My friends were entering a City wide karaoke competition and one of the sites was at Reed's. It was very good vibes and I got to connect with one of the owners of the bar. She gave me some of the history of the bar, and shared that they always host Karaoke on Tuesdays and Saturday. The KJ was Tammy and she also seemed really nice as well. I would definitely return and will bring friends along! The bar is cash only but they do have an atm on site! read more

Good bar. Good booze. Good shows. Cash only is inexcusable in 2026 no matter how you do your books.

Best bar in the city. Cheap drinks, really easygoing vibe and hey! VHS movies! Always a good hang.

If you are a new comer, don't bother. Not nice at all to non regulars. Made us feel so unwelcomed :(

Classic throwback dive bar with cheap beer, friendly ambiance and live music. The world misses places like this. read more

Reed's Local - Green Death - Pure class - Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

My favorite bar in Chicago. The special (a Hamms and a shot of Old Crow) is a steal at only $4, and the staff is the friendliest bunch of people ever known to mankind. Any time I head to Reeds, I am super excited for a good time with people that are real, down to earth, and super nice. Their policy is "Be Nice or Leave" for a reason. If you are looking for new local friends, look no further. read more

I don't want to encourage over-indulgence but you can have quite a good time here for about $20 or $25. Cash only, ATM inside, the music the bar plays is always fantastic, and on week nights on occasion they will have seriously good food popups. read more

Surprised I haven't left a review for Reeds Local yet. Great neighborhood bar and the type of bar that you see less and less in Chicago. They care about the community they are in and it shows. They have live shows, DJs and karaoke twice a week. They also host food popups for local chefs. Highly recommend coming by. read more

Nice neighborhood bar. Good selection of beers on tap and cans. There isn't a kitchen but you can bring in food. It's cash only but they have an ATM machine. Friendly owners who work the bar. read more

Reed's Local - a bar filled with liquor - Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

This is my daughter's and her SO's local bar. Friday night they held a party for her 40th birthday so we drove up. Great dive bar, exactly like the ones I grew up in and played many gigs in. Joel, the owner and bartender, is an absolute gem! He kept that bar hopping with a large crowd, some regulars and a lot there to see the bands that were to play later on. Meanwhile always having a minute to share a story or listen to my rambling. A stellar evening was had by all in our crowd. If I still lived in Chicago, I would be stopping by to talk history (Joel is a former history teacher) and to have a couple "specials" - a shot of Old Crow and a can of Hamm's! read more

My local dive! Reasons why I like Reed's.... ~90% dudes. I'm a girl who likes boys. I do not mind the low female attendance here. ~Awesome bartender. Super friendly. Didn't make my friends and I feel awkward or horrible being newbies. ~Cheap beer & good selection. My lame friend was sad they didn't have any Bud Light but they did have Hamm's & Miller High Life to appease him. For me, they had $5 Revolution Anti-Hero on tap, as well as a decent selection of other craft brews on the cheap. ~Chill atmosphere. Really chill. Good music, good crowd, not overly busy, but not creepily dead either. ~Air hockey foosball dome covered thingie-ma-bob in the back. That's cool yo! ~Amazing rotating Budweiser chandelier with Clydesdales. I like me some Reed's and am psyched it's a block from my place! read more

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Joel and Melissa rock. They put their heart and soul into Reeds. This a great place to meet friends, new and old.

Walked in on a Saturday night and asked for their cheapest beer. The bartender made me pay $6 for a can of Hamm's. The atmosphere of the people in the bar wasn't very welcoming at all. There was live music yet nobody seemed interested in dancing or showing any type of emotion towards the performance. I'd say this bar is meant for the old and insecure crowd. Edit: My mistake, I had gone on a Friday night November 1st to be exact( yes there was live music that night). The bartender charged me and my friend $12 for two Hamm's beers and then another $12 for two shots of jack. I would not make a negative review for a place I've never visited before. I am speaking from personal experience. read more

Best bar in the United States of America and no I will not elaborate because you just have to go, ok? Go, and tip your bartender.

