Red Kiva

If I could give them less than one star I would. The service sucks. The atmosphere is dry and I’m never coming back. The only thing that was decent was the music. It’s cold in here and everyone looks bored.

Me and my friend, black females in our early 30’s, were in Chicago for the weekend and wanted to try this wine bar since a few locals suggested it. Based on what was told to us, it seemed like it was going to be a cool little chill spot to hang and have a few drinks… UGH…NOT THE CASE!
If you decide to go here please know these few facts:
1. Be prepared to spend $ 20 to get in, if you arrive after 8pm
2. Know that there is a MANDATORY coat check that is $ 3
3. Only expect to hear HARDCORE RAP that is extremely LOUD
4. Don’t expect there to be wine! Even though it advertises as a wine bar
5. Do expect to spend some money on your drinks. A long island iced tea was $ 16, Red Stripe Beer was $ 8
6. Don’t expect to have a seat. The few seats inside were in the VIP and not many at that.
7. Do expect the place to be tiny… very small and tight!
8. Expect to just look at the jammed packed VIP section all night. The way the little place is set up is sorta circular where folks outside of VIP just focuses on the extra crowded VIP are
9. Do expect it to be extremely hot inside, especially since the waitresses are constantly putting sparklers in bottles for bottle service to VIP. (that’s how small this place is)
If you are between the ages of 21 – 25, African American, into hardcore rap and are «tricking»…then this is the spot for you. Anyone else… you will be extremely disappointed.

Ghetto…
I was surprise of the club’s lack of diversity, but more so at how ratchet it got as the night progressed. The music and DJ made so many demeaning comments towards women, I would have left earlier if I wasn’t there for a friend’s bday.

My sister and I had an impromptu date at the Red Kiva Monday night and had a great time. The staff was genuinely nice, the prices for drinks weren’t bad (4 drinks and a veggie pizza totaled 51 bucks), and, if you’re into aesthetics, the décor is modern with a touch of vintage and clean. There was a really nice local band playing alternative jazz. This place was unpretentious and laid back and a great option for drinks, good music, and fun conversation. We sat at the bar by the door so it was a tad bit cold. Otherwise, I had a great time and will return to make sure it wasn’t a fluke.
The name of the band: The headlands

Red Kiva is an «ultra lounge» on Randolph. Drink prices were reasonable ($ 11 most drinks). It was smaller than I expected. It is starting to have an aged look. Music early is really good. Not bad but not great either.
Other hipper lounges in the area…

