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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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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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

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

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

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

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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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.

my sister was kicked out of the bar because she opened the bathroom door which was UNLOCKED and the bartender happened to be in there. how is that a reason for a bartender to kick a paying customer out? because HE did not lock the door. bartender was extremely rude. makes no sense at all. and this is all a few seconds after a man came out of the ladies bathroom so it clearly doesn't matter who uses what bathroom. read more

Don't know how to say this nicely, but there are literally rats running across the bar! It is so gross! The management needs to do something about this ASAP! After mentioning this to the bartender he didn't seem care or even notice! Hopefully, the health department comes in an inspects this place soon! 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

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

The house the Lord built. The staff has been there for me at my lowest. This is more than a bar--it's a family. Come bird watch with us some time. read more

Aw, snap! Another great dive bar that has been here FOREVER. I don't get down this way too often, but on a balmy, wandering evening we stopped in. I like the way this bar opens up onto a courtyard in front, that is outdoor seating in the summer. Standard dive bar fare, cheap beer an lotsa booze. Ravens is good people. read more

I felt very uncomfortable at this bar. The bartender forced me to stack the Jenga set even though I didn't play. I repeatedly asked him to him to check the cameras but he held my bar tab and said I would be charged extra. I would rate 0/5 if I could. Here's a 1. Good luck raven. read more

Ravens - The bar i did not enjoy - Dive Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I only get here on increasingly infrequent trips "home", but it was my go-to local dive for years...decades ago. It did huge after hours business then but I have the impression that might not be the case anymore. Always frlt comfortable at Raven's. read more

Easily the best dive bar in chicago. This place kicks ass. Good beers and even better times!

We usually love this place, but last night both bartenders refused my intoxicated friend water. He asked for water, and they told him that he has to buy 3 beers if he wants water. Super messed up read more

If you don't give this place 5 stars you just don't like dive bars. The best patio, best staff and just an all around good time. Really glad I discovered this place! read more

Ravens is a great dive bar in the Lincoln Park area. We went in there for a quick drink while killing time for a dinner reservation. The man who worked behind the bar was very kind and welcoming. They have a few arcade games located in the bar. I would recommend this place to someone who is looking for a low key, dive bar atmosphere. Drinks are also reasonably priced! read more

After a night at Sushi Para Too just down the street, we decided to check out the closest dive in the area. Walked into the quiet and mostly empty bar with 25 strong, which I understand, can be intimidating and overwhelming, but we were sober and friendly; the waitress/hostess seemed excited to have us. The owner rejected one of our friend's Matrícula Consular de Alta Seguridad (MCAS), a Mexican ID card widely accepted in the States. She's never had this issue before at any of the other bars and clubs in Chicago. The owner stated that they only accept "U.S. driver's licenses and passports", and that he's "never seen that [card] before". Cue a 25-person exodus. Made our way to have an amazing time at Galway Arms a few blocks down (details in my review for that place). Sure... right to refuse business and all, but this reeked of ignorance and intolerance. read more