Came here with a large group to celebrate my birthday. Maalik really took care of us. He made sure the bartender knew it was my birthday and she did a great job of keeping our shots coming all night. We enjoyed the music and everyone had a great time. Looking forward to coming back. read more

Deadbolt Bar - Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Stopped in on a Friday night. The DJ was playing great music. Staff was friendly. They played hip hop and it was a diverse crowd. read more

Terrible Service, first of all and to mention the highlight of the night was watching the bouncers forcefully kick someone out for smoking, which is completely normal right? Except the people who got kicked out proceeded to come back and shoot the place up, leaving someone shot in front of the club. Bouncers and Owner did minimal to help the situation at all, when asked for the address so the ambulance can arrive these folks acted as if the address had somehow disappeared from their minds and were no help getting police and ambulance to the scene, as well as not releasing the footage of that very night to the police to identify the suspects and the bouncers who didn't help. Overall terrible experience, and after seeing other reviews I can tell this is a very sketchy place for women ESPECIALLY!! DO NOT RECOMMEND!! read more

Security is sus. Very very inappropriate touching during the search also charged a cover for a weak atmosphere. Save your time and money and just go down to easy does it or slippery slope. They have better music and friendly security. Still might spin the block on that weird as security guard read more

TUMBLR LOCK This chic new Logan Square bar serves up some stylish craft cocktails amid a contemporary lounge setting. Marked as a 'hot new business in (my) area', I felt compelled to stop in on a windy weeknight in early April. Located on Milwaukee Ave (adjacent to Furious Spoon), the entry is clearly marked and the heavy-duty door lets you know you're at the right place. Once inside, Deadbolt is trendy and dimly lit, yet it stops short of being pretentious. The atmosphere is reminiscent of The Violet Hour, but guests can still wear jeans without feeling out-of-place. The venue is small, which makes this an ideal place to meet a date for a drink :) After a short delay, our bartender whipped up a pisco sour ($11) fashioned with the typical ingredients of citrus, egg white, cinnamon, control pisco and brown butter, topped with a dash of baking spice. I appreciated how much precision and care was put into my cocktail; it was on-point. While they don't have a full kitchen, they do feature a small snack menu consisting of several items like a Chicago style dog, burger and chicken nuggets. I got an order of the garlic herb fries ($5) which were a great value and had plenty of garlicky herby goodness. There was a band getting ready to play some tunes, as I understand Deadbolt has live music some nights. With the help of the Furious Spoon team and Dustin Drankiewicz (MONEYGUN), the space formerly occupied by the musty Two Way Lounge has been reinvented with great success. Overall, a pretty trendy spot with lots of good things going for it. I look forward to returning -- yep, recommended! read more

Deadbolt Bar - Deadbolt serves up some slick cocktails, like the pisco sour pictured here ($11). Ooohhh! #trendy - Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Me and my friends drinks seemed to be tampered with we all felt weird leaving the bar and we all were missing items. Aint a safe spot watch all staff they all dirty and bums even the security/officers read more

Omg!!!! Can you say amazing wit me!!! I celebrated my birthday and it was the best party ever!! Mike was sooo chill and accommodating thru the whole process. The VIBES there are just amazing, all my friends stayed till closing and we didn't want to leave at all. I cannot wait for them to open again cause I will be back in the building. Such a mix set of hip hop & R n B that was exactly what I LOVE and needed.. Stayed moving my feet and shakin my booty !! read more

Ok, so let me start off by saying I am a sucker for hole-in-the-wall, dive-but-still-with-good-music, offbeat wall art types of places. This place is a small, cozy little space in Logan Square area, complete with a giant street-art style portrait of Jay-Z on the wall. Leather barstools, couches and chairs are scattered about the area. It's dark, lowlights here and there, which somehow makes the vibe much more The theme of the place seems to be sort of throwback, classic hip hop, and I was not disappointed, as the DJ spun hits from the 90s and 00s throughout the night. Menu is a little short, but this is a dive-type of place, and what they had on there suited me just fine. A few local beers like Two Brothers, some house cocktails for around $10/each, with pitcher options as well. Crowd is a pretty big mix, from the younger 20s up until late 30s. Dress is pretty casual, with patrons wearing everything from stilletos and skirts to guys with dreads and beanies. The bartenders were surprisingly friendly, fast and attentive. No wifi here. Parking isn't terrible; we got here around 1030 and were able to find parking a block and a half down on the street. I assume in the summer months the parking situation may be a little more difficult. I can see coming here for a third-date night, or somewhere to just chill out and kick back a little bit. Would return! read more