The most AWFUL experience I’ve had in 2013! The only reason this venue is receiving 1 star is because I have to give it a star.
I attended an event here on July 3, 2013 and the service that me and my group received was terrible! First, I would like to say that this has nothing to do with the event that was being held that night. I’ve attended this event for years and is is always very classy.
Where do I begin… First of all we were sitting in the sponsor section on the patio and a friend of mine ordered a glass of Malbec. When her drink came she tasted it and noticed immediately that it was not Malbec. Another friend of mine who owns her own wine business tasted it and said it was definitely not Malbec but most likely a Merlot. So, my friend asked the waitress what did she bring and she said she didn’t know. She only brought out what the bartender gave her. Then when my other friend looked at the menu she noticed that Malbec was not even an option on the menu… so why did the waitress tell her that they had it??? Then another one of the ladies in our party ordered a white wine but wanted to taste it first. The waitress told her that «we don’t do that». And we all looked dazed and confused. After all, this is a wine bar. o_​O So then one of my girlfriends asked the waitress to ask the manager and see what he has to say. So then the waitress comes back with a shot glass full of liquor. I guess that was supposed to be the wine to taste? Now, I will digress for a moment to state that I am also an event director with a bartending license so I am very knowledgeable about wines & spirits and customer service. Now, back to the event night… So, another one of my girlfriends ordered a glass of wine and her wine not only had cork in it but was not what she ordered. I guess they figured we would not be a able to tell. At this point we asked for a manager. A guy named Reggie came out and he did not even know the names of the wines that they sold. I was beyond done at this point. He was of no help whatsoever.
Since I know the event planner and love all of her events we all decided to overlook the nonsense we experienced and order pizza. The first pizza that came out was beyond cold. You could probably bounce it like a basketball. When we asked the waitress about it she said there was nothing they could do. So we asked for the manager once again and he had a nonchalant look on his face like what do you want me to do? So we ended up cancelling the other pizza we ordered and sent that one back.
Then, if this wasn’t enough… one of the ladies at our table won a bottle of champagne in the raffle to they brought it to the table and a new waitress came to service the table. She could not open the champagne bottle to save her life. She would have been better off wrestling with a bear. She was shaking the bottle up and down and tugging on it. We all were asking her if she needed assistance and she yelled, yes yelled at us saying «I got it!». Now, mind you she did not have it and I was afraid that she was going to put one of our eyes out. So then she walks away and we were relieved because we thought she was going inside to get someone to assist her and she came out with a bar rag commencing to try and open the bottle once again. And once again when we were trying to help her saying if you simply twist the bottle from the bottom it will easily open she did not listen and yelled again «I got it!». Then we asked the young lady where our original server was she asked us how she looked and we stated that she had glasses, the young lady snapped and said «we all have glasses!». We all were sitting with our mouths open at this point. Since we were done with her we decided to just walk inside to get our own drinks and the bartender inside wasn’t any better. She snapped on anyone asking her for a drink. A friend of mine asked her for a shot of rum and she said «WHAT!» so my friend repeated herself and the bartender started mumbling about her drink because it was a rum she never heard of before. Then she kept saying how she couldn’t wait to go home. Then I asked for a lime because we order shots and I was ignored by not one bartender but two bartenders. One was getting a cherry to put into a drink and looked dead at me and walked away. Then the bartender with the attitude came back and when I asked again she had an attitude and picked up a lime and handed it to me with her bare hand. Wrong! I decided to get my own lime and she got mad and yelled at me. Then I asked for the manager yet again.
Really? I’m not accustomed to being yelled at when I spend my money to help a business which also contributes to paying their employee’s salaries. Now, when we alerted the manager Reggie once again he told us that he had to «check a lot of the girls» that night. Huh? Ok, so I am not surprised this is how the staff acts when the management is either totally clueless or does not care at all. And clearly the owner could care less

I wandered into Red Kiva with friends on a Friday night. Remy Martin V was hosting an event and we were greeted with free cocktails. We grabbed a «booth» and ordered a few other drinks. The DJ, Greg, was great, but it was oddly empty. We decided we’ll definitely come back to check it out on a Saturday.

With a last minute change of plans, we ended up and RedKiva and it was a highlight of our trip!
A great little intimate location for some great music. While we were there, we saw Jazzlady Robin in a tribute to Billie Holiday. It was fantastic, as was the staff.

I give this place 2 stars only because the bartenders knew how to make drinks and the music was alright, other than that it would have been 1.
I went here to celebrate a friends birthday and that was the first and last time I’ll be going there. I appreciate businesses that run professionally but they didn’t seem to want to do that on the night we went.
We got there a lil early because no one was really there so we decided to sit, since we were all wearing heels and NO ONE WAS THERE, but the minute we sit down the doorman, for lack of a better word, tells us we have to move because the spot is reserved for bottle service, AGAIN I state NO ONE WAS THERE, so we move to another spot that we were told it was ok to sit at. He comes again and tells us that this spot is reserved for bottles also. Again we move to a table in the back by the DJ and guess who comes 5 minutes later to put a reserved sign at the table…
So «in short» this establishment needs to rethink the importance of clientele be cause contrary to what the tv displays women in heels don’t really like to dance all night without a sit down break.

I sat AT the bar from 6:45 until 7:25 before the bartender approached. This was only after my friend, who joined me at 7:07, had to stand up and wave the bartender over. Notice that I know the exact times because after about 10 minutes of waiting I couldn’t believe no one ever came to serve me, so I begin to watch the time. This is disappointing because only five people were at the bar AND they served people who came in AFTER I arrived. Perhaps I looked like I wasn’t thirsty but I’m not sure how one manages to not look parched.
After all of that, the bartender attempted to charge me more for my drink (I knew the price from previous visits) and my friend hated her cocktail.
On a positive note, the band, although consistently tardy, is great!