Reed's is so great! Best bar, best atmosphere and I love the fact that they require proof of vaccination. It makes me feel much safer in this crazy world read more

I'm a sucker for imperative commands printed on commercial banners. The banner outside says "Drink Local," so that's what I did. It never occurred to me that I had a choice, even though I wasn't even thirsty. Inside it looks just like Wally's Lounge did, only without the Wally. A little cleaner, too. Still one of the last places with a CD-based jukebox and no plans ever to replace it with one of those B-side-killing digital boxes. Plus now they have good beers- Lagunitas Little Sumpin', Bell's Two Hearted, a couple of Revolution options, and the as-yet-untasted Vandermill (?). Special is the Three Eyed Crow, shot of Old Crow and a Hamms, for $4. Plans are in the works for some mild level of fancification in the near post-Wally future, we'll see, but this is a nice bare-bones spot as it is. read more

Reed's Local - a sign on the side of a building - Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Very cool old Chicago place. Stopped in for karaoke on Tuesday night. Bartender was super friendly and a cool low key vibe.

Reed's is pretty much everything you would want in a dive bar...friendly bartender, kitschy atmosphere, and cheap beer. I've driven by this place on the way to the highway a million times and never noticed it, but next time I'm in the hood I'd definitely stop in. My friend runs a trivia night periodically at different bars (shout out to Sh*t for Brains!), which brought me in on a Thursday night. We filled most of the tables, but there were def a few regulars bellied up to the bar as well. They've got 5 or 6 beers on tap...which all seemed to be local...Revolution, 5 Rabbit, Metropolitan. But they have a huge assortment of cans, with all of the options lined up across the back of the bar with their prices in front...ranging from $2 Hamms up to like $7 or 8 for tallboys of the good stuff. Most of my guy friends were drinking the Hamms and said it's actually not too bad, so if you feel like pounding some cheap beers this is your place. There is just something fun about drinking cans of beer in a bar. They don't have any food here, but you are welcome to bring your own in. This is right near Kuma's, so you can grab some burgers to go and enjoy some beers here away from the crowd. Oh also be aware that it's cash only, but there is an ATM in the bar. If you're on the hunt for a good dive bar, add this to your list! read more

Reed's Local - Great cider suggestion from the bartender! - Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

As a frequent time traveler, I love Reed's, and hope you will as well. It's one of Chicago's last true dive bars, and what's great about it is the current owners didn't change the good but removed the dirt and dinge. It is a mellow dive bar but with cool themed nights, amazing bands, trivia nights, karaoke. There's usually coloring book for drunken silliness, and tons of retro board games. Cheap drinks can be had as well! read more

This is my favorite place in the city! The owners are fantastic, the drinks are inexpensive and the jukebox is amongst my favorite. What we regulars enjoy is they they stay true to the classic Chicago dive bar! The do this flawlessly through service, relationships and neighborhood loyalty. This is appealing, instead of attracting the new to the city, arriving straight from Naperville douche who is used to having a beer at Chili's. If you don't fit in here- then it's you, kid. Perhaps there's a chain Irish themed bar you can frequent? Somewhere far away? There's always something new to do, the best themed nights and DJ's, and a smart accommodating staff. There's always a great special, so if you are light on cash, you're not going to have to stay home. You should check it out. read more

We had stopped in to bring a friend to open Mic stand up. He didn't do well, but it was awesome to be a part of it. Apparently, this is part of a large comic-scene in Chicago. This place is a dive, which is what makes it great. I wouldn't normally give a 5-star, but the paintings on the wall (for sale) made it great. And if you see the picture I post for this place, you will see why. read more

Reed's Local - Me, my fraternity brother and friend Sean, and my wife. - Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Awesome bar run by an awesome dude!!!!!! Go there, get tipsy, enjoy. This place is a no brainer, if you just want a beer or some straight liquor. Great place to hang with your friends! read more

I love reed's local. Perfect neighborhood spot for after work, sundays, and just grabbing a quick shot while waiting for the bus. Great jukebox and EXCELLENT karaoke. read more

Reed's Local - a bar with a variety of items - Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I've been hanging out at Reed's fairly regularly for the last 4 years and it's just the perfect neighborhood bar. It's very casual and there is usually something going on, like live music, karaoke, game nights, art shows, etc. There's usually a dog or two, which is such a delight. There are cheap beer specials and a jukebox - what more could you want?! The owners are super nice and down-to-earth. Overall, it's a welcoming comfortable bar that's perfect for the neighborhood! read more

