If you like a place with character, there is no place like Lilly's. I was glad to have brought some first-timers there before quarantine, and everyone's mind was blown. I hope they make it. It is irreplaceable. read more

Ugh. This tiny place has to have the absolute worst layout in the city. I went to see my friends band from out of town, and had trouble getting in the door after paying my $8 since the stage was literally right next to the entry. There were actually doorways like an old house that I had to push the youngins out of so I could get through since they thought the doorway was a good place to stand for the show. Well, it was actually, but it's a DOORWAY. I pushed my way to the back of the smelly place to the only calm spot- the band's merch table. Then I found out that they made my friends band play early since they were out-of-towners, so I missed their set. Well, I had one overpriced beer with my friends before I had to get the hell out of there. Then I watched a guy get plowed over by a hit and run car outside. I waited for the ambulance with him and talked with the cops. What a night. read more

Went there on a Saturday night with a group of about 8. We were the only ones there except for 3 other people. Sat at a table while 2 of us went up to the bar to order drinks. There were two bartenders working and they completely ignored us the whole time. Wouldn't even acknowledge that we were there. They just talked amongst themselves. It was the most bizarre experience I've ever had at any establishment. read more

I went here to see my friends in Pork and Beans (the phenom acoustic prog-rock band), and thought it was an alright place to showcase local musicians, as it's fairly intimate, and not too big. They layout is a little odd, but there's an upstairs that looked pretty neat. The one big drawback is that pints are overpriced at $6, especially considering they need to clean their tap lines on their Guiness and Newcastle selections, because they tasted weird. read more

Ok. If you are uptight. If you think you are classy If you think what makes a bar fun is the price of things or lighting or decor If you can't stand being around people who aren't like you If you get nervous easily around people you don't know If you don't like places with character and history If you don't like rock and roll, Don't go to Lilly's. Our band played here at least once a week for almost 2 years '08-'10 and it was always a fucking blast. We got people in there that would never be caught dead together and they all had fun. Our band was loud and sloppy and we were quite often too drunk to know what was going on. But Lilly always treated us right. The place is different. It's old and has a storied past. It's beautiful and anyone who whines about it just doesn't understand what it is there for. We probably played a total of 100 shows at Lilly's and every one was different than the rest but we all had fun. If you don't like it, walk down Lincoln to some other place. It's grungy and dirty and completely unique. Real rock and roll died because of you people who need all the bells and whistles. In other countries, this is what bars are like. If it's not what you like, go somewhere else. We would bring in very famous people who other people would pay hundreds of dollars to see and people didn't even know. If you were there anytime within that period of time you more than likely saw us and more than likely saw a musician that you listen to everyday. She never cancelled a show on us and always gave us our cut. Understand where you went when you write a review. You didn't go to the opera house and see a bluegrass show because that's not what they do there. Lilly's helped us form into the musicians we are today and we will be forever grateful for the experiences we had there. Give it a chance, let your hair down and have fun. Life is too short to sit here and dog a place that does exactly what it wants. It's all about the experience. The journey. read more

I love it! Friendly service! I enjoyed the drinks and music. I would recommend to anyone looking for a unique bar

I really pretty much hate this place. It's small, too dark, the seating is awkward and the drinks are WAY too expensive. 4.75 for a Miller Light bottle, are you serious? The mixed drinks taste stiff because they use terrible liquor and the 6.75 Long Islands make my skin crawl. There is no physical way that "10-shots" plus the mix and ice fit into the false bottm glasses they use. The service is usually fast, because the place is usually dead, not it's not friendly. Usually at least one of the taps is out, most of the time the PBR which is the only reasonably priced thing I've found there. I would never come here again if I didn't know someone who plays music here. read more

Very interesting place. Definitely worth visiting. Great atmosphere, will defiantly come back

If you're in a band, don't play here: * They don't pay . . . we had to ask if we were getting paid, and the guy walks through a standing room only crowd in the bar to hand me a $5. * Managers had no clue as to what was going on during setup & load in. * Sound system is really poor and sound guys have no clue as to what they're doing. Screw this place and this attitude. Save your energy for other venues in Chicago which care about hosting live music by communicating with bands, investing in a decent sound system and skilled sound engineers, and paying musicians for their work. read more

Unbelievable 4 bands scheduled to play 2 coming from Detroit n New york...Thursday 2/11. 430pm the bar calls the band on the way from Detroit to the gig and says..." sorry we over booked bands" confirmed for months coming from out of state. Our band called to find out the owner just called and said no bands tonight!!! So they lied and they inconvenienced 4 bands and about 12 lives plus customers...I've been to this place. It's filthy..furniture looks like straight out of the garbage. And now they show their business ethics are not worthy of staying open. Very sad.... read more

How many cute college girls can you fit into a small 2 story bar? Go to Lilly's and find out. Oh, and bring cash.

