Brando's Speakeasy — Restaurant in Chicago

PROS: one of my favorite karaoke spots in the city in terms of location and vibes! super convenient to get to via public transit since it's right in the loop, always fun. vibes and energy. all the stars are for the consistently great karaoke vibes and crowds. they have a great $5 happy hour deals DAILY (including weekends) from 5 to 7pm. 3 stars for that alone.

CONS: -2 stars for the food/non-alc drink options. For food, the only option is pizza (cheese, pepperoni, or sausage). It may hit the spot of you're desperate, but last time I ate it, it sat in my stomach like a rock. It's giving cheap/low quality frozen pizza reheated in a toaster oven vibes (and I'm saying this as someone who regularly enjoys grocery store / frozen pizzas).

the non-alcoholic mixed drink options ($10+) are more than twice than the cost of alcohol mixed drinks on happy hour ($5). There was a one-off time where the bartender accommodated us with non-alc versions of their signature cocktails for half price ($8) which was super awesome, but unfortunately I was later told (by that same bartender) they can no longer do that. Despite having $5 deals for martinis, mules, and several other alcohol cocktails, their only alc-free drinks under $10 are soda, n/a beer, water, and red bull.

TO BRANDO'S It would be a game-changer to add at least one mocktail on the happy hour deals, and/or officially offer non-alc versions of the signature cocktail at a discounted rate. I really love the vibes and would love to continue hosting karaoke nights here, but I'm very motivated to find a new venue with food and/or drink options I can enjoy at a fair and...

I would've given it a better rating because of the patrons (because they were awesome) however this is about the business. We walked in to meet our friend at her table, that's when someone walked up and told us we would have to pay a cover charge (which was not on the website). We asked to see management. Someone walked up and told us that they started charging cover 10 minutes ago. We asked what time was that, he didn't know. He said that it was on their website; it wasn't. As we was asked multiple questions, he became highly aggravated and actually started waiving his hand towards one of my friends. As we sat towards the door, no one else was charged a "cover charge". One of our friends talked to the guy and apparently they were charging the cover since they were supposed to have other "parties" coming in however he later learned they were not coming and apologized to her. I still felt a tad uneasy for the evening because by the way we all were approached about the "cover charge" that someone should have come to all of us and apologized the same. I will say that the other patrons were...

In Chicago for a work conference. Since we karaoke every Wednesday at home, of course I googled karaoke in Chicago. After reading the reviews we made it a point to stop in... because, as you've read, we actually had to visit in order to write our opinion. I was like...no he didn't just write that. If this is the best in Chicago, then we're thinking it's not a popular pastime Started off bad when the door guy took my water bottle...all 5 oz of it. If you are concerned im smuggling in vodka, then shake it. There were maybe 6 people, but it was just a Tuesday, so ok. Bartender was a young lady, good drinks, not engaging but efficient. She earned the 3 stars. Sign up process wasn't a big deal, we've seen that system on major cruise liners so we're cool with creating account. KJ was..ehhh... not memorable in fact. Establishment can't be responsible for the quality of singers and man, this night was bad. Husband sang one song, we were social enough with the drunk guys, and we left, with that checked off. The End. Im sure if you bring your own party, itd...