Total Hidden Gem in Irving Park From the outside, you might think you know what you're getting into. But the second you step through the door, all assumptions go out the window. The Unforgettable Bar is a masterful clash of vibes: it's part neighborhood sports dive, part old-timey classic Chicago hang, and completely brilliant. The owners have taken an old 70s bar and treated it with an incredible amount of respect, keeping it spotless while injecting an absolute ton of personality. What really blows me away are the intentional, thoughtful touches everywhere you look. In a world where customer service often feels like an afterthought, the hospitality here makes you feel immediately valued. It's rare to find a spot that nails the details this well while keeping the music great and the energy totally unpretentious. Huge hats off to the owners--you've built something truly special here. A perfect neighborhood joint with a soul. read more

Great atmosphere, friendly staff, good drinks, good times, plenty of parking. And best part is they're open pretty late!

Sarah was a great bartender! Offered me shots of Malort! Cool Vibes and they have a pool table in the back. I be back whenever I'm in Chicago from LA read more

Super decent establishment. Good location. Good layout. Good service. I went twice recently. Once during a Bears game and once on a Wednesday night to meet up with friends. This is a fantastic spot to watch Bears games because they have a free food buffet at halftime and they give away raffle tickets in the first quarter for free prizes at the end of the game. They have a ton of TV's and a super cute mini-beer garden out back where you can smoke if you want. They don't have a kitchen but you can always order in food. Since it is a 4am bar, if you go earlier you can almost have the place to yourself, which is great if you wanted to plan a small meetup super convenient to CTA. I can't really think of any 4am bar in Chicago worthy of five stars. But this one is definitely close, depending on what you're doing and who you came with. read more

This bar is quite forgettable, since they're open till 4am! Who can do a marathon session of 12 hours! I have tried, and failed, but try it out for yourself! The staff is hit or miss, but mostly friendly, the crowd is local OIP booze crews, and the beer selection just got better with Medalla in a can. Free popcorn is available as the meal choice read more

The Unforgettable Bar - To go beer - Sports Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Nice place to get a pint. This is not a fancy place, but you can get there during happy hour to get a drink or two. read more

The Unforgettable Bar - a woman behind the bar - Sports Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Good for an afternoon or weekend daytime drink or two, haven't been at night but I've been told it's not the best later on. During the day when it's not crowded it's great and the service is usually pretty good, especially when they're making fresh popcorn too. read more

Little divey spot with affordable drinks and a friendly vibe. Nothing special but they do have darts and pool. The bartender seemed disinterested and took a while to come around for refills, but to be fair it was midday on a Saturday and there wasn't a lot going on. read more

A hole-in-the-wall dive bar, the Unforgettables is a hidden gem, of a 4am spot. If you want lowkey, this spot is for you. The bartenders are always sweet and pleasant. You can hijack the jukebox. There is no food offered here, but they do serve never-ending popcorn. For me, it's a huge loss to not have an open kitchen at a bar. But prices are standard, and the bartenders are open to mixing whatever you throw at them. There is a pool table in the back. Characters that frequent here are going to be more laidback, and casual. Not always the friendliest, but I never feel unsafe. read more

Came in here with my girl, CB, all decked out in our Derby hats, 'cos we missed the 2:43 Metra to Arlington. We were greeted very warmly by the barmaid, and given a free Mint Julep. Bonus! After that, the stars flew away. Looking around the bar, it was full of barflies. Like Mickey Rourke as Charles Bukowski But Not Nearly as Charming barflies. Aforementioned barmaid, pleasingly sassy when we walked in, turned into annoyingly loud to one of the patrons . . . I got the feeling that this was their usual Saturday afternoon schtick . . . especially when they started dancing to a blasting country tune. Oh, the music. The Cubs scored, or something, and the music got cranked up. Then stayed cranked up thru a couple of irritating country-type songs. Painful. We only stayed there for two Mint Juleps 'cos the drinks were . . . drinks . . . and our train didn't leave until 3:43. But wow . . . . I don't recommend this even as an ironic dive bar 'cos it's depressing and annoying. read more

Its a nacie place but drinks are expensive. Theres barley any specials. Music was great.