Logan Square of olden times is gone, and it's never coming back. Having been through the classic Seven Stages of Grief --had plenty of practice, what with the loss of Bonnie's, Pancho's, etc., etc. --I have arrived at Stage 7, ("Acceptance") and, if this is the ways things are gonna be, we could do a lot worse than Deadbolt. It's a chill little spot, more loungey and lot less hyper than most of the other recent additions to this stretch of Milwaukee Ave. It has bring-your-own vinyl nights, queer dance nights, and generally better musical taste than you'll find in the neighborhood these days. Crowd and staff can be smarmy, but not really douchey or surly. They offer serviceable chicken nuggets w/ fries and diner style burgers --a notch above your typical Sysco level, fairly decent. Dim lighting, a few Rat Pack-sized wraparound booths, a good spot to converse, plot or just collect your thoughts. Notably, the tops of the toilet tanks have built-in coke mirrors (see pic). This is a nice thoughtful, touch, and, given the relatively nonporous nature of glass as opposed to pitted porcelain, helpful in avoiding the spread of Staphylococcus aureus, a common risk when insufflating powdered substances off of surfaces in public bathrooms. That's good, solid, community-minded thinking, and for that I'm bumping them up to four stars. read more

Deadbolt Bar - The built-in mirror is a thoughtful touch. - Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

After leaving The Whistler hungry, we crossed the street and landed in Deadbolt. It's a cool bar with an even cooler bartender. I tried the chicken nuggets and the cheeseburger. They were both A-OK. I'll be back to chop it up with the bartender as I enjoy the chill vibe and refined cocktails. read more

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Drinking around Logan Square on a Saturday night and stumbled upon this gem. We sat at the bar and ordered a round of drinks. I got the Collins which was refreshing and boozy. The menu is really creative with hilarious drink names. The bartenders were awesome. I really loved the DJ that was playing some kick-ass music. We were hungry and happy to see that they offer some bar bites. We split an order of the garlic fries. The fries were crispy, thin cut and topped with enough garlic to annihilate an army of vampires. In other words, I was extremely happy! Although all the garlic I was consuming still did not put off the creep that kept hitting on me even after I told him I am married, but I digress. I love this bar and I hope to go back on my next visit! read more

Deadbolt Bar - Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

First off, I would like to commend management for the wonderfully comfy bar stools - cushioned leather! - and the vintage leather seating in the lounge area. Its a lovely space to lounge about, drinking well crafted cocktails. The rye Manhattan is solid, made with Rittenhouse. We stopped in after an afternoon of day drinking, so the place was not busy, but the music was chill and it was a great spot to unwind. We'll be back for later evening imbibing. read more

UPDATE: Quincy, the bar owner reached out to me upon reading my review and we had a great conversation about the state of bars in Logan, the future of deadbolt, and why my opinion of the bar had changed. While we didn't agree on everything, I have so much respect for him reaching out and being willing o have a conversation with someone who patronizes the area regularly. I think that deadbolt is in a transitional place and has potential to be something great in the future. Thanks Quincy for really investing time in really getting to the bottom of my opinions! A few weeks ago, maybe a month or two, I would've left a raving review for this no longer Hot & New spot that I first visited in May of this year and LOVED. Unfortunately, last night was my last visit and I'll tell you why. I frequent Logan square and am frequently one of 2 or 3 black people in the space. A frustrating thing that Chicago, one of the most segregated cities in our country, struggles with. I hated searching for bars that were not only within 10 miles of my Albany park home and also played consistent hip hop/trap music and allowed for some dancing or some relaxed drinking. Things I usually just saved for my birthday because incredibly hard to find. But then deadbolt followed me on Instagram and I almost immediately started throwing it in my rotation of bars. My first night was super fun, the bar was new and the bartenders were too but the cocktails were tasty and reasonably priced, the music was loud and the song selections I knew. I danced and enjoyed my night leaving with "wooooow this place is bomb" on the tip of my tongue and went back at least 3 times a month. Fast forward to now and it's gotten cooler I'm not out as much but suggested to my birthday girl of a friend to check out deadbolt because it's chill and she wanted to dance. Having not looked at the menu because I was t ordering a craft cocktail, I ordered a tequila tonic, started a tab and went back to the group, followed by another member with a horrified look on her face saying she just paid 10.99 for a vodka soda. When I went back to the bar to ask how much my drink was, the bartender said 10 and I asked when the prices had gone up for WELL cocktails and he said they hadn't changed. False but okay. Something else had changed. They now refuse to give you tap water and expect you to buy bottles of Aquafina. I put up a fight saying that if you're serving alcohol it's essentially illegal to refuse people, drinking alcohol in your establishment water thinking of the potential ramifications of someone that had been over-served and he gave me the bottle for free but it's honestly a scam. Whew this is a long winded way to say that for deadbolt to market themselves to the black community of Logan square, play the music we want to hear, hire the djs we love and then ultimately charge US, more than anywhere else in the neighborhood is T R A S H. It's exploitation, period. read more

