Zanies Comedy Club

Great time! Our server Tyler was very attentive and brought our drinks within minutes! Great performers and experience all around. We’ll definitely be back again :)

One of the worst nights I have had. Rude waiters and terrible management. Customer satisfaction is low on their priorities. All they want is to do is enforce petty and ambiguous policies without common sense or the big picture in mind. I am shocked this place is still open based on their management skills.

My husband surprised me with a night away at Pheasant Run for dinner a show and an overnight stay. When we got to Zanies we had been there before in previous years and it was great. This past Saturday not so much. On 2÷20÷16 we entered the show and were seated the waiter took our first drink order and I handed him my credit card to open a tab. He did not return with card for over 45 minutes!!! When I asked Tyler what took so long he gave me a dirty look and said he didn’t do anything bad with it he just didn’t realize he hadn’t run it and that is what took so long. I said to him I would be checking my bank balance immediately and then he stomped away. Midway through the show he took our second drink order and then it took him about 25 minutes to bring it to us. Finally after the show we were supposed to be given a little ticket from our waiter showing we had paid all we had was the printed receipt no «little ticket», we were then told by security we could not leave without it!!! We made our way through the sea of people waiting to leave and got back to our table where the tip which he didn’t deserve was gone and so was my signed copy of the credit card receipt. We flagged down the manager and he told us to leave through the other door! NEVER EVER AGAIN WILL MY HUSBAND AND I GO THERE. Clearly something is fishy there, the service sucked the first performer couldn’t pull a joke out of his mouth to save his life and the whole night was ruined from this experience. I strongly caution anyone going there, pay cash and make sure Tyler is not your server.

My husband and I came here on our very first date about 8 years ago. We are on the email list for their shows and this week we saw Joe Machi was going to be here, and only $ 10 per ticket (regularly $ 25) so we decided to head on over. We saw Joe Machi on Last Comic Standing and said we’d love to see him live if the chance ever came up. That’s why I love being on Zanies’ email list!
The place itself is attached to the Pheasant Run Resort, which could definitely use some updating! We walked in last night and there were buckets everywhere set up to catch the rain that was falling in from the ceiling. Total turn off… seemed unsafe to have buckets and puddles of water everywhere, just screams renovation.
But if you can overlook the dated, water dripping, and old atmosphere then you will love it!
They have a diverse group of comics that perform here so you will find someone that you find funny. Like I said, if you are on their email list you can see what is upcoming and what specials they have.
They have updated their drink menu and food menu. The drinks are unique and they don’t skimp on the alcohol. The food is still meh, basically something to keep you from getting hammered. I would recommend eating dinner elsewhere before you come here. They have a 2 item minimum purchase once you’re seated so be aware of that. They have pop and non alcoholic drinks as well.
The hosts are always great. They involve the audience and are great at thinking of jokes on their feet. Last night our server was amazing, kept our glasses full but wasn’t in our face during the show.
Overall it is always a great date night.

We came here to see Pat Tomesulo a few months ago. Pat makes me laugh every morning on the news so I wanted to see what he could do with stand-​up. He was super funny and I’m glad we went.
Zanie’s is an okay comedy club. It’s one long rectangular room, so it’s possible to have bad seats if you’re near the back. We got there early and were near the front, so we saw everything perfectly. They kill you with the drink/​food thing though. It’s easy to tell they make all their money on the booze since they’ll gladly hand you 50 free tickets as you exit the door. The drinks were okay and made pretty strong. Our tickets cost between 20 – 30 and then we spent another $ 30 – 40 on drinks. I thought it was funny when Pat started making fun of the «cheese tray» they offered and saying it was from Jewel. He’s right though. They should really work on their food offerings.
If there was a comedian here I really liked, I’d come back but it ends up being too costly to make it a regular occurence.

This is such a great place. The comics are always super funny every time I have gone. The staff is extremely friendly as well.
I would highly suggest making a trip to this Zanies.
5 stars for good management! 5 stars for good comics! 5 stars for the experience!

