Came back, incredible Unconscious david Lynch theme. This place has good beer options, lots of bourbon options including Woodford, and bullet. Definitely a place to come early to on a Friday or Saturday if you are looking to grab a seat somewhere. Each time I have come there have been multiple birthday parties, cute. read more

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If you get it, you get it. Stepping in here heels like time traveling. From the restroom, to the booths, to the tinny speakers playing the music. Drinks are good and cheap, bartenders were nice, and the vibes were high. Great dive bar, can't wait to head back. read more

Rainbo Club - Vibes - Dive Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Cash only. The bouncer was cool and gave me a little bit of history on the place and let me know what drink prices they had going on. It was a pretty sick vibe inside, only thing is It's very loud. If you get there early and have a table you're set for the night. Pretty hard to beat the beer price. read more

Mediocre vibe, especially considering how rude and unavailable the service was. Coming from someone that works in industry. It was extremely difficult to get anyone's attention despite being very empty at the time. It was my first time there and did not know it was cash only... the bartender was rude and short about needing to get cash. I love a neighborhood spot and work at one, and this is NOT it. If you enjoy kind, standard level service, I would not recommend. read more

Classic bar. It's one of the dive bars in Ukrainian Village that hasn't changed a lot. Rainbo Club is part dive bar part music venue. Kind of a little too expensive to really be a dive bar to be honest. The prices are still mostly okay though. Bar has been here a long time, and the neighborhood around it has changed but not the bar. It's cash only. They still run things old school. It's about $6 for a cocktail. That's not dive bar cheap, but it's still cheaper than most places. Also there's art. The walls are filled with paintings by local artists, some of which are for sale. Gets busy. This is usually on weekends and there's probably a cover. For sure anyone who likes art should check it out and look around. It could be for the paintings, or maybe it's performance art in the form of an indie band performance where there's usually a cover. The bar is cash only, so bring a few bucks so you won't be stuck being sober. read more

Rainbo Club - Outside - Dive Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Great dive bar. Squint and you can picture the characters that once perched atop these very stools at the art deco bars. No frills, but that's not why you're here. Good conversation and always interesting music. Old Chicago at its best. Shoutout to a location from "High Fidelity" that is actually still standing...and thriving. read more

Rainbo Club - a can of beer on a bar - Dive Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

They wouldn't let my friend in on her birthday bc she had a hole punched ID waiting for her real ID. Very bogus. Very lame. Ambiance was bad. Crowded. read more

Fun bar and classy looking place, but I got some crazy looks when I asked for a Red Bull and Vodka. Unsure why they wouldn't carry a classic drink read more

As is only fitting, my cousin and I closed out the night at the Rainbo. I feel like this is too open an airy to be a dive-dive bar (or perhaps my go to dive bars are just rattier). This was a lovely way to end the night. Love the booth seating and it wasn't too crowded just before midnight on the Saturday we went. Drinks are good. Bathroom was fine. Would definitely be a regular if I lived in Chicago. read more

Fun, cash only, dive-ish bar in wicker park/west town. I recommend coming early if you want to snag a seat in a booth or at the bar. Overall, it's a cool place to come with friends, good music, but gets pretty loud. read more

Rainbo Club - Bar - Dive Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Heard this place was reopening. Came back on the 2nd or 3rd day they've been reopened, Thursday. I was pleased. The patina on the wood of the bar is nice and the rest of the inside looks classy. There's some parity and range in dive bars and this is a nice one. Any ladies want to go on a date here my DM's are open. Went with an Allagash White at a reasonable 6 bucks on draft. 2 bartenders were working the bar. read more

Rainbo Club - Neon sign - Dive Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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The one. The only. The Rainbo Club. Geez, I haven't been in here in years, so when friends suggested to take our party here the other night, imagine my delight when pushing past the bouncer to find it hasn't changed at all! The interior smells like a gym, the vinyl booths still encourage you to hunker together as you slide around their semi circle and cash rules the night! The drinks are super cheap and even though I bought for our entire group, my bill was only $10 and the bartender scrutinized my $50 bill like it was a phony. Oh well . . that's what you get in a cash only place. But those drinks were strong and the beer cold so what more can you ask for? It was an eclectic crowd on this night, with all generations covered but that's one of the interesting things about dive bars . you just never know who's going to show up. Rainbo Club. You're like that old friend who never seems to age. I"ll see you again! read more

A dive that would give others a run for their monies.. Smelly washrooms, dimmed interior and cheap fucking beers. Cash only blows but hey, it makes the ordering experience easier. And anyway, many of you cashless brats would skip this shit anyway. Rainbo is an institution. Whether you're local, have worked service industry or checked it out post festival. It can be a surreal adventure, depending. Or say you considered yourself some kind of fucking writer, like all the other "artistic" types drinking around Chicago. You're in a rut and could use inspiration. You should see some of the drinkers in here. read more

