I came here specifically because of the pictures I saw on Yelp of the chicken platter. And I'm really glad I did. It was bomb. Tons of food. Tons of flavor. The cabbage is the unsung hero of the dish. It was spicy but not too spicy. Just awesome. read more

The Wild Hare - Music Venues Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Great drinks and the food was great the jerk tacison Tues are awesome. The music is great

My Jamaican craving kicked while visiting downtown Chicago. After searching through a few spots I decided to give this one a try. Really nice restaurant. Would be great after work or late night spot because they offer a live band but the kitchen is open early and they have a very nice Bar area. I tried the jerk chicken rice and peas and cabbage and it also came with plantains man this food was awesome!!! Had the good authentic Jamaican taste and very good portions. read more

The Wild Hare - Jerk chicken. Cabbage rice and peas. Really good!! - Music Venues Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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The food here is absolutely amazing! We ordered the Whole Red Snapper and Jerk Chicken Wings and shared amongst the two of us. The food was more than enough, and we could barely eat it all. The fish was beautifully prepared with a sweet/spicy tomato sauce, rice & peas, and stewed peppers and onions. OMG! So darn good! The fish was so fresh and literally melted in our mouths! The jerk wings were in a league of their own as well. The were beautifully smoked and you could actually taste the wood flavor from the smoking process. The jerk sauce was AMAZING!!! When I visit Chicago, this is definitely my new favorite spot! Oh, and the Rum Punch is legit too! I'm not even a fan of sweet drinks, but this drink definitely has a kick! Entry fee was $5, but I didn't mind because the band was awesome as well! Oh yeah, did I forget to mention the live music? I was craving live music at 10:00 pm on a Sunday night, and thanks to Yelp, I found the perfect place! They don't close until 2 a.m. on Sundays too! The bartender, Nicole, was warm, friendly, and inviting as well. She is the bomb.com! I love this place. Will definitely be back when I'm in town. read more

The Wild Hare - The Whole Red Snapper $25. We dug in before the pic. Soooo good!!!!! - Music Venues Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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I was expecting to be wowed away. You can look at the stars and see that I wasn't. The first problem was that there was almost no parking. I had to park on some side street down a back block. The second issue is that we had to pay for entry. Im like whoa, we were just going to eat. We walk in there isn't a lot of people here. Its pretty diverse with ages and ethnicity. So we took a seat at the bar the bartender was cool. Not to attentive but ok i guess. The inside looks like an old school bar with so tropical feel to it. I normally wont talk about an establishments bathroom. However the bathroom for guys at least breaks every man code imaginable. There are no toilets or urinals. There is only one long sink/tub with water running in it with a couple of drains in it. That poses a problem, no separation, no stalls yea i think not. We ordered a side of fries and some of the jerk wings. The fries didn't taste fresh at all but I have had worse. The chicken was OK, I have had jerk wings and they are usually more charred or crispy. There weren't bad at all its just the texture and how soft they were threw me off quite a bit. The seasoning was good. There was a live band playing on the opposite side and we had no idea. I walked over to see another bar and a couple of tables. There were a few people scattered. I like reggae actually i love reggae. I like dub, ska, dancehall and roots. I would have like to have heard some upbeat reggae. We went on a Friday night around 10. There wasn't a lot going on. I was surprised by this. I think I need to go back on a different day for the music. I'm sure the food will be the same. So i will eat before hand. read more

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I came here with a groupon. The place was totally empty, and given that, the service was a little slow. They didnt have live music that night but the waitress was really helpful- she mentioned that all the food gets cooked from scratch, and thats why the wait is longer for some dishes. We tried the guac with chips and those chips were plantains. They were kind of awesome. Post that I had the rasta pasta, and dinner buddy had the jerk tilapia. The portions are super large, enough for 2 to share, even if you have a good appetite. I wouldnt say the food was amazing, but it was well cooked and had a home made feel to it. The place itself looks like a big bar, with some seating on the side for diners. The bathrooms are a little oddly placed, but what bothered me more was the lack of toilet paper in some of them. And also, that there were no hand towels to wipe your hands when you are done washing them. A fun place to go for a low key night. read more

