Somewhat janky dive bar that's in the garden level of a building. Overall the staff including the bouncer was nice so no complaints there. Drinks are reasonably standard priced... and there's a lot of area to move around which is great. They have a decent amount of TVs too so it was perfect given the MLB playoffs were going on when we arrived. The place got pretty busy on a Friday night and we left at a reasonable hour so unsure what it looked like at 3am lol. I'd return if I'm in the area! read more

This late-night joint is something else. You walk in and can always count on an interesting mix of characters. You'd think it'd be mostly nearby Lincoln Park kids but it's anything but it all the good way. Great having a little outdoor seating too. The place could use a good scrubbing but then again it would probably ruin the vibe. read more

I went on a Monday night with my cousins and we had a great time. It was a pretty chill crowd but everyone was super friendly! Drinks are fairly priced and they had a cute Photo Booth in the back. The patio closes after a certain hour but it was no biggie for us. Def recommend checking them out read more

Ravens - Dive Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Love a Friday after work at Ravens! Dave is the best. This place is no frills but that's the point.

This is a fun place, but they water their liquor like crazy. I would stick to the bottled beer if you want what you're paying for. Otherwise you get about half the alcohol and half water. read more

If you value your safety- avoid this place at all costs. A friend of mine was ordering a drink at the bar this past Friday evening when a stranger aggressively pushed her into the wall. I reported it to a bouncer and a bartender, and I was told that the guy who pushed her "was a regular and would never do that". I'm beyond disappointed with the lack of concern for my friend, and general safety of other patrons. Avoid at all costs. read more

This place was completely horrible to our party and our special needs guest. Completely handled and grabbed our guest who had impaired motor abilities for asking him to move and knocking over a jenga game. It was so out of hand and their excuse was that they would have handled a homeless person like that and said it was our fault for not warning them we had a full adult with special needs with us. I would never handle anyone in the way they handled him. It was so horrible and disgusting I would never come here again. Very disappointing. read more

Went last night with a few friends and the bartender was a total jerk and clearly (visibly and audibly) wasted. Was aggressively rude to my two female friends ordering drinks, being extremely belittling and degrading to them. Absolutely seemed like there was some racism behind it. Wouldn't go back read more

This is the best dive bar east of the river. Great atmosphere, cool music, low prices. And Dave, one of the best bartenders in the busines.

Absolutely disrespectful awful dive bar. As my group and I left we were called "chink f***s" by the bouncer/bartender." Popcorn was so dry and bland, no wonder why it was free. 0/5 starts highly do NOT recommend read more

My hair caught on fire here. They put candles on the wall surrounding the tables. Unfortunately my back was to the wall and my hair is on the longer side and it caught fire. I wanted to make sure to pass this feedback to the bartender so they could consider not putting candles on the wall surrounding. When I told her what had happened, she just looked at me and said "dont stand behind the bar" and walked away. Very unkind (and I wasn't even behind the bar where they serve drinks) But please seriously consider not putting candles on the wall surrounding -it's a fire hazard. read more

Beat up cool looking dive bar. It has kind of a stinky smell but that's the worst you can say about it. Ravens is one of the most affordable places in Lincoln Park. Get here to get away from the overpriced crap. They have a few local beers on tap. A small bar but it's bigger than it looks. If it's cramped inside there's more room on the patio. The entrance is actually below the patio, so it's kind of like going into a basement, and it's not much brighter in there. Has a good variety of local beers. It's about $6 for some craft selections on draft. Last time they had Lake Effects. Good to find a selection from this small brewery. They also have free popcorn. Good stuff as far as beers. If getting liquor, there's also some cheap options. There's just popcorn to eat, but you can bring in something. read more

Ravens - Lake Effects Snow And Popcorn - Dive Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

The bartenders are attentive, the vibe is immaculate, and the mood is always welcoming. Love to call this our local.

Super racist bartender, and not the first time that its happened. Occurred multiple times to me and my friends. The bouncers are nice but the bartenders are extremely aggressive, I got told to get out right now when I was fully conscious and sanding. read more

My favorite go to lincoln park dive. Dave at the bar makes it so fun even when we are the only people in the restaurant. So friendly, great service, affordable good drinks, will be back! read more

Ravens is an awesome bar. Dave is the best. People are great and the vibes are fantastic.