I love shady AF bars...and Rainbo has had a special place in my heart for several years. They had the old school photo booth before it was cool. They always have questionable characters in here which makes it great for an added experience of shadiness. The drinks are cheap. The bartenders are good. I heart you Rainbo read more

Rainbo Club - Dive Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Rainbo Club is a great dive bar. And it's open on Christmas Day! Some of us really need a drink after visiting our extended families, so I appreciate them being open. read more

Dump. Warning....CASH ONLY. Weird wall art. I mean in the bathroom there is not even a mirror it felt like jail. Door guy and bartender kind. Way overpriced for such a bleak place. Won't return. Chase directly directly across the street though yo not pay ATM fee then bank fee. read more

Classic and consistently great bar in the area. We always give it a go when in town. Just heard they got new flooring and I can't wait to go see how great it looks! read more

If you're looking for the classic dive bar setting then this is your place. Cash only, but actually a pretty decent selection of craft beers, plus $2 PBRs. The inside is actually pretty cool looking, with a fireplace behind the bar that's nice to look at. Very much a neighborhood bar, as I saw several people who lived just down the block inside. If I lived nearby I'm sure I'd frequent it. read more

Great dive in wicker park. Very glad to see they survived the pandemic. I love spots like this that have been around for a long time. *Cash only** read more

Top notch dive! Super cheap, with great atmosphere. Also, point for Chicago Emo historical landmark.

It's not every day one gets to meet a celebrity. Huh? What's that? You mean the bartender isn't the guy from Scooby Doo who always complained that he "would have gotten away with it if it weren't for those meddling kids"? Really? No way! I could have sworn he was. After all, no one can be so immediately ornery to someone giving him money for an over-priced draft. A fellow can't really be in such a perpetual bad mood that when a customer asked a question about a beer, the response was a glower and a "are you gonna order or what?" Certainly, people aren't THAT unfriendly so as to make a point to tell someone in an empty bar that "you're laughing too loud." Ace impression! read more

I have lived in the neighbourhood for a number of years now and played in it for just as many more prior to moving in. It has be a good decade or so since i had been to Rainbo... sorry Hipsters, I may have to throw it into the rotation again. Not sure if I could handle it on a Fri/Sat but on a Sunday night it was welcoming. It was not to crazy when we arrived, immediately the crew was drawn to the Sopranos's pinball machine. Photo Booth is an interesting bonus too for those candid moments with friends or the evenings hook up. Great prices, and fast service were the other highlight. Nice mix of characters, if we were unwelcome by the kids I did not notice.... or is it that I really I don't care. Good on you Rainbo, still the same after all these years. read more

I fail to recognize what compels my friends to go here. I knew this place would be a hipster den once I saw a giant bike rack located right outside the front entrance. The place was crowded and there was nary a chair, table, booth to be found that was unoccupied. That being said, there is very little room to sit and most of the people were standing around the big bar. The decor is interesting with its all wooden interior and has the feel of the 1920s. The lighting was a bit dim, and they had some arcade machines with some old school millipede and some other missile shooting game. The ceiling fans work well to keep the place cool so you do not have to take in the stench of the unwashed patrons. Beer here was cheap as hell as a Miller Lite was $2.50 and a PBR was $2.00. The hipster mob swarming about for this cheap beer was quite hilarious. I was not that amused with the place, so I pulled out a can of Old Style from my bag and started drinking it. When stools finally opened up, I went over near the bartender and put my can of Old Style on the counter. "You can't bring your own beer in a bar!" the bartender informed me. "Yeah, lemme get a PBR, then," I ordered. "No, you need to leave." All in all nothing better than getting kicked out of a hipster stronghold. 1 out of 5 stars. read more

Rainbo Club - Dive Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

"I was hipster, when hipster wasn't cool..." ~the Rainbo Yes, the Rainbo is the same as it ever was, Hipster Centrale. (I added that "e" for douchey hipster fake-Frenchism)! I don't go to the Rainbo often, but I have been going since Lava Lounge was down the street (before Lava got rid of the great jukebox and started having djs). Who remembers those days? *Yelp crickets, *crickets...Oh, Melanie S. probably does! Hey, Mel! Anyhoo, the Rainbo (Club) is elbow to elbow with hipster guys and the tattoed dames that love to hang around them. It's like an old man bar with a weird fresco stage that I seriously wish would get used. I mean, put a band on that 6x4 stage and let's do this thing! Seriously. I never have a problem getting a drink here, but I know the hipster *wink*, which I learned down at Goldstar hanging with Superchunk. For a while there, I wasn't allowed in Rainbo, because the bouncer could fit two fingers in my jean waist. Everyone knows that's a Hipster fail in the Hipster Olympics! But I'm back, baby, so meet me in a booth at the Rainbo Club and let's talk about that new band we read about on Pitchfork! read more

