We attended Trickery on Saturday 04/18/26. Aaron was adept at working with a diverse audience to…read moreinclude them and maintain control of his performance in a very intimate setting. Because it's BYOB you'll get the 20-somethings that feel they have to get loaded beforehand and then act the fool while attending (do you hear that "Neil"? No one wants the focus on you acting like it was your first experience with alcohol) but Aaron was skilled at bypassing them without causing tension or escalating bad behavior. Aaron's attitude is one of someone who has worked hard to make this little venture work, and he deserves respect and recognition for his obvious commitment and work ethic. His act included variations of tricks performed by other magicians, with his own twists. He is an expert at sleight of hand and distraction, which is considerably more difficult in a room about the size of an average residential living-room. He had an appropriate sense of humor aligned with an audience coming to Boystown, an overtly gay neighborhood in Chicago (if you're not familiar). However he wasn't garish, flaming, flamboyant, or offensive; he managed a perfect balance of innuendo humor and audience engagement without being cheap or ingenuine. The snarky one-liners will likely go over your young kids' heads (although bring them to an early show, your 9 year old doesn't belong in Boystown at 10 pm on a weekend), and he carries himself with class avoiding the use of profanity or graphic terms. Again, I can't overstate that his tricks were amazing, impressive, and captivating - as magic should be. You leave the show shaking your head and wondering how it's done - which truly makes it "magic". You would be hard-pressed to spend $36.36/person for an hour of live entertainment that can match Aaron's performance. Pro-tip: If you're driving there you will need to use an app to reserve parking, as there aren't garages like downtown Chicago and every street is filled with so many signs there's no way you will return and find your car not-towed or not-ticketed. Chicago does this on purpose to generate revenue; you'll see "street cleaning" on Tuesday from xx hour to xx hour, no parking when snow is over 2 inches OR any time from Dec 1 through April 1, loading zone, 15 minute stopping/standing with flashers, no parking, residential permit zone only, bike lanes, bus stop restrictions, etc. If you find street parking and think you've beaten the system, think again. Nobel Prize Laureates, Rhodes Scholars, Ivy League PhDs, Mensa members - you can meet them all at Chicago Central Auto Pound retrieving their vehicles. Stephen Hawking couldn't drive, but if he could and he parked in that neighborhood all the quantum mechanics in the world wouldn't make his towed car reappear from the Chicago Parking space-time continuum. The nice thing is if you do reserve parking and give yourself enough time you can walk to many, many restaurants and bars in the area that are open even after the 10 pm show ends. Thank you Aaron for a wonderful experience, you made my wife's birthday memorable for both of us.

I've attended this show twice now and really enjoyed it both times. It's always a great experience…read more He takes time to thank everyone for coming and even asks how you heard about the show, which makes it feel very personal and welcoming. He's genuinely nice and engaging. I plan to come at least once a year. I also love having a local, neighborhood option instead of having to go downtown to see similar acts.

Love their pop ups and the vibes. I came here with my boyfriend and we were able to catch the…read moreStranger Things pop up before it ended in December. We didn't try their cocktails but they had a curated cocktail menu for the Stranger Things theme. For a Tuesday night the week of Christmas, it was busy as expected. There is a Photo Booth in the back room area that accepts cash. Most games are free. You have to pay cash to play skeeball, basketball, and the buck hunting game.

I have a confession to make: I suck at pinball. Those folks getting the high scores probably have…read morethe reaction time of professional athletes, as well as being able to perfectly foresee where that little ball is going to go. Honestly, such folks would probably make millions playing baseball or something; I couldn't really tell you, I'm not a big baseball guy. But I digress. What makes this barcade so phenomenal is that most of their pinball machines are set to free play! You can play them as much as you wish without spending a dime. As someone who has spent a dollar, only to see "game over" after about two or three minutes, this is what keeps me coming back again and again. They do have bars (yes, multiple!), of course. The drinks are creative, tasty, and not terribly expensive. I also appreciate that at no point during my visit did I feel compelled to order alcohol to play the games. Furthermore, at the time of my visit, they had a Shrek theme going in the bar in the back. It added to the fun atmosphere. That same night, there was a live DJ. While I am not a fan of loud music in a space which is already pretty loud, I appreciate that this is 100% a personal preference. Plus, I have hearing protection with me pretty much always, so it became a non-issue. I do want to point out that some of their machines could use a little bit of preventative maintenance checks and services. For example, one of the pinball machines had a stuck flipper, another a sticky flipper, and the Terminator 2: Judgment Day arcade game had an issue with the controllers (broken button on one, no vibration on another). However, since these are free, "Don't look a gift horse in the mouth" comes into play, and I don't feel right dinging them on it. Besides, I realize that mechanical devices are going to break. I recently got stuck in an elevator, so I would know! With all this, Replay Lincoln Park is phenomenal, and I can't wait to return on Friday nights to see if I can make myself into a pinball wizard. Yeah, good luck to me (/s)

