https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vYW30UJuRA

Located in newly opened Mellody Farm in Vernon Hills, Kuma’s Corner is known for serving up massive burgers. It’s only been open for a month or two but it has already began to receive rave reviews for its unique style and musically inspired dishes. The restaurant is passionate about heavy metal music and they designed this location accordingly. Kuma’s other locations have consistently been rated five stars on Yelp so we knew that this was the place to go. In need of a big burger, we headed west to check out Kuma’s.

Affordability: 7.5/10

We were most surprised by the friendly prices at Kuma’s Corner. Two monster burgers with sizeable side dishes combined for a slim $30.86. It’s easy to spend over $15 at any local fast-casual spot like Meatheads or Luke’s, but is unheard of at a sit-down restaurant. On the other hand, we didn’t order any drinks, desserts, or side dishes, making the order simple with two burger meals. As for their side dishes, Kuma’s serves some pricier options such as $10 chili, $13 BBQ Pork fries, and $10 Fried Zucchini. The food is gourmet so prepare to dig deep in your wallet if you’re planning on bringing a full family for a 3-course meal. But for a low-key dinner or an afternoon lunch, it’s the perfect place for an affordable meal with a guaranteed quality burger.  

Service: 8.5/10

During our visit to the Mellody Farm shopping center, we had no complaints about the service of Kuma’s. Every review we have to explain the reason for our giant camera and why we are filming all our food. It’s fun to explain our column but we’ve always wondered if restaurants treat us better because of it. And today, we believe they did. 15 short minutes after we ordered our food was here. And, it seemed like there were employees checking up on us every five minutes. Our waiter was funny and conversational, making the classic “I’m assuming you won’t need the beer menu” joke as we sat down. From first glance you may think the restaurant is full of hardo rock fans, but everyone is completely normal. It was surprisingly busy on a gloomy Monday night and it’s clear that the restaurant has bright future in the North Shore

Environment: 8/10

This section was definitely what made Kuma’s Corner stand out the most to us. We were immediately taken by surprise when we walked in to loud, intense heavy metal music and music videos being shown on all of the screens above the bar. It was obvious that Kuma’s Corner was going for a musically themed restaurant. While heavy metal isn’t exactly our cup of tea, we respected the attempt to make the restaurant unique and different from other burger spots. The bar area was decked out with apparel and gear from a variety of different bands and we were impressed with how meticulously decorated the joint was.

Food Quality: 8.5/10

We were beyond impressed with the quality of food we received at Kuma’s Corner. The menu contained a countless number of burgers, each named after a different heavy metal band. Because of this, we were faced with a tough decision as to what we should order. We decided on the famous Kuma burger and the Mastodon. The 10 oz. Kuma burger was topped with succulent bacon, a fried egg, and cheddar cheese. We were also satisfied with the Mastodon which had bacon, frizzled onions, and barbecue sauce on it. Both burgers were cooked just as we ordered (medium-well), and the toppings were of the highest quality. Our orders both came with a side of fries and homemade ketchup. The homemade ketchup was delectable and definitely another bright spot in the food quality section.

Rating: 3.25 Spears (out of 4)