I went on a Sunday night around midnight and enjoyed it very much! Great sightseeing and plenty of room to sit. You can tell it's a locals dive and that's just what I wanted as I was on my last night in Chicago this vacation before heading home to California. This place is reminiscent of the local dives in echo/silver lake area and you might see some of your fav local lead indie singers as well (which i did that night wink wink). No live music but I appreciated what was coming from the overhead speaker and although I did not drink (I was there alone) I did partake in the photo-booth which was giving me problems but not giving the patrons before and after me any (I tried it twice). The friendly female bartender however gave me my full refund of 3 dollars and I was able to try the 2nd time while saving 2 from each session that were salvageable to scan for your enjoyment (added to photo section above) This is definitely on my must do list for my future trips to Chicago (I go to UIUC distance learning for GSLIS so I come out three times a year while in this grad program) ...yes I'm a nerd :p http://ziba.kuci.org -Z read more

Rainbo Club - Photobooth at Rainbo Club on a Sunday (8/28/11) Came all the way to Chicago from California for Braid at the Metro on Saturday! - Dive Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

ok here's the deal. Rainbo is a bar from the 40s. It wasnt created 6 years ago when everything else came into the area to look like an old timey 40s dive bar. It IS an old timey 40s dive bar.. and when the neighborhood wasnt filled with labs and baby strollers (both of which are lovely things) this was the neighborhood bar we would go to, and since the only people that went here were the poor grimey art students, it is now labeled 'hipster' .. so yep, its always been that. The bartenders do their job, even if it isnt with a smile. they still do their job well. the drinks are cheap. the music is always good. theres a sofa. its a 40s dive bar. the end. read more

Rainbo Club - from the sofa - Dive Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I've been going to this place since about 1992, and pop in every once in awhile when I'm in the area. This time, it was after the Renegade Craft Show - as it was same time last year. Cheap PBRs, 'cos I'm a f*cking hipster now. Friendly bartender, and actual electrical plugs that you can plug in your dying battery phone. Same oldskool place that smells slightly like your grandmother's house. Same awesome former stripper show stage for a bar. Yeah, we love the Rainbo. read more

Maybe I arrived early enough to not be mutilated by the crowd, annoyed by over inflated hipster egos or insulted by the bartender? All I can say is that it wasn't my experience. I liked the Rainbo Room. Old school retro bar that is cheap, and cash only. For the location, the drink prices are unheard of (low). I liked the bar format. It was large and rectangular with lots of extra corners. Great for socializing. The bartender was polite and I met the "Tamale Man." I never made it into the photo booth, but the jukebox music choices were good. I had a great time. read more

Rainbo Club - Dive Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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This is an all time favorite. Musician hangout. Hipster dive spot. Neighborhood classic. read more

I would highly recommend the vintage Photo Booth! Bar is cash only but very affordable.

Bald bouncer doesnt accept foreingers because the ID "is not in english." Whereas if it were a canadian ID in english it would have gone through. Biased read more

Chill spot, cheap drinks, diverse crowd! Definitely a great week night spot, can get standing room only during weekends. Service is always really solid. read more

(Edited) ... I used to like this place a lot more than I do now. I've deferred to the Inner Town when I feel up for dive drinks. Below is what I previously wrote. It's a dive bar, and yes quite hipster. Very hipster. But at least it's usually regulars or neighborhood people in for a few drinks after work or late at night... at least on weekdays. Weekends are a trainwreck of people. It's funny to see people trying so hard to impress and an equal amount of others trying so hard to flirt. But I like this place. I live literally three doors down from this place. I don't go that often but it's a great place to go and just kick back a few. Go on weekdays if you want a chance for a booth or counter, and have a conversation with some other patrons. Go on weekends if you want to weave through hordes of people talking loudly. Almost always, I run into someone I know here. Drinks are cheap. Tip the bartenders. Bummer there's no 312. read more

It ain't no Whiskey A-Go-Go, but it ain't no Falcon Inn, either. The couch smelled like urine. The broads hanging over my head did not shave their underarms, so I had pit stoppe w/out deo waving beneath my nostrils. The Jameson's was overpriced. So are the condoms. Stay home, don't shave for two months, buy some cheap generic whiskey, drink it out of styrofoam cups, sprinkle a jar of cumin powder and a jar of curry powder on your carpeting, have your cat pee on your sofa and you could save yourself a few bucks. Maybe dress up that Halloween scarecrow that sits on your porch to resemble a local celebrity to add t hat VIP touch. Let's face it, when I'm doin' the dive, I don't like to swim too far out of my way. read more

