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Description
Fat Johnny's Last Resort Home Hostel Details
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Location/Contact| Address | 2822 West 38th Place, Chicago, Illinois, USA |
| Location | |
| Website | None (if you know the URL of their website, tell us and we'll add it) |
| Telephone | +1 (773) 254-0836 |
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Hostelz.com Guest Reviews
Terrible but brilliant I'm not exactly sure what people expect when they pay this amount for a room for the night. Surely the name is a give away people! Anyway, I stayed here with my girlfriend on the last leg of a year long trip in 2002. We had no money and this was all we could afford. Jonny came and picked us up at the Greyhound station at 4.30am (yes AM). We were given a 4 bunk dorm sharing it with another woman, who claimed she was a professor visiting the University for a series of lecture (yeah right). It wasn't the cleanest and the kitchen and bathroom have definitely seen better days but we were fine with that. Jonny was extremely friendly if not the most hygiene or feng shui conscious. Yes, he slept in the main reception room where the other guests assembled for movie night. Yes, he had a few cats but they were ok. He gave us maps and advised of places to go and see from a locals perspective as well as telling us which neighbourhoods to avoid. The rest of the guests were a great bunch, we got pretty drunk with a few. All sorts of nationalities were staying here and seemed to revel in the collective amusement of the surroundings. The area was absolutely fine unless you come from Beverley Hills I guess. Working class neighbourhood and an easy hop on the L to the City Centre. Great bakery round the corner. Some ok bars. I'd recommend this place for backpackers looking for cheap and friendly accommodation, not for snobs or people on honeymoon! Now we are a bit used to nicer hotels, I wouldn't go back but hey this place ain't set up for romantic getaways with the wife (same girl who stayed at Jonny's with me). — Dan, Manchester, UK , England (2011-07-19) Terrible After working in the US for several months I met up with a friend in Chicago and decided to do a bit of traveling. We decided on this hell hole of a hostel I didn't expect it to me as bad as it was but I guess it says it all in the name "Fat Johnnys Last Resort Home Hostel". It's put me off hostels for life. We arrived and Fat Johnny was laying on his couch in his sitting room which by the way is also the reception. The small was terrible, the carpets were filthy, first impressions weren't good. We paid for a private room, the room was small had a set of bunk beds. The bunk beds looked like were held together by tape. Johnny kindly offered to drive us to the shop for alcohol even though we were under age if we bought him some in return. The last thing I wanted to do was into a car with a creepy old smelly man. We had booked for 4 nights but only stayed one, the neighbourhood is definitely not safe -- we got followed back to the hell hole by two men in a car and then when we were trying to sleep we heard gunshots. I definitely would not recommend this place at all, it's a nightmare to say the least pay the extra $ and find somewhere safe and clean that's not run by some old fat dirty creep with a million cats. — Anonymous , UK (2011-01-07) Disgusting! Nowhere Near the City Centre! Unsafe Neighbourhood I visited Fat Johnny's in the summer of 2000 and I will take the horrific sights, smells and sounds to my grave. At the time I visited it was described as a hostel and my experience of a hostel was a purpose built building where travelers shared rooms and bathroom facilities. This place is LITERALLY SOME FAT GUYS HOUSE! Two things. A few reviewers have commented that you get what you pay for. True indeed but the place should not be listed with reputable hostels as this is misleading. Secondly there should be standards in place to ensure safety an cleanliness which should be fundamentals when running a business. YOU COULDNT PAY ME TO SPEND THE NIGHT AT FAT JOHNNYS!!! I'd take mY chances living on the mean streets of Chicago's south side. As the taxi pulled up to the house we knew something was wrong and when Fat Johnny greeting us at the door in a stained white vest, we feared the worst. It wasn't until we were shown to our sleeping quarters that one of our party said what we were all thinking WE ARE NOT STAYING HERE!!! The place was filthy, over crowded, and the smell!!!! We immediately marched downstairs and walked out of the house. It was about 5am in the morning and we' been traveling for 15 hrs but there was no way my face was touching those pillows. As