Entertainment in Illinois
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Puffer’s
A cool pub in staid old Bridgeport, Puffer’s boasts a bright orange facade and the neighborhood’s most amiable clientele, with folks just hanging out and sampling from the excellent beer selection. A good choice after a Sox game, it’s a 15-minute walk west from Comiskey Park, er, US Cellular Field.
reviewed
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B
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 here – then it’s happiest place on Earth. Don’t get too sauced before entering the table-tennis room adjoining the bar; the competition is fierce.
reviewed
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C
Spy Bar
The atmosphere at this subterranean spot is cruise-a-rama, as scantily dressed, good-looking 20-something singles cavort to house music. They don't have plain old waiting staff here though - it's 'startenders' serving the drinks. Enter through the alley and dress nicely (no jeans) to get through the line more quickly.
reviewed
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D
Reggies Rock Club
Bring on the punk and the all-ages shows. Graffitied Reggies books mostly touring hardcore bands at the Rock Club. Next door, Reggies Music Joint is for folks 21 and older, and hosts more mainstream (we use that term loosely) live music nightly, as well as trips to see the White Sox, the Bears and other sports teams.
reviewed
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E
Chicago Dramatists
For a visit to the heart of Chicago’s dramatic scene, step into this small, functional theater space, a testing ground for Chicago’s new playwrights and plays. It’s no surprise that this embracing environment has earned stunning results; current resident playwrights are Emmy nominee Susan Lieberman and Nambi E Kelly.
reviewed
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F
Elastic Arts Foundation
The calendar at Elastic Arts is far-reaching and impossible to pin down – one week the city’s most exciting experimental choreographers will fill the space, and the next will see a performance of original art music by a cutting-edge international ensemble. Regardless, this is at the edge of Chicago’s art community.
reviewed
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G
Sonotheque
The DJs here spin genres of electronic music that are so hip they don’t even have names yet, but are perfectly matched with the futuristic space. This kind of bar would be a snooty disaster in New York, but absolutely down-to-earth patrons and reasonable drink prices make it feel like the corner pub of 2015.
reviewed
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Jazz Showcase
The gorgeous room is the top spot for national acts to blow their horns.
reviewed
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Theatre Building
Fans of musicals should try to make the mid-August Stages Festival, which brings a dozens of tuneful new scores, some from Chicago writers, to the Theatre Building. Around the same time of year, there’s a two-week presentation of solo shows called the Single File Festival.
reviewed
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J
Davenport’s Piano Bar & Cabaret
Old standards get new interpretations and new songs are heard for the first time at this swanky place on a rather lonely 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).
reviewed
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Gene Siskel Film Center
The former Film Center of the School of the Art Institute was renamed for the late Chicago Tribune film critic Gene Siskel. It shows everything from amateurish stuff by students to wonderful but unsung gems by Estonian directors. The monthly schedule includes theme nights of forgotten American classics.
reviewed
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Phyllis’ Musical Inn
One of the all-time great dives, this former Polish polka bar features scrappy up-and-coming bands nightly. It’s hit or miss for quality, but you’ve got to applaud them for taking a chance. If you don’t like the sound you can always slip outside to the bar’s basketball court for relief. Cheap brewskis, to boot.
reviewed
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Muntu Dance Theater of Chicago
The word muntu means ‘the essence of humanity’ in Bantu. This company was founded in 1972 to perform African and American dances that draw on ancient and contemporary movement. The fiery performances of traditional dances from West Africa are an essential part of Muntu’s signature.
reviewed
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M
Old Town Ale House
This unpretentious favorite lets you mingle with beautiful people and grizzled regulars, seated pint by pint under the nude-politician paintings. It's across the street from Second City.
reviewed
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N
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 fittingly furnished with patio chairs and filled with 30- and 40-somethings, and most tables sport a box of Trivial Pursuit cards.
reviewed
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Ola’s Liquor
This classic ‘slashie’ – the term for a bar–liquor store combo, where the bar is stashed in the back room – has hours catering to third-shift locals and the most indomitable night owls. Order the advertised zimne piwo (Polish for ‘cold beer’) and blast some tunes on the juke in the same language.
reviewed
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Lodge
Dressed up like a misplaced hunting cabin, the Lodge has a bit more polish than most of its neighbors on Division St. A Wurlitzer jukebox spins oldies, and the bowls of salty peanuts complement the abundance of beers on tap. The crowd of mostly 40-somethings drink like they mean it, sometimes until dawn.
reviewed
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Q
Court Theatre
A classical company hosted by the University of Chicago, the Court focuses on great works from the Greeks to Shakespeare, and various international plays not often performed in the USA. The 2010 season saw Edward Albee’s Three Tall Women and Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess among the lineup.
reviewed
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R
Blue Frog Bar & Grill
There’s fierce competition, but the city’s best board-game action is at the Blue Frog Bar & Grill. This haven for retro games resounds with the shouts of triumph and moans of defeat as players hunch over cardboard battlefields of yesteryear like Sorry! and Operation.
reviewed
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AMC River East
The screens are huge and the sound will rumble your dental work loose at this high-tech theater – the perfect place to get out of the humidity, suck down buckets of Coke and take in an explosion-filled, scantily clad, special-effects-laden blockbuster. Parking is pricey, so take public transportation.
reviewed
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Katerina’s
The swish Southern European finish and soulful pan-ethnic gypsy jazz and blues make Katerina’s a stylish, soulful destination in the less-traveled North Center neighborhood, just west of Lake View. A sophisticated set of 30- and 40-somethings down martinis, dig the good tunes and hang here all night.
reviewed
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U
Rainbo Club
The center for Chicago’s indie elite during the week, the boxy, dark-wood Rainbo Club has an impressive semicircular bar and one of the city’s best photo booths. The service is slow and the place goes a little suburban on weekends, but otherwise it’s an excellent place to hang out with artsy locals.
reviewed
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V
Little Branch Cafe
A good fortifier after the Museum Campus, Little Branch is probably more known for its food than its drinks, but it does indeed have a bar. And that bar stirs hot toddies, Irish coffees, gin-filled Corpse Revivers and serves a small roster of wines and beers. The café hides in a residential complex.
reviewed
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W
Sidetrack
Massive Sidetrack thumps dance music for a gay and straight crowd alike. Get ready to belt out your Broadway best at the good-time ‘show tune nights’ on Sunday and Monday. The clubs hosts stand-up comedy on Thursday. If the indoor action gets to be too much, the massive outdoor courtyard beckons.
reviewed
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X
Cal’s Bar
The bartenders serve plenty of ’tude with the drinks at this family-owned dive bar and liquor store, which serves as a lone oasis for scruffy hipsters who find themselves lost among suits in the Loop. On weekend nights, punk-rock bands with names like Broadzilla and Johnny Vomit take the stage.
reviewed