It's been a while since I have stopped in here and it is high time I did a review. I met The Queen for a drink at the Uptown Lounge one sunny Saturday afternoon this summer. I am happy to report that the place has not changed: still a chill vibe and an impressive beer/cider list if that is your jam, plus bubbles for me. Uptown opens from 4 pm to 4 am, so this was the place I use to hang out before shows at the Aragon and the Rivera before and after shows. The lounge still has the booths and tables as options if you don't want to sit at the bar, but me and The Queen sat at the bar. Uptown sort of reminds me of a TARDIS, it is bigger on the inside than it looks on the outside when you are just strolling by. spread out around its surprisingly spacious interior. The Queen ordered the Raspberry Beret and said it was great, followed by a Blakes's El Chavo cider (Habanero and Mango). She is big lover of ciders and according to her they have a decent list to select from. They also serve coffee in the morning, which is new for me. Not sure how that work in terms of the place being open and I don't know if they allow you to bring food into the place or not, I didn't think to ask. I do remember back in the day you could order from Papa Ray's (which closed some time ago), I will have to inquire about this as it would be nice to spend a leisurely nosh over drinks while sitting at the bar. Service was good. There were two ladies behind the bar. I think one was in training. Both were talkative but in a good way, and they took care of us. Because we were there at 4ish, it was pretty quiet and I did not mind that. The Doctor ended up joining us after completing his errands and we had a great time. We definitely will be adding this to our rotation of places to chill and have a drink. read more

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This is a nice bar just off the Lawrence Red Line stop and close to Aragon and Riveria, so perfect for a drink before or after a show. I stopped in here once before meeting friends and enjoyed the vibes. Prices were reasonable and staff is very friendly. It can get packed with a cover but still a good time read more

The Raspeberry Beret is by far the best espresso martini I've had. The board games that they had available were so fun and just a great place to grab a lowkey drink and catch a vibe. read more

Uptown Lounge - Outside - Lounges Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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I used to think of this place for drinks before and after the Riv or the Aragon, and it's still the BEST place for those! Super close to both venues, and RIGHT near the Lawrence stop on the Red line CTA. Open until 4 AM, it's still got that going for it! Really great drink specials - a Chicago Handshake for $8?! What! But now . . . Ohmygawd! This place has morphed into a Really Great Bar! Updated interior, and it is SWANK. Really nice booths, a VIP room and BIG windows to enjoy during good weather. Perfect for day drinkin'! Great beer selection, and all the booze, high to low, for your imbibing pleasure. The coolest thing is their new coffeeshop feature in the mornings! This is such a Euro vibe - coffee in the mornings, cocktails after 4 PM! Since they open now at 7 AM for coffee, it's an easy pop off the train, grab coffee and continue downtown. Open 7 AM to 4 AM, do the owners EVER sleep!? *grin* Lots of love and hard work has gone into this place, it's looking great, spotless clean bathrooms, LOTS of cool events, great staff. See you soon, Uptown! I'll be back again and again! read more

Uptown Lounge - Lounges Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

10/10 eggnog White Russian for the December 2025 holiday menu delicious and full of holiday spirit(s).. haha get it? uptown lounge I love you read more

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Great time last night, huge selection of beers and overall, a good vibe! Very friendly staff. read more

Came here with a big group of around 30 people on a Friday night, we got here early so it was pretty much just us to begin with. They had a touchtunes, but were shutting it down because a DJ was setting up for the night. They had a full bar and a pretty big cocktail menu. We were helped by Mike, who was the man. I had been craving an espresso martini for days now, and when I told Mike that, he was honest with me and told me they didn't have coffee or espresso, so that I should probably order one of the other cocktails. Drinks were strong and reasonably priced and the vibes were good all around. read more

Tier one espresso martinis and good vibes. They use real espresso which is rare to find.

