Edelweiss Tavern

Chicago, Illinois

Field Note

No matter the size of a city, well-trusted karaoke alcoves never go out of style and Chicago is filled with countless such options. Just a few blocks away from fellow karaoke stalwart Alice’s Lounge, Edelweiss Tavern straddles the border of Avondale and Logan Square, cramming three weekend nights of karaoke into a tiny, shotgun-style footprint on a weekly basis.

Opened in 2009, the ‘Edelweiss’ moniker attached to the bar literally refers to a mountain herb found in Europe but spiritually harkens back to one of the oldest beers mass produced for Chicago-area consumption. Schoenhofen Brewing Company was founded in 1861 in Chicago and ramped up production over time to over a million barrels a year, the majority of those barrels filled with Edelweiss Beer.

Despite the profoundly German nature of the bar’s name, a Polish beer sign for Zywiec can be found above the front door, referring to one of the great hidden gem dive bar beers found in Chicago as well as other parts of the Upper Midwest (e.g. Detroit). A painted wooden sign is inscribed with the name of the bar above a single window filled with beer sign neon, everything nestled atop what is a very snug shoebox of a dive bar.

The main attraction at Edelweiss Tavern is of course late night karaoke that takes over the space every Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The tight confines make for compelling karaoke theater, the singer perched at floor-level in the bar’s front window, flanked by a pair of speakers and a screen displaying lyrics. The combination of a long mirrored wall, icicle-style string lights and a bit of DJ-like mood lighting combine to create a pretty potent music-filled vibe that amplifies the energy inherent in semi-drunken karaoke.

There are no draft beers available here, everything offered in bottles and cans, including both Miller High Life and Schlitz tall boys, the latter a surprising rarity among Chicago dive bars. Though credit cards are accepted, a $20 minimum is often but not always enforced, usually under the watchful eye of Oksana, who both owns Edelweiss Tavern and tends bar.

When karaoke is not running rampant over the Edelweiss Tavern vibe, the back room is a bit of an underrated, wood-lined pool room gem. The Avondale dive bar operates in-house pool leagues, a fact readily apparent thanks to the rows of trophies and plaques that decorate this secondary space. Pool typically runs $1 a game, but is offered free on Sundays and Mondays. For those paying close attention that means, yes, Sunday combines the relentless energy of karaoke with the serene satisfaction of free Chicago dive bar pool.