I've lived in the area for a bit and FINALLY made my way to the Laugh Factory. My friends and I…read morecame for a late night stand-up show. Tickets were free!! Honestly a great show, I've been to some really bad stand up before and I was impressed by each of the comedians. There is a two drink minimum per person - alcoholic or non-alcoholic. Not a big deal to us since we were in the mood for a drink and didn't pay for tickets, but something to note if you're coming to a paid show. There's a lot of open seating as well, and all were in great view of the stage. The venue is fairly large while still feeling pretty intimate. If you're a fan of comedy I'd definitely recommend a stand-up show, and I'll probably be back to check out one of the paid ones!

First time visiting the Laugh Factory so I decided to purchase tickets to the show while visiting…read moreChicago. Tickets were easy to purchase online. There is a 2 drink minimum. The waiter was friendly. The comedians listed on the website were not the comedians that were at the show nevertheless, the show had some funny moments and some comedians were funnier than others. We got some guest comedians that happened to be in town and was somewhat familiar with from social media skits. We check out the Laugh Factory again preferably in another location.

Had a great time at Lucky Strike Wrigleyville!…read more The place had a really fun vibe, great energy, and was perfect for weekend lunch and arcade. Steven the bartender was awesome, super fun, personable, and kept everyone laughing while making great drinks. He really added to the whole experience. If you're in the Wrigleyville area and looking for something fun with the kids, this spot is definitely worth checking out!

Came for a date night and had fun! Came in for bowling and was disappointed that the online…read morereservation system doesn't allow for real time availability. Recommending people come in anyway is disingenuous. Either way, we stayed for the arcade games! For $30 you can make it a good while playing different games. A good opportunity to improve is getting more of the games up and running. A lot were out of order. And the ticket reward system is definitely ambitious. The bar staff was a saving grace! The service was phenomenal and were thoughtful in recommendations and checking in. Enjoyed splitting the small margarita bowl! We had the chance to try the nachos and they're ok. When it came to the barbacoa, it was a bit dry and needed that signature sauce the meat is known for. Tortilla chips weren't the best either. The portion was great and the overall plate was ideal to share!

This is such a fun concept for a bar! We came right after it opened, so it wasn't too busy. But…read morelooking forward to coming back on a Saturday night. My favorite game was the pinball, and my wife's favorite was skee ball.

Such a refreshing and entertaining spot with a really creative vibe. The space blends classic…read morearcade energy with a modern bar atmosphere, making it easy to relax and have fun at the same time. There's a great mix of games that bring out a playful, nostalgic feel while still keeping things lively and social. Everything felt well organized, and the environment was welcoming from the moment we walked in. It's the kind of place that works just as well for a casual outing as it does for a more upbeat night. Definitely looking forward to coming back again and spending more time here.

One of the best toy stores in Chicago. If you like these types of collectibles I'd say it's the…read morebest store frankly. They also have rotating art shows. I like the seating are and also their policy to trade figures with the open model if you want that one instead. Major fan here. Keep doing you Rotofugi.

What a fun experience! They had the rainy days Sonny angel blind boxes which is why I came. Price…read moreis reasonable and they always have different stock every time. A blind box heaven! Service was great as well!

The whole reason behind our Chicago trip was a visit to the inaugural Beyond Fest, with all the…read morescreenings being held at The Music Box. I didn't get a chance to watch anything in the big theater, but I was nevertheless impressed by the theater's old-school vibe. The ornate atmosphere really heightened the appealing vibe, and the friendly, helpful staff was also very much appreciated. I did wind up ordering popcorn, and while it was pretty expensive for such a small bag, the popcorn tasted fresh and it wasn't too salty, either. The Music Box is definitely a pretty cool place. I'm sure I'd be a regular if I lived in the area.

