Search guide
Refine by Location:
- 2849 W. Belmont Ave., Logan Sqr/Humboldt Prk 60618
- 773-267-0123
Square Bar and Grill
A welcome addition to the latest on-the-rise neighborhood of Avondale, this mellow bar does the basics but does them well. Exposed brick, deep red-toned walls, a bar made from salvaged wood from a ... read more
- 701 N. Damen Ave., Ukrainian Village 60611
- 312-929-2349
Bar DeVille
What happens when two experienced bar owners open the kind of bar that they would actually want to go to? It instantly becomes a local favorite, of course. Owners Kevin Heisner and Matt Eisler (Emp... read more
- 2421 N. Milwaukee Ave., Logan Sqr/Humboldt Prk 60647
- 773-227-3530
The Whistler
It's impossible to be prepared for the sheer tininess of this place, no matter how much you're warned. Started by the dudes of Whistler Records, the bar is either stuffed with flannel-shirted indie... read more
- 600 W. Chicago Ave., Near North Side 60610
- 312-822-2900
The Motel Bar
There's nothing particularly motel-like about this slum spot for the after-hours rock jet set. Tucked behind Japonais and next to Kitsch'n River North, it's an odd location that draws a mixed clien... read more
- 3641 N. Halsted St., Wrigleyville 60657
- 773-325-2233
Circuit
This massive gay dance club is filled with gangsta wannabies, transgendered folk and cutie-pie boys all shaking their shit on a dance floor that gets cooled down with dry ice. Rotating DJs make Cir... read more
- 2210 W. Chicago Ave., Ukrainian Village 60622
- 773-276-1411
Darkroom
With couches to the left, dance floor to the right, indoor stage and outdoor patio in the back, and giant bar in the middle, Darkroom can afford to be schizophrenic. There are displays of photograp... read more
- 301 N. Sheffield Ave., Wrigleyville 60657
- 773-883-4400
Matilda
Almost as if three neighboring bar owners said "F-it, let's just combine our bars and make one hodgepodge of a brewpub." North room is dark, sexy, south room is industrial with Zinc-Chromate decora... read more
- 1655 W. Fullerton Ave., Lincoln Park 60614
- 773-665-1110
Liar's Club
Owner Herb Rosen hasn't swapped out the bar's KISS Meets the Phantom of the Theme Park VHS tape since the doors opened more than 10 years ago, but Liar's red fez lampshades, red vinyl booths, and t... read more
- 2319 W. Belmont Ave., Roscoe Village 60618
- 773-935-2118
Hungry Brain
One of the city's last great slacker watering holes, the Hungry Brain is furnished with old mismatched couches, tinderstick chairs and charming bedheads lit warmly by some kind of unseen phosphores... read more
- 1949 N. Hoyne St., Bucktown/Wicker Park 60647
- 773-252-7636
The Map Room
About 10 years ago, there were places like the Map Room all over West Town: self-consciously arty bars where a random patron with paint-stained fingers might strike up a conversation with you and t... read more
- 1035 N. Western Ave., Ukrainian Village 60622
- 773-276-3600
Empty Bottle
Fortunately the only thing that sucks at this Chicago institution showcasing the likes of Acid Mothers and Temple is the bar service, but only because it's a 2:100 ratio of bartenders to drinkers. ... read more
- 2159 W. Chicago Ave., Ukrainian Village
- 773-782-1400
Tuman's
When it was Tuman's Alcohol Abuse Center, it wasn't unusual to see leather-jacketed patrons literally fall off their barstools or pass out on the pool table spread-eagle. Following a 2003 rehab... read more
- 1415 N. Wood St., Bucktown/Wicker Park 60622
- 773-486-9806
Beachwood Inn
With its threadbare pool table and stacks of board games, you could come here alone and end up with at least two new friends before the end of the night. If the scattered crowd of hoodie-clad scene... read more
- 2646 W. Fullerton Ave., Logan Sqr/Humboldt Prk 60647
- 773-486-2700
Fireside Bowl
This old bowling alley was once a hallowed mainstay of all-ages punk shows. It also happened to have the worst sound system in Chicago, yet the separate old-man bar area was the place to hang betwe... read more
- 1354 W. Wabansia Ave., Bucktown/Wicker Park 60642
- 773-227-4433
Hideout
Excellent indie-rock/alt-country honkytonk nook that looks like a shack in the middle of nowhere, which it is. PBR drinkers and lots of loud conversations about Sleater-Kinney's last show in front,... read more
- 5210 N. Clark St., Andersonville/Edgewater 60640
- 773-878-0894
Simon's Tavern
Don't be put off by the animated Charlie Tuna-like logo holding a martini in blue and red neon. ("Pickled herring," a Swedish delicacy, get it?) Modeled after a 1930s bar from the SS Normandie, Sim... read more
Featured Listings
-
Alain’s
The words seasonal and local seem to be attached to every other res...
-
The Other Side
Bold experiment provides a bar with everything but the booze. Every...
-
American Junkie
Massive River North sports bar that becomes late night DJ club. Sup...
-
The Library at Gilt Bar
Tucked below the swanky River North dining hotspot (yes, Gilt Bar i...
-
Dolphin
EDM and global house live performances and DJs perform and spin at ...
