Top 4 Paint & Sip in Illinois

2212 N Clybourn Ave, Chicago, IL 60614, United States

“Unfortunately did not have a great first experience here. In fact, we left feeling uncomfortable and disrespected. My friend and I came in unsure of what exactly the place was but it seemed like a nice “vibey” place to snack and read, like a cafe? bookstore? bar? meeting place? library? No idea lol! We found it on social media. We were stopping by half an hour before our spin pottery class started and had only been there maybe a total of 30 minutes. Half of which we spent looking around at books to purchase and going to the bathroom before a place on a couch finally opened up for us to sit and read. The other fifteen minutes is what I’m about to explain now: We sat listening to the music and looking through our books for not even 10 minutes before a lady with short, blonde hair approached us off-puttingly with “So What is it you’re going to order?”. Mind you, we hadn’t been handed a menu and at the time did not know there was a drink per hour minimum (again, regardless of that, we were sat for less than 10 mins). I’ll just do a back and forth of the exchange. Her tone was sarcastic and condescending and we were genuinely confused as to why. Me: “Sorry, we didn’t know we had to order something right now” Her: “Well, this IS a business” Me: “We’re aware… we just didn’t know what type of place this was. We’ve never been here” Her: “I’m not sure what you’re used to but we are at capacity and would rather have PAYING customers here” My friend: “Oh….kay. Yeah, um we’re actually leaving” and the lady proudly prances off to greet other customers. I was so upset by the interaction, no longer interested in purchasing the things I had in mind, so I went to the bar and asked to speak to someone privately. I already assumed that the blonde woman was likely the manager (She WAS). She walks up with the same snarky demeanor as before but you can tell she didn’t expect to be pulled aside. I just let her know how to properly speak to customers and how incredibly uncomfortable she made us. That it’s not okay to insult potential customers based off of personal dispositions, but luckily for her, she chose someone who will sit her down the way a teacher would a student instead of yelling. It’s just sad how proud she seemed of herself when she treated us that way and even sadder that a new, young customer such as myself would need to breakdown the issue to her. A simple “Hi! How are you? We actually have a food and drink minimum for seating. Here’s our menu so you can get a chance to look” would have gotten the message across just fine that we should order soon. She just stared at her toes and apologized for her approach and for not handling things better and then we left. It just sucks that we thought we found a cool, quaint place but left feeling unwelcome. Although we didn’t get to try anything, the food smelled like it could have been good. I wanted to try the pizza. Also, there seemed to be a lot of things offered there, we just didn’t get to experience that the way others did that night. The music was loud but there were private rooms you could reserve. Anyway, we’re still unsure exactly of what this business is categorized as since no one took the time to explain when asked, but it seems centered around money and lacks overall customer service. The bartender with red hair was nice though! And the nice guys at Jimmy John’s next door really redeemed our experience at this place.”

1441 N Ashland Ave, Chicago, IL 60622, United States

“Mario is a through and through professional and a quality tattoo artist. At 35 years old, I’m building a sleeve and made sure to do my due diligence finding an artist who is not only talented but also committed to helping me cultivate the right aesthetic for what I was going for. Mario is willing to help you as much as you need and provided a hands down quality customer experience. In the last week he’s helped design and done 6 tattoos and I’m already booked for 2 more sessions before the new year. Writing this review bc I believe in small businesses and Mario Ink is a 5-star business—I highly recommend this artist.”

734 W Main St, Peoria, IL 61606, United States

“I have found my new favorite eclectic area. The shop and work are amazing. The staff are friendly and so helpful. So much work on display that is really beautiful. I bought my sister a gift certificate to take a class in glass blowing. I was so impressed I am sending my daughter and wife with her as they are both interested too. There are so many artists in the building. It is really a interesting and neat place to go. I was shocked when I went in to see how nice it was inside. If you're into local art and eclectic pieces like me you will love it.”

6249 S Archer Rd, Summit, IL 60501, United States

“Good atmosphere, drinks are priced fair, the security guy that was walking around the place was above and beyond great, always on point, get that man a raise”