Really not the best, unfortunately. I'm not even sure how this place even operates given how run down it is. There is one bathroom upstairs and it doesn't even lock - you would think the owner would AT LEAST make sure their single bathroom had a proper lock, but nope - it seems like they pride themselves on how run down it is. The last time I came here, they were supposed to open their doors at 8pm, but took forever to get ready and set up and didn't even open until 9pm. On top of that, they wanted to charge $6 for cover when it wasn't even advertised. In terms of their drinks, they're supposed to have like 6-7 on tap, but only had ONE draft available. It's ONE bartender tending the entire time and he's pretty lousy and lackadaisical in terms of service. I honestly do not know how this place is surviving - they run out of inventory, service is lousy, charge ridiculous miscellaneous fees, and their bathroom doesn't even lock. The only other time I came here, the same guy who checks ids at the entrance had the audacity to go around the room w/ a tip jar and request tips for their sub par performer. All in all, one of the WORST if not THE WORST bar experiences I've ever had. Do yourself a favor and just STAY AWAY. There's sooo many other better options in the area. read more

I just went to Lilly's for the first time the other night. It was quite an experience. I don't know if I'll ever go again. The service was good, the drinks were fine, but I thought I was going to die when I was upstairs. The floor was slanted and I had a slight fear we were going to go crashing to the floor. Luckily that didn't happen, but we didn't stay long. Oh and it's a cash only bar. I'm personally not a fan of cash only, but it is what it is. read more

Ooh, I just went there to watch a friend play. It is sort of set up weird and the drinks are way too pricey for this sort of place. maybe if they remodel a bit. It has the potential to be a decent dive, but they gotta work on the layout, get new furniture. Remove the sawdust smell in the air, and lower PBR pricing to below $3.25. PBR should never be more than $2. That should be a city ordinance. read more

Neighborhood hole in the wall with all wooden interior that shows wear and tear from all of the drinking involved. One bar makes it a bit difficult to get drinks but the upstairs gives a good view of the live music. The ten shot Long Island is definitely the best thing in the bar, but do NOT try to drink more than three of them!!!!!!!! read more

This place is a rare combination of a piano and a college bar. The place is bad and the floor looks like it use to be part of Lincoln Avenue. The bathrooms were atrocious and workers were socializing to point few customers were being served. They had an upstairs but the bottom looks like a pit I didn't even venture up there. There were so many fire and trip hazards I wonder how this place has existed. The piano is just old and not in a cool antique way. The place is just the pits read more

My band used to play here every week on a weeknight. Our goal was to cut our teeth musically, not to make money or thousands of fans, which is good because we didn't do either of those things. Lilly's is pretty much a shit hole. Everyone on here that said the drinks are expensive, watered down (beer), undrinkable (long islands), and the bar, smelly (everywhere) is 100% right. Parking was also a bitch, which I understand most people don't have to deal with, but we were coming from the suburbs in 2-3 cars every week. It's also funny to see your friends drive up and down the block 6 times looking for the place. It looks more like a condemned building than a bar. Lilly has a habit of disappearing for weeks/months at a time, then returning with a steel hand to bitch slap everybody working for her and replacing them with dbags who don't give a shit about the customers that come in or the bands that play. An ex-bartender was the one saving grace of our 4-months worth of weekday nights because he understood when things were slow to put "$1 PBRs" on the sign outside, or to give the one small group of DePaul students brave enough to enter a few free drinks. People poured in off the street and those DePaul students called their friends to join them and what do you know, we had tips in our jar! Lilly fired him for "stealing from the bar" i.e. pouring the band (that was playing FOR FREE) a round of shots every week. Way to go Lilly. If you are a Lincoln Park acoustic guitar player that covers the Beatles, Dave Matthews and "The General" by Dispatch, definitely play here on a Saturday night and bring all your friends. Payout is $5/head which is monumental if you know anything about playing and getting paid in Chicago. If you're looking for a place to call home, keep looking. read more

this isn't just a bar with a lady's name...lilly exists...and i'll give her three stars for allowing me to see what my mom may have looked like the year she gave birth to me.... but damn...she poors a slow drink. their special...pitchers of long island iced tea...was advertised all over the walls so you'ld think it was a common pour... watching her make it was like watching someone perfect the cure for cancer. thing is...10 minutes and couple gatorade swigs later, she had filled the pitcher too full and had to give us the coke on the side. whoops. read more

