Beyond the Ivy

Had my first Cubs roof top experience at B.T.I. a few weeks ago. Very nice!
Although I don’t have anything to compare to, I thought the food and drinks were delish and plenty of it. Very spacious roof top and party suite below and they offered many seating options outside.
And the views ranged from the skyline, Sheffield Ave., new bleachers, Murphy’s, L-​tracks, back of scoreboard, and the ball game.

I really wanted to enjoy Beyond the Ivy more than I did. The actual facilities are nice but there are a few real downers.
The staff are great and pleasant folks. The view is not that obstructed with the new signs.
The beer selection is decent with a few nice changes from typical Miller /​Budweiser product.
The food however is atrocious. I wasn’t expecting gourment, but I got served a raw burger that is literally the cheapest frozen patty you could find in the market. The pulled pork was just water-​logged slop with no seasoning. I didn’t try the deserts, but I sense a pattern here. McDonalds is way better than what I had here.
I wish they had in-​seat service in the bleacher portion of the seats. This is probably a cost-​cutting measure to decrease the amount of beer they serve. That being said, people might get too drunk without the measure.
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Sorry to blast a business like this, but seriously reconsider increasing your food quality.

Review is for 1038 Waveland…
When the seats for the Foo Fighters show first went up on Groupon, I thought I was getting somewhat of a good deal, as I had a discount I was able use with them. Once the deal was pulled out from under my feet, I felt like I was ripped off, as I had to now pay full price to a now sold out show. Before making the purchase for the second time, Chris (ticket rep) and I discussed on the phone the view and everything that was included with the cost of the ticket. He told me that we would have no obstructions and would have clear view of the stage! After last night, I have to say that I would be looking for my money back and a full refund! We sure did have a clear view of the stage, the side of the stage and none of the Act! After discussing with other extremely upset patrons, especially the ones from out of town, I don’t know how someone can feel comfortable charging as much as they did without seeing a show! I have to say, I feel like I was lied to from the beginning, and their sales pitch for the event was a clear play on words! The venue would be an excellent choice for a baseball game, but one of the worst choices if you actually wanted to see a show /​concerts! The food was good but average and the lack of top shelf drinks did not bring either to the ticket price we paid, especially since there was no view, and drinks did not start until 2 hours after entry (another thing not brought up or clear)! I would be interested in hearing a response as to how they feel comfortable charging the amount they did for what was given to the event goers? Yes, it was an «experience», but not a good Wrigley experience! It was a costly one, with many unhappy and complaining they were duped by the rooftop representatives, thinking we were going to actually SEE the show.

I won two tickets for this venue and attended when the White Sox played the Cubs. First time attended a cross-​town game! The Sox won. Food was good and service was decent.
Had to go inside a couple times because it was raining. The sound system was terrible. Couldn’t hear anything. Bartender said only the manager could turn it up. About 15 minutes later a manager stopped by and said it could go up a little louder, but normally people are outside watching the game. I said clearly that is not the case now since it’s raining and many of the tables are taken. He said most of the people aren’t watching the game and we wouldn’t be able to hear the sound anyways even if he turned it up.
Might go back if I win tickets again, but wouldn’t pay for it. Mostly because of lack of customer service.

Okay, okay, so I confess. Please don’t tell anyone, but yes, it took a work outing to get me to my very first Cubs game — ever! And… I’ve lived in the Chicagoland area since 1992.
Speaking of firsts, I experienced my first rooftop. To be honest with you, initially I wasn’t sure if I’d even enjoy my trip to the cubs game. I imagined crappy bathrooms, crowds, and I just didn’t know what to expect. Also, I was worried about getting too cold. Sure, it was cold and windy, but that was on the third/​top floor. Yep, three floors!
Thankfully the first floor of the rooftop is indoors with a view to the game (not that anyone was watching the game) and two dedicated bathrooms. Now that was a major unexpected score! Up one floor to the main deck with grills, food, beer, lounge seating, and a pretty fab far away view. Sure, I had no idea what was happening because the scoreboard was away from us (kind of weird), but it was pretty cool to see what else was around us. Coming to Beyond the Ivy is a cool city experience. Though, remember, it’s crazy crowded around this area with quite a few bars.
The staff working at the rooftop were friendly, on the ball, and made sure everyone was well taken care of.
Here’s the deal. If you don’t care about baseball or watching the game, then this is your stop. However, if you want to actually see what’s going on, bring your binoculars and pull up the score on your iPhone or you won’t have a clue whats going on.
Note: Food and drink were included in the price of the rooftop. And, in the colder months, you can score ½ price tickets!

