Open Mic
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The Bassment
- Chicago hip-hop and more.
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Cary's Lounge
- Check out one of the best music venues in the Chicago land area!
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Cocoabean Expressions
- Cocoabean Cafe reopened in 2004, under new owner, Rogers Park artist, Amy Westgard. The cafe offers coffee and espresso drinks in a cozy atmosphere, and features a small but tasty menu. The works of local artists are regularly shown on the walls. Cocoabean is open daily from 6am - 6pm, and hosts an open mic night every thursday from 8-10pm.
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Ethio Café
- No utensils. Spicy Ethiopian, and a delicious vegetarian buffet. It's cheap (you can eat an awful lot), and good for you, too. So, share a plate of good ethiopian food, and a bottle of African wine. The Village been remodeled in the last year or two (so it's a bit more attractive than previously), and there's live African band on the weekends. There's also a shop upstairs that sells unique imports.
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Java Oasis
- The cafe serves lattes, smoothies, homemade soups and sandwiches, etc. Chess players frequent the cafe on weeknights. Tuesday night is poetry night.
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4-Play
- Great Food! Great Music!
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Fantasy Lounge
- Small bar and music room.
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Griffin's Public House
- Nineteen taps attract Michigan and Notre Dame fans. On game days, weather permitting, a grill out back is fired up for burgers and brats. The regulars are even encouraged to bring their own cuts of meat for gametime cooking. The ESPN packages provide nearly unlimited game options, with nine TVs at the room's disposal. This is a friendly "regulars" bar, meaning lots of loyal customers don't mind the occasional interlopers, provided they root for the team of the moment. USC fans are cautioned to keep their distance.
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Hidden Cove
- Late night fun! A world of character's to have fun with! The Karaoke is the best! Try it sometime!!!
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Howl at the Moon
- "The most fun you can have with your clothes on!"
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Joy-Blue
- Newcomers line up to study the enormous menu hanging on the south wall, which appears to include nearly every international brand and domestic microbrew in existence--about 50 choices in bottles and 10 on tap. Martinis are also common at the full bar.
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Life's Too Short
- Located right off the Chicago River, this bar/restaurant has multiple-level decks. Boaters are more than welcome: There's valet parking for boats and a shower for boaters to get refreshed. Head to the top level, where there's a superb view of the city. Live bands perform some weekends and there's a "reggae brunch" on Sunday.
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Quenchers Saloon
- Located in one of the most vital, urban neighborhoods of Chicago, Logan Square/Bucktown, Quenchers Saloon has been offering a truly extensive selection of beer since opening in 1979. Quenchers now has live entertainment seven nights a week showcasing local talent.
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No Exit
- Old, scarred wooden tables, chess sets and liberal polictical pamphlets adorn No Exit, one of the oldest coffeehouses in the country (it opened in 1958). Smoke-filled most of the time. Music (folk or jazz) some nights (Mondays, for example), theatre others.
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Underground Lounge
- The Underground Lounge may be located smack dab in the middle of Wrigleyville, but the bar’s interior is like a different world: more stylish than sporty.
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Red Line Tap
- New bar opened by the adjacent Heartland Cafe. Thursday nights feature open mic night.
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Vaughan's Pub
- As you approach Vaughan's Pub on Sheffield, you'll hear the laughter through the front windows in summer, and as you enter you'll feel like you've stepped through the doorway of an old-time Dublin pub.
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Weeds
- Total dive. Live music on Thursday (jazz), Friday and Saturday (varies). Very mellow. Bartender's sanity is questionable.
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Burkhart Studios
- A wonderful relaxing coffeehouse and art gallery where you can sit and listen to soothing music.