we aimlessly walked the streets we happened upon a police station. Moments later a man in handcuffs was pushed past us as he was arrested for holding someone up by gunpoint in the neighbourhood. That sooooo could have been us! Seeing the hopelessness of our situation and being that the Police were aware of Fat Johnny's took pity on us and drove us to the airport. After sharing our story with our airline they booked us on the next available flight home, free of charge. YES FAT JOHNNYS WAS SO HORRIFIC IT DROVE US OUT OF AMERICA! I've stayed in hostels in New York and Washington DC and had no problems so please understand this is not the writings of a snob, just someone that values hygiene and safety! AVOID AT ALL COSTS! If you can't afford to stay anywhere else then I suggest you stay at home! — Simone , British (2010-02-14) Hilariously dirty and smelly I stayed at Johnny's in 2007. I laughed to the point of tears almost the entire time I wasn't in the same room as Johnny. There were carpets that had been ripped out of other rooms and just thrown anywhere. You could tell because they were all cut in different sizes and had holes cut for vents where there were none. There were so many cats and all the carpets were stained and smelled intensely like cat piss. It was August and the heat only made the smell worse. The shower was so dirty you never really felt clean getting out of it. There was scum on everything in the bathroom. It felt like he was trying to do everything possible to make this place dirtier than is even imaginable. A girl was sitting in one of the rooms upstairs crying with her head down almost the whole time. I can honestly say I have never laughed as hard or consistently as I did when I stayed at this hostel. I can never hear Chicago mentioned and not think of Fat Johnny's. If you have a sense of humour and very little money it might be for you. — D , Canada (2009-11-25) Creepy I stayed there in 2001 for three nights. The first impression was very strange. We entered it and it felt like somebody's house, a very dirty house. There was quite a lot of people. Johnny wasn't there, and some guy who was taking care of the place during his absence, told us that Johnny was in a hospital because he got in a fight with some nasty bastards in a bar. Well, we were shown to the room upstairs. There were like five girls staying in another room. In our room there were eight people, and the room was pretty small. Some guy slept in the hall opposite the bathroom. There were quite a lot of other people staying there. Bathrooms were very old and pretty disgusting. Kitchen was a mess. On the other hand, it was very cheap. We got free city maps with instructions where to go and where not. It was a pretty friendly place, though very strange! But it's a fun experience. — Agata , Polish (2009-02-03) What's to be expected I've stayed at Fat Johny's twice. The first time was alright, almost clean even. Didn't smell like cat piss. Got a private room not for 25 dollars, it was small but alright. He's got a catalogue of movie titles but didn't really partake. My first go around he even bought my air mattress for me in lieu of our bill. Also he has a garage if you need to store away your car. The second time was horrible. Instead of just one drunk taking space, there were two and they smelled. That cats reeked. Kitchen was a mess. The shower actually made my skin crawl. When he told us that instead of letting us stay in a private room, we had to move upstairs to the dorms is when we ran. If you don't have anywhere else to go it's ok, but if you don't like it Johnny is pretty oblivious and its beyond easy to skip out on your bill. "Hey, I'll be back in a little" and drive away. — So and So , Usa..? (2007-07-26) Something odd but very similar I would not advise any young ladies to stay here by themselves, but this place is a taste of the America behind the blind eyes of the media and tourists. International travelers, you should consider this place a lightbulb if you want to see America -- the dirt, cats, people, air, and smell are part of its being. These things you will find all over this country but you won't be able to take part in it. Americans, this place, I'm sure, will remind you of an old aunt or a grandparent's house that you dreaded going to when you were younger, except you don't have to worry about Fat Johnny kissing you and you get full use of the kitchen. The ride into town is cheap if you buy a five-day pass, the food around the place is unreal, the chinese grocery shop down the street has cheap booze. Enough reasons to give this place a shot. — Jeremy , Maine, usa (2007-06-29) I stayed at Fat Johnny's years ago. We were lucky to get the private room for $25. It