I yelped Lilly's before stepping foot in there so I obviously wasn't expecting much. I was pleasantly suprised. The tenders/staff were friendly, the drinks were fine and not watered down as I read about and it has it's own weird motif which i found kinda cool (especially the old fashioned brick floor). The crowd was not the typical frat party that Lincoln's known for which is fine by me. I'm gonna go out on a limb and give Lilly's a solid review. read more

As another reviewer said: Lilly's is, and Lilly's isn't. It's got quirks. If you love Lilly's you love those quirks and the history. It was once a really happening place to see blues music. The haphazard decor, the cavernous, convoluted space, and the manic management style are incredible to me, and keep me going back. Seriously, if you like places with character you need to check this place out. However, if you love Lilly's you also wish they wouldn't book quite as many bad bands as they do (of course, the classic Tuesday open mic is an important exception to this). Great blues musicians aren't begging to play here anymore, so the attitude toward booking needs to change. People are right about pricing: they need to streamline their approach for sure. I also wish that Lilly (the legend herself) would treat her employees better, because the service and the booking would be more consistent. Seeing weird old-Chicago places like this still kicking, especially in over-developed neighborhoods like Lincoln Park, just makes my heart sing. However, this bar need to adapt just a little, in ways that don't compromise its core appeal. The place has so much potential to be a consistently welcoming and comfortable space for people who like weird bars. Long live Lilly's! read more

I saw my buddy's band play here on Halloween and it ended up being a pretty good time. The inside of the bar looks like it just opened up after surviving Hurricane Katrina. The walls were boarded up and the whole was damp and dark. I got over all that when I was told by the extremely cute bartender that PBR was only $1 a pint. I do not know if this was a regular thing or just a special on Halloween but needless to say it was awesome. My friend's band rocked and I got pretty drunk. read more

DO NOT book your band at this fucking place. The owner will cancel your show for no reason at all then lie to you as to why they cancelled. Fucking idiots! Get a clue! Moron, you're not a rock venue. I will be sure to tell every band that I encounter and gig with to be sure to keep you off their venue list. Stick to just plugging in your iPod for your music source you pieces of shit! Quit writing your own "great" reviews.....Loser! Unreal.. read more

This is a pretty neat place as far as architecture, lighting and design, it's filled with alcoves and is pretty inviting. Until you get in, and a cockroach walks over your friend and you realize that the whole place smells like a men's bathroom at a state park in late August. Ultimately, it feels like a neglected bathhouse from the seventies, but filled with bros. With overpriced beer. read more

I had never even heard of this place until a friend asked if we would help him out and play a show here with him. I felt like being in this bar was like going back in time. We played here during a major snowstorm and it was a lot of fun. The place was packed and the little balcony puts people right on top of the band. This place is super small and hard to navigate when so packed but I enjoyed drinking and playing here and the staff were nice. With the right crowd of people this can be a very fun place to weather out a storm. read more

Faith and Grace were super fun bar tenders! Great vibe! Cool spot. The atmosphere is super chill and the music was fantastic. The people were great at open mic night and the artists were great. read more

I went to see a band here last night, and loved it! It is a warm and cozy place with a ton of charachter. I was there with a group of folks, and there was plenty of room to see the band. The staff was great, and the house drink, The long island iced tea, was potent. They were even kind enough to give us extra coke in another glass because of this fact. Not really sure why all the bad vibes. I was pleasantly surprised, and will be returning. read more

AHHH you guys r a bunch of whiners or weiners. Lilly is one of the coolest women u will ever meet! Her place is always clean and intimate. A good place for a beer after work or take your girl on a weekend, especially the upstairs. Ask Lilly to tell some of her life stories, the suspected Tylenol killer, etc. Lilly attracts interesting, quirky people and boyfriends. Great place for people watching. Remember ur in Chicago, one of the most beautiful cities in the world, enjoy the atmosphere. See u in the spring.......... Bill from WMNF, Tampa read more

oh my god why does this place have so many bad reviews! Lillys does not deserve this! please! -ambiance is awesome! I feel like it's a more youthful, DIY version of the Green Mill (at least on Wednesdays) -the beer could be cheap or expensive! You could get a PBR for $2 or something more pricey for like $7 or something in the middle for like $5 -There's no cover! -The small cabaret tables, lights, and knooks of the place allow you to be as social or reclusive as you want. ex: I didn't talk to anyone, and then after the jazz performance, I walked straight up to the band and had a good conversation with them, then the bartender, then people at the bar. Then again, this may all be biased. I brought my coworker with me, it was the first time she or I had ever been there, and when we walked in she said every guy in the room looked like he could be my ex boyfriend. I think read more