Food and atmosphere are great. I went expecting to listen to good music and eat decent Caribbean food. My experience was that and much more. It was dead--Tuesday night so i didn't expect much--but the band was live and put on a great show. The food, jerk wings dinner, was great. Service was pleasant and quick. I circled back in Friday night and, despite being crowded, they offered the same great service and food. Will definitely be returning. read more

The Wild Hare - Jerk wing dinner - Music Venues Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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4 stars for the live reggae 2 stars for the $12 cover Like many have said there aren't a lot of places in the city you can regularly find live reggae, let alone good, live reggae. Again, I was disappointed by the $12 cover (we went on a Friday so I'm not sure if it's usually that much), but the guy cut us a deal and let us in for 1/2 off. We got there around midnight and the place was only mildly crowded - maybe a lower cover would produce more of a crowd. When we got there the band was still setting up and sound checking, but they had on a mix of reggae standards, which was great. Then the band took the stage and began to play, which was awesome. I was bummed that I had been out all day and at that point was running out of steam. I really would like to have stayed longer than I did and hear more of the band. Bottom line, aside from the cover it's a great time if you're a reggae fan. read more

I came to Wild Hare for the first time on a Friday night. We got there close to 6:30pm (they open at 6pm) so it was pretty much empty inside except for a few older guys at the bar. The bartender was doubling as the waitress which was fine since there were so few patrons but did make it a little challenging when we needed to get her attention for something. As for the food, I was pleasantly surprised. The waitress informed us that their jerk is on the sweet side as opposed to being spicy. I didn't find it to be sweet at all but I thought that everything had a good flavor. I ordered the jerk chicken dinner for $14 though you have to add $1 to switch to jerk wings. I found the rice and beans to be a little dry and flavorless but the plantains, cabbage, and chicken were all excellent. I also ordered the rum punch which was delicious but pretty pricy at $12. I'll be back to check out the reggae club scene at some point and will return for food as well. read more

The Wild Hare - Jerk Chicken Dinner - Music Venues Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Watch out for prices. Drink specials 16.00@. Food is good prices not bad. Except the cheesecake with plantains is a regular piece of cheesecake with chopped friend sweet plantains on top! And if you're thinking of paying with credit card ...a 20% surcharge will be added PLUS 25% gratuity too! Even if party is of 3 people. TAKE CASH! read more

Good place for jerk chicken. We split the entree between two of us. Another friend has the jerk wrap, and he said it was pretty good. The drinks are kind of expensive being that this is not your fancy type of bar. Wish we were there for the music. Would come back for the music and maybe try another place for food and drinks. The women's bathroom here is atrocious. Looks like a place where they should be charging $5 for drinks. read more

I had an expiring Groupon that I forgotten about; thankfully I checked out this place! I remember the old Wild Hare in Wrigley but I was too young to party there, so I always stood outside to dance to reggae tunes. The new Wild Hare is a great place; great food, great music, and great drinks. The jerk wings were seasoned well and not too spicy. I've been on a healthy kick so I got the sautéed vegetables that are stewed in a coconut milk and served over rice and peas. Mmmmmm it was so good and fresh. The live music was also a plus. I will definitely go back again. read more

Service was nonexistent. I couldn't tell if the patrons were wait staff or if the wait staff were patrons. Food is overpriced for what it is. The environment wasn't friendly nor welcoming. Yes, we are from out of town but we visit the city often. Considering where this is located I'm surprised it's still running. The way this establishment is conducted you'd think it was ran out of someone's garage. read more

You really can't go wrong at Wild Hare. Nice, adult ambience. Great music, good people, decent drinks (kind of pricey), good food! Jerk wings are on point! Sometimes the wild hare gets pretty crowded but even when it's crowded people ain't all over you (you still have room to do your own thing if you want to and dance with your people). And after you're done, sometimes the pizza spot across the street is open! Parking is pretty decent as well, I've never had a problem. They usually stop writing tickets after midnight, USUALLY! Lol. Just ask around. Go and ENJOY YOURSELF! read more

I've been looking for live reggae music for soo long and I'm very glad I came across this place. Checked them out on a Thursday night which turned out to be pretty fun. We got there a bit early so we had a few apps: fried coconut shrimp and plantains. Both were great but need to come back to indulge the rest of the menu..they have oxtail!! The band was AMAZING. Kept the crowd alive and we all really enjoyed the vibe. A few of the people there said the weekends are the best so I will really need to come back. So far this is my new spot! read more