Red Kiva is one of those places you end up at. It’s not a bad space but the music is hit or miss and I always turn around when there is a cover charge. Their personality alternates between lounge and club. I prefer lounge. I don’t think they should bother serving food because their menu is a tease. They could also use more top shelf options. Bartenders are cool though.
I don’t like one of the hostesses. She has a nasty attitude and doesn’t know a thing about service. Don’t know her name, but she’s blond and mean. She’s mainly why I couldn’t give them 3 stars.
I like the space. It’s intimate. However, booking an event here is a hassle as other reviews state. I don’t imagine it I’ll close anytime soon, nor should it. I would just love for it to be better.

I must admit, I really like Red Kiva. The atmosphere is nice, the bartender, Charlie, is hilarious, and the prices are really good.
They are really branching out with the events they host. The last one I went to was on Thursday. I was a little shocked because there was a coveer (which there never used to be) and no one explained why. Well, a new promo group took over Thursdays and they are really good and have a great crowd.
Check this place out, but call first to make sure you won’t need cash at the door.

Our friends rented out the bar.
We expected the same music they’ve been playing: Mature hip hop and R&B.
No, tonight they decided that they would bring in a DJ that only plays house music.
Not what we wanted or paid for.
I mean premium bottle service for thirty.
Do you really want us not to pay?
DJ and manager refused to take any requests or play anything else.
Besides, we were the ONLY ONES THERE!!!
On Halloween weekend for that matter!
The DJ almost got his arse kicked when he confronted one of us when we voiced our displeasure.
And the manager was less than professional.
She could have at least told us about the format change IN ADVANCE so we could change our minds.
Instead, we all got up, didn’t buy a single other drink and moved around the corner to Plush based on Unilocal reviews.
Unilocal saves the day again!

The venue itself is actually really nice. I like the chairs, but there are a few things missing: like a good DJ that knows what he’s doing. There were a few technical difficulties that created this awkward silences.
It wasn’t packed last night but there were so many times where the bartender was no where to be found.
Probably won’t come back here (on a Wednesday night) since I’m not a fan of hardcore techno/​progressive. But hey, it might be different on the weekend from what I hear.

I debated long and hard about this review, but I have to give a very low rating and explain why. Early in the week (Tuesday) I called and spoke to Julie at Red Kiva. She wouldn’t talk to me on the phone and insisted I send an email – she promised I would hear back that evening. I was asking about having an event there later in the week. I sent the email around 7PM.
Later, I called back and got Julie (around 2AM). She claimed my email was 5^th in her unanswered emails and I would get a response shortly. I asked her about having my event there on Friday and she said it should be fine, but for things like drink specials I would have to wait for her email. I specifically asked again about the Friday. She said I should just be sure to call and talk to the manager on Friday, so he would know the party details.
I never heard back from Julie, but based on her information I had sent out the invitation.
I called on Friday, as she had instructed, and was told there was an event going on that night. The manager, Charlie, was nice and understanding and told me about the event, said he would reserve some tables, and convinced me that it wouldn’t be a total disaster.
Unfortunately the event going on dominated the entire place and brought a crowd that was mainly standing around, watching the action, and that was rowdy (involved voting by yelling and applauding to vote for winners… long story). My guests told me that we should move, as most people in my party would not stay.
I went across the street to Market, they were very accommodating, gave us some tables and allowed us to stake out our own space. Charlie and the other staff at Red Kiva were also nice about the whole ordeal and agreed to inform my guests where we had gone. I also had to send out an update to the Facebook invite, which wasn’t ideal and certainly not a good way to catch everyone who still thought they knew where the event was.
So, I partially want to write a good review because Charlie and the staff were helpful in fixing the issue. However, Julie was a complete liar and her indifference, laziness, and general lack of professionalism caused a situation that was both annoying and stressful, that head to be dealt with in real time. So, my final thinking is that despite the fact the employs helpful people who helped me solve the problem, they caused it in the first place. In general, I would avoid this place, and definitely do not deal with Julie… There are enough fun places in Chicago that one big strike like this should be enough reason not to go here, go someplace that treats potential patrons right.