was a pretty fun experience, and it's one of the most memorable things from the trip. Johnny was very helpful, showing us where to go and cheap places to eat. He even made us dinner (which he does for people every holiday). He locked the crockpot in our room so none of the crusties would eat our food before we got back from exploring the city. He also made us stay up all night playing a board game until I got so tired that I let him win. In short, yes it's dingy and far away from everything, but I don't know what people expect for that price. I left with a lot of interesting stories to tell. — Melissa (2007-03-21) This place was disgusting! From the second you walk in the door, the odor of cat piss stung the nostrils. We knew right away we weren't going to stay but still asked Johnny if we could see the rooms so we could laugh and take pictures. Honestly this was the highlight of our trip to Chicago because we laughed about it during our entire stay. Do yourself a favor and spend the extra 10 or 15 dollars a night to stay at a real hostel. This place is gross. — MOSE (2007-03-01) When I arrived, the owner/manager was drunk and wasn't very helpful. The place is absolutely disgusting. It is a disaster. My friend slept on a bed full of bedbugs. If you want dirty and gross, then stay there. Otherwise steer clear. How can the hostel websites ever consider this dump legitimate? The owner drank a lot and it smelled so bad -- very unsanitary. If you are from another country I would advise you to go to other hostels in Chicago. — DISSAPOINTED (2007-02-14) The worst place ever! It smells, it's dirty, and it's old! In a word -- disgusting! I would never recommend such a place and I don't understand how such hostels can still exist! Don't go there if you want to enjoy your stay in Chicago! — Fiona and Fabien from France (2006-12-26) this place is quite good. it's all cleaned up now and seems quite good. jonny is a very helpful person -- he even gave us two free rides to the downtown and the other guy with long hair is great too. — Angus (2006-12-10) The most worst place I have seen ever. I never thought a place may be so dirty in U.S.A. The owner was drunk when we entered and when we went inside to see the rooms at eleven a.m., we saw five boarders. Two were sleeping, one were vomiting, and another one was drunk and asking us for money. A suffocating smell was choking our throat. May be its rent is ten dollars, but definitely its not a place to stay for a civilized people. I don't understand how this kind of hostel is listed in such famous web sites like hostelz.com. — Indian (2006-07-07) The name says it all. This place is like family. It's well off tourist traps where price gouging is the norm. This was my first time in a hostel and off the path. I was reminded that this is a working city. I really enjoyed seeing something different and learning more about the city. Johnny, from what little I saw of him, seems cool and concerned about his guests. No, this is not the greatest place but for the price the only other thing to get is maybe a homeless shelter and I would much rather stay here. — Adam (2005-06-17) I was unaware of this joint when I first arrived, but I was warned about it by my friend who read this page first. I'll say that I was frightened by his words and that I feared the worst.
But when we arrived I was not as shocked as I expected to be. I only stayed two (well almost two) days. Fat Johnny was very helpful and very friendly, and I really enjoyed his company. The maps that he hands out are really helpful, too. They all have everything highlighted for you and there are a lot of maps to choose from. If you are allergic to cats, I recommend you stay away.
It was dirty, but I get worse when I go home so I didn't mind. Fat Johnny even gave me a ride to get the biggest burrito under $3, and he was right when he said, "No one can finish it." You must be very open-minded when staying here, though. I was having a great time until I went to sleep on the second night. Apparently Fat Johnny had overbooked his place and I got kicked out of my bed in the middle of the night by a group of six Russians, and let me add, very rude Russians. I have never stayed in a hostel with ruder people than these guys were. I don't care about nationality but they were rude.
So, pissed off as I was I left and asked for a refund. Fat Johnny offered me his bed, but I refused, then he overpaid me by $10 in refund, so I pretty much stayed there for a day and half for $6. I've got to say, it's the cheapest hostel I stayed at, but it was very memorable, and enjoyable for the open-minded. Give it a try, it will be a great story to tell your friends one day. Thanks Johnny. — Dr. Billy (2005-05-02)