Chicks On The Square

The drinks are good, but overpriced. The potato soup is excellent. The chicken is okay, but personally, I find it watery. The «chicken lips» almost taste like they’re injected with water. The food is very well-​priced, in my opinion. Sometimes crowded. It’s a good place to hang out with friends. I’d give it a B by Macomb standards.

The service was great and the lips even better. I got 2 buffalo and 2 BBQ. Their in house made bleu cheese was creamy. I highly Reccomend to out of towners like myself. I am visiting and it is the top most suggested by my local friends. They also have hard cider on tap as well.

I want to give it a 4 star rating, but I just can’t do it and be completely honest and fair.
I went here and it was as you can imagine– mediocre. First, when I was in I am seated and my waitress is… robotic in her manner. No pep, not cheery, just blasé.
Ordered the Chicken Lips Nachos. The sauce was okay (Frank’s Red Hot, butter, and a little cayenne/​garlic mix), the lips breaded over a plate of dull nacho chops from a bag. The bad part, was that it was cold when it got to my table.
Also, I am not sure if this is normal or not, but they weren’t taking credit cards when I went. Maybe the machine was down or something, but when they came to the table to take orders, they told us upfront it was cash only.
Other than a few little things, it was a nice place, with potential to improve.

Every time I come here the staff is please t but u feel like they should be quicker at recognizing what people, for example a drink or a bill

We were referred here by the rental agent at my child’s apartment. Service is slow and perfunctory. We had to ask for drink refills, and our waitress took her time bringing them. The lips (chicken strips) are huge, so order accordingly. In our party, we had lips that ranged from perfectly cooked to tough and stringy. The sides were tasty, especially the cole slaw. It was okay, but I don’t understand the long lines. There are much better restaurants in Macomb.

Any place that serves an item called «chicken lips» deserves a try. Good thing we did because it was crazy good!
The place has a sports bar feel with plenty of screens to watch a game on. They have a large martini menu (I know, you wouldn’t expect it, but they do). The four of each ordered a different flavor and ALL were so good! If chicken lips (basically large chicken fingers) aren’t your thing, they have other items to choose from on their menu as well. Their potato soup was out of this world too. However, I highly recommend the lips! I ordered the wrap and it was so filling. There is just enough buffalo sauce on them. They also have waffle fries!
Overall they are decently priced, cheap really. The service was great — she was very attentive and we were all impressed that she did not need to write anything down! I would definitely come back again.

In terms of a small Midwest town, this place is great. The staff was friendly and pretty on point. The food was tasty and in large portions. Great value for your dollar. They have two things that are their claim to fame. One is their large list of martinis. Somewhere over 50, I believe. The group I was with tried about 4 of them. Everyone seemed to like them. Im a beer guy and was a little disappointed that they only had 5 (possibly 4 or 6) beers on tap. The second thing is they have what they call «lips». Its just a fried chicken strip. I don’t understand why they call it a lip but it doesn’t really matter. It is what it is. My brother had the spud with a lip (a baked potato with a chicken strip on top with all the toppings). It actually looked amazing and he said it tasted as good as it looked. I would go back here again when in town.

Chicks is a definite must for any trip to Macomb. Their Lips are out of this world. I have not found a place anywhere that compares.

It’s really just a place for college kids to go for food and drink. The food is alright but its really loud and well you know how obnoxious college kids can be when drinking.

Great time — good food when visiting WIU

Went to Chicks the other night for the first time and it was AMAZING!!! The staff was very friendly and the food came out promotly! It was very flavorful and delicious! You get huge portions for what you pay, it doesn’t even compare to BDUBS high prices and small portions. Definitely a new favorite and I WILL go back!

Chicken lips instead of strips, they are huge & 2 will fill you up. I’d heard quite a bit about this place & their martini menu is a novel idea in this town. Several to choose from & I tried two, the dreamsicle and the cherry starburst both good. I will eat here again next time I’ll try the lip fries, looked yummy. My only complaint is that they don’t have more dipping sauces. Only their lip sauce, buffalo or ranch. I like honey mustard, Polynesian or something else to choose from.