Red Kiva… how the heck did I end up here?
Well, a certain Unilocaler, who shall remain nameless, was talking nonstop about Red Kiva’s awesomeness, so we went for a few drinks. To be honest, I was pretty certain it would be another Bön V or Lumen and kept my expectations low. And I was STILL disappointed!
I don’t even know were to begin. Red Kiva is pretty small. It almost looks like you’re visiting a guy friend in a west loop loft that hasn’t been decorated since 1994.
The bar is super chill and the bartenders were very nice. However, the clientele is über shady. There were more than a few inappropriately drunk men here, hitting on girls shamelessly. They were so drunk, some of them fell, others got in a fist fight. Women were dressed to the nines in their shortest skirts and smelled like drug store perfume. Eeeks.
The drinks were insanely strong, and I was wobbling out of there after we saw the fight break out.
I am pretty positive I will not be coming to Red Kiva again!
I added a star because the bathroom is not scary.

Now presenting the Cook County Jail Class of 1993 reunion! Duh Duh Duh Duuuhhhh!!!
Um, no.
When I first heard my Bay Area friends use the word ‘Janky,’ I had no idea of what it meant. I thought it sounded funny. It made me giggle. But, I didn’t understand it. After a trip to Red Kiva, I firmly understand the meaning of ‘janky.‘
Doorman who has to, routinely, run after patrons who enter through the floor window and not the front door. Janky.
Patio area littered with dirty glasses, cigarette butts and trash. Janky.
Feelin’ all up on your ladies’ boo-​hoo-​hoo-​ho-​ty at the bar while she wears a ‘dress’ that shows the world her cheeks. Janky.
Wearing a purple suit, complete with matching hat and shoes. In June. Janky.
Coming out to a club wearing a wife beater that shows your prison muscles, gang ink and scars, complete with ass-​showing, low-​hanging jeans. Janky.
Being able to walk into a lounge dressed like the above. Janky.
Running up in a lounge 7 deep but only one of your girls has money cuz ‘all the men gonna buy us dranks.’ Janky.
At least I learned something new. Educational.

I liked this place much better when it was Rhythm — an innovative drumming spot that apparently didn’t have enough support to survive.
Now it’s just another run-​of-​the-​mill West Loop «lounge».
Seems many of the Black Greek-​lettered organizations love to have events here, including my own. Not sure why, but we do. And every single time I’ve been in the last several years, including as recently as two weeks ago, I’ve encountered an understaffed bar with inexperienced barkeeps and, worse, «mid-​shelf» liquor.
There’s not a time I’ve been that it hasn’t been packed — so then, Red Kiva, is it possible to put more than two people behind the bar? Better yet — more than two people who actually know what they’re doing?
When I was here in April for a party my sorority threw, there had to be 85 percent women (primarily from my organization). We packed the joint, and we came prepared to spend money. Yet, the female bartenders took care of the men and ignored the women at the bar. Huh? I’m being ignored at my own event? Me and my sorors have to get dudes to order drinks for us at our own event because the female bartenders are ignoring us? No bueno. Everybody knows women tend to tip better anyway, so these chicks just blew a lot of their business…
Not only that, it’s almost a guarantee that they won’t have better quality vodka/​brandy/​single-​malt scotch/​whisky, etc. in stock. Ask me how I know. Even the simplest drinks (vodka/​cran, for example) will be watered down to within an inch of its life. Bleh. If you want to play with the big boys and girls in the West Loop, Red Kiva, act like it and keep some top shelf liquor in stock.
Perhaps the organizations are gettng a helluva good deal for holding events here but I’d rather pay more to get more. I’ve singlehandedly encouraged friends of mine to use other venues and stop giving so much business to Red Kiva, which seems to neither appreciate nor enjoy it.

Super HAWT and SEXY…
Went on a Saturday night ot enjoy drinks for my birthday let me teeeeellll you a sister will be back. Although small place — free admission and some place to sit and listen to great music can not be beat!
Alot of couples but there was no need to be agressive everyone was respectful and definitely grown in here.
If you ever in the area on a nice warm day grab a stool by the front window/​piano and just sit back…

Been here on a couple of occassions and I gotta say, not bad!
I have only been on Friday evenings when they have an MC and a live band. The band is really good as well as the rapper, but the band REALLY gets down! Drinks are reasonable and good. Very diverse, chill crowd here. Good place in a great location!
This is one of those places you can go for a first date or somewhere you can take your peeps for a real chill evening. I don’t go enough!