Ouch. Their men's bathroom became over-run by a sewer backup, so much so that the toilet began to spill onto the floor. This all happened approximately 7 feet away from where I was trying to play shuffleboard pool (GREAT arcade game) with my friends. Everything started innocently enough, walked in around 1am not too many people there, free popcorn, plenty of space to move around. An hour later, while attempting not to dry heave because of the aforementioned sewer incident, it took 5 minutes to walk the 20 feet to the door because of the army of black pea-coat wearing drunkards who had suddenly over-run the place. I would give 1 star but the sewer incident wasn't really their fault. Go here and leave before 1:30am unless you like getting sandwhiched with the LP drinking invasion. read more

So we decided on Ravens for our crazy toga running event. We usually choose "dive bars" because they treat us well, and Raven's didn't disappoint! We hung out on their patio for a little while before our run and then it was back in the bar for our crazy singing, drinking, and debauchery. We fit right in with the bar and the bartenders were entertained rather than disgusted. We drank a LOT of beer, and we got some rounds on the house which is always appreciated. I've never been in Raven's late night so I don't know how the crowd is, but they treated my running club great and I know we'll be back! read more

They stay open until 4, serve the world's saltiest free popcorn, and thus attract an interesting weekend clientele. You can probably figure out why my friends nicknamed this bar "Scraps". read more

The bar is kind of smelly. The crowd at this bar is on the more older side so not really anyone in their 20s

This is a favorite neighborhood haunt of mine. 3:00AM and need to rip a few shots off before bed -- go to Ravens. It's Thursday night, and you want to grill your own meat on a patio -- go to Raven's. You're looking for a giant-sized jenga apparatus (been watching a lot of Olympic gymnastics) -- go to Raven's. It's not going to blow you away with an excellent selection of booze, nor is the booze they offer exceptionally cheap. But hell, you know you want to come drink in this little basement bar. I'm a huge sucker for those old-timey "bowling," games. You know, the one where you slide the puck along the sandy court and the pins fly back? Even though the scoring mechanism is pretty much shot, this is still one of the big draws of this place. read more

Best dive bar in LP! Open till 4am. Very nice front patio. Cheapest prices around. $4 bud bottles. Beware: cash only.

First time here. Bartender was nice, $4 draft specials and learned to play a new bar game. Nice and low key, not full of loud obnoxious people. read more

Raven's is what it is. Its a 4am bar in Lincoln Park. You know exactly why you wind up here: after a night of boozing it up in LP you still want that opportunity to party like a rock star for two more hours, maybe you're even drunk enough to think you'll meet mr/mrs right, or more likely hopeful enough to meet mr/mrs right now. There is little great about this bar other than the 4/5 close time. I could definitely tell they don't clean the lines in their tap beer religiously (note: stick with bottles & cans) and the guys bathroom is utterly disgusting enough to make a frat-house restroom look like Windsor castle's. But who cares. But then again since Yakzies on Diversey closed you've got two choices with no cover: this place and Frank's (BCT charges a $10 cover). Ravens gets four stars because without it your only choice would be Frank's. read more

Ravens has a lot of regulars and regular bartenders who seem to live there. After 2am it becomes overrun with a younger crowd (it is close to DePaul) as the other, nicer, joints close. Complimentary salty popcorn is at the door, old wrestling footage is commonly on the TVs, and on slow nights sometimes they play a movie. They may be a dive bar, but the tap lines don't make the beer taste like mold as is common in dives, an inexpensive bar in Lincoln Park is hard to find, as is a chill one, this does both. read more

Pros: popcorn, average to cheap drink prices ($12.50 total for absolut and 7, coors light, and pbr), a beer garden where you can smoke and drink! Service was decent last night too, not only prompt but nice and competent. Great people watching too. Cons: That entryway sucks, there's little to no ventilation down there, i thanked the lord when they opened the door. Bathroom was also a little sketchy In short, it's a dive bar, what do you expect? read more

Love this bar. This is a real bar. Don't go expecting a fancy bar with beautiful bathrooms. I think John Belushi used to hang out there.