Awesome classic bar vibe in the city. Drinks fairly priced. Good drinks and great times.i definitely recommend. Ask for Georgette she the best! read more

Great service/chill environment would come back again. Came with a couple friends before heading to the airport to fly home for the holidays was not disappointed!! read more

Certainly your budget neighborhood bar spot. Stopped in for a preconcert drink; all specials were not available on concert nights. The bar was not crowded at all and all drinks were very fairly priced for the city! They have extensive liquor and beer selections. Staff was super nice and kept up friendly conversation while asking if we needed anything more. Mixed drinks didn't have much of a kick and would probably order doubles in the future. read more

Zach (karaoke name X4Q), the guy who does the karaoke nights, is an asshole. I was there for my friend's birthday and anytime I went on stage to sing a song he would tell me to stop coming up because I was singing "more than the birthday girl". Mind you, I sang 4 songs (each time with a different friend) in 3 hours. Meanwhile, he went on to sing TWICE--more times than the birthday girl and not even being part of the birthday party, while also being on the clock! Idk, I love karaoke. But this made me feel like I don't want to come back again. (Bar staff is great; it's just Zach I had an unpleasant experience with. ) read more

A good place to stop in before/after concerts at any of the Uptown venues i.e. Riviera, Green mill and Aragon Ballroom. They open at 4 pm. I was surprised by how immense their craft beer selection was. So many styles and breweries, both draft and bottles/cans. Lots of posters of rockers in concerts on the walls, so really plays up the concert angle. But it was as good a place to meet up and get a drink before a show as any in the area. It might be open late, but I've never been there at that time. As a cool place in the early evening I dug it. read more

I love this place, come here every so often. The ambiance is cool and comfortable, and the clientele is usually friendly and talkative. Service is solid - Cam is my go to - he's one of the chillest bartenders in the city. Check them out! read more

Great bar but the bartenders are less then attentive. Not rude just not very friendly. Go down and around the corner to Fat Cats for exceptional service. Was a little harsh. The manager came up and spoke with me shortly after I posted this and we hugged it out. With that type of attention I'm quite sure you're experience here should be great. Mad props to the customer attention. read more

Hey, My name's José! I like karaoke and drinking ad this place has all that. The people that work are all awesome and make sure you're being served. It's a reality good place be read more

I've been coming here since I first transplanted to Chicago. The connections I've made with the staff and patrons is unmatched. However, a few months ago I filed an order of protection against an ex I used to regular with there. The bouncer is also friends with said ex. From that point on of knowing about such order, I was ex communicated from the establishment. No conversation, just left with questions. Shortly after the Order of Protection, I went into the lounge and shared with a staff member I felt I could trust. Word spread. I shortly found out I was no longer welcome. Two months pass... Tonight I decided to stop in. First because I haven't been into my neighborhood bar in forever. Second, because I'm moving to a different neighborhood and after 3 years, you feel a connection to people and places. Long story short, I went there this evening and was welcomed by regular staff members. I should note the regular doorman who had a deeper connection to my ex wasn't working. I walk in, order a drink, start talking to an associate I know. All is normal and fine. All of a sudden the bartender says I know I'm not allowed in here and i need to leave. She removes the drink from my hand and gives me a cash refund. I'm sharing this because I've been a die hard for this spot for so long, through the obvious ups and downs. Yet, when I was a victim of domestic abuse, I was the one turned away. I'be tried to get in contact with management but never got a response. I'm sharing this because you can feel like a part of the community but in the end, get dropped. No conversation, no proof of wrong doing, just "a feeling". I proved myself in court and surely could do it again at the god dang lounge. read more

Went into Uptown Lounge after a show at Riviera Theater last Saturday night. There were four of us in our group. The doorman was obsessed with checking everyone's IDs to verify age 21 or older to enter the bar. Then once we were inside we were totally ignored. We seated ourselves at a table and we saw wait staff circulating around the rooms however we could not get anybody's attention and after 20 minutes we just gave up and walked out. They were understaffed and totally unprepared for a large crowd of people. Shows got out at Aragon Ballroom and Riviera Theater around the same time. This was our first time trying the Uptown Lounge and it was a fail. We will not go back. read more

Came in for the first time for my birthday just to see the vibe in there. I sat at the bar with my other two friends and ordered three shots. When he gave us the shots one of them were very under poured. We told him immediately and asked if he could top it off and he said we did something to it and he would show us the cameras to prove we were lying. We were all taken aback and he continued to double down and accuse us of lying until he took the shots back and told us we needed to leave. Will not be going back there and I'm so glad I didn't waste any more of my time or money there! read more

Probably the only 'open til 5am' bar in the neighborhood, and it shows after a while. Place gets packed on a late Saturday night. Prices are RIDICULOUS (nearly $10 for a beer...I get how crazy these times are, but come on y'all). Not many options on tap that were actually available that particular evening. Place definitely had potential to be a better spot, but they lost me with those prices. Good location though, just didn't have the best first impression of the lounge. read more