This place has been here forever- Although, I have not been here lately, I was compelled to take a picture of their wonderful neon sign- I think I am a bit old for the place now- but I was hangin' here in 1985- and it was cool! read more

Rainbo Club - Rainbo ! - Dive Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Perhaps the king of all dive bars? If not, then Rainbo Club is for certain in the running. I'll never understand why people give 1 or 2 stars for a dive bar. Judge a place based upon what it is, I mean do you really come to a dive bar for perfect service and civilized fellow patrons? Methinks not......It's cash only, which for this ex-NYC resident is a cool reminder of a different time. I like it, as you pay as you go and can leave whenever you want. There is a lot of cool stuff going on here- good music, bizarre patrons, friendly bar keeps, cheap beer, and of course that way cool photo booth!!! Rainbo is a throwback for sure, more 80's or 90's than anything contemporary. This is a no frills place to wile away an evening into the early morning, drinking cheap beer and spending some time around interesting people. read more

I like the joint, one of the last few dives in Wicker Park that hasn't met the wrecking ball! Place has been there forever.. no windows and a cool sign out front. Inside, it has a large bar as well as many tables on the opposite wall. The prices are cheap and they have some good brews on draft as well! The crowd comes from all walks of life.. You got couples, shady hipsters, tinder dates, service industry folks as well as tourists. They had 3 Floyd's on tap and a beautiful Christmas Tree last Friday & the crowd was great! Tons of lookers coming or going to Christmas Parties..they said. Def a great place to stop for a drink.. get dat did! read more

I like this spot. But I dont see what they have against Red Bull. People wanna party.

This is something that I may never say again, but for $2 PBR (and incredibly cheap mixed drinks) near the corner of Division and Damen, I can handle hipsters for a few hours. Besides Small Bar, Rainbo Club might be the only bar worth going to within a three block radius of that corner anymore. Leaving a forced 1980s irony flashback down the street at Innjoy on Saturday, this was a welcome change. The irony always is in full force at Rainbo Club but this place comes by it mostly naturally. The music, for example, could be in your face about how cool (read obscure or artsy) it is, but it's not. The music coud be intentionally hilarious out of date to be ironic, but it's not. It just is. Though having Missile Command and Bags as the two video game choices did seem a little contrived. A hipster dive bar, however, this isn't (despite all the necessary ingredients) on the weekends. Be prepared to make the scene from the second you walk in the door. The crowd dresses hipster to impress on Saturdays (there's a definite meat market vibe that is only stronger at The Burlington and The Continental); and they are not afraid to show off their best "better than you" stares. One of my friends, who is a bit of a hipster himself (he even lived in Brooklyn for a time), even got the impression that barback was staring him down for not being quite up to standards. Thankfully, if you're over the age of 30 and over that, there is a ton of bar seating with blind corners to hide in (and comfortable couches if you get there early enough in the night). The music and crowd noise is the right levels to carry on a conversation. Sure for most people there, this is a conversation about who their favorite 1940s French director was, but you can have a normal conversation there as well. Though I think only if you bring your own friends. read more

While it may be a hipster haven and scenester Shangri-La, cheap drinks, an intimate space and generally good times keep me coming back. Granted, there are a handful of people who show up dressed like they are about to appear in a PSA titled "The Hipster & You" but on most nights the place seems to be balanced with a generous amount of people who would watch that PSA and have a good laugh. And yeah, the seating is sparse and people who are lucky enough to snag a booth tend to camp there for the entire night, but what decent bar isn't like that? More than anything, Rainbo has a quality that lets the crowd control the scene unlike any other bar I know. If a bunch of leather clad bikers rolled into the Green Mill it would still be a jazz bar, if a bunch of businessmen clad in Southwick suits swung by Delilah's it would still be a punk bar, and if a bunch of hipsters showed up to Paddy Long's they would undoubtedly get some stares, but the bags would continue to fly and talk about the Big 10 would carry on. But I've never been to a bar that lets the vibe of the majority dictate the night for everyone else to the degree it does at Rainbo. Perhaps it's the relatively small space that does this. The fact that there's really no place in the bar that isn't in direct line of sight to everyone else there. Or perhaps the mix of squares and those with intentions to freak them out occasionally comes cataclysmically out of balance. Whatever it is it never really bothers me as I'm a pretty adaptable guy. I suppose it also helps that there are a handful of other bars just around the corner. I once talked to a girl here and conversation moved effortlessly from the Far Side to dinosaurs to famous assassinations. She was amazing and all things considered I probably should've proposed to her on the spot. I once talked to another girl here who opened conversation with, "So... say something to impress me." She was wretched and all things considered I probably should've spit in her drink. Those two encounters pretty much sum up Rainbo. This is a good place to go if... you don't mind standing to talk to either the most interesting or most pretentious person you've ever met. read more