Joe E's is a pretty cool place and I would say my visit was unforgettable. I came here on a Friday night around midnight for a few drinks. There were only a few people there so we sat at the bar. The bartender was friendly and knew that we were new in the area. Everyone else here seemed to be regulars that were out for a couple drinks after a long work week. Joe E's has a juke box that controls the music atmosphere, they have several televisions that had local sports and news on. They also had a pool table in the back. They probably had a few other bar games like darts in the back but I don't specifically recall these things. Overall, Joe E's was really laid back and was not too busy as it is located on Irving Park road right off of the Blue Line stop. The bartender told us that it gets busy around 2 am but we didn't stay to see it happen. The best part of that night and this bar was the $1 basketball shot attempt. They have a couple Corona beer buckets hung behind the bar with a small inflatable ball. You get a chance to shoot the ball into the bucket for $1. If you are successful you get a shot of your choice for only $1. I played and I made the basket on the second try. It was fun considering you get a free shot of Jameson to go with it. I look forward to coming back to Joe E's to see what it has to offer. read more

The Unforgettable Bar - $1 to shoot the ball into the bucket behind the bar and win a shot of your choice - Sports Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

In one word: Erin. Everyone else is good, too, at what they do. Expectations at Yelp always seem as peculiar as the weirdos who go on about themselves, instead of the business they look to crap on. The "Unforgettable" is a reliable source of beer (and booze), food, etc.; And, their delivery system of anything is simply terrific. A means test of 3.5 out of 5 proves only how depressing the north side of Chicago has become, thanks largely to those who can't pull out their pacifier to actually join humanity instead of insisting that their soiled diaper is someone else's fault. read more

Don't come here on a Friday night when there are 6 other people in the bar besides yourself and your husband. It may take you over 15 minutes to get a drink while the bartender ignores you. I understand that he was helping another couple with whatever dubious drink decisions they needed to make at a dive bar but the bartender didn't even look our way or even acknowledge that we were waiting an absurd amount of time for only having 8 people in the bar in total. Let's say forgettable read more

I haven't worked there for 10 years because the bar suck. Love it!! From noon to midnight it's all about friends and family. 1am to 4am Monday-Thursday it's after work service industry and peeps from the area... Great people. Friday and Saturday after hours (4 and 5 am bar guys) it's DJ dancing and having a blast! Come Sunday it's game on sports, Raffles, food and free pool.. Yup! There's always something fun going on... We try to keep up on entertaining. I'm not the owner, but the ones that do ROCK! read more

I have never been here but every time we drive by I say "Man, I always forget about that place." and everyone laughs.

Unforgettable Lounge is sports bar with a bit of a late-night lounge twist. Sure it has been done before, where the restaurant turns into a nightclub, but you get the sense that you have walked into a sports bar that can draw the local dancer that would rather have nothing to do with televised sports. I'm one of those people. Perhaps I would compare it to Blue Light lounge. I was really here to meet up with an internet date. I couldn't tell you if it was OKC, Bumble, or Tinder. Basically this visit was a catch-up with drinks kind of meeting and the sports junkies were in full throttle, barking like mentally-limited primordials at the TV screen. All I could do was roll my eyes and just allow my ears to bleed while they screamed. Hey, dude was purchasing the drinks and I had a long day at work. I really don't know why I'd have any desire to come back here unless I managed to stay up late to dance to hit-or-miss jukebox selections based off of local music taste. If I did show up, I would be well rested and ready to embrace my inner cougar. Also, the drinks are mixed well and the prices are reasonable. Come here for a visit if you have nothing better to do, or you just can't sleep. read more

My boyfriend and I live in the Old Irving Park neighborhood and have often been to this 4am hole-in-the-wall. And I'm talking HOLE-IN-THE-WALL. Not this trendy "dive bar" frequented by yuppies in Wicker Park or Logan Square. I've seen old men falling asleep (passing out?) at the bar. The bartenders sport their favorite Chicago sports team's jerseys, and you never know what walk of life will pour through the door after 2am. That said, Joe E's is one of the only options, unfortunately (and hopefully temporarily) for us in Irving Park. It's a 4am, so that helps, and drinks are cheap!! Plus, if you get there pre-late nite, they're very accommodating with the free popcorn ;) Joe E's is a weird place. I won't deny it. But until Old Irving is built up and we're offered more options, it's a decent choice with affordable drinks. read more