Ordered drinks and the bartender handed us the wrong drinks, then the bartender proceeded to give us shit about taking someone's drink. As a person in the bar industry for the past 10 years I would have instantly apologized for passing out the wrong drinks, instead he sent over the manager or "owner" who proceeded to harass our group about being upset we were chewed out about taking someone's drinks and threatened to kick us out making a huge scene at the establishment. If the actual owner reads this you need to fire your terrible staff immediately. DONT GO TO THIS PLACE. Update: As you can see in his and other responses "Jen R" the horrible manager mentioned above continues to harass patrons who weren't happy with the place. Honestly I'd rather buy a warm half full beer from a Hobo than ever order another drink here. At least the hobo would be friendly about taking my money. She also changed her comment after being called out. read more

This place is so amazing. We had been out for a few hours and the night was kinda meh. Walked in here randomly. The bouncer at the door was so sweet and inviting, never experienced that before. Immediately after walking in we see our friend Vic bartending, the disco ball was twinkling and someone was singing Marilyn Manson. Already having a great time I go to order a drink and look at the drafts.... I see a Founders Green Zebra tap handle, my favorite beer. Had so much fun here in a short amount of time. Great vibes! And the bathroom was clean and stocked with toilet paper. read more

When you're alone and life's making you lonely you can always go, UPtown. When you've got worries; all the noise and the hurry. Seems to help, I know, UPtown. Listen to the noise of L and traffic in the city. Where the neon lights are so pretty. You can forget all your troubles, forget all your cares and go UPtown! Bar conveniently located by rad places like the Green Mill, myriad restaurants, and the L. These guys are really trying. The joint is a bit classed up. And they have events practically every night from what I've witnessed and saw on signs in the washroom (when has anything on the wall of a bathroom been a lie?). The booths by the windows are cool for natural light or people watching. But my first visit a guy knocked on the window while I was listening to my companion talk. I turned and this. Um Person. Had his face smushed against the glass, clawed at it, and cackled menacingly. I squealed and grabbed my partner in terror. The second visit a guy did something similar. In retrospect, it's kind of amusing. Knock, knock. Who's there? You don't want to look. They have Daisy Cutter. It's always pretty empty. The music is very weird: Chumba Womba, Eve 6, Spice Girls? And way too loud for no one being there. If I didn't pierce my partner's eardrums from my shrieks it surely would. We have to yell at each other making convo. The staff is very nice and it's okay for a bop in after hitting another spot in the area. That's the crux of their appeal. Just avoid window booths, maybe. UPtown everything's waiting for you. read more

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What immediately had me sold on this place - they're open every day until 4 a.m., with the exception of Saturday where they keep the party going until 5 in the morning! The couple of times that I have gone, I've had the pleasure of listening to some good live music - one band and one solo artist; both great. Uptown Lounge does a great job at bringing in some awesome local talent. Im not a huge fan of beer, but they have more than 100 craft beers available! Drink specials are always available, definitely worth indulging in ($4 "you call its" got me in sooooo much trouble last week) and the bartenders are very friendly and totally make you feel welcome. There is plenty of room for you to relax as well, be it at the bar, in one of the cozy booths by the dance/performance area, or at one of the tables. Patrons sitting around the bar are always up for a conversation and the walls behind it have plenty of flat screens that Im sure I will be able to yell at this football season. GO BEARS! :-) read more

My new favorite local watering hole in my new hood of Uptown. Located right off of he Lawrence Red Line Stop its a very cool spot to hit up. Not a whole lot of seating available so you may have to stand on a Fri or Sat night. Great beer selection here...draft & bottles. You can even buy a six pack from them if you want to take some to go action. They sometimes have a DJ here or some pretty good live music. They do not serve food here so do not come by expecting to grab a quick snack to soak up your alcohol. Yeah, I think this place will get to know me real well read more