Had a great night with some friends here for stand up headlining was Kevin Bozeman. Great Menu List And Service That Goes On Through The event. Nachos and pretzel is what I went with and they were all satisfying. Drinks are fair priced. Long as you know and are happy with who is performing, you will enjoy yourself while snacking on some fulfilling food. Parking is street but there’s a garage near by if u feel impatient. Check online to save a few on tickets instead of buying At the door and get there early, seats are first come first serve. Cheers

The comedians were great at Zanies tonight. The rest of the experience needs a little work. First there’s the two dollar fee for ordering tickets through the box office. Really? When you’re paying for tickets it’s a little ridiculous to pay a fee for ordering them. It’s not like they had to mail the tickets to me or do anything extraordinary to help me with the purchase.
Second, they require you to purchase two things per person from their bar. It makes me want to buy less when I am required to do so. Add to that the fact that they were out of most of the food on their menu and the bar part of the experience falls way short of expectations.
Finally, we paid our bill and they would not let us leave until we showed our receipt at the door. We waited for 10 minutes while the server collected money from other tables. After waiting so long, another server came to our table, apologized for the wait, and told us we could leave. There has to be a better way to close out customers’ bills.
On the positive side, we did get some free tickets for joining their text list.
In short, there are better places to see comedy in Chicago. Zanies needs to work on a few things if they want people to keep coming back.

I love stand up! Came here with a large group for a friends birthday.
The interior is intimate enough that you cant get a bad seat. Its very rustic and almost like you are in a barn. Its in a really cute location, within the hotel on «Bourbon Street.» But everything closes so early here.
FYI they only have drinks no food, and its a 2 item minimum. Drinks were okay watered down but okay– but they should’ve added more alcohol because you had to be drunk to think the headliner was funny.
The host and the opening act were very good and super funny. I really enjoyed the host he interacted with the audience! The headliner on the other hand, it was not a good show for him. A table even walked out during his performance– unfortunate. Def looking forward to coming back sometime!

A group of 8 went to see a show Friday night and it was great. We all laughed the entire evening. We are already planning our next trip to Zanies. Fun time.

We had a great time during our first experience at Zanies Comedy Club– both Comedians that performed were hilarious and worked well with the crowd. There was also a full house at the 7:30 pm Saturday night show. One of the things you should know going in– which I did not (though I came as a guest of a friend) — was that there is a 2 drink minimum here– it can be anything, doesn’t have to be alcohol, but the drinks are quite pricey (pop was $ 4). We did enjoy several delicious beverages– they had a great one that included Angry Orchard– and my friends enjoyed their margaritas and mai thai. I thought the price to get in was very fair ($ 22) for the type of show that we were seeing– but definitely would recommend buying them at the box office– it was significantly more expensive to purchase them from ticketmaster. We will definitely come back for another comedy show in the future– great time had by all!

This was an insane act and as with UP, if you go to the right bar after the show (ale house nearby), you meet the comedians and have drinks with them. But midwesterners like their wings and such, so nail that shit down next time. Before it sails away on the ebb tide.

I just want to tell you my wife and I had a wonderful time at Pheasant Run this past weekend, Zanies was a big part of that. The Comics were fantastic. I have not seen my wife laugh that hard in years! We were there to celebrate our 30^th wedding anniversary and Zanies did not disappoint us!
Thank you and everyone that was part of Zanies that night!
Jim and Jamie Lester

We were welcomed by Michelle, who along with her staff was very friendly and helpful.
My girlfriend and I had a great time. We enjoyed it so much we’re intending on coming back this Wednesday for a night out. The entertainment was excellent, I thought the food and drink prices were reasonable. A different menu sounds good, although we did enjoy the cheese platter. A very enjoyable evening out!

Overall it was pretty good. I laughed a lot because the headliner was so funny. He talked about things that my boyfriend and I related to. The host and leading act was ok. Nothing special, but thats fine. The drinks were ok, not too pricey, but they skimp you on liquor. We had a pretty good time. We laughed and that is the important thing at a comedy club.