Moved suburbs which means we had to switch trains and stops when coming in for the Cubs games. That also means I needed to find a good hole in the wall bar to sit and wait for the Metra at. Found it yesterday and I don't know if I'm more excited about the next game or coming back to this place. Service was great, drinks were priced right and the crowd couldn't have been nicer. read more

Joe E's lounge is indeed unforgettable, but so is breaking your leg or seeing a dead person. This is an old man bar without the character that is prevalent in most hole-in-the-walls in the city. Though I didn't see one, I get the impression that fights break out a few times a week. There are two big upsides to the Unforgettable Lounge though. They are open until four and they have cheap beer. On the Tuesday that I was there, domestic bottles were $1.50 and there is a night (Saturday I think) where Old-Style buckets are $5.00. It's not clear whether a bucket consists of five bottles of beer and some ice or they just fill up a bucket with Old-Style and give it to you. read more

I need a drink. I need to hang out with some friends and get drunk. I dont need anymore bullshit in my life. Where can I go thats not full of hipsters or yuppies or douchebags? HEY! Joe E's! perfect. The so groddy even the hipsters wont risk the "im being ironic but im actually just cheap" place. Went in 3 days ago and the bartender was sweet. I just wanna chill out. I like this place. not perfect but this is what bars looked like in the 80's. nice. read more

Pretty dope 4am spot. It's more so the vibe and touch tunes jukebox that keeps me coming back cause it's definitely not the beer list. Drafts and bottles need some serious help. This is more of a domestic bar but if you're looking for an IPA your only option is Anti Hero. Maybe I'm mistaken though. But I doubt it. In such a short amount of time I've created many memories here but during my first visit, with beer in hand, the jukebox played Method Man's Bring the Pain. Anyone who knows me knows that's a positive omen and enough to make a return drunk of me. I find that the prices are reasonable, the staff and patrons excellent, and the location perfect whether you have a ride or not. I came across this place in a newspaper best after hours spot and since that was published I've made my way back every time. Best of indeed. read more

I gave this one an extra star just to counter-balance whatever reviews brought it down to three stars. This is a perfect working class neighborhood bar. Nothing fancy, just the essentials at a fair price provided by a friendly staff. Sports on tv, good deals on decent beer, free popcorn and other salty snacks, FREE POOL TABLE. If that isn't your idea of a four-star bar I probably don't want to go drinking with you. read more

Aaron is the best! Always upbeat and lively- literally the ONLY reason I keep coming back! She is on top of everything and everyone. No crowd is too big for her to handle. She treats everyone with respect and is just amazing. I highly recommend coming here tuesdays and fridays! Definitely will have a good time :) chill atmosphere and good drinks. read more

We certainly had an "Unforgettable" experience. We came in for the first time being new to the city. We were celebrating our anniversary. Everything was going along fine until the bouncer decided to be racist against my husband. The bartender asked me if my husband was ok & that the bouncer had an issue with him. All because he asked if it was ok to play a game a pool. The local players were betting $5 a game 9 ball & the bouncer felt differently towards my husband. He rudely removed him & began with racial slurs. There was no reason for this mistreatment. This was VERY inappropriate & should be addressed. I would HIGHLY recommend not going there as you may get mis-handled by the bouncer for simply doing nothing but being new to the area & wanting to play a simple game of pool. read more

This is a REAL dive bar. Like there will be times when you won't feel safe, but hey, that's part of the charm, right? I will say this for them They make the strongest Jager-Bombs in the city. They also have really cheap deals most nights. There is a punching machine and a pool table. But if it's before 2am you can find me a the Indy Tap. read more

Stopped by Unforgettable Lounge on a random Tuesday night with a friend. It was a slow night, but keep in mind that it was the week day(12/20) on a holiday weekend. What else can I say about the place? Variety music selection while I was there which I enjoyed. They have great thirsty Thursday deals, open to 4 AM(5 AM on Saturdays). The Bartender Torri did a great job maintaining the place and balancing conversation with us newcomers and regulars. Ignore the bad review bad mouthing Torri please. She is really great at her job. Its a neighborhood bar people, you're gonna have regulars in, and maybe the bartender gets held up in conversation too long. It is not the end of the world or a totally bad time if a bartender doesn'tt spark up a conversation with you. Will definitely be giving this place more business. read more

