95 south
“I ordered the Baby Rib and Jerk Chicken to take out.”
“We had the Brooklyn Iced Tea, Peter Pan, Buddha's Punch, and the Spiked Lemonade (The Brooklyn Iced Tea and the Peter Pan are a MUST TRY).”
“Definitely wanna come back here just for that bartender.”
95 south
Takes Reservations: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Good For Dancing: Yes
Happy Hour: Yes
Outdoor Seating: Yes
Has TV: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
7 reviews
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[Note: In private correspondence the owner of this establishment called me a "punk a$$" and threatened me with physical violence because of my unfavorable review. I'm more than willing to share these emails in full with anyone who wants to see them.]
They usually keep the door closed and lights dim, so you can't really look in and see the place. From the outside, one can only guess what the scope of the inside is like. Bar? Restaurant? Who knows? There's no menu posted outside the door. The windows are usually dirty.
The only way you'd know it's a bar is by seeing the loud, obnoxious drunk guys with beers and / or in their hands hanging outside the place.
The neighborhood is changing, People love to see stores like Wino(t) and Bob and Betty's. Everyone. What everyone does NOT love to see is troublemakers outside of a bar, which is often the case of 95 South. If the owner was serious about running a business that was inclusive of everyone in the neighborhood, he would make sure that his clientele doesn't spill out on the sidewalk, cat-calling women and stumbling around.
One afternoon, we saw the doors opened, and decided to order food. There were very few people in there, but the waitress / bartender, although friendly, didn't really have hustle. I can sort of see why people would get frustrated with the service here. Luckily it was nearly empty so we got her full attention.
As she walked away from us, some dude walked in and said something we couldn't hear. She yelled "Not now. I don't want to hear it. What are you in here for? Get out!" I believe we were witnessing some kind of relationship trouble in real-time. She seemed very agitated and left the bar area. He looked menacing, but thankfully, he was on the other side of the bar.
The people in the bar looked pretty tough and drunk, but the guy sitting next to us was mildly friendly. Didn't take his iPod out of his ears while listening to us. Didn't look at us while he was talking to us. That's fine. This is Prospect Heights, not UWS.
The food was not so impressive (I've always wondered by it never smells like cooking food from the outside; you'd think that smoked ribs would make the front of the bar smell yummy. Go figure.)
On our way out, one of the young drunk guys was stumbling around and bumped into me with my bag of food. Being raised to be respectful of my common man, I apologized to which the person exclaimed "You better be!" and stomped his foot in an effort to scare me. Since he looked nearly 6 feet, had "saggy pants" and was obviously very inebriated, he succeeded in scaring me. One can only pray that this bar goes away and is replaced by a, I don't know, a Whole Foods? A Trader Joe's? A *good* coffee shop? A respectable bar?
To be honest, this is not a good crowd. Racist, non-inclusive, menacing, loud, obnoxious, disrespectful of women… One thing you can say of gay bars. They love you no matter who you are; they're warm and know how to party. This place is a sad stain that needs to be removed from the neighborhood.
Ribs: B+
If you're a Memphis ribs kind of person, this is B+. If you're a BBQ sauce ribs kind of person, they'd be B-. Meat was soft (but not "fall off the bone soft", so they were either smoked for a long time or marinated for a long time. Because of the flavoring, I'm guessing they were smoked for a long time.
Fried Chicken: B
I found the chicken to be a tad dry. We ordered the dark meat which should have been very juicy. It was only moderately juicy. On the plus side, the breading was fantastic and evenly layered. Still (and I'm sorry to say this) I prefer KFC or Popeye's.
French Fries: B+
They were the steak fry variety. I'm pretty sure they were previously from a frozen bag of french fries.
Collard Greens: F
Wow. I'm a fan of collared greens, and these were the worst I've ever had! Youch! Tasteless and mealy. I took one forkful and threw the rest away.
Mac and Cheese: B
It's always sad to see mediocre mac and cheese because the potential for a really good Mac and Cheese is sky high. The good is REALLY FREAKING AMAZING, and the bad can be so disappointing I want to cry. These were smack dab in the middle. Considering the calorie count, I'd never get them again.
People freakin' relax. I agree with the reviewer who said that folks need not be intimidated by the "black bar." Live a little, mix a little and relax a little.
I must say that if I hadn't developed really good rapport with the bartender I too would be a little frustrated with the service. If they don't know you, they can be pretty inattentive.
