Hamilton’s Bar and Grill

So for Loyola students, this is pretty much it as far as the bar scene goes. I am lucky enough to go to DePaul and live in Lincoln Park where the options are endless BUT… I wish we did have a place like Hamilton’s around. It’s a decent size bar with lots of seating and some sick specials. They have $ 5 Coors Light pitchers on a Thursday night and a pizza special? Are you serious! The wings are also pretty good and Wednesday night is $ 0.30 wing night, you can’t beat that my friends. Sure, it’s nothing to get too excited about but this place is chill and you can get drunk on the cheap. The staff is also exceptionally nice. When I was there on a Thursday night they blacklighted all of the IDs and there was a mixed crowd. Some college kids and even some young professionals. I wouldn’t peg this place as just a college hangout, although that’s what it’s meant to be.

Faithful readers, bear with me for a moment while I take a walk down Amnesia lane. I spent way too much time, money and brain cells at Hamilton’s back in the 80’s. I even worked the door one summer. It’s what you would expect of a college bar. Drunk frat boys flexing their beer muscles, college girls looking for Mr. Right and other general debauchery. There aren’t many Bars in Chicago that helped produce the dreaded walk of shame like Hamilton’s did over the last 80 years.
The end is near for Hamilton’s. They will be closing at the end of the month. It’s sad in a way, but all good things must come to an end. Do you know what made Hamilton’s great? The people who worked there. Here are a few memorable characters I worked and drank with back in the day.
*Coach: The toughest S.O.B. to ever tend bar. He was only 5’4″ or so, but he could hop over the bar in a single bound and break up a fight between the toughest of combatants. I would get in the Ring with Mike Tyson before messing with Coach.
*John M: The former bar manager. He once took me to breakfast after a six hour drinking binge. He bought me breakfast on one condition. That I ordered ever entrée on the menu. I must have taken 10 meals home with me that morning. And as hung over as I was, I needed all of them.
*Red Head Mark: The former bartender and King of the Hot pizza. Mark’s main goal in life was to make a Pizza spicy enough to kill somebody. I was usually his guienna pig.
*Patron X: I don’t want to even use his first name out of respect for his privacy. X was a former Army M.P. who overcame a major drug addiction. The stories of his Coke binges were legendary. One of these binges led him to steal 50k from his employer just to see if he could get away with it. He ended up confessing and bringing the money back the next day. From what I remember him telling me, he went directly to rehab.
After Hamilton’s closes, all we will be left with is stories. But they are some amazing tales. My first toast of the night will be to Hamilton’s. Not the Bar, but all the crazy characters who made it special.

Apparently this place is closing down October 27^th.
Loyola bought out the property.
Maybe the school can now subsidize freshmen drinking?

After hearing the extremely sad news that Hamilton’s will be closing at the end of this month after 80 years in business I felt obligated to pay my respects with a review.
If you were ever a Loyola student (or stayed on your brothers couch who was because you didn’t want to live at home in the suburbs with your parents after you graduated) then you’re probably at least a little familiar. It is in its entirety, a college bar.
Drunk teens with horrible fake IDs, blah food, cheap drinks, dirty dance floor in the back, and all sorts of other precursors towards terrible decisions that your parents warned you about making. It’s not exactly an older persons idea of a good time, but if you stop for a second and think back to your dorm room daze (no matter where they took place) I’m sure you can find an appreciation for Hamilton’s. Or as we used to call it… Club H.

All you need to know is its a Loyola bar and fake ID’s are all around. Due to its proximity to the school its usually packed with Loyola students and locals would tell you, if in the area and in your early 20s its a spot to check out. It’s usually got a good ratio of chicks to dudes. I’ve met some real characters in this bar; for instance this one dude that was in there to check out women’s «toe cleavage». A true WTF are you talking about moment. Unfortunately it was my cousins’ girlfriends’ toe cleavage he was fantasizing about. Ugh.
Service has always been hit or miss but most are here for other things mainly cheap beer and whatever is on special.

I agree with Jenna G: «Maybe Hamilton’s should take some time to consider their customers, instead of their own selfish greedy selves.» and I totally agree!!! How long does it take to get service at this place?! I will call the owner to complain how horrible. no. as Stephen B says: «Horrid» the customer service is here. Community members in the Loyola area — save your money an do NOT patron this place — your money is too valuable to be disrespected. (I wanted to give this place zero stars however my review would not be saved).