I would consider myself a official fan of uptown lounge, especially since they stay open until 4 a.m., with the exception of Saturday where they keep the party going until 5am. The times that I have gone, I've had the pleasure of listening to some good live music, hilarious karaoke, and good DJ's. They do have really great Drink specials. Every time I went the drinks seem to be reasonably priced even on the none special day's. They are also mixed really well. The bartenders are very friendly and totally make you feel welcome. There is plenty of room for you to relax as well, be it at the bar, in one of the cozy booths by the dance/performance area, or at one of the tables. Patrons sitting around the bar are always up for a conversation and the walls behind it have plenty of flat screens if you just don't want to be bothered with having conversations. I recommend this lounge to anyone just leaving from a club or something and your just not ready to call it a night. This lounge provides you the best of both worlds, open late and fun people. In terms of parking you can park either around the corner for street parking but make sure you don't leave anything valuable on your seats in your car. Their are quite a few homeless people who walk up and look into the car windows to see if they can find something to motivate them to break into your car. read more

Sketchy. Definitely after hours only. Not many reasons to go earlier. Check out karaoke on Sunday nights. Shit, they're open till 4am. Chocolate martini's are not good. Why would you order one, look at this place. They have specials... come'on order one of those instead. The alc pour is heavy, tip well. There isn't a norm here. Its just Chicago people, that wanted to keep a good feeling going. The lot isn't theirs, so you have to search for street parking. read more

Out-of-towners, been here twice now. Chill, laidback bar with great bartenders (Mike and Steven are both as friendly as they come). Good selection of beers, TVs playing the Cubs game or a crappy Sci-Fi movie, karaoke on the right night, and a good mix of regulars and passersby. Great place to sit and have an affordable drink or two with a friend, and a good place to make some new friends, too. Catch an early show at the Green Mill and then head here for beers afterward. read more

I understand that there are tight Covid restrictions and I can appreciate that this place is adhering to them. What I do not appreciate is the aggressive and unfriendly manner in which they go about it. They bark orders at you before you're even completely in the door. "MAKE SURE THAT MASK STAYS ON! THEN SIGN IN!" How about: Hi, welcome! read more

Ok so this place is actually pretty awesome. We popped in here after a show at the Aragon and ended up staying for like 3 hours. Friday nights they have karaoke and the people who sing are amazing. Just a really fun time, no judgement, all are welcome, but there are some good singers who really impress the crowd! Their draft beer selection leaves a bit to be desired, but they have a ton of bottles, so shouldn't have a hard time finding what you are looking for here. The staff is also super nice, the owner came around to talk to is a couple times during the night and she was just super cool. Would def recommend this place for something fun and different on a Friday night!! read more

Uptown Lounge - Weekly specials - Lounges Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Came here with a buddy after a show somewhere around there. It was dead when we got there but quickly got busy. Drinks were good and fairly priced. There was karaoke going and we all got up and sang. Was more fun than most drunken karaoke places. Didn't stay too late cause I didn't want to be hung over for the stuff I had to do the next day. I enjoyed it, I would go back if in the hood. read more

Great drinks, fun people, friendly staff. The karaoke was not of a high talent caliber which is generally when I have the most fun. Great beer list reasonable prices. Open as late as I could possibly handle. read more

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Great music! Great service! Awesome energy, karaoke sunday was so fun and I can't wait to come back!

Came here on Wednesday night. No people, too boring. Ordered 5$ Cosmo, it was bad. List of beer is huge, but too expensive. 8$ for Pilsner Metropolitan or 13 for La fin du monde, it is too much! In more expensive places beer is cheaper. Not worth it read more

Nice atmosphere, friendly staff, comfortable vibe. Great place to hang out with friends!

The ex that went downhill after you. Used to go here for a drink almost every week when I lived on Gunnison St. Their Wednesday $5 martinis were a steal! Due to graduate school, it''s been a couple of years since I've been here. Went here after an Aragon Ballroom concert next door. They no longer have a martini menu and our favorite bartender, Jen, is no longer there. Drink selection: overpriced. Beer selection overall is pretty good, but mostly bottled. Maybe 7-10 beers on draft. For a bar, they lack a lot of what I consider to be standard liquor. Atmosphere: small bar with half moon booths, old school feel. Music had an identity crisis. It would go from modern to super old school tap dancing music. The volume also went down to very low at one point for no reason. Service: SERIOUS issues. 1 bartender to handle a rush of customers after the concert. It's gonna be a wait, fine, BUT we (2 girls) literally were passed over several times (8+ people) in ordering drinks at the bar. The bartender would go take orders from one end to the other from people who came AFTER us. I thought, maybe we are standing in a spot that's hard to notice. Nope. I made a gesture and said, "excuse, me. Can we place an order?" and her reply (in a stern voice) "it's gonna take a sec, hun." Gave her a few more minutes and still the silent treatment. Got to the point where our friends inside the bar were texting us asking where we were since it was taking so long and this place is small. Decided to do a social experiment and asked the guy behind us to order for us instead. By the time the bartender came over to our area, she asked what he would like versus us who had been standing there for at least 20min. I gave up ordering my drink in the process. Maybe the gal subconsciously ignores female customers as it looked like she had no problem serving up the male customers. Bottom line: whether it be drinks, service, or music, there is no justification to be here. Bye Felicia. read more

