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After Dark: Clubs

Author: Audarshia Townsend

Top Chicago nightlife writer Audarshia Townsend dishes on her favorite Chicago clubs from all over the city, for people from all walks of life.

Don’t think of Chicago as second rate to New York, Los Angeles or even Las Vegas when it comes to nightlife.

It’s got its own beat—literally—with some of the world’s greatest musicians and deejays cutting their teeth at a number of live-music venues and dance clubs. While downtown has its fair share of fantastic offerings, it’s the neighborhoods where you truly get a taste of the action.

For jazz fans, the city is full of places for an authentic experience where the regulars will make you feel right at home. The cover charges are minimal, the rooms elbow-to-elbow, and the crowds are likely to be unpretentious. On the North Side in the Uptown neighborhood is the world-class Green Mill, best known for its after-hours jazz sessions and stiff, old-school cocktails. Boasting internationally famous artists as well as local heroes, Green Mill has been around since the Prohibition era. Another chilled-out jazz venue is the Velvet Lounge, a no-frills spot on the South Side where owner Fred Anderson caters to a crowd of true aficionados.

The blues is also big in Chicago, mostly because it’s home to iconic, award-winning artists like Buddy Guy, Koko Taylor and Willie Dixon, whose Blues Heaven Foundation preserves Chicago’s place in the blues annals in the landmark former Chess Records Studios. While Koko Taylor no longer owns a nightclub, she’ll always have a place to belt out her hit “Wang Dang Doodle,” such as Buddy Guy’s Legends, Kingston’s Mines and Rosa’s Lounge. Locals and visitors make up the audiences at these boisterous bars that turn into occasional dance parties late into the night.

Rock bands on the come up can credit music spots like Joe Shanahan’s Metro and Double Door for putting Chicago’s rock music scene on the map. Indie favorites The Smashing Pumpkins got their start here, as well as many others, but Shanahan’s venues have also seen the likes of well-established stars like Prince, the Rolling Stones, Nine Inch Nails, No Doubt and The Goo Goo Dolls.

But Shanahan is not just in the live-music business as his Smart Bar, located on the lower level of Metro, has been on the cutting edge of clubbing since it opened more than 20 years ago. Deejays from around the world compete with local spin stars to play this busy dance club churning out the best in house, electro, punk and rare grooves. Big-time deejays flock to many of Chicago’s over-21 nightclubs to spin for some of the most discerning audiences in the country, with the most prominent playing venues like Crobar, Sound-Bar and Excalibur/Vision that are known for their superior sound systems and laser shows. Sure, these places all attract the poseurs for bottle and VIP service action, but most people come to have fun on the spacious dance floors.

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Check out places of interest near After Dark: Clubs:

Andy's Jazz Club
11 E. Hubbard St., Chicago, IL 60610

Bin 36
339 N. Dearborn St., Chicago, IL 60610

This spot has everything for the oenophile, with a retail store, tavern, restaurant and cheese bar.

Salud Tequila Lounge
1471 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago, IL 60622

Chic Bucktown nightspot Salud features authentic Mexican fare and an extensive selection of premium tequilas.

Alumni Club
871 E. Algonquin Rd., Schaumburg, IL 60173

Tons of big screen TVs and cold beer.

Andy's Jazz Club
11 E. Hubbard St., Chicago, IL 60610

B.L.U.E.S
2519 N. Halsted St., Chicago, IL 60614

Chicago blues house features local artists every night at 9:30 p.m. Cover varies.

Bamboo Room
616 E. Golf Rd., Schaumburg, IL 60173

South Pacific-inspired lounge, with nightly DJs.

Big Chicks
5024 N. Sheridan Rd., Chicago, IL 60640

The colorful Uptown bar caters to a mostly lesbian and gay clientele but is very straight-friendly.

Bin 36
339 N. Dearborn St., Chicago, IL 60610

This spot has everything for the oenophile, with a retail store, tavern, restaurant and cheese bar.

Blue Chicago
536 N. Clark St., Chicago, IL 60610

Sample the sounds of the sultry saxophone, the bold bass, the thundering trumpet and the daring drum beats at Blue Chicago, one of Chicago's best blues clubs. Open seven nights a week, Blue Chicago features some of the best names in blues and jazz.

Buddy Guy's Legends
754 S. Wabash Ave., Chicago, IL 60605

World-renowned and local Chicago blues artists are the draw at this club owned by blues legend, Buddy Guy, as is the soul-ful Cajun food and major music paraphenalia also on display here.

Casey Moran's
3660 N. Clark St., Chicago, IL 60613

This top Wrigleyville-area sports bar is a no-brainer to visit if you're visiting the home of the Chicago Cubs, but is a year-round home to sports fanatics and just fans, too.

English
444 N. LaSalle St., Chicago, IL 60610

From the Eat Well, Drink Better group, comes a new gastropub known as English. Located in the beautiful River North area, English serves good food and offers a wide variety of liquor choices as well as the favored beers and ales.

Fizz Bar & Grill
3220 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago, IL 60657

Enjoy any of the multiple Chicago nightlife scenes available at this popular North Side bar. The basics are all in place here and it's good for a solo night at the bar or any kind of group event you can dream up

Le Passage
937 N. Rush St., Chicago, IL 60610

A top Chicago nightclub for going on a decade, this Gold Coast neighborhood nightlife haven attracts a high-profile crowd. It seems likely that this will be a club destination in Chicago for years to come.

Moonshine
1824 W. Division St., Chicago, IL 60622

This popular Chicago bar and restaurant kicks off the West Division Street strip with a simple, but everything's there bar menu and good, Southern-leaning menu fare.

NV Penthouse Lounge
116 W. Hubbard St., Chicago, IL 60610

This ultra-hip modern lounge sits atop 7 floors and serves an exclusive crowd. Take in the sweeping views of the Chicago skyline while the new-wave DJs keep the pop music thumping in the background. The outdoor terrace is a popular place to imbibe a pricy, but well-made drink.

Religion
720 N. Wells St., Chicago, IL 60610

This reinvented Chicago club is now Religion and was part of Club 720, a top Latin dance spot. The new space rocks more of a DJ-induced sound, dancing and a cosmopolitan club experience without the pretensions.

RiNo Lounge
343 W. Erie, Chicago, IL 60610

Rino lounge is a new Chicago hot apot that already has the celebrities visiting. This posh after-hours hot spot with animal and naturalistic motifs boasts sightings of stars like Entourage's Jeremy Piven, David Schwimmer, Michael Jordan, and the cast of Prison Break.

Salud Tequila Lounge
1471 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago, IL 60622

Chic Bucktown nightspot Salud features authentic Mexican fare and an extensive selection of premium tequilas.

The Redhead Piano Bar
16 W. Ontario St., Chicago, IL 60610

Top-notch piano players make The Redhead Piano Bar a sought-after venue when it comes to sophisticated live music in Chicago. Gather around the piano, or head toward the back of the room for more intimate conversation.

The Underground
54 W Illinois St, Chicago, IL 60610

The Underground is late-night dance spot offering a constantly changing line-up of talent from DJ's to Hip Hop performers and you never know what. It's one of the likeliest spots to catch a high-toned celebrity in Chicago (from David Beckham to classic acts like the Sugar Hill Gang).

The decor here recalls a futuristic underground bunker complex-like feel except that the steady wave of beautiful people lends a more positive note to the ambience.

Tryst
3485 N. Clark St., Chicago, IL 60657

Tryst is the most chic place to be if you're in Wrigleyville, that is--if you're not into the whole sports bar mania that is Clark Street.

Blue Chicago
736 N. Clark St, Chicago, IL 60610