Food was delicious, Jerk chicken and the Veggie rolls are delicious. Coconut shrimp very good. And our bartender from Elmwood Park. So humble and can throw down on her drinks. Cheers!! And thank you. read more

Came here late on a Saturday night (or maybe more like within the early hours of Sunday Morning) and the place was packed. I can't say anything about the food and drink because I didn't have any, but the atmosphere was very laid back and chill. For a completely unpretentious night out dancing to reggae, this is a decent place. There was a DJ, the music was loud, it was pretty dark, and because there were so many people there was very little space to dance but we made do. The bouncer was very nice, helped me up as I fell over my feet walking out the door (I swear I didn't have anything to drink there, I am just clumsy). Definitely reeked of weed outside, I guess adds a little more authenticity to the Jamaican feel of the place. read more

Came because one of my friend's band is playing and it was a great time! The food smaller and tasted delicious and the live music was fantastic! Highly recommend for a night out! read more

There was a cover band doing reggae covers of Alicia keys and a DJ playing Sean Paul. Don't go here if you like reggae.

Use to frequent this place every time I came to the Chi. But lately, it's been a bit misleading. There not serving food anymore yet they talk about their delicious Jamaican foods on all their social media. To add, They charge you a 10$ cover just to sit at the bar, while they overcharge you for drinks. Not sure if I get the concept behind that. On The surface it looks as if your charging me a cover charge just to buy my own drinks. Hmmmm read more

Came out to try the food since I've heard great things. Must I say that it was amazing.... The chicken has great flavor and goes amazingly with the curry cabbage, plantains and coconut rice and peas. The Manager Richard was awesome and my server was really great too! Check it out and try it for yourself read more

The Wild Hare - Jerk chicken dinner, rice and peas, cabbage and plantains!!! The CHEF can throw down. Best Jerk I had outside of Jamaica - Music Venues Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Came here with a Groupon deal for drinks. We ended up getting dinner. The food was good! The jerk wings are worth going back for. They also have great drink specials everyday! We didn't stay for the show so This review is just base on the food. If your looking for good food stop by! read more

Food was hot fresh and delicious! I had the jerk dinner, will definitely be coming back to try more things

We went to see Carl Brown(12/9) however, why is the doorman charging $15 for a local entertainer? Website reads "from free to around $10." When asked when did they start charging $15 cover, he stated 5 months ago. I don't know if they are trying to weed out certain people or what. Seriously over charging for Wild Hare locals...not interested. read more

The Wild Hare is among my favorite places to visit in Chicago. It is a great place to go dancing and listen to music with no frills!! Some days there is free admission and some days there is a cover charge. There is parking on nearby streets and lots. Ample room for dancing. Also a great spot for live bands. So far the only place I know in Chicago that is dedicated to reggae music which is hard to find!! Kitchen is open late!! Biggest mistake made was not knowing that they served food!! I am coming back to try their food because it looks soooo good!! read more

Friday night: Cover charge 20$... Sure... The place is packed and the music sounds good from outside. Selling 1 beef patty for 8 bucks, is totally abhorrent. If you are standing in the invisible lane, the security will point and shine a flash light in your face. That could be nettlesome especially if you are intoxicated. As popular as The Wild Hare seems, it is not worth paying a cover charge for. But come if you are spendthrift. read more

The Wild Hare is one of my favorite spots to go for a night out whenever I'm home in Chicago. The music is always amazing and I love their rum punch. Haven't had a chance to try the food, but I hear great things. My favorite thing about The Wild Hare is the atmosphere. Authentic Caribbean music, live bands that play all the reggae hits, and everyone dances. It can get crowded, so get there early if you can. Parking can suck, too, but it's worth it. read more

great food, great service, great music. owner needs to chill. otherwise place is great!

