasonably priced. But good luck getting any attention at a table if they're busy.

We are frequent diners at Beck's, so we finally made it into Toon's to try it out. The vibe was similar, but more dive-y and younger crowd at Toon's. Menu offerings had a few of the same items, but we tried the Fried Catfish Po'boy and Grilled Portobello Salad since they aren't at Beck's. My bf said the Po'boy was good and nicely fried. The Salad was fresh and generous with mushrooms, but it was too heavy on the vinegar. It seemed busy inside, and we were seated outside -- The service was friendly but just okay.

not as good as it usta be; medium burger raw in places, oily fries and limp, brown-edged lettuce

This is one my favorite stops for wings in Chicago. If you are going to get any flavor, you must try the Buffalo Garlic. These have the traditional Buffalo wing sauce but have more than a hint of garlic. Perfect!The bar itself is your traditional Chicago corner bar with lots of TVs, great beer selection and friendly service. I would make this a stop if you're in the Southport or Wrigleyville area.

Had a reservation for a month for a 40th birthday. Was verified 2 times. Showed up and was told try to find a table , there's another group with a reservation too. Found 1 table for 4 for 15 people. Had to call me ly party ans say don't come. Meet else where

Went here after the cubs game against Detroit. The pulled pork quesadilla was amazing and the service was great! The Bells Oberon beer was also great as well. Would definitely recommend to anyone staying around Wrigley.