I stopped in with my friend on a Monday night. We just wanted a place to chill with a couple drinks and chat. That's EXACTLY what we got. The bartender was super friendly and attentive and poured a good drink. The handful of regulars were all pleasant too. And I bet if we sat closer to them we would have chatted. I really liked it. It's just a cool bar in an area that needs more cool stuff! read more

A friend and I went to Reeds Local yesterday during happy hour originally just to kill time, but we found ourselves staying for quite a while. Sam was our bartender and he was extremely kind and welcoming. As the bar slowly filled up with 5 or 6 more people he introduced us to the regulars he knew. We felt right at home. If you like small neighborhood dive bars. this is your place. Cheap drinks and good service, friendly people and an old timey Jukebox in the corner, what more could you ask for? read more

This place was fabulous fun! After brunch in a neighborhood far, far away (okay, maybe not so far...but definitely outside of our hood), we decided to explore the area and look for some local dive bars. This was the winner of the afternoon/evening! The bartender (Alec) was great...the customers were friendly...the decor was fascinating (kind of Brady Bunch meets Star Wars meets Hamms beer)...classic Sci-Fi movies played on the VCR...and the bathrooms were clean. What more could you want on a drizzly Saturday afternoon??? read more

I love "dive bars"--especially when the atmosphere is more toward the welcoming and friendly side, and not the "sketchy and afraid for my life" end of the scale. This is the perfect place to grab a beer (craft or cheapo, whichever), meet up with friends or make some new ones. Also, the pink-haired bartender is lovely--she always makes sure everyone's taken care of and makes sure the over-served Wrigley refugees don't ruin the night for other patrons. read more

The Rock... has come back... to Reeds local. Let the Rock tell you something. If The Rock is the People's Champ, then Reeds is the People's bar. See, the Rock is a jet flyin, high stylin, kiss stealing, elbow dealing, Hollywood son of a gun. But don't let that fool you. The Rock is humble, he knows what it's like to be down and out. Come here for the specials, they're the best deals in town. The Rock knows the staff and he knows the owner. It's a bar for the people, by the people. You want community? The Rock says know your role and stop in. If you smellllllllllll...! What the rock.. is cooking. read more

Amazing atmosphere and great staff! Very fairly priced and there are always fun events going on throughout each month.

Definitely enjoyed myself when I had a few drink's in Reed's. The owner was a total sweetheart. Nice guy who just wanted to have a solid neighborhood spot for a beer, and cool music. That's my cultural North Star, and I'd be damned happy to have another few pints at Reeds next time I'm in town. read more

My favorite neighborhood dive bar! You can always stop in here and have a good time. There's usually karaoke on Tuesday and Saturday, a jukebox with great selections, and the $4 hamms special paired with a shot of old crow. On top of all that, reeds is dog friendly and the owners are great. If you're ever in the area, stop in for a beer or two! read more

Great selection of beer. Friendly bartenders. Pinball machine.

Reed's Local is everything a local dive bar should be and more. Cheap drinks, sassy patrons, and a friendly bartender should be enough to get you in the place, but it's the little things like card & board games behind the bar (just ask!), a Playboy Pinball machine (no nudity, shucks!), and some of the best nerd fan art you'll ever find on the back walls, all that will make you never want to leave. A little rough around the edges, but surely a gem. read more

Reed's Local - Playboy Pinball - Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Best bar in Avondale. Hamm's and a shot of Old Crow for $4, good jukebox, karaoke on certain days, and sometimes live music. Can't ask for more. read more

This place is one of my favorites! They're owned by an awesome couple, and the husband is a former CPS teacher who lets me complain and drown my sorrows in cheap beer and shots :) Great dive bar and Dog friendly read more

Great local dive bar. This is my "corner bar" and I could ask for nothing more, except maybe taking credit cards (it's cash only). Always have a great beer selection with Cheap prices. Their special is unheard-of in Chicago, can of hams & shot of old Crow for $4! What?? The normal bartender is the owner who is extremely friendly and is constantly putting on some kind of event. read more

This is my bar and I love it. Great beers (some now on tap!), pinball, a handful of cool events every week, and they let me bring my dog in.

My favorite neighborhood bar in Chicago. Great owners! Love the ambiance, old bar lights and various entertainment. highly recommend.

Best bar in Chicago in my opinion. I like divey bars. It's not dirty and it's inexpensive. If you can, check out the music when it comes through. Solid bands. They're all about the community. read more