We are sitting outside because the bartender is purposely playing music so loud that there is no chance of conversation inside. Also he is a jerk and we wish we didn't tip him. read more

My boyfriend and I tried to stop here for a drink before a show at the Park West venue. As we approached the establishment, a middle-aged white man who appeared drunk asked for our IDs and then immediately said "actually nevermind, I'm not serving you two. Beat it." and then walked away. Not sure if it's because we're gay or maybe he just thought we didn't look old enough (we're both in our late 20s). Either way it was very unprofessional and rude. read more

Best bar ever - a good bar has great bartenders and ravens really does. Shout out to Dave!!!! Been going for years and I'll keep coming because of the staff. Love it here. read more

After walking in last night while it wasn't busy, (myself and maybe 10 other people) it took the bartender 15 minutes to even notice me and to give me the dismissive 1 minute sign. This then took 5 minutes until she took my order. While all the Chad's got prompt service I had to walk over to her including once after waiting 10 minutes patiently I walked over to where she was standing and she walked over to her friends on the opposite end of the bar to give them a hug completely ignoring me. I then had to ask the barback for help. This style of service continued the entire night! After the first shot I asked how much the shot was and was told "it's don't eight bucks don't be so cheap!" At last call I ordered a shot and a beer she refused me the beer saying "you had four shots in one hour, it's my call!" Except I had 4 shots over 3 hours and and that was only because I couldn't "get her attention"! I asked her if I was showing signs of being overserved she walked away refusing to respond. Saying sweetie and baby and dressing scantily doesn't cover up for poor service! read more

Ravens is great! Dave Ellis is the best bartender in Lincoln Park, maybe all of Chicago?! Ravens has a "Cheers" vibe and Dave is def the Sam Malone and sometimes Woody. We love the patio. read more

Great patio, friendly staff, cheap drinks, a complete dive bar. Come for a nice afternoon to enjoy good company outside, or hang with the friendly bartenders inside. read more

Ravens - Dive Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Hey, people rate this place bad because they expect it to be something it is not. Its a dive with creaky ceiling tiles and deranged bartenders. Yeah you might get booted out but itll be here for you to try again. read more

Ravens - Dive Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Got denied entry because my ID was a paper ID given to me by the government (I'm waiting for my real one to be sent in the mail). It's a totally valid government ID and was scannable but the bartender took one look and rudely kicked me out. It was empty too on a Saturday so not his best move. There's tons of dive bars around with kinder staff don't give this place a second of your time read more

Ravens is one of the best bars in Chicago! Love this place and Dave the bartender has a great vibe! Cheers!

While in the area, my best friend and I were looking for a place where we could have a cold one while enjoying the weather. This was the place! Not many people inside but several groups outside. Bud light bottles $4 a piece with $10 min card purchase- but they do have an atm which only costs 2.50- pretty good for Chicago. Bartender was very nice, had lots of good stuff to talk about while waiting for the beers. We waited here and enjoyed a beer while waiting for our spot in line at a restaurant down the street. Definitely glad we found this place!! read more

Ravens - Dive Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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If you are not a regular your treatment may vary. I understand you don't want people to blow up your spot but to immediately be rude to other people trying to figure out seating was bizarre. Basically felt too uncomfortable to enjoy a drink at that point so we left. Small outside seating. Older crowd. Bartender was nice enough. I dont see any reason to go with so many better options 1-2 blocks away unless late light. read more

The best neighborhood dive.. Sweetest people I've met! Hospitality runs strong here and I'm so glad I stumbled into this little gem

service is typically amazing however we encountered someone on an off day and we are reconsidering ever going back. my friend tipped over 100% on a one drink bill due to us having multiple rounds with the bartender before her but she 1) ignored us asking for other drinks and 2) then kicked us out for "not ordering drinks" as she actively ignored us waiting for other drinks. really bad service from her, wish our prior bartender stayed on duty. read more

Ravens is a great place to go right now! Their fire pits are warm and the drinks are a great price. I love the atmosphere here, great for grabbing a casual drink any night of the week read more

Ravens - a glass of beer and a fire pit - Dive Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Loved the casual atmosphere. Bartender could not have been friendlier or more accommodating.