Fun and different date night.
However…
Get some EDIBLE and tasty snacks on your menu!

I came here for New Years Eve and thought this was a great option for a good date night. Tickets were a tad pricey, but it was a holiday and it included a midnight champagne toast. It was a bit of hassle to have to stand in a line 30 minutes before the show to ensure we got decent seats and was a minor annoyance to be committed to order two drinks in addition to the price of my tickets — but with all that aside, I had a great time.
The drinks are a bit expensive, the cheapest thing being around $ 7. Therefore, if there are two of you, in addition to your ticket you are going to have to spend around $ 30 additional dollars on drinks. They enforce this too — about ¾ of the way into the show the waiter came to tell us we had to order more because we hadn’t met the minimum amount of ordered items. You also have to present a ticket at the door on the way out to prove that you have paid your bill. I thought that maybe if I didn’t want two drinks that I’d be able to order a food item instead but the only thing they have is nachos.
On to the comedy — I thought both the opener and the headliner were great. There were several moments I found myself uncontrollably laughing. For this reason and for the great service, I would come back. I wouldn’t have drinks beforehand while I was waiting to get in — because I am going to have to order expensive drinks once I sit down, but knowing is half the battle.

While in town for Thanksgiving, my dad, my boyfriend, and I came here. My parents live nearby so we didn’t stay at the hotel. We had dinner beforehand, but I did notice the only food on the menu was nachos and snack mix. But like another Unilocaler said, go to Mortons if ya want fine dining!
We arrived early and were seated right in the front. Our server was very friendly and greeted us right away. She was very attentive with drinks the whole show. I had a grey goose cranberry/​pineapple juice that was $ 7.
The warm-​up comedian was funny with a few so-​so moments. The headliner was Larry Reeb («Uncle Lar»). I’d never heard of him but thought he was pretty hilarious! I was basically laughing throughout the show.

I hate to say this, but I’m not really a fan of this location. Was here for a fundraising event a few months ago. We were told we needed to sit in a certain section towards the back of the theater. Not realizing it at the time but we sat at a table right under a huge speaker. I had a splitting, migraine headache by the time the show was done.
2 drink minimum per person… drinks were tasty but were pretty weak. Also, we witnessed one server completely spilling his tray of drinks on some poor woman. Ironically enough, I almost sat in that very same seat… I guess the blaring speaker is better than having a tray of drinks dumped down your back and into your lap?
Some of the comedians’ jokes were pretty outdated. The one guy (can’t remember his name but he claimed he was a doctor during the day) was making references to a hurricane happening that weekend. You mean Hurricane Sandy that happened a few months prior?
There was an incident towards the end of the show where a patron behind us had a medical emergency. The Zanies staff were quick to respond and medics were on the scene shortly after. It was a bit weird because the comedian who was on the stage just continued on with his act… maybe he wasn’t aware that someone had passed out in the audience? Oh… and that doctor/​comedian I mentioned earlier… he just stood from a doorway and looked on (this was before medics arrived).

This review is only a reflection of the Zanies location in Saint Charles — and certainly NOT a review of the performances. When we went here to see Norm McDonald all the comedians who performed, from the host to the opener, a surprise visit from Kevin Farley & then Norm — were wonderful!
BUT — this location is a stinker :-(
This place was clearly not designed to be a comedy club. It’s long & narrow so there are very few «good» seats. And they essentially have no food. Okay, there IS 2 items of food on the menu — Nachos for like $ 5 or $ 6, which consist of a disposable plate of tortilla chips & small cup of microwaved cheese dip, OR «Snack Mix» for $ 4 served in a small disposable bowl. Wow. SO glad I read other reviews of their menu ahead of time as we had planned to eat dinner there! Yikes! Needless to say we ate our meal elsewhere and just stuck to drinks at the club.
If you are looking for a fun night out WITH great food AND a beautiful location go to the Improv Comedy Club in Schaumburg. The only reason we went to Zanies is because Norm McDonald was there.