Live Music

Link Abbey Pub
The Abbey Pub was established in 1973 as a traditional Irish pub. Our full-service restaurant now offers brand new brunch, lunch and dinner menus, featuring traditional Irish and American food. From corned beef and cabbage and shepard’s pie to burgers and curry fries, the Abbey has something for everyone. The Abbey is Chicago’s premier venue for live music seven nights a week, featuring local, regional and national acts from indie rock to traditional Irish music. Tickets are available at the Abbey Pub box office seven days a week from 11am-2am or order tickets online.
Link Big Horse Lounge
Within the city limits you will not find a more authentic rock-n-roll dive than the BHL. This place is the real deal. Whenever we've played, it's always been a blast. Screw those other over-sized, over-hyped, over-priced, 'local' venues. The BHL is the true heart of the local scene. You're not a true Chicago band until you've gigged here.
Link Beat Kitchen
14 years strong and located in the heart of Chicago, Beat Kitchen is emerging as one of the top music venues in the Midwest. The music spans the spectrum from indie, alternative and hard rock, to folk, pop and everything in between. Beat Kitchen is a hotspot for both up-and-coming and established touring acts. We also proudly represent the local music scene, giving Chicago bands a place where they can play to an appreciative audience of Chicagoland music fans. In addition to being a music venue, we offer the city of Chicago great food and a wide selection of imported and domestic beers seven days a week.
Link Ethiopian Diamond
Along this stretch of Broadway, the Ethiopian Diamond Restaurant is like an oasis on a stretch of Broadway that is a wasteland of chain restaurants and grocery stores. Unlike Ethiopian restaurants in the Lakeview/Wrigleyville area, street parking is fairly easy to find in this north side neighborhood (I think it's Edgewater). The interior is very large and well-decorated with walls adorned with large, colorful paintings of monuments and scenes from Africa. Ethiopian music fills the air with live music now and then.
Link Fitzgerald's
FitzGerald's was built in the 1920's and has always been a gathering spot, from the early days as a hunting club and watering hole through its teen years as a jazz club during the 50's and 60's, featuring acts like Bob Scobey, Turk Murphy, Lil Armstrong, and the Original Salty Dogs. The FitzGerald family bought and renovated the building in 1980, and since then its reputation for great music in a casual, comfortable, unpretentious atmosphere has grown steadily. Chicago Magazine calls it "a musical gem," and the club has consistently found itself in the top 5 in Chicago polls of favorite venues.
Link Burkhart Studios
A wonderful relaxing coffeehouse and art gallery where you can sit and listen to soothing music.
Link California Clipper
Welcome to the California Clipper. We are located on the corners of Augusta Blvd. and California Ave., two blocks south of Division Street. All Friday performances--9:30 p.m. Saturday performances--10:00 p.m. Sunday performances 9:00 p.m. unless noted. ·· Doors Open at 8:00 p.m. ·· Cover Friday and Saturday nites - $5 ·· 21 and over only. ·· Must have Photo ID.
Link Coyle's Tippling House
A neighborhood pub and music club built to homey specs.
Link The Bottom Lounge
Check out live music in a concert style and even reserve great private party rooms maybe for bachelor or bachelorette parties.
Link Double Door
Double Door opened its doors for the first time on June 12, 1994. In its eight-year history Double Door has continued to leave an indelible stamp on the hearts and souls of the people of Chicago. Over the past nine years Double Door has been host to many diverse and incredible musical acts
Link Fireside Bowl
Play bowling for low prices and listen to live music.
Link The Cubby Bear
The Cubby Bear, owned by George and Patty Loukas opened in 1953. It's one of the most famous landmarks on Chicago's North Side. As a 30,000 square foot, multipurpose venue, it has played host to numerous entertainers, athletes, corporate functions and a spectrum of charitable foundations. Located across the street from historic Wrigley Field, it goes beyond being "the place" for Cubs post-game parties. Through the years the Cubby Bear has evolved from a summer-only bar into a year round, full-time entertainment complex. Customers can enjoy live music, watch their favorite sporting event, eat in the Cubby Café or attend a party in one of the private rooms overlooking the Wrigley Field Marquee.
Link Exedus II
Prices and beer selection are average, but the good music is the reason why everybody comes to this 12 year-old reggae club -- some of the best reggae in the Chicago area.
Link The Empty Bottle
In 1992 the Empty Bottle started out as a cat-ridden hole-in-the-wall bar in Ukrainian Village (just south of Wicker Park) where you could get any one of nine beers for a buck-fifty or less, play pool for 50 cents, and find everything from Monster Magnet to Bill Monroe on the jukebox. On Halloween of 1993, we moved two blocks up the street and threw open the doors to our new, sound-equipped, slightly larger hole with three nights of great shows, culminating with a SCRAWL performance that could have been a scene out of "Carrie."