Went there last night for a few and asked the bartender if they had a phone charger. The bartender happily took my phone and charged it for me. An hour later asked for it back and my phone was completely reset and I lost everything on my phone. I'm not one to jump to conclusions, but judging by the crazy code my phone was showing when i reset it, I'm pretty sure someone there (probably the bartender) did something to it... not cool Ravens! FYI, Good job having phone chargers for your customers. Every bar should. read more

Came to this bar as it was close to my friends apartment - quick, friendly service and a good atmosphere. Jason the owner was so nice to us and we had such great conversation!! read more

An unpretentious, cash-only bar frequented by service workers in the local area. Not sure why there's only 3 stars on Yelp. Open till 4 AM with cheap drinks and giant Jenga! Recently ran into a couple in CA who remembered Ravens in LP. One of the last among a dying breed of authentic Chicago bars. Order a martini here and you'll be pleasantly surprised :) read more

Not too long ago, a few girls I knew from my college sorority, but were a few years younger, gave me a call and insisted that I head out with them for a night out on the town. I think they remembered me as being the crazy bitch that hazed them in college and wanted to see if I would still make them do embarrassing things and fetch me beers... much like "College Ang" did. Truth be told, I kind of felt like I had a little fan club of ex-sorority girls in their mid-twenties that wanted to see if my legendary party skills could still hold up. Game on. Barely standing at 2am after taking in Mike and Joe at Joe's on Weed Street (I know, I know), we rolled into Ravens. I had to stop, take a deep breath and look around. It was like DePaul exploded in the bar. Oodles and oodles of absolutely belligerent early 20-somethings mixing and mingling. Playing that addicting bowling game. Dancing around to 80s music. Eating the popcorn (which looks scary). So basically, totally my scene, minus the fetuses that encompassed the space. The drinks are cheap, so my wallet wasn't too upset with me the next day. In my experience, people don't really come to Ravens before 2am. You shouldn't, either. I feel like I always meet crazy-ass people at Ravens, but maybe that's because everyone there is bombed. And it's late. So.... read more

I am a part of a social running group who have been coming to Ravens for YEARS. We have ALWAYS had great service, spent lots of money and had a great time until the last (two) time(s). Evidently there is a "manager" who thinks she owns the place and does not like us. Not only did she cut off our harmless post-run singing ritual (which, again, we have been doing there for, literally, years) she was also incredibly despicable (awful, terrible, I can't find the right word without using profanity) to many of us. The only comfort is knowing she is a miserable person with a miserable life, and we are not. So goodbye, Ravens. read more

Yeah also had issues with the bartender playing favorites with regulars. Really drunk guy who had been sitting at the bar all night got mad at us for no reason and got the bartender to stop serving us. We were in the back chilling minding our own business and had only had one drink. Won't go back. read more

Short Story: if you are friends with the bartender, you'll like this bar. If not, avoid this bar at all costs. Long story: I came here with one local friend, a visiting friend and that friend's girlfriend. When I arrived via cab, I asked to use the bar's phone because I had left my phone in the cab. I called my wife, she called my phone, the cab driver answered and returned the phone to me (for which I tipped him handsomely). Later, my friends arrived and we played multiple games of Jenga. After 6-ish games of Jenga and at least 2 rounds of drinks (I paid $7.00 for each of my $5.50 beers, which is almost a 30% tip), our final game of Jenga ended with the tiles plummeting towards the entrance of the men's bathroom. At that exact moment, a patron exited the bathroom and exhibited disdain towards us, as though we had purposely spilled the Jenga tiles towards him (which is ridiculous on at least 2 levels - we didn't know him and thus wouldn't have intentionally targeted him, and the point of Jenga is that you don't know which direction the tiles will fall). I sarcastically said "Look at what you did!" which the patron decided to interpret as a personal attack,(despite the fact that the timing and direction of the fallig jenga tiles had absolutely nothing to do with him). Said patron returned to the bar, without trying to decipher the intent of my remark, and he was visibly annoyed. The patron spoke with the bartender and from then on the bartender would not serve us. The Jenga tiles had crashed many times without any great reaction (and we cleaned it up each time - after all, you can't play another game without resetting the tiles), but after this specific time, the bartender decided we had had enough. The bearded bartender refused to serve us, even though the aforementioned patron could barely leave the bar in a straight line! After being refused service, some of us became belligerent. We were asked to leave the bar. We reluctantly did so, and the bartender followed us out. While a friend went to the curb to hail a cab, I tried to civilly corral my most belligerent friend to the curb. During this process, the bartender and my friend were arguing. My friend simply asked why we weren't being served anymore. The bartender responded with myopic, unrelated remarks like "You spilled jenga tiles" (apparently unaware of the fact that the game isn't won until pieces fall), "how did the Cubs do today?" (an obvious attack on us as fans that had nothing to do with our actions in the bar) and "I hope you found your phone", as though all of his wrongdoings were justified because he let me use the bar's phone for 2 minutes after which I tipped him almost 30%. You're not allowed to be annoyed by unruly Cubs fans coming to your bar unless your bar is in Wrigleyville (which it isn't). We were the only people in the bar wearing Cubs gear, and we were not nearly as belligerent as Cubs fans are alleged to be in Wrigleyville. I know this, because I work in the bars in Wrigleyville. It seemed to me that this bartender was very close to the person who came out of the bathroom and saw jenga tiles in his way (and was met with an obvious kidding remark). It was only then that the bartender decided to stop serving us and insult us with irrelevant remarks, use a previous favor to justify his prejudice, and accuse us of causing a disturbance despite the inherent disturbing nature of a game. This bartender was petty, biased and opportunistic. If you're not a regular, don't bother with this dive. Apparently, they'd prefer it that way. read more