Chicks on the Square makes giant fried chicken breast strips and they do it well. I came in around 3 PM on Thursday and was greeted at the door, but I chose to sit at the bar. They have a decent craft beer selection. I went with a bottle of the Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA and it was served cold in the bottle with a cold glass.
For my food I ordered the 4 piece Chicken Lips (which is what they call their large chicken breast strips), 2 dipped in BBQ and 2 dipped in Lip Sauce, with a small order of waffle fries. I was expecting them to be big but not as big as they actually were, which is a good thing.
What I got looked and smelled excellent in the form of 4 HUGE breaded and fried Chicken Lips glistening from the dipped-​in BBQ and Lip Sauce. I cut up one of each and went to town, and they were delicious! Imagine your favorite fried chicken wings, but instead they are huge, tender, juicy, perfectly crispy fried chunks of delicious boneless real chicken breast meat. The BBQ sauce tasted like some sort of soda-​based bbq with some kind of tang in there and paired great with the ranch. The Lip Sauce was the perfect blend of spice and hotness, not so hot that it burns but just enough so that you know it’s there — and with the ranch — DAMN.
The Waffle Fries were decent, but nothing to write home about. Being that they are pretty much the significant side dish, I was expecting a little more from them.
The one issue I had was the service, and it was not the server’s fault. After the bartender served me, he disappeared with one of the other servers/​hosts, leaving one waitress to serve the entire restaurant. In the industry, this is what we call a dick move, and BAD management. The place soon filled up with customers. This waitress comported herself with grace under fire. While clearly frustrated as any person would be in her situation, she sat all the customers, took their orders, got their drinks and food out to them, and did an overall OUTSTANDING job.
What I had heard about this place was that it was overpriced. While pricey, if you really look at the portion size of the Chicken Lips, it is in line with what you would pay at any other restaurant and some fast food places. It may not be an everyday place for the budget conscious WIU student, but I would much rather nosh down on some of these Dipped Chicken Lips than Buffalo Wild Wings anyday. And in my opinion it’s MORE AFFORDABLE than B-​dubs. The only thing I would say is, why no 2 piece option?
Management, don’t screw your servers over. Not everyone in there will understand that it’s not their fault, and they will get screwed on tips.
It’s a chicken place that specializes in chicken. Order the Chicken Lips. Simple as that.

In need of some chow after an extended tour of the Western Illinois campus, the family and I journeyed over to Chicks on the Square after several people on campus gave glowing reviews. Our first impressions were generally positive, as the restaurant appeared clean and well maintained.
The first signs of trouble came when our server appeared. While she appeared in a timely manner, she just went through the motions as she dropped off the menus and robotically took our drink order. While our server performed all the required tasks (taking our order, keeping us hydrated, checking in after the food was served and dropping off the check in a timely manner), she gave off the vibe that she really preferred to be somewhere else. I’m not sure if it was because her employer required her to don a tee shirt with the goofy «got lips?» phrase emblazoned across her chest or that her skintight jeans had squeezed the soul from her body, but her lackadaisical attitude set the tone for the mediocrity that punctuated the rest of the meal.
Famished from our walking tour, we eagerly ordered the chips and salsa as an appetizer after our server assured us the salsa was homemade. The freshly poured from the bag chips paired perfectly with the salsa that tasted suspiciously like the mild Tostitos salsa from the local grocery store — so much for homemade.
For our second appetizer, we ordered the waffle-​cut fries, which were typical freezer bag to deep fryer bar fare. The one thing that stood out was a couple of semi-​frozen fries at the bottom of the plate. I was not sure if they were a garnish or if I should redeem them at the bar for a special prize… strange.
Since the other Unilocal reviews sang the praises of the chicken lips, the signature dish of Chicks, I ordered the Chicken Lip Wrap. As soon as my laconic server delivered my entrée, I realized I chose unwisely. It did not even pass the eye test as my meal was enveloped by a waxy, largely flavorless tortilla with a greenish hue that only the wicked witch of the west could love. Things did not get much better on the interior of my wrap, filled with pre-​grated orange cheese, chopped iceberg lettuce and two «chicken lips».
The bland lip sauce inside of the wrap soaked the breading, making it slough off into a soggy pile of mush. Without the breading, all that remained was large stick of unseasoned, rather chewy white meat… just not my deal, sorry.
For sheer suckitude, the grilled spinach pizza took the grand prize. Its razor thin pepperoni added no flavor. The limp, thin crust added absolutely no texture and the institutional-​grade cheese provided little flavor but added a lovely greasy sheen to the top of the pie. By far, the worst component of this dish was the foul creamy spinach sauce… epic fail. My 18 year old could only stomach a couple of pieces before throwing in the towel.
While Unilocal did a superb job of guiding us to some terrific restaurants during the rest of our trip (Springfield and St. Louis), the four star rating of Chicks has me puzzled. If my son decides to go to Western, I think I will just pack a lunch when I visit him rather than return to Chicks on the Square.