You guys, the jerk wings are the things dreams are made of. Like seriously, I can't stop thinking about them. They're falling off the bone, absolutely covered in jerk spices, and then drenched in their amazing hot sauce. Along those same lines, the jerk wrap is not to be skipped. Same great seasoning all jammed into a wrap. And now I'm hungry again... Hopefully one day I'll have it in me to stay up late enough to catch the live music, but for now I'm happy just stopping in for dinner! read more

Great food: Favorful, potion sized good and hot to table. Love the music and dancing! read more

Night started off well until I had an issue and tried to get it address. Shout out to the very rude white woman at the door who spoke in the most condescending tone and for failing to understand my issue. The live music was very average as was the food. read more

I hate to do this to wild hare because I LOVE the club...the music is off the chain if you actually love reggae and dance hall. So the club gets four stars (although maybe more ventilation or ac on the main floor would be good cause it is hot, sweaty and funky down there..I go directly to vip...uninvited.) But I experienced something tonight that is illegal and got my attention. I ordered jerk wings from the station in the front of the club and the guy taking the order (Derrick he said his name was) took my money and slighted me almost a dollar in change. When I noticed I stated you owe me change (probably 79 cents.) He said "We round up." Meaning he wasn't giving the change. I looked at him as if he were insane...we round up? You don't get to round up...that is illegal. your prices are as stated...the taxes are as stated..either round the taxes and price so you can give as little change as possible or provide change but you do not get to keep the customers money. I notified him that this is illegal and that I was contacting the BBB (which I am.) He offered me a comp meal etc...but I decided that it would be better to keep everyone from being fleeced by these scum bags then to get a free meal. Seems like a small thing right? But it is not for a few reasons. 1. They are getting cash tax free from the customers that likely equals $100s of dollars per night. It goes unreported and they don't "ask" you for it so it is essentially stealing. 2. It bothers me because the clientele is largely Black and or foreign so I guess they think we don't know any better (insulting.) 3. I thought this was a minority owed business (I could be wrong) so why is the owner allowing this person to take advantage of his loyal customers. We drink there, we dance there, we will eat there...but you must be respectful and not rob your customers...not even of 5 cents. It is wrong and it adds up. I wanted to leave this tonight. I am contacting the BBB in the am. Don't allow yourself to be scammed...not for a dime...money is tight and people should not be taken advantage of because they have been drinking...I guess I wasn't drunk enough. read more

Man you guys, I read all the reviews (ok, some) for the Hare and was prepared for a scary, expensive, too-aggressive man experience - none of which delivered. The Wild Hare was a great place to see my beloved Toots & the Maytals, the Red Stripe is only five bucks, the loo was clean and there were a few of them, the staff was all very friendly and the sound was great. No creeps, plenty of room to shake my tail feather, a liberal in-out policy and space to boogie. Sold. I'm going back to Wild Hare on a non-concert night to take in some tunes of the islands. Very solid. read more

Came in with hubby to get our Darius and Nina on. I bought a Groupon before our trip. It was good for cover charge for 2 and 4 drinks. With the Groupon you can only get Red Stripe or Rum Punch. Not bad options but good to know. We ordered the Jerk Wings for a snack and they were awesome. Def a must try. The bartender and bouncer were both really nice and went out of their way to chat with us. I saw some reviews said they weren't friendly to tourists but that wasn't the case with us. We came in on a Sunday night. We were a little early, live music started at 10pm. The band was good. It was pretty dead though, if you are looking for a party vibe I would come on a Friday or Saturday. read more

The Wild Hare - Rum punch - Music Venues Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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I'm not one of those people who write reviews on everything as this is my first review but I had to construct one on this joint. I've been going here with my folks for the past few weekends & I am now addicted! Have yet to have dinner at the place but have been breaking a sweat with my husband jukin to the reggae tunes. I knock back a few drinks & lose myself in the music. When I do go, my man & I are the couple that get the party started, the ones that make you go "I can't believe they did all that!". That's how good the music & the atmosphere make you feel. The bartender is cool, tip him & he'll give you a couple of free drinks. They have this long seating bench that makes giving lap dances easy, (no it's not a strip joint, at least when you're sober lol). Have seen the private room, looks nice but never partied in it. The bathroom does suck, it has very small stalls in the women's but it's not like much time is spent there anyways. Still had to give the place 5 stars because I make the fun when I get there. No one's arguing, no one's fighting, it's not the kind of rowdy club that you have to bring a shank or worry about getting shanked. It's pure fun, or at least what we make of it. Try it out, I'll be there! read more