I used to like Ravens; it was my default late-night locale. After a three-year absence, I made what was supposed to be a triumphant return, but there was nothing triumphant about it. I was expecting a crowd, there's always a crowd, but not this like unreasonable clump of human mass through which there was no way to the bar. Or tables. Or bathrooms. Just imagine, if you can, this underground hole packed to near fire capacity, in August. The heat, and the smell, and the lack of bathroom/bar access forced my triumphant return to last about 5 minutes. read more

Bar tender refused to serve us after one single drink. Then he kicked us out before asking us "how was the Cubs game?" WTF? All because we let some Jena blocks fall over? Isn't that that the point of Jenga? Fuck you Ravens!!! read more

The bartender was friendly and I had great service. Fantastic atmosphere and a great location. Looking for a new place to try out? This is the place. read more

I love this place and always have a great experience here. All the bartenders are great and the owner is real cool. The best part is that if you're looking for a night cap around the area, you know it's going to be open. read more

I love this dungeon! They have cheap drinks and free popcorn. How can you beat that in the heart of Lincoln Park? The bartenders are usually friendly and it's not a bad spot to watch a game. We watched the Hawks win the cup here and it was a blast! You can even bring in your own food from any of the local restaurants. read more

Claire rules. Loved by non-assholes everywhere. My favorite bar for years. And now Ashley works there. Sunday nights with Bing are fun as hell. The beer garden is a wonderful place to spend a summer evening with friends. read more

This place really is divy. Firstly, the whole bar was littered with popcorn - gross. Secondly, they do no take cards and if you don't have cash you might have to pay a $4 fee to use their ATM. I'm not a fan of this place at all; it's small, dark, dodgy, and weird. I guess if you are out at 4am and already hammered you might have lower standards, but Ravens seems like they have no standards. read more

Total dive bar. It's very dumpy and just 4 beers on tap, but they get bonus points for having a good size outdoor patio. Enjoyed a drink pot there in the beautiful weather. read more

This has been not just a dive bar or final destination area bar for regulars and out of towers. I have lived near the Raven and worked in customer service so when I say that Claire strives for not only customer service but also customer experience I truly mean it. I travel now over 25 minutes in a car to reach this location, just for the service that is provided here. Any previous reviews of the bartenders I strongly disregard to the upmost level. If you don't believe me? Go there and buy a cheap beer. Watch how the staff engage with meaning in a conversation. It's one of a kind the genuine level of the device here. read more

I used to come here a lot with friends 3 years ago. The drinks are cheap, there is a good amount of seating and it's a late night bar that isn't Neo. I've definitely been there a few times when fights broke out and got covered in blood. The best part though, is that I got to play the old school bowling game with David from Roseanne!!! read more

Had a great time at Ravens learning about Chicago from the bartender and the other patrons. It's a simple dive bar, but they do it well.