I LOVE the music box. In fact, I'm a member !!…read more My fiance and I catch all our favorite movies here. From special early screenings to rereleases of long lost films, we find ourselves in the seats of Music Box basically every other week. There is no charm quite like an old school theatre. Concessions rock. Love the simplicity and the popcorn always is perfect. Newly renovated bathrooms are super great too!

This was so much fun! It's been on my list forever, and I'm glad we got a group to go. I did my…read moreresearch and wanted to check out the performance bar beforehand - PSA you do not need a ticket for this and can go enjoy drinks and tricks any time! This was so cool but intimate and small so not much space and fills up quickly. The speakeasy door is also so cool though a line will likely form outside right before shows so be prepared for that. The show itself was so impressive, as were the magicians that came up to your table to do tricks beforehand. Drinks were also great. The vip performance after the show was also nice and intimate. Everything was great and so much fun!

My husband and I bought Magic show tickets to celebrate a recent college grad in the family…read more We bought the front row tickets, which also gets you access to the VIP after show (30 minutes)! I thought the tickets were worth that perk alone in addition to being front and center. The talents were superb! I truly enjoyed every act. I loved the pre-show magic tricks at each table. It made the experience very intimate and engaging. I loved that the MC called out each and every celebration that night! There were food and drinks available for order, but kind of pricey (for example, ~$20+ for a shrimp cocktail). I ordered the earl grey non alcoholic drink, which was good!

Is it just my imagination, or did pinball in this arcade used to cost a lot less? I could have…read moresworn there were very few machines that cost a buck and the rest were 25 cents or maybe 50 cents if one wanted to splurge. When I was here yesterday, I found that almost all of them were a buck, a few were 75, and a fewer were 50, and maybe on for 25. Now that said, Logan Arcade does have a tremendous selection of different pinball machines. Many of them are modern Sterns, some are older Bally's, a few old school, and one being the mechanical type with no computers within. There is also a fair selection of other arcade games, some vintage, others a bit newer, which I did not partake in. I have to say though, one of them was Dance Dance Revolution, which I haven't seen for at least 15 years! On the modern side, they have a totally awesome motion + VR-based game, which is a lot of fun to play. Though I am a bit embarrassed because I think you can see how I'm playing right behind me on a massive screen. Still well worth the five bucks for the experience, if for nothing else. Another thing I really like that they do is that instead of operating based on tokens, it's quarters. The one advantage to token is you're able to buy them with a credit card (though usually in $5 increments). Quarters, meanwhile, don't lock you into playing a certain amount of games - get as many quarters as you need and then leave with what you don't- it's US currency, use it anywhere you'd like. Where it comes to their bar service, I can't really comment as I didn't buy anything this time around (the photo is from a few months ago). However, looking at the menu, it seems they are more about cheap options as opposed to anything worthy of writing home about. So we are left with an arcade that is good fun to kill a couple of hours. It's one that has market rates for modern arcade games, cheap classics, and cheap booze. Likely more funs with friends if you are competitive.

Cool spot to play pinball in Logan Square. It is quite the happening spot so it can be tough to get…read moreon a machine even though they have 20+. Its seems a lot of people go here to drink and socialize and not just play arcade games and which I believe why it felt so crowded. Nonetheless it was a cool spot to play some silver ball!

This is really great place to come with some friends or by yourself to have some rnr if you love…read morecats. Even if you don't love them, it's also a great place to come to get more used to being around cats. The kittens and cats are all adoptable or fosterable. You can play with them and pet them, just not pick them up. They're all very socialized as well. There are arcade games to play if you get bored or if there are many cats sleeping and you can also grab a drink as part of your ticket when you go!

These people are absolute psychos. I had adopted two cats 4 years ago from a different place, one…read moresadly passed away. I tried to do a foster to adopt, filled out endless pages of information and gave them my ID. Showed up on our email cat was ready to be transferred at the shelter. They gave me the complete lie of cat doesn't want to be moved into a carrier so I couldn't go home with her. They then sent cat back to her original foster family. Fun facts for adoption from these people - they want daily emails on the stool consistency of the cat. Yes daily from 1 to 7 in order of hardness. Cats need homes not a graduate degree from Jackson Galaxy!