Kuma's Corner: A Pilgrimage

As I've mentioned, I grew up in the Chicago area. Recently, I had occasion to visit family and friends back in my old stomping grounds, so, naturally, Skull and I, along with a few close friends, had to make a pilgrimage out to metal community famous Kuma's Corner.

We headed out on a Saturday night, well aware that Kuma's 1) does not accept reservations, and 2) that the wait time would be over an hour. We arrived at about 6:45pm, and easily found street parking on Belmont Avenue about two blocks from the restaurant. Sure enough, for a party of five, the wait time would be two hours (patio dining is not available for large parties). Actually, we didn't mind so much as the evening was pleasant, and I had an opportunity to catch up with old friends.

During our wait, we hung out close to the door, being able to easily catch the familiar strains of Metallica, Megadeth, and Slayer classics blaring out of the extensive sound system. Although I wasn't paying too much attention, being caught up in conversation, I also caught a few moments of Overkill and Motörhead. After being seated, the music changed to a montage of sludge and doom with YOB being prominently featured. Also during our wait, I used the graffiti-covered facilities.



We finally sat down at about 9:15pm.



I decided to go with the Absu, Skull had the Neurosis, and my other friends respectively ordered Slayer, Lair Of The Minotaur, and Mastodon.





We had fried calamari with jalapenos and lemons as an appetizer. Besides the food, Kuma's also has an extensive craft beer list, and I ended up ordering an Anderson Valley Boont Amber Ale and a Lagunitas IPA.

Besides the great food, the vibe was excellent. The bar's metal memorabilia was prominent, but not overbearing, with vinyl records of Sleep, Napalm Death, Eyehategod, Minsk, and Dark Castle amongst those that I spotted in a row above the bar.



Adorning the walls were photos of everyone from a young, with hair, Rob Halford, to Slayer, to Philthy Taylor. The music was loud, so much so that you had to lean close to have a conversation with companions, and the room was dark. But, the place still looked like a bar/ restaurant, and would not necessarily put off the non-metal crowd (who were there in abundance along with the metalheads). I wore my Deathspell Omega logo t-shirt, and Skull wore his Celtic Frost Monotheist design t-shirt. Other t-shirts that I spotted amongst the patrons included Municipal Waste and Mortician.

As we walked out after finishing our meal, I flashed the horns and said thank you to our waitress. The hostess at the front thanked us for our patience as we left, and I told her that the meal was worth the wait.

It was.