Their chicken «lips» are HUGE! The food here is really good. I’m very glad we stopped in and gave them a try.

The lips in their sauce is soo good. Also, I’ve tried their chicken sandwich with cheese, which is superb too.
Only downside is the place is always crowded.

I know this a local favorite and believe me, it TOTALLY deserves it! Chicks is slightly below a five star rating. Let me start off with their fantastic food.
The menu of Chick’s revolves solely around their extra large chicken strips called «lips». Everything I have had tastes perfect. Their lips either come naked, soaked in a tangy BBQ, or slathered in their special lip sauce. I have tried everyone of those and they are flawless every single time. I have tried the soups, spuds (potato with lips on top), and lip quesadillas. Their waffle fries are also spectacular.
Chicks also offers a full bar and have a huge selection of margaritas and alcoholic drinks. That’s a complete plus considering the location of being in a college town. There is plenty of seating and I have never had to wait very long for a table.
The staff could be more inviting which is really where the place falls short of a five star rating. Today when we went in, the air conditioning was barely working. The music was extremely loud even though there was barely anyone in the place. Could have just use a little more consideration on those two things.
But overall, Chick’s is probably the best place in Macomb. Great food and nice atmosphere. Great for groups.

Great food and I was pleasantly surprised the last time we stopped in to see that they’ve extended their beer selection to offer a few craft brews. This place is definitely a must.

I’ve always loved Chicks from my time at WIU from 2005 – 2010, but after my graduation I still make time to get over to this gem when I can, or am passing through the area.
Macomb’s food and restaurant selection is pretty slim and poor at best, and this is where Chick’s steps in and blows most of the competition out of the water. The lips (boneless chicken) are phenomenal, and their buffalo sauce is one of kind amazing. I can’t explain how many times I have gotten these wonderful, spicy pieces of chicken. They make cold and delicious martini’s and have plenty of beers on tap for a small college town.
The restaurant is a bit small, but honestly I have never been there where that was an issue.
To top it all off they have probably one of the best people leading this store in Jon Meckler, he is a prime example of quality service to his guests/​customers and great leadership to his staff. I would recommend anyone in the area or passing through Macomb to try this place out.

Greasy, greasy, and more greasy. I was not feeling this place at all. The menu is small and composed of fried chicken strips (called lips — okay), and burgers mainly. The place is confusing — identity crisis — as it has a HUGE island bar area and table tops surrounding. The bar takes up way to much room. Is this a food place or a bar? I realize it’s a college town, but huh? There isn’t enough room for standing around to drink, so just make it a restaurant then. As the bar takes up so much room, there isn’t adequate seating and thus a standard wait (10−15min) to get a table, therefore you have people in and out about the entry door letting in cold drafts — bummer.
Food — I ordered a chicken burger called the Big Hawaiin and my hubby ordered a plain chicken sandwich. Our friends ordered a chicken lip pizza and two chicken lips. Everything is ala cart — so I ordered a side of fries. The burger was OK, but really greasy for chicken. The fries come as a large size and although my fav waffle fries, they were excessively greasy! I seriously had a tummy ache all night from the grease. Everyone appeared to enjoy their food but it was just an ehh experience overall.
If you are in Macomb go elsewhere, this place is mediocre at best.