Illinois Dive Bar Guide

East Village

Inner Town Pub

Possibly the perfect dive bar, Inner Town Pub mixes dim light, stained glass and a mysterious illuminated sign.

Rossi’s Liquors

Downtown Chicago's dive bar soul, another hybrid liquor store and dive bar under a pitched roof.

Bernice’s Tavern

Lithuanian beer and live Bingo may not be the most common dive bar combo, but it is potent.

Rose’s Lounge

It's Christmas outside, it's Christmas inside, it's open when they feel like and it's unlike anything else.

Simon’s Tavern

If you like dive bar neon that features Viking fish, this is our spot, modeled after a famous ocean liner.

L&L Tavern

Perfect people gazing spot that is perhaps too perfect thanks to a faint link to serial killers, plural.

Rite Liquors

A classic Chicago "slashie" part dive bar, part liquor store and maybe the city's best example of both.

Rainbo Club

The stage once hosted burlesque shows and the space thrived during the 1990s alt-music boom.

Old Town Ale House

If you like nude pictures of politicians, this is your dive bar, part art gallery, part political statement.

The Loop

Sky Ride Tap

About as straightforward as it gets for a dive bar hidden under downtown Chicago's elevated train line.

Fireside Bowl

Amazingly the indie music epicenter of Chicago for a short period of time, now home to a sneaky good bar.

Nilda’s Place

Pulling the door handle is always a gamble, the hours notoriously erratic and entirely up to Nilda.

The Levee

Once a well-respected burlesque venue, The Levee is now an opaque glass block entryway to sports.

Joe’s on Broadway

There's a lot of Malort-fueled visual stimulation crammed into this tiny footprint.

Chipp Inn

The quintessential neighborhood dive bar so old that no one knows exactly how old it may be.

The Lodge Tavern

Peanut shells crunch under foot amid almost entirely wooden surroundings and an epic sign.

Richard’s Bar

Smoking-friendly, photos banned, the massive Irish flag mural outside hints at a potential 'family' connection.

Sovereign Liquors

Another of Chicago's classic dive bar vibes, this one king of Edgewater since the 1940s.

Ola’s Liquors

Ola's features a few rows of liquor bottles, a counter to drink on and that's about it.

Archie’s Iowa Rockwell Tavern

On the edge of Ukrainian Village, the perfect corner dive to start a crawl.

Phyllis Musical Inn

Chicago's polk roots run deep, embodied by this 1954, persistently original Wicker Park staple.

Galway Bay

Drinking underground is always advisable, here with Irish-style snugs.

Cunneen’s

Founded by beloved namesake Steve Cunneen, this is a dive bar purposefully built for conversation.

J&M Tap

Notoriously difficult to find and pleasantly unchanged since 1974.

Empty Bottle

Empty Bottle is two dive bars, one with a live show and one in the serenity before one kicks off.

Big Joe’s

Turtle races, live Jeopardy and about a dozen other reasons to grab a beer.

Zakopane

Named after a town in Poland with Polish beer and Polish liquor inside.

Gallery Cabaret

Home to a fresh live event every night, the slate includes music, poetry, blues and more.

Shinnick’s Pub

In the running for oldest dive bar in the city, a South Side White Sox Irish hub.

Woodlawn Tap

University of Chicago-area institution once home to a students-only third room.

Stella’s Tap

Low on amenities, Stella's Tap is long on classic, Polish-friendly dive bar vibes.

Reed’s Local

Rare is the place that mixes VHS tapes and open mic nights in the same space.

Delilah’s

Ground zero for the bourbon boom in America, with an epic sign too.

GO Tavern & Liquors

The coolers and beer selection are modern and fresh but be sure to look at the ceiling tiles that aren't.

Nisei Lounge

Built for second-generation Asian-Americans, today the last dive in Wrigleyville.

Pilsen

Skylark

The tiny sign contrasts the cavernous, bank lobby-style space inside.

Friar Tuck

If you've ever wanted to walk into the top of a giant beer barrel, here is your chance.

Bob Inn

Comfortable, neighborhood corner spot that does the simple things perfectly.

Max’s Place

It looks closed, in a good way, about as bare bones as a Chicago dive bar gets.

Liberty Lounge

On the edge of Roscoe Village, Liberty Lounge offers two great amenities: free parking & pot pie.

Carola’s Hansa Clipper

The tiles may be crumbling but the beer is cold, imported and served by the liter.

Four Treys

Dog-friendly and about as classic as a Chicago corner bar gets under a bright, casino-grade green sign.

Streeter’s Tavern

Subterranean and home to one of the city's great dive bar amenities, a two-way mirror in both the men's & women's restrooms.

The Corner Bar

Truth in advertising, to be sure, this corner spot mixes new surfaces and vintage elements.

The Cove Lounge

Vaguely nautical, today featuring a massive Obama mural hovering over the proceedings.

Shamrock Club

In a part of town where authentic neighborhood bars are hard to find, Shamrock Club fills the niche.

Oakwood 83

As the hours tick by, the crowd swells thanks to a service industry crowd & late night kitchen.

Cole’s Bar

Cole's Bar mixes a timeless building with a one-two dive bar bunch of open mic comedy & live music.

Weeds Tavern

Ex-children's furniture store and bowling alley, Weeds Tavern, then the 1555 Club, dates to 1963.

Burwood Tap

Home to one of the first 20 post-Prohibition Chicago liquor licenses.

Falcon Inn

Hyde Park's pizza portal-hosting, low frills dive bar that (gasp) doesn't stock Old Style.

Parrots Bar & Grill

Surprisingly sparwling bar with a strong commitment to the theme and a seasonal food menu.

Cork Lounge

Literally attached to a Brown Line CTA station, grab a post-train beer as fast as possible.

Whirlaway Lounge

Whirlaway Lounge was founded with the winnings on Triple Crown longshot Whirlaway.

Ricochet’s Tavern

Corner spot with a devotion to darts and a dose of on-tap Old Style.

Bridgeport Inn

South Side's straightforward neighborhood bar, a nondescript corner spot focused on locals and carved into brick.

Snickers Bar & Grill

A rare downtown Chicago dive, one half restaurant, another half dive bar.

Alice’s Lounge

Karaoke is the clear drawing card here, a center island immersing the singer in the crowd.

Lange’s Lounge

Far enough away from Wrigley to avoid the crowd but close enough to stop by to pre-game.

The Cabin

Keep an eye on the annual Beach Day party when real sand is trucked into the bar.

Edelweiss Tavern

Oksana hosts a mean karaoke night pretty much every night at this Logan Square dive.

The Continental

There are dimly-lit dive bars and then there's The Continental where light ceases to be.

Lemming’s Tavern

Grab a board game, a beer and a deceptively chill evening in Bucktown.

Carol’s Pub

Gentrified ex-dive with a deep history amid needed, business-saving renovations.

Celtic Corner

A few gaming machines, some beer taps and a prime corner spot in Elmwood Park.

Gold Star Bar

Once an East Village dive bar icon and now a gentrified echo of what used to be.

Punky’s Pub

Downtown Lombard, right off the train stop, perfect for pre- or post-work diversion.