The only other 4am bar I have been to is Burton's Place, so I just guessed that was the way of all late night bars. Apparently not... Uptown Lounge is a really nice spot. Open layout, friendly bartenders, clean bathrooms, lots of seating, music at a normal decibel, and Grandma's Boy was playing on the TV's. Score. Mixed drinks for $5.50 seems downright cheap. Maybe that is why I drank 29 of them in one sitting. Great location if you need to escape LV/LP, just hop on the red line, get off at Lawrence and go less than a block. The fratmosphere is low. read more

Mon Mar 3 2019... I'm quite disappointed. It used to be my fev place. I just left this place becoz of unprofessional bartendee . I was there with my friend tonight for chilling out and had fun with her to complete my happy night with some drinks there, leaving our card open. We are a party of 2 (and can feel the unwelcome feeling since the begining but we dont mind)... sitting by the bar close to the entrance, playing dumb wording game with our first drinks with louder song (which is i dont mind at all). I sat facing the door and my friend facing inside the bar. Then, the bartendee came to us (on my back) and talk to my friend in motion.... 1. Shhh... putting point finger on her mount and 2. You guys are so noisy ... moving her hands around her head I know we were louder than other 3 customers but not louder than the music in the bar. When my friend told me that. We stop playing and had no more mood and feeling bad coz she was the one who talked loudly from another corner of the bar with male customer instead. Its the bar mannnn... i dont mind if other ppl talk louder or noisy or annoying but she was the one who asked us to low our voice. (If she needs peaceful, she should work in church) So, i asked her to low her voice too. I said "excuse me, can you pls low your voice too coz you ask us to low our voice." She put her hands on her waist and said you can get out if you not happy. I said "i will go when i finish my drink no worry" but then she came and took our drinks away dint wait for us to finish it and came with the bill. So, i took it and was going to sign but ... i told myself why i had to pay when she treated me like this?? Its just $7 but I'm not happy and i dint finish it?!? So, i gave it back to her and said.. i dint want to pay for it coz u threw my drinks away before i finish it. Pls void for me. She said she wouldnt if i want my money i have to come again tmr and talk to her boss... no guilty feeling , only i-dont-care feeling from her. That made me feel like... ok... i dont have to be nice to you anymore.. you dont even deserve my $7 or any tip... I'm a server as well. I may not be the best one but i know how to treat customer and calm them down if they are not happy with my service. Or make them feel that i care all customer equally. read more

The neon martini sign in front was a-beckonin'. A decent 'bad-decision' bar... you know, the late-night kind. For me, the only bad-decision is to continue drinking, for others... it's probably a hook-up bar. In any case, it is a bit sketchy. A nice change from some of the others in this category (Nick's and Carol's come to mind), however, I didn't really care for the music. I believe a DJ was spinning some house/minimal type of mix. The bar itself is clean and spacious, and there's even plenty of tables so you can sit your arse down. Open 'til 4 am on Fridays, and 5 am on Saturdays. read more

I remember when Uptown Lounge first opened (shakes cane in air, furrows brow). The bartender was very friendly and charming, made me a delicious chocolate martini, and gave me my second one for free. We went back few times but haven't really been there much since. Fast forward to February 2009. With fond memories of Uptown Lounge, we headed back on a Saturday night to meet up with friends. My chocolate martini was served in a ridiculously small glass. And it wasn't any cheaper than a normal-sized one at similar places. Bartender wasn't friendly but wasn't mean, just kind of blah. The crowd is interesting. Some gay guys in their 40s and 50s, some trixies who seemed to have accidentally wandered north of Irving Park, a few couples nuzzling in the booths, and a handful of hipsters. At midnight or 1, a dj came in with his Mac laptop and it was all B96 up in there. Do we really need to listen to Britney Spears this loud? Our conversation ceased to exist. I wasn't impressed with Uptown Lounge but if I go back it probably won't be during peak hours. read more