Link Fado Irish Pub
This bar -- which is trying to be 5 different Irish pubs in one 3-story building -- feels like a drunken Irish Disneyland. Meaning, "long ago" in Gaelic, the decor hearkens back to Victorian Dublin, a country cottage, etc. The downstairs area is scattered across nooks and crannies around a central bar (Chicago Magazine says "call it Planet Ireland"), upstairs there's a much larger room, and a great Victorian-style pub on the third floor, with a gorgeous bar (over a century old) imported from Dublin. Excellent beer selection, and very, very popular at happy hour time on Fridays. Pretty good contemporary Irish food, too (Salmon is apparently flown in daily), including a few soups, salads and sandwiches in addition to your traditional shepherd's pie. Live bands at 9pm Tuesday, 10pm Saturday, and 5pm Sunday.
Link Goose Island Brewery
Since 1988, Goose Island has consistently brewed Chicago's finest hand crafted ales and lagers. Goose Island brings together award-winning beer with outstanding lunches and dinner selections. Try our famous Stilton burger with a seasonal beer! Private party rooms are perfect for corporate events or casual parties. Location: 3535 N Clark
Link Green Dolphin Street
All three venues at Green Dolphin Street, the restaurant, jazz club, and outdoor garden/atrium are available for private events. Whether it is 30 guests for a sit-down dinner or as many as 1,000 guests for a cocktail reception, Green Dolphin Street will assure a sophisticated event. The Steppenwolf Theater, Vogue magazine, Comedy Central, and Sony Records have all hosted parties at Green Dolphin Street.
Link Gallery Cabaret
Small, narrow Bucktown bar, with bands several nights a week. No cover, but theoretically a one-drink minimum on weekends. Good beer selection both on tap and bottled, prices are more expensive on weekends. Bands (who mostly appear on the weekends) vary wildly, in a typical wicker park way, as do the patrons. It's a friendly place though. Oh, you can get pizza, too.
Link Goose Island Brewery
Since 1988, Goose Island has consistently brewed Chicago's finest hand crafted ales and lagers. Goose Island brings together award-winning beer with outstanding lunches and dinner selections. Try our famous Stilton burger with a seasonal beer! Private party rooms are perfect for corporate events or casual parties.
Link Fizz Bar & Grill
Fizz, located at the intersections of Lincoln, Belmont, and Ashland is an urban tavern that defies categorizing. Combining an antique back bar, a copper bar top, blue Venetian glass lights, and a raw concrete floor, Fizz maintains a balance of comfort and style without pretention.
Link Four Farthings Tavern & Grill
Nice wine list, and good beer at one of the neighborhood's nicest bars, a Lincoln Park favorite since 1981 modeled after a turn-of-the-century saloon. Happy, if mega yuppie crowd (late 20s to mid 30s) - you always meet someone there. One of our friends calls it a "good place for twentysomething women to pick up older men."
Link Heartland Café
A nice environment...a pleasant attitude on the part of the personnel...lots of plants, wood and brick...breakfast, lunch and dinner seven days a week...and a piano for musicians to fool with while waiting for their food.
Link House of Blues
If you don't know the House of Blues then you don't know music or good food. Check out what the House of Blues has to offer you...
Link Long Room
The Long Room lives up to its name -- it is indeed long -- but don't expect any other kind of gimmicks here. This bar is aiming for average, from clientele (neighborhood locals and Wrigleyville defectors), to drinks (your typical beer and mixed beverage options), to music (occasional live jazz but mostly CD standards like Prince). Long Room doesn't serve food, but the staff invites patrons to bring anything in they'd like, including snacks from the sub shop next door.
Link Hothouse
From European avant-garde jazz acts that don't even play in this hemisphere to performance art to world music to the city's more esoteric acts, [HotHouse] has consistenly pulled in some of the planet's most provacative acts.
Link Gunther Murphy's
Hours of Operation: Bar is open 3:30pm till 2am, 7 days a week. Parking is available in the lot behind the bar off of Melrose.
Link Hideout
Listen to live music and have a few drinks with your buddies.
Link Memories
Open Tues - Sunday. Wednesday night is early punk night. Sundays feature gothic music. The rest of the week is a mixture of your basic hard alternative, punk and gothic. Mostly a twentysomething wax and leather crowd. Must be 21 to enter.
Link Martyr's
If you are a talented band looking for a musician friendly room to fill with your fans and your music, Martyrs' is interested.
Link The Mutiny
The Mutiny is located at 2428 N Western Ave in beautiful Logan Square, about 20 paces north of Fullerton (west side of the street.)