The drinks are super good and strong especially the nutcracker. I took my mom here for happy hour once and the aforementioned drink had her drunk dialing her sisters and then she passed out.
The food is pretty good though it takes a while. I really like the buffalo wings and the catfish and yams are cooked just right. My friend had the jerk chicken and she really enjoyed it.
It's all good to hang out and then around 9 or 10 when they start charging cover it turns very quickly from a laid back round the way bar to the club. If that's your thing then you should be set. I actually stayed one night and the DJ was spinning good dancing music and it really wasn't all that bad. I think it provides an alternative to the neighborhood. Franklin Park is cool but it's nice to switch it up.
Good food. Made fresh to order and the place is always packed so expect a bit of a wait. The food is worth it!
I came here to celebrate a friends b day party on a Tuesday night and the place was packed like it was Fri/Sat. Im getting old because I couldnt believe how many people were hanging out so early in the week. I didnt order any food or drinks because I wasnt staying long. However, the crowd was mature and the location was cool. The music was pumping R&B and Hip hop and we had a great time. I will definitely return just to hang out and check more spot on the infamous Franklin Avenue. I couldnt believe how much this neighbordhood has changed with its cafes, lounges and bars.
95 south, so glad it's here up north. Came here cuz another restaurant lost my reservation. They had a groupon deal ($40 for 20). Decided to try it out; not knowing what they served or the ambiance.
There was a security guard at the front door. Walked into a large space. Not many tables and a lot of dance floor space. There was a pretty big bar with seats around it.
We came for dinner but it seemed like most of the people were there for the drinks and dancing. Can't blame them, the drinks were on point. They had unique names like Peter pan and Brooklyn iced tea which was similar to a long island except they used Hennessey. I saw that and knew I had to try it. Drinks came quick and they were potent and not small; great value. I ordered the southern fried chicken with Mac n cheese and sweet potatoes. It was so delicious!! I cleaned my plate and my wife was even trying to grab a piece of chicken off my plate.
Service was pleasant and prompt. It seemed like she was the waitress and the bartender at the same time. She even took care of a few carryout orders in between.
The music had us rocking while we ate. They played mostly 90s and 2000s music with a couple of tracks from the 80s and current strayed in between. Turned out to be a real good night. We even left with a little stagger in our step and a craving to come back soon to try other menu items.
Came here for a late night date night via Groupon's suggestion and we had a heck of a time. The music varied from old school, 90's music, and current hits and the way the place was set up plenty of room to dance if you wanted. There was a bar with seating to the right upon entering and plenty of tables along the wall on the left side of the place. We chose our own table and the waitress was over not too long after we sat down with the menus. There was so much to choose from on the food and drink menu and the prices were pretty reasonable. However, we were able to narrow it down to a Fried Chicken dish and a grilled shrimp dish. The Shrimp was cooked perfectly, the Fried Chicken was on point, the mac & cheese was good (not like mine though ;o) ), the yams ( I was sad I didn't order them myself), and the collards greens definitely was holding their own. The portions were also pretty hefty as well, you definitely will no leave hungry! The wait for the food didn't seem too long but our drinks were out in no time so I didn't even notice if there was any wait.
Once our food came, it was a wrap. Not only did it look god but it tasted GGRRREEAATTT!.. I love me some southern food so the plates we ordered hit the spot, the flavors were amazing!!!… Lol I'm ready to go back already even if it's just to go for a happy hour but I'm eager to try their entire menu. I definitely tasted a lot of love in the food and the drink menu was very unique. We had the Brooklyn Iced Tea, Peter Pan, Buddha's Punch, and the Spiked Lemonade (The Brooklyn Iced Tea and the Peter Pan are a MUST TRY). The venue also does take out, a brunch buffet on the weekends and they cater events.
I was wandering around, and I stopped to peer in the window. A guy walked in past me and said, "C'mon in, it's a friendly place!"
How could I turn that down?* So I stopped in for a drink. It was pretty much empty, except for my aforementioned buddy and the bartender. But both of them WERE friendly, the beer was cold, and the bathroom was surprisingly clean.
I'm slightly confused by the review that mentions this being an excellent bar in which to be shot. I asked around, and no one wanted to shoot me. Although, to be fair, I only had the one drink.
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*Probably with a simple, "No thanks." Or by just walking away. I didn't even know that guy.