Wanted to dance so I ended up at The Wild Hare on a Wednesday and I'm so glad that I did. There was no cover and the crowd was mostly in their mid to late 20s and early 30s. It was predominantly black, but as the night went on there was some diversity. After buying 2 long islands (the typical Chicago $12 each price), I got out there on the dance floor. There was no live band that night, just DJ's, which is exactly what I was hoping for. Several different DJ's took turns spinning the hottest reggae mixes that got the floor crowded and moving. Seriously, those were some good DJs. As the floor got more and more packed and with a younger crowd, the DJ's got better but to be honest this place could do without the "island freakum team" bouncing their vaginas hard up and down on the floor. I mean don't get me wrong y'all. l love when other people dance and have fun; the more the better, which is why I had a blast turning up with dancer Sol (Sol runs a dance class there during the week) and some nice Haitian ladies. However, there was an awkward and desperate vibe when the girls employed to dance there came out and started rolling around on the floor, which not many seemed interested in. Overall it's a place worth going to and was really fun. read more

Man, I hate this place and I'm not sure why. Maybe it's because I'm not a reggae fan. Maybe it's because the two times I've been here it's been overloaded with baggy-pants wannabe gang banger kids from the suburbs. Maybe it's because it's a Wrigleyville bar. Maybe I'm just too musically lame to ever know of any band playing here. I dunno. This is a solid "Eek! Methinks not." read more

I really really wanted to fall madly in love with this place... But it just didn't happen. We came on a Friday night and the crowd was decent. 1. This place says it is wheelchair accessible which is important for me because I am in wheel chair. But the entrance was so small and narrow that I could barely get through. Not to mention that as soon as you finally get through the door the bar area is immediately right there. Once in no one really greeted us or gave us direction on where to sit so we wandered around a bit. We finally found some where to sit. 2. No one asked if we wanted to order food. My friend went and found menus and we placed a food order. We than went to the bar, the waitress was very nice and the drinks were on point. The food never came. My friend went to the counter three different times and an hour after ordering we finally got our food. And guess what...you got it it was cold. However the plaintain were excellent, but the chicken was a little burnt and didn't have the spicy kick that I expected. We had some mango pie they reccommended and it was not pleasant. Oh yeah...the busboy told us to pay now cause he wasn't coming back over there.. 3. I know...its a reggae club but they need to switch the music up some. At some point you get tired of it. 4. Bathrooms...I mentioned the wheelchair thing. Yeah...thankfully I have some mobility or I would have been a wet mess. My friend and I referred to it as the green mile. One straight, narrow entrance and small 'accessible' stalls. I don't know... I wanted to like it but it just didn't live up to the hype. If you're looking for a good time... At a reggae spot I suggest Mr. Browns lounge. read more

Lord a mercy, I just had the best time in Wrigleyville and I can't believe it! I came here with a bunch of friends on Saturday (unfortunately the same day as the dreaded DMB concert in Wrigley Field) to celebrate one of my friends 30th birthday. Outside, there were obscene amounts of douche-nozzle activities going on, but inside The Wild Hare we were shaking our money makers to an awesome live band called Rico, who put a really fun and unique afro-cuban twist to traditional Santana, Bob Marley, and James Brown songs as well as, their own original songs, that I thoroughly enjoyed. I would certainly go back to see more live music here. It's one of the most unique live music venues I've been to in a while, it's just the location that sucks. read more

Really swell reggae. The bouncers could not possibly be more chill. It's just too bad that the drinks are astronomically expensive and the clientele suck. Many of the folks there were lost Cubs fans, dancing in that embarrassing "this is how white dudes get down" sorta way. It hurt to watch. Other dudes were trolling for late night love, and were pretty persistent in strategically dancing nearer and nearer to their chosen targets, and striking up conversations when you clearly wanted to just groove, or asking you to please leave with them. Naw thanks, daddy-O, I'm here for the music. There were four very entertaining, probably pretty regular fellas who were jiving right next to the stage and were all about loving everybody. One of them roped me in and we jumped around before he hopped on stage to help the singer out. I don't remember who was singing that night, but he was passioinate about w33d (read: sang about the delights of ganja for a solid 15 minutes) and took a half hour break to go mackin' and get some phone numbers. Hilarious. The drinks were out of this world expensive ($7.50 for a vodka tonic. Yowch!) so I would suggest, for maximum enjoyment of the Wild Hare, that you get rip roaringly drunk beforehand, and then all of those awkward unlikeable things about it will just disappear and it will be just you, reggae and wonderful people. Get drunk. It helps a lot. read more