On the plus side, they had great food, a better than expected view of the game, and friendly staff. The wine selection was weak and there was no audio of the game. There were speakers set up outside so I’m not sure why they weren’t on. Overall, my wife and I had a great time! I would definitely do it again!

I’m sad to report that Beyond the Ivy (1038 Waveland) did not live up to my expectations.
I purchased tickets for the Cubs/​Cards home opener last night (04÷05÷15). I purchased two tickets online weeks ago and they had my name on the list, but not my finance’s. I don’t remember putting his name in when I purchased, and even emailed customer service prior to the game to confirm. They replied saying we would be on the list. Luckily, I had saved me email confirmation and showed it to the guy checking people in at the door and he let us in without any further incident.
We then proceeded to go upstairs to the bar. I was really disappointed in the «California Wine» selection of Woodbridge. I was not hoping for, or expecting, $ 50 bottles of wine, but something more middle of the road would have been nice, especially as a non-​beer drinker…
Moving on to the space itself… the views from inside are not terrible, but they’re not great either. The inside space is small. The view of the outfield is blocked by the neighboring rooftop, and much of the left field view straight ahead is now blocked by the new construction (although not as much as I expected). I’m not sure what would happen during inclement weather. There are only about 18+/- seats set up stadium style in front of the window (one of which was broken… on opening day! Why couldn’t this have been fixed in the 5 month off season!!!). There were also 2 – 3 high top tables with a few bar stools each.
During the pregame they did not have the sound on from the broadcast, and the ONE TV in the space was playing the Blackhawks game. Really? It’s opening day!!! Very frustrating. So we decided to go upstairs on the roofdeck to catch a glimpse, and every last seat was full. How could this be? There were still plenty of people inside. What happened was they sold more tickets than they have seats for. Not cool.
So we went back inside and stood behind the seats most of the game. During the 2^nd inning they finally switched the ONE TV to the game, and turned the sound up slightly, but was still not able to hear.
This rooftop experience was certainly not worth the money. For nearly $ 130/​ticket, I expected a spot to watch the game on the «rooftop» I paid for, and a slightly more palettable beverage selection.

After almost three years of living in Chicago, I finally got to experience my first rooftop! This place was so awesome! Totally lived up to the expectation of what I have been told about the rooftops!
We got tickets for Saturday, Sept. 20^th. Beyond the Ivy was the only rooftop I could find that was offering tickets for single purchases while all others you had to purchase them in group sales of 15 or more. A perk was because it was so close to the end of the season, we got our tickets for $ 89 a piece! Great deal!
Food was great! (It’s not supposed to be Alinea!) Started out with Southwestern buffet, which was tacos and nachos. Then came in the dogs and sausages. «Dinner» was hamburgers, pulled pork, and BBQ chicken sandwiches. All of it was hit off the grill and great flavors. And of course, being able to go grab a beer without paying the overcharged $ 8 inside the stadium, was the cherry topper. Quick tip * don’t forget to bring some cash for tipping the staff * Slipped my mind and ended up having to go to the ATM.
As I said, this was my first experience with the rooftops, but from what I can tell no other rooftops had a table connected to the bleachers where you could eat on, put your drinks on etc…
Staff was very friendly and accommodating while it rained for a couple innings.
This is definitely something I would like to do again next season, if the new scoreboards don’t block the views!

Like most of the rooftops at Wrigley, Beyond the Ivy is great for decent food, good drinks, clean bathrooms and both inside and outside areas to hang with your friends.
But as for actually watching the game? Just know you are pretty far from the action.
Because Beyond the Ivy sits behind the Wrigley scoreboard, once you get up to the top roof bleacher seating you can see the game from a birds eye view. But I think the best thing about these seats is that it gives you a great look at several Chicago icons with a 360 look.
The El is rumbling by, Wrigley is lit, the fans are screaming, downtown is in the distance and the local bars and restaurants give you a peep into the people who make Chicago the great city it is. That was my favorite part of this location!
We were here for a private party so the food and drink choices we had could be different when you go but the «build your own» taco bar was quite good as were the pulled pork sandwiches.
I always prefer to be in the stadium for an actual game, but if you want a different experience, Beyond the Ivy does what it does pretty well!