I've been to this bar once and I really enjoyed the vibe here. The DJ played every song I could ever imagine and the music was great! I would definitely recommend this bar to anyone visiting Chicago! read more

So I loved the look of this place. And music was great, although I believe it was just on a Pandora station haha. We came in pretty early, starting our night off with a drink. There was already a couple people inside but it was basically dead. No biggie. The issue I had was with the service. Two gentlemen, one was kind enough to answer a question I had. But the bartender that made my drink seemed really not thrilled to have me there, nor to be there himself. I understand having bad days, but this is the service industry buddy.. try again. Then he NEVER came back, and I would have liked to have ordered more than one drink seeing as I was like for 30+ mins. I had to ask the other guy to close my tab. read more

"Get some tasty Ramen next door, and then drink the night away" Deadbolt Bar is another awesome addition to Logan Square neighborhood. This bar is owned by the same owners as Furious Spoon(next door). I had never visited the previous bar that was here, but I can tell that this bar was totally redesigned and freshened up. The vibe inside of the bar is dark and relaxing. There are a good variety of alcoholic beverages here, but also a few food items you can order as well (burgers, chicken nuggets, omelets, etc). I had the "City Pigeon" cocktail and I thought it tasted great. Even though the place was more on the crowded side when I was here on a Saturday night, the service from the bartenders was pretty fast. I look forward to coming again and trying more of their cocktails and possibly snagging a seat in one of their stylish booths ; ) read more

A stop on our tour of logan square bars. This is one of my favorites because of its laid back chill vibe. There was a live DJ when we went, and apparently a live brass band the night before. The bar had unique decorations I guess I can characterize as "Dark Dive Bar Chic." Atmosphere aside what it comes down to is the drinks, right? I got the special of the night Monkey Business. It was a banana rum drink, 10/10 would do it again. The banana wasn't too overpowering, and it was delicious refreshing drink. We sat at the bar and the bartenders were pretty cool too. I can't wait to come back and try the burgers there (we're also doing a search for the best burger in Chicago :D ) read more

Deadbolt Bar - Special of the night: monkey business - Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

They won't let you in with timbs or with Air Force 1s. Never heard of such a rule ever. Don't waste your time. They should establish new management read more

Fireeee atmosphere, amazing music, and good drinks. Why have I danced anywhere else? I came here on a Friday night and it was a bit packed. The DJ was incredible. read more

The vibe is so dope. If you are looking for a low-key lounge with great music this is the place to be. Its kinda a hole in the wall, dive bar shall I say but when DJ Illa is going to be in a building you go and don't ask questions. Its small but it works. I am not a big fan of the cocktail menu so when going if you are looking for craft type cocktails this ain't it. Keep it simple and don't ask for homemade lemonade. TOO SWEET! Small dance floor, great bar seating with outlets and hooks for the women and their pursers. YAH! They even have a few large tables for seating large groups. I am not sure how the other nights are but when Illa and Toure are in the building I will go back. FYI parking is scarce so If you live near take Uber but the upside is that if you do drive and find a spot on the street its free after 10:00. This is a blessing in chicago. Overall nice night with great hip hop. The crowd was chill and of course who can be mad at the Jay Z mural on the wall. read more

"This drink tastes like high school." All the cocktails taste like some concoction you would make by mixing a bunch of alcohols and sweeteners. Plenty of better spots on this same street, but one extra star for 90s hip hop night. read more

Deadbolt Bar - Do NOT get the old fashioned - Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I have been hanging out in the Logan Square a lot recently. I love all the new bars and restaurants popping up left and right. For Labor Day weekend I decided to check out Deadbolt and I'm glad I did! First off the DJ was awesome. I was told he goes by the name Black Mr. Rogers and his real name is Jason Rogers. The place was packed and everyone seem to be enjoying the music. I was also a fan of the drink prices. Most places you can't get a drink for less than $10.00. I got a Malibu Rum cocktail for $7.00. This place is on the smaller side, but it's nice they did have a couple of couches to sit in in the back. Glad I found a spot to add to my Logan Square bar/club/lounge rotation. :) read more

The ambiance was sick. Just wish there were more people there. We may have gotten there too early.