I agree with other posters about the high prices and inattentive staff. The live act I saw wasn't half bad though. I only checked the place out because my former boyfriend shot a man to death in front of the place a very long time ago, but that's neither here nor there. read more

HORRIBLE! They play the worst music way to loud and it smells like a toilet over flowed. I personally think that this place should be shut down immediately. read more

My band played here last night. When it comes to the drinks, I'm not sure what a lot of people here are talking about. Although their liquor selection is really thin (I wanted bourbon, but the only whisky that had was Jack), I got a huge class of it for $6, which really, if you drink whisky at bars regularly, is not that bad. Since I was performing, I chose to avoid the 10-shot Long Island Iced Tea, but a few of my friends had it, and as I speak my boyfriend is lying on my couch recovering from it. I do agree it smelled odd in there, not horrible though (I was told that all the candles were coffee scented). The upstairs was cool.. bring your date and anything might happen (i.e. there are some nice little private spaces). The stage is really small (something I'd been told to expect) and the acoustics are strange, but the fans told me it sounded good. Definitely very loud. We fit a lot of people in there, about 30, and people were coming in from the street. My band's been playing a lot (we're The Uncontrollable Few if you were wondering), and we play smaller and larger venues (we played Bottom Lounge last week, so this was quite a change), but I thought Lilly's was quite charming. And so was Lilly, was super nice and quirky. The bartender was nice to all of us, but especially nice to me (read: I'm the only girl in the band). I got very drunk, had a really nice time, my band made a lot of cash, and we'll be returning to play next month. Some people will probably think they're too cool for this place, but I found it charming. read more

I can't quite figure Lilly's out. We used to frequent it with our fake IDs about 3-4 days out of the week. Drafts were a dollar and the bar tenders would let us stay after hours. Then there was a crack down by Lilly herself (who bought the bar after college like 20 years ago) in which she fired the bartenders and took the place under her wing--cleaning the place up a bit, but raising prices and becoming hard on IDs. Now we've gone back to find that PBR drafts are $1 and $1 well shots and their semi-famous 10 shot Long Islands are like $5. In any case, I just can't figure out why for weeks the place is packed, fun, and lively and other times you see Lilly locking the door at Midnight because she can't get any business. It used to be a famous Jazz bar (Once a bus full of German businessmen were dropped off, after hearing about the Jazz music, but were greeted with some music from the bartender's Ipod) So go now if you want cheap beer, but who knows when things will change. read more

the last time i went to lillys (before this recent visit), i was about 19 and i remember it being fascinating.. well, a few years later, my boyfriend suggests lillys for a random night out, think it was halloween, and yes, its just as great as it was when i was 19, just a little more expensive and a tad cleaner.. lilly is a sexy broad, with all that flowing fiery hair and she makes a mean vodka soda.. the other bartender, dont remember his name, let us stay HOURS after close and drowned us in liquor, it was bliss.. my bf played there back in the day, so we both had the nostalgia goin for us.. i wouldnt make it a regular stop, but its fun to come back once in a while.. read more

Lilly's is probably one on the worst music venues in Chicago. The first thing you might notice is the smell of the plumbing - it smells like human waste. In the winter its only about 55 degrees inside. The layout makes it impossible to watch the live music. I went to their Thursday open jam and the host was very rude. I went to see my drummer friend play, he got to play one song, then the saxaphone player kicked him off and played the drums, and he couldn't even keep time. There was only 10 people there, but the staff and host band treated us like they didn't want us there, even though we were buying drinks (which tasted pretty watery). If you're looking for fun live music in Lincoln Park, avoid Lilly's. its a dim cold depressing bar deeply neglected by its owner. read more

I have to say I have a prejudice about this place. It's been around "forever" and is one of Chicago's better "undiscovered" places to catch live music. It is small and intimate. Sitting at the bar, you can get up close and personal with the talent! It has the vibe of the 60's/70's. It was the 2nd home to one Tom Dundee, his "official" hangout, whenever he was back in town. Your hostess, Lilly, is a figure of Chicago folk music history as well, having served as a wait staff member at the beloved Earl of Old Town. An intimate place with a great view of the stage from the upstairs loft. read more

Really cool old-fashioned place. REALLY old, Lol, but I wouldn't change it for the world. Good sound system, the coolest events and nicest staff. Drinks nothing special, though. I would only go here if you're the Art-sy type and can handle grunge and the underground lifestyle, Lol. I'm an Artist and have performed here many times attended open mic and hip hop shows, which is what it's really known for, not a regular club or bar. read more