It’s just what you’d expect from a college bar… decent beer, and decent food. Hamilton’s is a combination of those things, and in a way, it seems to work. A nice big bar, coupled with food that fits the beer. I was there in the summertime, so I can’t vouch for what its like when the Loyola students fill the joint, but I bet its packed.
The cheesy tots were something i was looking forward to enjoying, after all, how often do you see tater tots on a menu anywhere, and covered in cheese? Sure, the tots were cafeteria-​standard, and the cheese was nacho-​standard, but with a pint of Goose Island, I didn’t mind at all. Slightly better were the mozarrella sticks, hot and juicy with a cold, yet decent, marinara sauce.
Definately not fine cuisine by any measure, but given the fact that this is a dive bar in a college neighborhood, and given the fact that most dont even have chips or nuts, its a solid choice for a midnight snack and a pint.

30 cent wings! 30 cent wings! 30 cent wings!
Wednesdays are worth checking out here. They have wings (they are small) that are delicious and a nice neighborhood bar feel. The staff/​service is really friendly and quick.
Yes it has a «college» atmosphere because of Loyola but its still Edgewater/​Rogers Park so it has its own culture/​flavor and its a good time for anyone.

Will NEVER go back! Don’t go there!
I have been to Hamilton’s quite a few times, and each has given me more of a reason not to go back! This past time is it… the last straw.
The servers if you can even call them that are always standing around in the corner by the bar either talking or flirting with the bartender. They never seem to pay attention to their actual tables. I have never had a good or even decent waitress before.
Tonight, I went with my boyfriend to watch the bulls game. Majority if not all the tables were there to watch the bulls games. The entire time, the staff refused to turn the volume on for the bulls game, but instead kept the volume on for a hockey game in which the Blackhawk’s were NOT EVEN PLAYING YET. Many people asked over and over to turn the volume to the bulls game until the Blackhawks played and received attitude from the staff members.
The food at Hamiltons is not bad, but it’s not great. It’s bar food you can pretty much get anywhere. P.Co’s, the bar down the street has much better food and tremendously better service.
I am not a big drinker, and tonight I had mostly coke. Be aware that the staff won’t warn you its not coke, but instead RC. Also all my trips to Hamilton’s I have never been charged individually for RC. Apparently it is a new thing in which there are NO FREE REFILLS, something our waitress forgot to mention. Instead I was charged three times for refills of RC at $ 1.75 a piece. I can go to McDonalds and get a large fountain coke for $ 1. THIS IS RIDICULOUS!
Maybe Hamilton’s should take some time to consider their customers, instead of their own selfish greedy selves.

Went here after bar hopping in Edgewater, on a Saturday night, and the place was nice and open. It has plenty of seating and the drink menu has some good deals. The food was fast and very reasonable. The staff is super sweet and responsive.
I will be making a stop back soon.

I can’t speak as to what this place is like on weekends or late at night, as I’ve never been… However, I keep coming back every week for an evening of dinner and drinks with friends.
The food, is exactly what you would expect from bar food. It’s easy to make and goes well with your drink. However, whilst not complex and definitely not gourmet… I’ve NEVER had something I didn’t like. The pizzas are huge, the Italian Beef amazing, the burgers filling, the chicken sandwhiches awesome… Oh, and did I mention the Tater Tots?!? I mean seriously, how can you go wrong with a place that serves Tater Tots???
I’m in my 30’s and whilst there are people in their 20’s there, I have my ID checked nearly every night at the door and the server has ALWAYS asked new people at our table to see ID before serving alcohol.
Speaking of the server… Everone I’ve interacted with there is friendly and attentive and I honestly haven’t had a single problem, nor seen anyone else have one.

This bar is so close to Loyola lakeshore campus, that Hamilton’s population is surely underage Loyola students. Which, I mean is fine because if you’re over 21 and reading this, you need to think about your college days and remember drinking before you turned the big 2 – 1.
Not much to really say about this place, but there are 2 bars and there are drink specials. Long Islands and anything with vodka runs about $ 6 – 6.50 and about 4 bucks for Millers.
Adequate seating if you needed, and there’s a little area for dancing or whatever you want to do in a big empty space.. .
Definitely geared towards college students, and not really worth going to if you are looking for something with a little more swank.

