Category: Clubs

More of a café earlier in the evening, more of a night club later on, Cafe Lura is one of those places you just look forward to seeing a show at, because while the stage area itself might be on the tight side, it’s the side rooms themselves people really enjoy. And ladies – this place is thankfully not a meat market!

If you’ve come for good, authentic Polish food, then you’re in for surprise and are better off hitting one of the many Polish restaurants in the neighborhood. While they do boast a pretty darn good pierogi in either its boiled or fried state, the small menu is pretty much focused on standard Americanized fare. However, they do offer blintzes and potato pancakes as well, alongside some decent sandwiches – enough to keep your tummy from rumbling and tasty enough to satisfy a craving.

Now, if you’ve come for the night club aspect, then you’re REALLY in for a surprise, because this place is fun, fun FUN! The center stage is pretty tiny, where 20 people make the place look crammed. However, the bar area is where most of the action is, where regulars will find themselves permanently shackled to the stools for the rest of the night. If you wander past the stage area, you will find what is probably one of Lura’s best kept secrets: that absolutely charming lounge area. No matter what the weather is outside, in this room you will be transported to a medieval European garden under a perpetual night time sky. You can still hear the music just fine, but at a decibel level that allows you to actually talk and get to know people!

Past the bar area is another tucked away nook, where this room is more reminiscent of a European hunting lodge. This is also where most folks choose to dine, and where you are most likely to find the Polish speaking regulars. While not as stunning as the other room, this is also a nice place to sneak away from the rest of the party!

Behind the establishment is a small parking area, with the door leading right into the bar area. However, most people opt to park on the street so that the bands can utilize this space for loading and unloading their gear. After 9pm, metered parking is free anyway! Also, buses in the area are plentiful and run all night, though cabs are a little harder to come by. If you want one, have the bar staff call one up for you.

The scene in Lincoln Park is primarily known for one thing: pricey sports bars packed with reverting Frat boys and Trixies. However, there is one place where the kids from that one particular school lunch table (you know, that one, way in the back!) congregate and shake their money makers: that place is the Neo.

Whether you’re into the Goth, Punk, Metal or 80s New Wave scene, the DJs here spin it all! There might even be a few 80s pop songs thrown in for good measure. The entire place is decked out in black, the blackest black, the lights are hitting all the right places, the fog machine has that definitive haunted house smell, the floor is open to everyone and the gin and tonics will knock you on your keister! What more could anyone want?

What makes this place truly a cool place to go is that you can dance like a complete idiot without a care in the world, as the regulars there really aren’t taking notes. Really! There are no attitudes at his place, because real underground scenes like this simply won’t put up with it. The other thing that’s great is most people who hit this spot go there spontaneously off the cuff, so pretty much everyone there is looking to get something going, which also kicks a lot of the pretension out the door. Also, that customary meat market mentality is also lacking, so ladies can go there without worrying about some slime ball “accidentally” bumping them over and over.

So if you’re looking to party and go dancing with your friends in what is probably the absolute coolest bar in Chicago, here is what you need to do:

Dress the way you really want to - be it denim, leather, pleather or lace

Dress as lightly as possible or bring your guard dog buddy, since there’s no coat check

Bring cash

Take the train or cab, as parking really sucks

Find your way back into the alley on Clark and go inside

Dance till dawn!

Where can S&M -minded folks watch and even participate in a public, bondage -themed event while perched atop an indoor motorcycle drinking a good import? The Exit.

Where can punk rockers go to jam out on the classics while slamming $2 PBRs? The Exit.

Where can goths go to show off their latest vintage corsets and stacks and be the best dressed in the room, instead of the freakiest? The Exit.

Where can metal heads go to party with the DJ who lets people flip through his thousands of CDs while playing Guitar Hero alongside popular underground bands (who just so happen to be passing through)? The Exit.

And where exactly can anyone else go who aren't intimidated by the regulars, want to have a good time and drink until dawn? The Fuggin Exit, Dammit!

Located on the opposite side of the North Avenue bridge, where all the tourists “flock” to a popular micro brewery, lies the seediest of all the bars, and they like it that way! The Exit is deservedly the most infamous bar in the Tri State area and has remained pretty much the same since its opening back in the 80s. Back then, the only significant difference is the location, since many of the regulars then are regulars now, just a little older, at least according to their driver’s licenses.

Of course, a whole new breed of unique individuals make their appearances as well, as some things like rebellion just don’t ever seem to die. They gather together in their denim and leather, their pleather and lace, their whips and paddles, their tattoos and piercings and even their artfully designed and yes, intentional, brandings. The theme changes every night, with different music spun by DJs who actually prefer to leave the dance tracks at the store. It’s a centralized bastion for sin in the Midwest, and they like it that way!

The thing it though, The Exit really is a gentle giant, just another place to go chill out and socialize, in spite of its rough image. The decor is suiting for any run down biker bar, complete with cult flicks, videos and vintage porn on the tube, and the upstairs is a great place to party with drunken strangers. In a nut shell, it’s the place to be when everyplace else doesn’t seem to take kindly to those types, even though those types take rather kindly to everybody else. Oh and yeah - they’re open pretty late, too!

What is probably the smallest, most under rated night club in town for twenty- and early thirty- somethings, the Liar's Club is a place to go when the notion hits to do something a little different. Its unassuming exterior seems to beckon those looking for a little anonymity, but takes on all comers.

Every night brings on new types of people and music, depending on who is spinning the tunes. And, every night tends to have a decent crowd, since many regulars work odd shifts. Also, the crowd splits up between the upstairs and downstairs, depending on who feels like taking advantage of the dance floor, and who would rather just jam out and throw back a few drinks.

Weekend nights have a meager $3.00 cover, and the joint fills up really fast! Those wanting to score one of the coveted secluded loveseats or bar stools should get there by 9pm. The music is loud and non stop, the bar staff are fast and quick as a whip, and the d?cor is an eclectic mix of Punk meets Moose Lodge, with fez hat logos tucked away just about everywhere. This is the corner bar that dad and his Shriner friends would rather go sober than drink at!

Since Trixies and sports bar fans are not the target audience here, what's usually on the screen is either rock videos (they're big KISS fans there!) or old school porn. The place has a good mix of couples, groups and singles on the prowl, wearing pretty much whatever is clean that particular night, or whatever looks somewhat presentable from the hamper. The brick walls are painted red and decked out with old velvet Elvi icons (the plural of Elvis!). And the dance floor? It's really small but fun, with these disco lights on the floor with a ball overhead. It is definitely the place to do a little people watching while having a good time!