Never again. Bought at the center field rooftop, got bumped to the far left field rooftop, too crowded, food awful, offered a meager consolidation for a very bad time. Never again… buyer beware unless you are a big corporation, you will never know what you will end up with.

Second time seeing a game from the Rooftops and again we really enjoyed ourselves. If you are looking to actually WATCH the game, this is probably not for you. But they provided a nice selection of beer, comfortable seating options and a pretty good food spread… did I mention lots of beer. For the price you really can’t beat it, WAY cheaper than going to a game in a NY stadium if you are a drinker.
Went with a bachelor party and it was an ideal daytime activity, with a fun mix of people.

Group outing Chicago Style.
I can’t say I’m a Cubs fan, I can’t even say I’m a baseball fan. But when I think of Chicago, the first things that comes to my mind (Yes, I like Sports) is «the Cubs» and Wrigley Field.
And an opportunity to watch a Cubs game was not to be missed. I was lucky enough to be one of 35 person to get pick to go watch the Cubs play.
The seminar coordinator got us tickets to Beyond the Ivy. One of the famous rooftop facilities just beyond center field.
The view from the rooftop was very good.
They have stadium seating on the roof.
Two bars on the roof and one in the club house.
They have a grill where they churn out the food.
Here’s the rundown of food & beverage:
Appetizers
Classic Chicago Style Hotdog
Italian Sausage
Side Dishes
Potato Salad
Coleslaw
Chips.
Dinner
Hamburgers
Cheeseburgers
Veggie Burgers
Chargrilled Chicken Breast.
Hickory Smoked Pulled Pork
Dessert
Cookie Trays
Gourmet Brownies
Beverages
(Alcohol served thru 7^th inning)
Domestic & Premium Beers
California Wines.
Soft Drinks
Bottle Water
All you can eat and all you can drink. That’s right, all you can eat and drink. The food was good, not great but you get the stadium experience without being inside.
It’s April, the temperature was still cold, But with the wind, Brrrrrr… Thank goodness they have a club house one level down. You can’t see the field from there, but they have a big screen inside and it was showing the game. (The 3 or 4 flat screens on the roof was showing a hockey game, whaaa?) lol
With unlimited booze, the party was on! The cut off is after the 7^th inning, so remember to loaded up before the 7^th inning ends.
It was a really good treat to be able to see a Cubs game live, Even if it was across the street. Lol. All of us had a great time
If you can’t make it into Wrigley Field, this is the next best thing.

We bought 4 tickets to the 1010 location for the ⁷⁄₁₉ Pearl Jam concert. We had a great experience even though we did not have a view of the stage (they were clear about that when we purchased the tickets so we did not have great expectations.) You could still hear the concert. There was a great variety of food choices, the bartenders were great and staff was awesome. Lots of comfortable places to sit. The event was on a rain delay for two hours and felt lucky to have somewhere to take cover. Even though it was full it never felt crowded. We plan on coming back to attend a cubs game here soon, they have a great view of the field. Overall good experience!

If you’ve already been inside of Wrigley as many times as I’ve been, this is the only way to see a Cubs game from here on out. For the money its beyond a great deal.
I had my bachelor party here with 15 guys attending and it was a blast. The staff is friendly, the beer is flowing and you’ll need a second stomach for all of the food. Grilled chicken, burgers, ribs, meatball sandwiches, Chicago dogs, spicy Italian sausage, and so much more we couldn’t even see straight after the 90 minutes.
We had a 2.5hr rain delay however that didn’t take away from experience. The interior areas are very spacious with tons of seating and big screen TVs. The rooftop beer garden and club style seating give you a great view of Wrigley from the third base line.
When they announced last call they dint have a limit of how many beers you can have, so my group of beer geniuses made their way to the bar and commenced getting two beers at a time for the last 15 minutes of serving until we had 44 beers spread across 2 tables and yes we did drink them. We played flip cup and man did I wish I’d remember ping pong balls… lol.
Booking this place was a breeze and they even setup a private social website for me with link that I could give all of the guys so they could purchase their tickets individually and not rely on one person to have it all on their credit card.
Overall, this place is awesome and it’s probably the only way to see a Cubs game from now on.