Drunken late night pool escapades become a reality at this place. Come thru to get wasted and stare creepily at bartenders. I have been wanting to come here ever since I had a website built by a guy named Joe Edahamanku or something. The other time i was here I do not remember. Getting black out wasted is crazy. Its like your brain at a certain point just stops recording, as if to say, "We got it, this guy has been trying to order a pizza from a closed bank for the last hour." (Sean Flannery) Nice bright place with friendly bartenders and cheap drinks for Chicago, what else do you want? Joe E to come out of the shadows and make sure your night is unforgettable? Alright, once hes done building my website. read more

My home away from home. DJ on Friday's and Saturday's and always packed for Cubs games! Bartenders are awesome and they have a great selection of beers. read more

NANCY Ill defiantly be Back & with my Loud Mouth friends!!!!! The only thing Lacking is more parking, as you know. But other than THAT, JOE E.'s is truely UNFORGETTABLE & a Great Place, FULL OF FUN AND AWESOME TIMES.......:-) :-) :-) :-) read more

The Unforgettable Bar - not to get technical but according to chemistry alcohol is a solution - Sports Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Four stars for a dive bar? What, am I crazy? Yes, but my mom still loves me. Keep in mind the 4 stars is as compared to other dive bars, not nicer places. Physically this place doesn't have much character, but in terms of people there it is one of the more unique dive bars in the city. You simply never know what you are going to get when you walk in the door. First off, this is a bar with two distinct personalities. If you go during the day or early evening, this is an old man's bar with regulars that are probably here every single day. If you go later in the evening - like after midnight, it is a completely different crowd that can offer the best people watching ever. This is the biggest eclectic mix of people you will ever see in one place and everybody is friendly to you - even if you might be scared of them sometimes. In no particular order I have met: hustlers at the pool table in the back, second shift workers headed home, off-duty ladies of the night, grifters, homeless grandmother, residents of the nearby Y, a guy who wandered in after getting kicked off a bus, people freshly out of jail, people probably headed to jail really soon, etc. etc. The bartenders are friendly too and they have great drink specials every day of the week. It really is just a hot mess of humanity that randomly wanders in - and 90% of them are friendly and talkative. I can't say I have ever been bored here. read more

Are you looking for a place that has an instant lotto ticket dispenser BUILT INTO THE BAR by the taps? Are you looking for a place that's kitty corner from both the blue line AND the Y? If so, this place could be the answer to your prayers. This place is like a Turkish bath house, but without all those pointless amenities. Bus stop shelter out front doubles as a smoking hut and place to watch other people scream into their cell phones. Open 'til 4/5am in case you didn't get enough booze elsewhere. Excelsior! read more

The bad reviews here miss the point. This bar isn't an adventure for yuppies, or a slice of life, or a place to connect with the "real" Chicago, it's just a neighborhood bar filled with regulars. I could almost imagine some of the whinin reviews in here were written by Mrs. Thurston Howell III, looking through her lorgnette and sneering, "Rrrrrreeaally! I never!" read more

