After five years of serving our wonderful patrons the best craft beer we could get our hands on , we pour our last drink tonight . We would like to thank all of you who enjoyed your Villains experience . So this evening plenty of drink specials to give us a proper send off . Also a big f**k you to Jos. Cacciatore & Co our current landloard for making it impossible for us to stay in our location.
Well apparently they didn't like their landlord. From what we've been told, Villains is looking at various locations in the South Loop and outside of the neighborhood. We wish them the best and hope they stay in the Sloop. They have a great place in our heart and will truly be missed.In other South Loop retail news, it appears that Toppers Pizza (2 East. 8th Street) is moving in on State Street (next to Ace Hardware). We wrote about this back in Mid-September but weren't sure what it would be. However, how many Pizza places are too many? This puts three pizza places all within essentially one block of each other on the same street.
We've never had Toppers, but are always interested in trying some new pie. Does anyone have an opinion on this place?
(Hat tip: R, JK, DJ!)
18 comments:
Any idea what's going on with the building Villains is/was in? They've been doing some kind of rehab to the building but I can't figure out what or why.
Seems like the way the local economy is working it'd be easier to knock the building down and put up a high rise premium condo building.
Villains should open up in the ole hardwood location. That would be great location.
great idea 9:57am Anon!!!
Toppers is decent, used to love the Topperstix in college. Chicago has so many more high quality options, it's surprising they would pick a location with two good ones right down the block. Anyways, it's good to have options and these guys will almost certainly be competing on price.
dumb idea, its too expensive to go in that spot.
I'll bite, where is this former "hardwood location" at? I was never in Villians as it always looked dark and dank in there, but it sounds like the food had been good. I too wonder what's planned for the building then.
who cares, probably another daycare center or animal hospital
I always enjoyed Villains. Small space, but good food, service, and specials. I can see them finding a spot by Reggies or Motor Row.
I just had Toppers for the first time this past weekend in Indianapolis. Not the best, but great late night option. And possibly the best ranch I've ever had.
Just want to add that Jos. Cacciatore Inc. are the owners of the 649 Clark Street property that was the former home to Villains. They are nothing shy of common criminals! Their business practices as landlords are a blatant illustration that Mob politics are still quite at large here in Chicago. As a former tenant and former South looper, My wife and I are so happy left that place!!! We reached out to so many people, including your fabulous Alderman and received NO help from anyone. If you have any pride in your neighborhood whatsoever, you need to stand up to these scumbags as a community!!! Thanks for your ears Southloop!
Moving Villans to the Ole Hardwood Space (Wabash just south of 13th) would be the most amazing move ever.
I do have to chime in on this one. After being a regular of Villains for some time, I have to say that they slighted me a few to many times for me to give a damn where those pretentious owners end up. I have never seen a handful of guys that were more in love with being owners than making customers happy, as evidenced by their godawful service staff. Complaints (reasonable ones) went challenged, and they ran their place poorly. Bad landlords may be a part of the problem, but that place broke my heart because I genuinely wanted to keep going there but couldn't accept their floating specials, portion inconsistency, and generally bad service. Great space though-- a shame it wasn't just bought out and reopened. Check their Yelps-- I am not alone.
honestly, the only pizza joint i want in this neighborhood is of the naples variety; i.e. thin, burnt crust, simple toppings.
toppers sounds like it will be the opposite of that. whatever.
i liked villians, although they had the most lopsided pool table this side of the rockies.
VILLIANS SUCKED....worst service ever and the owners/staff were some of the rudest and laziest people in the industry.
( based on me going 5 times )
Gonna have to agree with previous commenter, I really wanted Villains to succeed... I used to go there all the time, but I stopped going because the service was horrible and the staff was rude. I promised myself I'd never go back. Looks like I wasn't the only one.
Also, kudos to Sloopin for allowing anonymous comments again... The previous format was a pain in the ass. Haven't commented in months, and wasn't going to today, till I noticed the change. Thanks!
Chicago has a lot better pizza options than Toppers but there's a place for everything, inlcuding Papa Johns. The good thing is Toppers is a chain which means they will have the financial backing to hold out through the good times and the bad. New business = good things for the Sloop!
Villians had good food but terrible service. It amazes me when bartenders and servers ignore customers on a Friday night! Hopefully they aren't gone forever and will clean up their act. Moving to the Old Hardwood location on S Wabash would be awesome!
I wish the Villians owners all the best. I have no idea who had bad service - they were always great when I went there. They opened an hour early the day Lollapalooza was evacuated due to the storms (even though they weren't ready yet) and let us hang out away from the hail before they could even serve.
It is a real shame that Vilians closed up. That was my down-low joint I used to take my other ladies to. It was the kind of place you could take a lady and it was just nice enough that she wouldn't know you were a playa and that it was your down-low place. You could sell her on it being just a neighborhood local joint.
The waitstaff also turned over enough that if you went there every month or so with a new lady they wouldn't recognize you since they were normally pretty new.
Place was also grubby enough that you could convince your wife that it was too dirty and nasty to go in there.
It was perfect. I'm going to miss it.
Anyone got any other DL joints in or near the sloop since I need a new place now
Really disappointed.
I hope they find another nearby location. Villain's had the best burgers in the Printer's Row / South Loop area. I'd order ahead and pick-up on my way home from work.
We only just moved to the neighborhood and I would brag about this place to my coworkers. While they talked about going to trendy big $$ places in the actual loop, I'd say I've found the place with the best burgers that kind of feels like a hole-in-the-wall, but it's fuggn amazing... My place... "Villian's" was much better then any of theirs. The other places in our neighborhood are either too commercial "bar louie" or the food is kinda not-so-great "blackies"...
They say Chicago's South Loop printer's row neighborhood is up-and-coming, but if we keep losing independently owned places like this it's going to be just like everywhere else. Blaaaaaaa and booooooring. The only place left that I can really talk about is The Curry House, and that little record shop "H+". Reggies is too far from us... Damn you!!!
Think of how the old Dearborn train station could have been a great little mall, but now it's all doctors offices. Shame on Jos. Cacciatore for being so hard on a small business...
Also, I would have bought a hoodie and a t-shirt from Villain's if I knew it was going away. I was eying those things every time I went in.
Anyone know what was the back wall made of? The wall behind the bar? I kept thinking that they were maybe the cardboard coverings that came on the handles of caskets? Even if they were not, I'd like to think they were.
Please let us know if Villain's re-opens anywhere. I need another outlaw burger NOW!!! (Vegetarian Patty Please)... And some tater tots. Arrrrg, so mad about this.
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