Deadbolt is the new bar that took over the space from Two-Way Lounge, right next to Furious Spoon. It's dim, and kind of sexy; the kind of place you'll want to stay at all night. Cocktails, like the "Brojito" and "I Can't Even" run about $11, and feature fun ingredients like "hillbilly campari," (Mount Gay Black Barrel Rum). There's a decent selection of low-brow beers like Old Style and Miller High Life, but also an ever-changing list of lagers, IPAs, and stouts. Food-wise, there are some snack-y things like hand-breaded chicken tenders, garlic-herb fries and a Chicago char dog. Best of all, they'll feature live music and a rotating gallery of local artists. Deadbolt is a fine addition to a neighborhood already teeming with great spots to enjoy a drink. Savor a classic cocktail without any pretentiousness, served by friendly folks. read more

Even though this place has been open for a bit first time checking it out tonight because my favorite bar is across the street. On many times my favorite bar gets packed so if I don't feel like dancing that night or jostling amongst the crowd on a Thursday night place proves a respite. DJ is decent De LA Pena. Good amount of open seats at the bar. Places to charge phones as well, rail for feet. Whiskey pour for old fashioned seemed meager, ice game looked like it was purchased from a bag. Which might sound like a silly complaint until you realize many bars invest in quality ice program. The old fashioned is 8 bucks which even in the Logan Square neighborhood makes it a competitive price when they're trying to compete with the cocktail big boys that are established in the area. Well whiskey the night I came in is four Roses. Which pleases me. Solid bourbon all around. I've yet to find this bars soul and stare it in the eyes, get to know the regulars, see how it breathes when they're pressured on a Friday and Saturday night. See how strangers evaluate the bar. At the end of the day it comes down to the intangibles that you can't see on one night. Eager to return in future. read more

Deadbolt Bar - Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

So, we finally got a chance to go check out Deadbolt after digging their offering at the Logan Square Stir-Up and we'll definitely be back. The music was legit, the space was awesome (minus the broken bathroom lock... that wasn't cool), service was attentive, and the drinks were fine. My rating is 3.5 stars, but, given they've only been open for a few months, I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt and rounding up. Highlights: The space - the design is great and the dark colors with giant booths and the addition of mirrors, glass tiles, and chandeliers makes this space very intimate and cozy. The music - the live DJs are great and they mix it up all the time. The guy who seems to be their Friday guy spun a bunch of old school hip-hop and party classics and it was awesome to enjoy a drink and table dance to all our old jams. Service - everyone was friendly and attentive and they tag-teamed so we were never without water or had empty glasses, even if our server was tied up. Areas of improvement: Service - although everyone was very friendly and helpful, the menu knowledge wasn't as good as other places in the area. That being said, it's still a baby bar, and I'm certain that will improve with time. Drinks - they were good. But good won't cut it in an area with outstanding watering holes. Again, I'm certain they'll get it together with time, but I just can't give them a higher rating yet until they get these things together. read more

My first time visiting in Chicago and upon a recommendation from a bartender at The Freehand, we ended up at Deadbolt. The place wasn't packed and the music was great, perfect for our first night there. Drinks were priced great at around $10 and the Old Fashioned I had was perfect (down to the black cherries)! We liked t so much we ended up going back to spend New Year's Eve there too. read more

Deadbolt Bar - Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Great music. Great place to dance with friends. I loved the atmosphere! I will be coming back for sure!