I've been here twice. Once on a Sunday afternoon for $3 bloody marys (the plan was to get there about 2pm and stay for an hour--when I left it was 10pm) and once three weeks ago Saturday as a pit stop between destinations for my friend's birthday. It's certainly an old man bar. Free pool, dusty, dark, cheap domestic beer, a surprisingly clean bathroom, popcorn machine, juke box, "professionals" at the end of the bar, you know the drill; and the first time I went here I really couldn't wait to come back. Now I think if I go back it'll be for day drinking, not night drinking; and I think it would depend who's working the bar. So let me explain, we show up about 10-ish to have a beer--beers ordered, settling in, everything is fine and then all of the sudden we realize we're listening to these commercials that are backed by a dance beat. The more we're listening or rather trying not to listen; they become louder and more annoying. At first we thought it was the radio; commercials, and then songs, and the commercials, and then songs-- but no it was commercial after commercial. So in order to stop it I decided to play the juke box, and this is where the problems took place. First off the juke box is awesome. You can find almost everything you want to listen to and by judging the quality of the extended dance remix commercials; I figured the sound wouldn't be that bad. I also have to explain something else and this is the most important thing. I completely understand I'm in a neighborhood bar with many different types of people. Although some of my music tastes are, I'm not planning to piss everyone off by playing music that's obnoxious, offensive, alienating, etc--actually just the opposite. My goal was to play stuff that's decent drinking music, maybe something a little timeless. Ray Charles, James brown, some rockabilly--key works here: non-threatening and fun. So I make my way to the jukebox. Before I know it there's a person who I'm guessing is a regular lined up behind me. (sidenote, why did they wait for me to play music before doing so themselves?) I play my songs and walk away--the guy behind me starts to add his list as my first song is playing. The second song comes on (I mentioned Ray Charles previously, it was Ray Charles) the bartender perks up with what sounds like irritation and dare I say disgust, and addresses the dude playing music "YOU didn't play that did YOU?!" "No I did." I reply. The bartender grabs the remote for what I think is the TV and says "yeah I didn't think he would play that". By this time the guy leaves the juke box, she still has the remote in her hand and walks over to play songs. I have two more songs and instead either the song the regular played or the song the bartender played comes on. She's still adding songs and my friend walks over and asks "you didn't just flip over my friend's songs did you?" She doesn't say yes, and doesn't say no but instead says "sometimes I flip over songs if they look like they're going to be crazy devil worshipping music". The next two songs I played we're from a band called the Reverend Horton Heat. Now I can't prove she bypassed my songs but the whole thing is a little coincidental and if she did then she should have at least gave me my $2 back. I want to like this place. I really do and I would come here often. It's close, it's comfy, it's reasonable, surprisingly they have three good beers on tap, but if I'm given the vibe that I'm not exactly welcome then why would I come back? read more

These yuppies ranting about Joe E's being a dive need to go back to Lincoln park where they belong, Sure it has a lived-in look, and yes, occasionally you will see an old timer crashed out ....that's called CHARACTER. Any good Chicago neighborhood needs a place like this, even if just to establish some cred. The beer is cheap, the peeps are reasonably friendly if you reciprocate (ie: don't walk in with YUK EWWWWW YUK on your face) and the place is open late, real late. I hope they don't build up the Old Irving area. The last thing we need here is $1200 monthly rents with self-absorbed material hounds as neighbors. That's why there's a Lincoln Park! (not-so-well-known secret: this place used to be one of Gacy's cruising stops) read more

.Cchicago use to be fool of bars like this in the fifties and sixties before yuppie scum and hipster geeks took over many drinking establishments. I was really found of thisd place and wish there was more diversity bars like this-of age and race-instead of the usual young twentysomething long haired fucks of the Northside filled with arrogant white college kids. read more

Came to this spot the other and all I can is this......Simplicity is bliss at this place! Nothing fancy about this place at all. This is the kinda place where you come as you are to enjoy some cheap drinks. Bonus for us transit riders...very close to the irving park blueline but from what I saw it would be kinda hard to catch a cab around this place though. read more

I been going here for 4yrs it's cool spot hours are great but the new bartender are watering down there drinks I had 3 long island and Hennessy and red bull i should of been drunk the drinks are $ 9 to $10 bucks and to not feel any type buzz that's crazy I Need a new spot bc this was my main Spot read more

Really crappy bar but don't let the low rating fool you. This place is great for what you need when you need it. A few steps off the blue line (irving park) it is as other reviewers have said, a hole in the wall. But also as other reviewers have stated, it is open late and booze is cheap! While I agree that the older crowd tends to be the patrons at this establishment, the people are friendly enough and let you and your group do your own thing. I love the punching machine and free pool table, give you an outlet while you are drinking. However I am NOT advocating this place as a place to spend the entire night. Like my other reviews of my neighborhood bars, it is a place to grab a cold one after a hard day or one before you hit the town. It is a place you can loiter if you have some time to kill but by no means is this a place you want to make you final destination. Unless you are 70 yrs old and hate our life. read more

Dive bar to the max and not in a good way. I went during a fairly quiet time ( I used to walk by very early in the morning on my way to the Blue Line and it seems to attract a rather rowdy crowd until the wee hours of the morning). The drinks were stiff and cheap, so that's a plus. Bartender was friendly. The only problem was the lecherous old men who seem to hang out, but I can't really fault the bar for that. read more