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Darkroom
Everyone from goths to reggae-heads go to this welcoming, brick-walled bar, which changes personality depending on what comes from the turntables. The famous Life During Wartime indie dance, led by local DJ Mother Hubbard, happens on the first Friday of every month and is a guaranteed good time.
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Davenport's Piano Bar & Cabaret
Old standards get new interpretations and new songs are heard for the first time at this swanky place on an up-and-coming stretch of Milwaukee Ave. The front room is a fun, inclusive (read: sing-along) place, with the back reserved for more fancy-pants cabaret events (where singing along will get you thrown out).
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Deja Vu
Open until (!) on Saturdays, Deja offers more than just a deliriously late last call. The decor at this friendly place is a mix of opulent Middle Eastern and garage sale art deco, with free pool thrown into the mix. Between Thursday and Saturday, music is served up by live bands or DJs, sometimes asking a modest cover.
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Delilah's
A bartender rightfully referred to this bad-ass black sheep of the neighborhood as the 'pride of Lincoln Avenue,' a title earned by its underground rockers for the heavy pours and best whiskey selection in the city. Among their discerning roster of single-malts is one of their own making: Delilah's 13th Anniversary Single Malt Scotch. If the first floor gets too rowdy, take things upstairs, where it's a bit quieter.
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Double Door
Edgy, alternative rock that's just under the radar finds a home at this former liquor store, which still has the original sign out front and remains a landmark around the Wicker Park bustle. On weekends, popular underground acts of that past (Mudhoney) and future (The Go! Team) pack the room, though four-band local bills take over on weeknights.
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Duke Of Perth
The UK beers and 80+ bottles of single-malt scotch are nearly overwhelming at this cozy, laid-back pub. After enough of them, try the fish-and-chips, which is all-you-can-eat for lunch and dinner for around US$9 on Wednesday and Friday.
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Empty Bottle
With the photo booth and the parade of Chicago's rock insiders, the Empty Bottle gets its pick of the smaller buzz bands to come through town. The impressive programming here doesn't stick to electric guitars and power chords, however - free-jazz improvisational master Ken Vandermark has been a mainstay of the venue's Chicago Improvisers Series..
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Enclave
This newcomer to Chicago's club network is big - 15,000 square-feet of former warehouse redone with glossy hardwood floors and lively art installations. Even with the platform dancers and coy martini menu, it's fairly classy, bringing in Chicago celebs and a downtown crowd who dance to mainstream pan-genre hits.
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Excalibur
The building, which once housed the Chicago Historical Society, has been remade, with three levels of dancing to mainstream house, hip-hop and '80s tunes. Other areas of the funhouse include jukeboxes, electronic games, pool and the occasional performance by a spirit-conjuring necromancer. Suburban and touristy crowds adore it.
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Fireside Bowl
In the not-so-distant past, the Fireside Bowl was a premiere venue for up-and-coming rock, punk and hardcore shows. The punk spirit, and most shows, were ditched in 2004, but the remodeled bar remains a great place to enjoy the time-honored marriage of frosty pints and clattering pins.
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Gentry
This stately, brick-walled piano bar serves as a welcome respite for 30- and 40-year-old gay men, weary of the pounding house beats of Boystown's clubs. Live cabaret music nightly.
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Ginger Man
A splendid place to pass an evening, this spot features a huge and eclectic beer selection that's enjoyed by theater types and other creative folks. They offer respite from the Cubs mania of the rest of the strip by playing classical music and jazz during home games. Pool is free on Sunday.
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Gold Star Bar
Though it's surrounded on all sides by no-frills neighborhood dives, the Gold Star is a cut above, drawing a posse of bike-messengers - and people who dress like them - for cheapie libations and a great jukebox.
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Goodman Theater
The city's oldest professional theatre company formed in 1925 and moved to this building in 2000. The Goodman specialises in new and classic American theatre so it's a great place for international visitors to soak up a little culture. Its annual production of A Christmas Carol has become a yuletide tradition.
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Goose Island Brewery
Get to the source at this local brewery, where the hoppy Honker's Ale and potent XXX Porter are fresher than other taps around town. The TVs tune to the Bulls and Cubs games. The outdoor area is nice in summer, especially with their tasty summer ale.
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Green Dolphin Street
This classy venue combines excellent and inventive cuisine with good jazz. It's hard to imagine that this riverside club, which looks like it's been around since the 1940s, used to be a junk-auto dealer before its renovation.
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Green Mill
Sit in Capone's favourite seat at this timeless joint, a true cocktail lounge complete with cosy leather booths. After 70 years, this place still books top local and international jazz acts, while Sunday night hosts Uptown Poetry Slams - muscular 'hood-inspired poetry light years away from the wafting hankies of genteel poesy.
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Guthrie's
A local institution, and the perfect neighborhood hangout, Guthrie's remains true to its mellow roots even as the neighborhood goes manic around it. The glassed-in back porch is furnished with patio chairs and filled with 30- and 40- somethings, and most tables sport a box of Trivial Pursuit cards. European soccer and rugby fanatics are also dedicated patrons, rewarded when the bar occasionally opens at to show games live via satellite.
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Happy Village
The sign boasting the 'happiest place in the east village' seems like an understatement on a summer evening when a strolling Tamale vendor appears on the vine-covered patio - then it's happiest place on Earth. Don't knock too many back before entering the table tennis room adjoining the bar; the competition is fierce.
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Hideout
Maybe it's all the Pabst, the strangely industrial surroundings, or the room of sweaty thrift-store bedecked hipsters grinding to soul records at the post-show dance party, but an evening in this two-room lodge of underground rock can be downright transcendent. On the weekend, the crowd goes every which way, and ultra-late dance parties end the night.
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Hop Leaf
Using the name of the national beer from his ancestral Malta, owner Michael Roper operates one of the city's best, classiest beer bars. The overwhelming selection of beers is artfully selected by Roper, with an emphasis on Belgian and American brews. The kitchen serves excellent Belgian frites and mussels.
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Howl At The Moon
The Guns 'n' Roses covers, dirt cheap happy hour specials and flirty singles scene here could make nearly anyone into a piano bar convert. Billy Joel? Sorry, how about AC/DC?
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Hungry Brain
The Sunday Transmission series, hosted by the Emerging Improvisers collective, is the best time to get a feel for this unassuming, comfortable dive. On that and other nights, young jazzers drink cheap and build their chops, often resulting in inspired sessions.
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Hydrate
A wild night on the Boystown club circuit requires a visit to this frenzied spot, which boasts an open-air feel (thanks to retractable windows) and chatty pickup scene (thanks to an around US$1 well drinks). It's not all roses; the service gets rude and the crowds unruly (also thanks to the around US$1 well drinks), but the weekly martini and a manicure package is clever. Other special events at the club include lube wrestling and female impersonators.
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Innertown Pub
A cigar-smoking moose and bronze bust of Elvis overlook the crowd of artsy regulars playing pool and drinking cheap at this lovably divey watering hole. Order a 'Christmas Morning,' a delightful shot of hot espresso and chilled Rumplemintz.