This is a baseball fan’s dream! There is no other place that this experience is possible. Even though it’s been updated, sitting atop the rooftops takes you back to the early 1900’s when families gathered and watched the games. This may be the only way I watch a cubs game from now on. Right up there with Fenway and Yankees stadium! Thanks for the experience! There were some reviews knocking the food… c’mon, it’s a baseball game. It’s all-​you-​can– eat and there are several options… you can’t get that in the ballpark without paying outrageous amounts of money. It was not hot when we were there, but there is a large viewing area downstairs that I assume would be wonderful if it was scorching hot on the roof!
Most importantly, thanks for hosting a great event for Barth Syndrome
Thank you to little Henry and his parents Kevin and Tiffini for making this experience possible for a big kid who, when watching Henry during the game, gets a large dose of reality and realizes how lucky he is and how precious life can be. Phil: 4:8−13.

Great alternative to the stadium. Outdoor seating and inside too if you want shade. Food is pretty solid — dogs, brats, italian sausage, burgers. Beer and wine too. Note that they stop serving after the 7^th inning, so plan accordingly. $ 150 is pricey, but for inclusive food/​beer and not ever having to wait for a bathroom, its worth it.

Cubs Sox game 5÷20÷12. Rooftop was only partially sold… maybe 90 of 150 spaces. Weird. I thought it might be crowded but it was pleasantly not packed. Our party of 6 arrived about 15 minutes before game time (no line) and were enthusiastically greeted and sent upstairs. When we made it upstairs, we found the bar and grill easily and started our day. Plenty of food and drink available and great service!
Highly recommended.

I had a terrible experience with Beyond The Ivy — 1010 Waveland. I’m not sure if it’s because we bought the tickets through
or not, but we had some real issues. I bought 15 tickets for the game for a work function for my entire management team.
First, they told us that we could arrive 1 hour prior to the game. However, when we got there and buzzed, the lady yelled at us and told us that we couldn’t enter until 30 minutes prior to the game. Once they started allowing people in, we got to the front door and they told us that they did not have our names on the list. I e-​mailed the list to the contact at
a week prior to the event. It was pretty embarrassing to look so unorganized in front of my management team. I showed them the e-​mail at the door and they took our names down.
Once they allowed us to enter, we got the bar area, where a guy was very, very slowly delivering pizza two slices at a time to the counter. There was a line of 20 people waiting for pizza and drinks. We skipped that bar area and went to the roof. Once on the roof, we had a much easier time getting food and drinks.
The food was on par with Wrigley Field — nothing too fancy or outstanding, but solid BBQ. The beer and wine selection was totally lacking — Bud, Bud Light, MGD, Sharps, Miller Lite and Tecate. The wine selection was 1 white and 1 red Gallo. It was pretty disappointing for $ 150 a ticket ($ 180 including royalties, taxes and fees).
The one positive I can say is that the view was good from the 1010 location.
I would never recommend going to this venue or buying tickets through
based on my experience. I sent an e-​mail complaint to the website, but have received no response.

I was a little skeptical coming into it, but I had a blast at the rooftop. We got there when the doors open 30 minutes before game time. It’s important to get there early because they cut off the beer, just like the stadium, in the 7^th inning.
All of the beers were from cans and were all standard domestics. They also had wine. Nothing to report in the alcohol department.
Different food is available based on the inning. For innings 1 – 3 it was hot dogs, burgers, brats, and sausages. For innings 4 – 6 they added pork sandwiches and a couple other items. Cookies and brownies are available in the later innings. They also serve nachos and pizza throughout the game. The food from the grill exceeded my expectations and at a minimum is better than the ballpark food.
There is an indoor seating area kind of set up like a skybox and of course the roof seating. The roof is setup with bar stools and ledges cascading down for about 20 rows. The roof seemed at or near capacity that day, but we didn’t have trouble finding a place to sit or comfortably stand.
I would probably come back if the price was right. For $ 100 or less you are probably getting your moneys worth if you pig out and drink till your liver hurts.

I would give five, but we had some soggy bun issues and I just can’t do soggy buns. That being said, I don’t think it gets much better than a rooftop on summer night looking over Wrigley Field. I think it just goes into that category «Things That Don’t Suck» and I’m going to leave it there.
I found it odd that their food offerings «rotate» depending on the inning? So, when I first get there my options are boneless rib (always creepy to me), Italian sausage and hot dog. But, if I start drinking without and manage to hold out — the 6^th inning I get that cheeseburger I wanted? But, there are bars on pretty much every level and the view is excellent.