Link Mike Ditka's, Tremont
Coast between Rush & Michigan, is a Chicago Landmark. Ditka's has a decidedly understated sports motif, white linen table clothes, hardwood floors, intimate leather booths & rich mahogany wood accents. Chef Tom Kenny presides over the menu with passion & expertise. Known for Chops & Steaks including the signature dish "Da Pork Chop", Ditka's fare also includes a unique bone-in filet, a wide variety of appetizers, soups & salads, fresh seafood & pasta dishes. The lunch menu is full of wonderful fresh salads & sandwiches including the "Best Burger in Chicago", the Fridge Burger. Service is approachable & friendly in a comfortable atmosphere. Don't be surprised to catch sight of Da Coach himself.
Link The Note
The Note (formerly The Blue Note) originally earned its prominence within the city's bar scene by providing a late-night haven within dimly lit confines and a musical atmosphere steeped firmly in the Fifties and Sixties. Time brings change though, and as The Note found itself growing in popularity it found it needed to expand the size of the room to accommodate everyone who wanted to squeeze inside.
Link Metro
Formerly known as the Cabaret Metro, this music club has dropped the cabaret nonsense, but has retained its format and its reputation as Chicago's premiere alternative rock stage: featuring breaking progressive bands of several genres. The Metro has a large stage, a good PA, room for about 1,100 people and a nice rococo ceiling, to boot. It is a wonderful venue to see a new band or an up-and-coming local act (though larger national acts often appear and quickly sell-out the venue. Porno For Pyros and Pearl Jam are notable examples).
Link Misto
With offerings from tuna tartare to farfalle with bay scallops and shrimp, Misto aims to hook seafood lovers. Carnivores might choose the Misto Steak, an 8-ounce tenderloin served with a cognac-and-peppercorn sauce. The Italian-inflected menu, with many pasta options, is under the direction of chef Donny Greco, formerly at Adagio. Sophisticated sandwiches and salads star at lunch. Choices include a smoked turkey with avocado and bacon sandwich and a PLT substituting prosciutto for bacon.
Link Moxie's
Check out these photos of Moxie's and hopefully you'll have a great time like most of those people have. Location: 3517 N Clark
Link Shaw's Crab House
Chicago's premier seafood house is really two restaurants in one; the Blue Crab Lounge - an oyster bar featuring regional oysters on the half shell, clams, lobster and crab dishes; and the Main Dining Room - serving more than 40 fresh seafood entrees as well as chicken, prime steaks and pasta dishes. Valet parking available.
Link Phyllis' Musical Inn
Phyllis' is a great bar/music venue. The bands are usually local rock-types with "potential." The crowd is friendly (which is a good thing on the weekends because the place is so packed it's almost impossible to move much less get up to the bar to get libations.) They have lots of really nice ferns and plants up front (though they do seem somewhat forlorn-looking and out-of-place).
Link Schubas
The building that houses SCHUBAS TAVERN is a brick and masonry neo-Gothic treasure that’s been a Lake View neighborhood landmark for 100 years. Built in 1903 as part of a project undertaken by the SCHLITZ BREWERY, the building was one of hundreds erected at the turn of the century. This project included structures housing everything from corner taps to opulent hotels, and stretched from Minneapolis through Wisconsin to the far reaches of Chicago’s Pullman district.
Link Subterranean Café & Cabaret
Since 1996, Subterranean has stood out against the likes of the Double Door, Border Line and Holiday as one of the best bars around the six corner Milwaukee, North and Damen intersection, solidifying this corner of Bucktown as one of the coolest areas in the city to hang out. Subterranean appeals to those looking for either a loungey scene to enjoy a cocktail, or a swanky place to check out some live music. In fact, Subterranean offers one of most unique stage areas around. While Subterranean begins on street level and ascends two stories above that, the name may more accurately refer to nightcrawler patrons who come out everyday after 6:00 p.m.
Link Smoke Daddy
Over the years, "The Daddy" has been written up in some of the top newspapers and magazines for the food and music; the New York Times, National Geographic, Zagat Survey, Chicago magazine, and the Chicago Social all rated The Smoke Daddy as one of the best places to visit.
Link Uncommon Ground Café
The coziest corner in Wrigleyville, Uncommon Ground is one of the best places to go to sit and read, sip coffee or just people-watch. Despite its proximity to Wrigley Field, this coffee shop and restaurant would fit right into Wicker Park or Bucktown. Featuring live acoustic music every night of the week, Uncommon Ground strikes a decidedly-bohemian note in sports bar-laden Wrigleyville.
Link Wild Hare
From it's earliest beginnings the Wild hare has been a Mecca for internationally renowned musicians. The list of those who have graced our stage reads like a who's who of the Worlds most respected reggae and world beat recording artists.
Link Webster Wine Bar
A dark, charming, European-style wine bar, where groups of friends lounge in cushy, velvet couches, and couples whisper over candle-lit two-tops. Service is smart and friendly; don't be afraid to ask for recommendations.
Link Wise Fools Pub
A great bar and awesome music!