If you are a Loyola student, you have likely been to Hamilton’s long before you turned 21. To a graduate student who stops in occasionally with colleagues because of its proximity to campus, the «youthful» (euphemism intended) atmosphere is all too apparent. I understand that this is a college bar and I might have viewed the place differently at age 18, so I am trying not to let that aspect affect my rating. Good food and drink can compensate for douchey or obnoxious atmosphere, right?
Neither seem to do so at Hamilton’s. Their draft menu is pretty limited (standard American crap, plus «craft» beers like Sam Adams) and overpriced for Rogers Park/​Edgewater, although their beer of the month usually provides a decent balance of quality and price.
On the spectrum of bar food, theirs ranks pretty low. Soggy fries, low quality beef, dry chicken sandwiches, and the like plague the menu. Their wings, which are on special on Wednesdays, are pretty decent.
If you are a college freshman, this place is for you. If you actually have a choice in where to grab a drink, I suggest looking elsewhere. Even if you are looking for a college bar near Loyola, I would suggest Pumping Company above this place. I’ll probably be back, but only out of convenience.

Although I drink like one, I am most ‘def not a college kid anymore… hence why I was there at 2PM on a Saturday rather than 2AM. Stopped in to watch some college football with my flag football team after our game and was pleasantly surprised. The bar is large, open and there are plenty of TV’s. (increase Unilocal-​o-​meter) The place was pretty empty and we had a group of about 15 and the friendly staff was not overwhelmed. (increase Unilocal-​o-​meter) The prices, wow, dirt cheap (increase Unilocal-​o-​meter) but it pretty much stops there. The food was pretty boring/​bland bar food (decrease Unilocal-​o-​meter). Not awful, but not great. I would probably want to try a staple burger or something else to give it a second shot, or just come here for some beers and sports watching.

DON’T GO HERE.
Let me tell a story that just happened to me at this place. I walk in to watch the end of the Bears game and the server gives me a raffle ticket to win a Bears Travel bag. I don’t really pay attention because I never win these things, but of course, they end up calling my number. So another bartender wheels it out, sees me, and tells me I can’t have it because I wasn’t there early enough. I don’t think it’s my problem that the server gave me a raffle ticket and I was there for the end of the game. What’s worse was the rude cury-​haired blonde bartender who gives me an attitude and tells me to come earlier next time. Is there any wonder why the place was empty during the Bears game? So I walked down to the next bar down the street, the Pumping Co. where it was packed, but there was still a table for me and the service was friendly.
Won’t find me back here ever again…

Hamilton’s is the bar for Loyola University Chicago students. It’s seriously the first bar that you go to and your regular Thursday night spot. I have a hundred stories that I could tell you about Hamilton’s from my four years at Loyola… the funny part of that is that I never even went to Hamilton’s during my four years at Loyola!
The first time that I went there was a couple of weeks after my college graduation and it was my first experience with an alcohol inspired migraine headache. OUCH! Needless to say, I only returned one time after that but this time I ordered the food. I love bar food and this is as standard as it comes but it is so delicious… I always intended to return more but having lived in Rogers Park for so long, I never realized how it is actually really far away from downtown.
Well, I’ve returned a couple of times since and the food is just as good as I remember it being. Specials are great, the music is actually really, really good and the drinks are quite reasonably priced. I just hope to make it up there soon for the $ 4 Red Bull/​Vodka Thursday’s, maybe bring on another migraine.
Warning: Though we get older, the regular Hamilton’s patrons never ever seem to age. I look young for my age and I still felt like a Cougar hanging out there. Crazy.

It’s Hammies. If you don’t know Hammies, don’t bother.
If you went to Loyola, even as a commuter, you came to Hammies at least a few times. DePaul can have its Lincoln Park bars. Yes, you can count the number of drinking establishments in the immediate area on one hand, but this ain’t Wrigleyville or Lincoln Park.
I always avoided weekends here for obvious reasons. During the week, especially during the summer… it’s possible to be able to hear yourself talk and sit down. There are inexpensive food and drink specials.
Just watch out for the skanks with fake id’s-tans-body parts and the d-​bags with their Big Ten caps on backwards, when they really go to Loyola.
For as long as I live, I’ll always remember the expressions of the girls in our group when they found out the guys really do pee in a bathtub in the mens’ room.

Ewwww.

The day and night crowd are completely different here. Come here during the day if you’re looking for a chill relaxed atmosphere and a decent lunch.
At night however — — -I agree with the other reviewer when he says this place reeks of rapists. No offense guys, but leering at women and making them pound drinks in a sophomoric act to make them easier is not the way to go.
They have drink specials almost every night and who can say no to Red Bull and vodka really? Just beware of the underage drinking crowds from Loyola-​they get a little too crazy there.

This is a Loyola bar. Hardly anyone there (at night) is over 21. :) And if they are over 21, they are usually lame. Who stays up at Hamilton’s when there are millions of places all over the city you can get into with a real ID?
It’s just… blah. Unless you are with the black tube top/​tight jean wearing crowd… then its gold!