Ravens has a killer jukebox, friendly and funny bartenders, decent drink prices, and a great crowd of patrons. And it's open late! I stop in sometimes when I can't sleep since it's open until 4 or 5. This place is a blast whether you're with a group of friends or by yourself, since the people are so nice here that one can't feel left out. It is cash only, which sucks when their ATM breaks. The bathrooms are kind of gross, but it's a dive. Overall, a great place! read more

I think I underestimated Ravens... go figure that I enjoy it more now than I did when I was living at Fullerton & Clark! Anyway, its a great late night spot with a good jukebox, free popcorn, and that hockey puck-bowling arcade game thingy. But beware of the bathrooms! Yikes! read more

Love this place... miss playing "dial a shot" with bartender Keith and all the local characters that used to float through. Definite good memories of being totally plastered late, late and night here. Gotta love Chicago for it's 4AM bars! read more

Bathrooms are gross, it's hotter than hell but the staff are nice, they have booze, a great jukebox, fun things on the tv's. If only all the drunks that I sreved all night were not there, I would go more often after work(2am). read more

It's a mistake that I'm giving this place five stars, because I. Don't. Want. You. To. Come. Here. I don't want your shitty entitled attitude, I don't want your garbage music choices, and I don't want you to kick over the motherfucking Jenga. If you live in Chicago, you've probably been here, and you probably have no recollection of being here - that's forgivable. It is a four o'clock bar after all. But the true genius of this place isn't late night on Friday or Saturday, it's random Tuesday, Wednesday and/or Thursday nights, and weekends way earlier than that. Chill-ass bartenders with razor sharp wit, and little to no tolerance for bullshit. If you're looking for a respite from stuffy over-produced, bro-filled bars, this is your place. If not, there are literally thousands of other places that will gladly (or at least as their smiles lead you to believe) take your money. read more

I've had some good times at this hole in the wall. It gets too crowded late night, but if you are there around midnight it's the perfect amount of people. They also give you free popcorn when you walk in- an added bonus. read more

Love this bar! They allow dogs on the patio which is awesome. Plus, Claire the bartender is SUPER nice. Chewy (my dog) and I love it. Really affordable drinks, too. read more

Ravens - a man sitting in a chair holding a dog - Dive Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

The cooler the ceiling, the cooler the bar. This bar has a super cool ceiling. A great bar and beer garden. If that doesn't do it for you, they have tons of arcade games, and my favorite, life size Jenga. They are also open later than any other bar in the city so come on out and see Dave... He knows how to treat you right!!! read more

Horrible! I walked in this place and had the worst service I've ever had in my life. What a bad experience on my birthday.

whenever i hear the words 'beer garden' i always imagine a garden where beer grows, which is exactly what ravens is. for $5 you can get a basket (with properly attached, sturdy handles) and pick all the beer you can carry home - they don't even weigh you before entering the garden to see how much you drank while inside! a truly classy place! of course, they also have tables and chairs. if you don't want to carry your freshly-picked beer home, you don't have to. you can enjoy it on the spot. i heard they're getting read to plant a beer maze. this will be fun in the fall. i think when they start selling tickets, i'm going to stop going to corn mazes. the only thing barring (har!) my experience from five stars is the jukebox. it's a lovely jukebox, but it puts everything on shuffle. if you buy some songs and then three other people line up and buy songs, they're all mixed together. you could leave without hearing all your picks. bummer. i've heard weird stories about their popcorn. please refrain. read more

In my book, this place deserves more than the three stars it currently has. I went her last night after dinner at Green Tea (which I'll say makes me REALLY interesting according to Phil M, the reviewer under me) and my first impression of the bar was that it was unlike most other LP bars. I usually avoid going out to bars in Lincoln Park, but there were no Chads or Trixies to be seen here! My friend and I ordered our drinks, got a table, and enjoyed the low key grungy vibe. At some point some crazy drunk guy wandered in and asked if he could bring his dog into the bar. The bartender said "I don't give a shit" and then it was true love. I heart places that have no rules. (Although, later some lady bartender who seemed to take her job much more seriously had a shit fit about it and made them leave.) From the reviews, it seems like this place might get hella crowded after 2 when other bars in the area close down and I'm glad I wasn't around for that, because the main selling point of Raven's IMO is the lack of collared shirts and stilettos taking up space on a Saturday night. read more