On my way in, i witnessed this bartender push a girl out of the door multiple times when she could barely stand, call her a c***t, and multiple other slurs. On my way out, the bartender was unprofessionally swearing and pushing another group out of the doorway. There was no need, this is a small dive bar. It was outrageous and scary, never going back. read more

Absolutely solid dive bar with great late night crowd and cozy vibes. Love the wooden bar and hopping atmosphere circa 2pm. Modelos and basic drinks to tide you over for the rest of the night going into the wee hours of the morning! read more

Ravens is the bar I go to when I have to wait for a table at Sushi Para. Instead of waiting at the restaurant, Ravens is the perfect distance to go get a drink and wait for the call that our table is ready. It has a few outside tables and more tables inside. And free popcorn!!! While there is sometimes an issue with alcohol availability, the relaxed vibe is everything a dive bar should be and I highly recommend it. read more

Ravens - Drinks at the bar - Dive Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Not sure why this place has only 3 stars because it is pretty dope. I went here to meet up with a friend from out of town. It is a little divey on the inside and has an excellent patio that provides wonderful people watching. 4 of the 5 people there were older white men. 2 of those 4 white men were seemingly writing a book. Later there were 2 or 3 people smoking cigars on the patio. So it does have a very Hemingway vibe (despite the Poe namesake; maybe it gets more Poe in the wintertime). The beer selection is small but affordable and tasty. They are cash only and have some popcorn. You can also count on there being sports on inside the bar. The inside is sort of a garden (basement) set up. There is very little light. On a beautiful day, I wouldn't want to hang out in the inside, but I can see it being a great place to watch the game or sit and brood. The bartender with the long hair is super friendly. He talked to my pal and I for a long time and even gave my friend, who was from out of town, a matchbook as a keepsake. It was a pleasant find, and I'd definitely go back again. read more

Ravens - Dive Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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What an outstanding dive. Unpretentious, obviously. Not trying to be a dive, not trying to be anything. Just perfect if you want to go for a quick beer or six. Bonus is the little patio, and the free popcorn. read more

Edit to say first: CHECK YOUR RECEIPT AND CC !! - I just noticed someone else's review who said they try to steal your money. ----- Whoever that bartender was on October 28th was terrible. I saw a couple other reviews from that night and we were there separately. We had the same awful experience any time we had to interact with him. Rude, agressive, and now that I look at my receipt and CC, was overcharged! My bad for not looking but wow will never stop by here again, yikes avoid that guy. read more

Bartender seemed aggressive towards me. I usually don't give 1 stars but tonight was uncomfortable and I felt forced.

Even though this place is ridiculously close to my house I've shied away from it for 2 reasons: (1) 4 am bars in LP are not my scene and (2) the reportedly wretched ladies room. When I finally got here I was surprised that I had a good time! Since this place is so close to home I really couldn't say no and hopped into the cab with my friends. It was pretty empty when we arrived around midnight, but packed by 1. A wedding party wandered in after they were booted from the reception, I can only imagine the poor bride's dress the next morning. That night she didn't have a care in the world, which was probably a good thing since her gorgeous dress was getting trampled and spilled on left and right. I wish they had more than one hard cider, but otherwise I can't really complain about the place. The bartenders were cool, friendly and quick with a drink - what else could you want? I was pleasantly surprised by the ladies; don't get me wrong it's gross, but sadly I've seen far worse. The crowd? Well, it's not usually my type, but everyone was drunk and happy so I can't complain. While there, the father of the bride offered to buy me a drink after accidentally elbowing me. He also felt it was his duty to warn me about my companion; he decided my friend was too old for me! We had a good laugh on that one since I'm the older of the two and my friend likes boys, not girls. Ah, good times. Bottom line: The next time someone mentions this place I won't pout or complain, it's fun for what it is - a divey late night place with a bitchin patio! read more

Lisa L is correct....Ravens is one of the best dive bars in town and lots of booze goes down the hatch there !!! If you can't handle your booze and behave at the same time, you probably need to stick to Wrigleyville. Also, you need to work REALLY HARD to get kicked out of Ravens....and if it happens,well, you were just being a complete asshole. *Pay no attention to "internet commandos" who make absolute fools of themselves at a bar, sober up and cry like babies on Yelp. read more

Ravens - Dive Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois