Take Five

UPDATE: To my great sadness, it appears that Take Five is closed for business.
I live pretty close to Take Five, and it’s been a go-​to place for me for about 2 or 3 years now.
To be sure, Take Five is nothing fancy. In fact, for a lot of their dishes, a side isn’t included. But that is the draw, that you can get a basic meal for a very affordable price.
The original idea for Take Fave was that everything was $ 5. However, they changed the prices over the summer, and some items are now substantially more (some even into the $ 15 range). Drinks are often a bit more expensive here, because that’s where they make up for the lower prices on the food. Even refills on soda are charged at full price.
That being said, the waitstaff has always been pretty friendly, the food is always pretty good, and if I’m looking for consistency, Take Five does it for me.

I’m surprised take 5 is usually pretty dead. On nights I have been there, it seems I am 1 of 10 people, but it has a great deal of space and the staff is awesome. I have made friends with pretty much every bartender & the manager James is a sweet heart! I was there again last night and there was some bill confusion because we had so many people on one tab. James kindly fixed it and even paid for a few of our rounds! And on more than one occasion he has given my drunk ass free chips and salsa!

I heart take five! I have been there like a dozen times whether its after a cubs game or a night out with the ladies its always a good time.
I enjoy the atmosphere and watching the music videos on the numerous flat screens. The food is cheap and decent for being so inexpensive. The crowd is laid back and the waitstaff is stellar. When the bartender buys you shots you know you’ve made it!
Ocassionally its quite empty on the weekends but durring games its difficult to find a spot to even stand.

I just loves the Take Five. I would frequently have nightmares about it closing its doors and going to bar heaven… I mean HOW CAN it stay afloat. I always was perplexed when I go there and it is virtually empty on a weekend night, while bars just down the street are overflowing…
But THEN I went there during a few sporting events (cubs, college football etc) and I saw that THIS is the reason Take Five is still alive and Kicking instead of falling into its demise… IT WAS PACKED! Apparently its a SPORTS bar, hmmm…
So anyway, go there during sporting events to join the crowd, or at off times to be sure to get a table and watch cheesy music videos on the screens that APPARENTLY televise games…
The drinks are comparable to the rest of the area and the bartenders known to give some on the house during slow times. The food is great bar food for some cheap munching. Everything from tots to salmon for 5 bucks– that makes me happy. Sign up on their website for the newsletter– you could win a party!

I really like Take Five! The wait staff and managers are always really friendly, and the service is always good.
Each item on the menu is $ 5 — for some of the items it’s a good deal, for others not so much. Order accordingly! Burgers and chili cheese fries are the best.

After learning of our 90 minute wait at Tango Sur, we stopped here for a drink and an appetizer. For $ 5, I had some tasty spinich artichoke dip with plenty of chips and pita although I wish they gave more dip.
I still won’t make this place a destination but it was a pretty cheap appetizer.

I’m not exactly sure what kind of crowd this bar attracts because we came on a weeknight where we were the only people in attendance. It’s not uncommon to have poor service in any bar when you’re the only table, but we were greeted immediately and informed of the nightly specials. Even as our party grew, our server/​bartender (she was the only one working) kept a mindful eye and greeted our recent arrivals within a minute of their seating. Speaking of specials, they have $ 4 shots on Mondays. This was truly an exercise in restraint.
I like the design of this bar. It’s a large square room with a very wide open setup. The combination of the large capacity and the ability to keep limit groups from dispersing into different rooms makes me think that it would be a nice place to hold a large party. In two corners of the bar, there are large C shaped booths with curtains for privacy. We didn’t utilize them on this visit, but I can see how it would be nice to have a little privacy in a bar once in a while.
A friend of mine told me that she used to come in weekly for Grey’s Anatomy viewings. I guess when the show is airing new episodes, they put it on every tv and have trivia contests and prize giveaways during commercial breaks. If you’re a a fan of the show (which I am not) I suppose that might be a fun thing to do with a group of friends. Hey guys — it may not be a bad idea even if you’re not a fan, because I’m told that the bar is chock full of women «looking for their McDreamy» on those nights.
We didn’t eat here, but I’m told everything on the menu is $ 5. My roommate has tried a burger here, and while she said it wasn’t bad, it did irk her a bit that the burger didn’t come with fries. I’m not sure if the sides are $ 5, but if they are, that would be a hell of bait and switch.

This place is alright if you want to have a few drinks w/​friends and watch a game. The food is ok but not very consistant. I once ordered hot wings and received a plate of 14. Not bad for $ 5 and they were good. The next time, there were only 7! Its a different number everytime I go! I do like the grilled chicken sandwich w/​bbq sauce, the fish tacos and home made potato chips you get with some meals.
Most of the food isn’t worth $ 5, especially the side dishes.
Some of the waitresses are horrible. There is one in particular who always looks pissed, doesn’t write down your order and disappears often. I once paid cash and received too much change back. I told her that and she just said, «Oh we don’t deal with exact change.» wtf?
I do have to admit, the party package is amazing. A friend had their bday party there and for $ 27, you get three hours of open bar which includes top shelf liquor and a small buffet. The owner and waitress were super nice to us. Shots are not included, but he gave us our first round for free (there were only a few of us at the time). I definatly recommend having a party here, but pass on dinner.

Take Five is a weird concept. Five dollars for everything. When I went to church nearbye it was a regular stop for me and my poor college student friends, because at least we could count on a cheap meal. My husband liked the chicken, and I liked the quesedilla. Most of the main meals that you order are JUST that dish. Like if you order the chicken, you get chicken. No sides. So you have to order a side, which makes $ 10, not $ 5. So … as a concept, it’s sort of a failure, unless you find ways to get a good meal for your $ 5 — hence my quesedillas.
And it’s a decent place to have a drink and watch a game, or your favorite TV show.
However, the food isn’t that fantastic, and it gets super loud… and over all… most of the time you want to go somewhere else.
If you’re a poor college student, though… give it a shot.

Went here the other night with some friends and again this place never disappoints.
Manager James does a great job with all the specials, events, and sports games that are on and with all the TV’s there is really no bad seat in this place.
Service is always top notch and fast. Never had to wait for a drink and the food is honestly pretty good for the price. I am not a Michigan fan but this place is great for the games in fall and great for Bears games.
Wonderful place to have a quick bites, have some drinks with friends before heading out. They also have a flip cup table now which is nice for a big group.

Take Five has always been friendly to me. All the serving staff have been patient and nice, the huge basket of tater tots for five bucks is TOTALLY worth it, and they have good drink specials.
Besides that, it’s not the best place to be, but it’s a place when you need one. Not a fan of it trying to be a sports bar – it just doesn’t seem like that type of environment to me. With the hi-​top tables and booths, it’s a tad more intimate than your raving sports fans’ neighborhood pub.

Ok, if I had to give TAKE FIVE a little recommendation, here’s what it would be…
Change the name to Tango Sur Waiting Room. GOLD MINE! With the atrocious waits right next door at Tango Sur, this place should team up with them and capitalize on all those steak-​fiending Southportians.
Otherwise, I feel this place has little appeal. The $ 5 for any menu item is sketchy at best. I would rather pay a bit more for better food. However, they have ample space and it fit the bill for our lengthy wait for Tango Sur.

Good place to catch a Michigan game and have some drinks and awesome $ 5 food.
Wait, all the food is $ 5, how did we run up a $ 400 bill? What? 78 Miller Lites. Is that right? Hey guys, is that right? OK, I guess that’s right. Everybody throw in their Amex cards. You win this time Take Five, but I’ll be back… mostly because your food has made me your bitch.

So, while this is hard to believe, there are not a ton of Kansas State bars in Chicago. Since the boyfriend is an alum we are always on the hunt for a place that will show the game with sound. This season some other alum talked the guys at Take Five into hosting the games and he has been a happy camper ever since.
The servers were all nice– we always like a place where the bartender will do shots with us. Makes you feel like less of a nare do well. The beer was cold and there was more then enough TVs to not miss any part of the game. We got some nachos that were unremarkable, but heck for 5 bucks I was not expecting much. All in all a fun football bar and out new home to cheer on the Wildcats!

I wanted this to be my Cheers bar. It’s right down the street, has a nice open layout, and a nice patio … but I don’t think it is to be. At night they play these weird videos on the plasma screens, which are in-​sync with the poor music selection, played too loudly, and not tied to a jukebox.
That being said, I’ve had a fun time here after a Cubs game, sitting outside munching on tasty $ 5 quesadillas and enjoying a nice day.

Turkey legs!!!
Seriously, they have turkey legs on the menu. Whenever I eat a turkey leg, I feel I should weigh a couple hundred more pounds, and wear a crown slightly off center while making profound declarations to my subjects with heavy hand gestures, whipping the turkey leg around while I speak, bits of turkey meat and grease flying everywhere, and juice running down my face, my subjects hanging on every word…
Yes, your highness?
I decree this turkey leg to be the most scrumptious morsel ever consumed by these lips!

Went here for lunch the other day and thought the place was pretty good. I was assuming the portions would be dinky and the food crappy for only 5 bucks, but wasn’t too disappointed at all. I got a meatball sandwich and even took half home.
When this place first opened I heard it was a little more upscale, but I would only say it’s worth it as far as bar food goes. All of our dishes were decent… but decent for the price, not too much to write home about.
The atmosphere was nice for lunch: not too loud, open window/​doors, and the game was on tons of screens (my kind of place).
Downside: EVERYTHING on the menu is $ 5… including the sides (so just forgo the handful of fries or side of taters).

This place was nothing special, but I was actually more pleased with it than I anticipated. I really like the concept, expecially because the portions aren’t the ungodly huge ones served in most cheap restaurants. We shared spinach dip (about one cup of dip and they gave us waaay too many chips and pita points) which was slightly more runny than I like but it had a good flavor, chicken quesadaillas which were good basic quesos, and fish and chips which was a much bigger portion than was neccessary and again, not bad but nothing to write home about.
We were lured in by the $ 4 grey goose drinks, which were tasty if not overly alcholic, but after 4 drinks each and 3 dishes, our bill was $ 50.Our server was very good though.

So my roommates come home telling me that Take-​Five was turning into a Michigan bar and I was totally stoked. Turns out the manager, Mike, was the same guy that turned Duffy’s into THE Michigan bar.
I was apprehensive at first to the quality of the food because EVERYTHING is only $ 5. However, I was VERY surprised at how good everything was. I’ve been there so many times now and I think I’ve tried everything. There isn’t a single bad thing, everything is good. My recommendations include the burger if you like a good grease-​ball — Blimpy Burger style for all you Michigan people out there. My favorite is their nachos, it’s really really good and huge. My roommate raves about the stuffed pepper but I thought that was OK but nothing special. Their gravy fries are SO good, try it! Don’t forget the quesadillas — they are awesome (get some guac with it if your a guac fan like me, it’s really good guac).
I watch almost all my football games here now.
Tip: Monday nights they even have free-​wings if you drink beers during Monday night football. This is my favorite bar now.

Definitely a good sports bar atmosphere. This place has a ton of TVs around so watching the Olympics last night was pretty awesome. The food is typical bar food, nothing to rave about, but I did enjoy the Artichoke Spinach dip, but the dish is too small, leaving an disproportional amount of chips left with no dip.
My friend asked for the drink menu, which they did not have. Their food menus are paper, not laminated. With everything $ 5, you’d think that they were invest in plastic menus so they wouldn’t pay for a new ones from a spill by a drunk person.
The waitress was nice/​standard, came around when needed and the food was promptly brought out. The bar itself is nothing special, but I’ll be going there for the Bears Games for sure, considering the convenience of location.