Went to Deadbolt last night for my boyfriend's birthday. The place has good music. The only reason why I give them 3 stars is because their sign outside states "no cover" but yet they were charging the guys $10 each. How are you going to charge your patrons a cover charge when your sign clearly says "no cover"???? read more

Love the new place! Great aesthetic, great service, and good drinks. Enjoyed the "I Can't Even," their take on a Moscow Mule featuring their own ginger beer, which was sweeter than expected but not overly soI went opening weekend with a friend who lives nearby and she really liked it as well. She'll definitely be a regular! I'll be back as well. read more

I really liked everything about this bar. It was chic, chill, and comfortable. I don't like dive bars and a lot of the "new dive bars" are just lame. But this place is unique in that it has chill, dive bar vibes but isn't gross like most dive bars. The cocktails are delicious, unique, and the bartender that was there this past Friday night was very knowledgeable and provided great customer service to us. He wasn't annoyed at us asking questions about the cocktails and was very responsive. We had a banana rum old fashioned and another rum-based drink that had spices in it. They were very tasty and not super sugary. I also really liked the music. They had ambient electronic music playing and that's so hard to find in Logan Square. Most places that have ambient electronic are in River North with annoying people but this was a perfect chic vibe. I also liked that the walls were painted black (or at least a darker color) and there was cool wall art painted over the main wall color. It had a very nice aesthetic and it wasn't crowded, which I really liked on a Friday night around closing. I definitely look forward to coming here again. read more

The drinks are great!!!!!!!! Smoky mai tai and The Horses Neck are both GREAT!!!!! Dim and loud...Good for a date night or for a night alone. The bartenders were nice but it was a little bit of a wait to order. read more

Deadbolt Bar - Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Great addition to the neighborhood. While I will always have a soft spot for the Two Way, this place is very akin to the nice cocktail bars going up around the neighborhood. Had a few cocktails with my roommate on a random Thursday evening. Bartenders were good at their craft, we enjoyed our beverages. Also had the fries (excellent!) and the chicken nuggets (a little too much breading for my taste, but very home made and very satisfying). The nuggets were white meat chicken, hand breaded and deep fried served with three sauces to pick from. They come in 6 or 9 nuggets, I could barely eat 3. Will definitely be back in the near future. read more

I love this place. No cover. Always good hip hop music. I just wish that they would stay open later and that people would starting coming here earlier. They also need more than 1 bathroom. But overall it's a fun place to party at. read more

TERRIBLE SERVICE/ATTITUDE. EXPENSIVE DRINKS. GOOD MUSIC. Please pay your employees more. Both bartenders answer multiple people, not just me, with attitude and anger. Or maybe it's the drinks they are consuming while one the job. All of the staff are drinking while working which in my experience usually leads to happier staff but not all people are happy drunks. SAVE YOUR MONEY AND YOUR SELF RESPECT, GO ELSEWHERE. read more

This review is for back in October 2018. It was for my little sister's party. We went in and noticed a couch area that had a post that was blocked off. It was so easy to get in contact to see if we can get the area. They let us have the area but I can't remember exactly how much the minimum was but regardless we had such a great time. We love hip-hop and R&B music so it was definitely an enjoyable time for us. The only mishap was that we had to go back the next day to close our tab since my card locked out and couldn't charge my card. Other than that, when we came back the manager and staff were so friendly and gave us their contact info and a card for the next time we come back. Definitely will come back and enjoy their bottle service again! read more

Oh, where to start? Went in last week with a friend of mine... the cocktails were poorly mixed, the bartender was rude, the DJ was a complete condescending ass when we tried to chat him up... we TRIED to make the best of it. We got absolutely no help in that area. The atmosphere felt hollow and insincere, like the kind of prefab place you buy in that same catalog that sells inventory to make a stale bar into an "Irish pub" or a nautical-themed tavern. But STILL we tried to have a good time. And every, single aspect of this place, its drinks, and its employees ruined it. The experience is SO BAD, it reminded me to create a Yelp profile that I'd been putting off for some time. I had a whole list of positive reviews for other places, and then one of the very worst for this place. For all the effusively praising newspaper articles, you can tell this place doesn't give a solid damn about anyone who walks in the door outside of their "preferred clientele". We won't be back. Not like you'll miss us. :( read more

Bartender was out of some stuff for the drink I ordered off the menu so he improvised. Tasted fine. I was the only customer and at 7:15pm music was blaring a little too much for my liking. Nothing to rush back to in an area filled with bars. read more

Great bar. Plays great music. However, second DJ last night was not cool. The first DJ was playing great hits. Also very hot inside last night. No AC read more

Deadbolt, you are my favorite bar in Logan Square. There, I said it. I love you. You are my 4100 of Chicago. You're super chill, cozy, comfy, romantic in a gritty way, and it's just easy with you. I could easily spend all my time here, just lounging and chatting and enjoying the vibe. Thank you for being in the neighborhood. And bonus points for being next to the tasty ramen joint! read more