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Wed / Jun 19

Dive Bars in Chicago

Famous cheezborger sign outside Billy Goat Tavern.

Party Earth Review Tucked away on the southern end of Michigan Avenue, Billy Goat Tavern – known for being not only the subject of several Saturday Night Live sketches but also the epicenter of the infamous Cubs curse – has been drawing in a diverse crowd for burgers and beer since 1934. Neon lights point patrons down to the subterranean ... more

430 North Michigan Avenue
Chicago, IL 60611

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Driftwood

Dive Bar

Reviewed by Chris M.

"I discovered Driftwood when they sponsored our Beach Volleyball team playing at Montrose beach and loved it. They will sponsor just about any sports ..." more

1021 West Montrose Avenue
Chicago, IL 60613

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Gingerman Tavern

Dive Bar

Party Earth Review Founded specifically for Wrigleyville heretics who don’t care a lick about the Cubs – or at least don’t care about rowdy sports bars – Gingerman Tavern attracts everyone from hardcore bikers to skinny-jeaned rockers who couldn’t tell a Hail Mary from a Bloody one. A true dive, the space features a dusty décor of old photographs ... more

3740 North Clark Street
Chicago, IL 60613

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Parrots Bar & Grill

Dive Bar / Restaurant

Reviewed by Chris M.

"Parrot's is a refreshing respite from nearby Wrigleyville and even Southport and would fit in just as well in small town Indiana as it does in the hea ..." more

754 West Wellington Avenue
Chicago, IL 60657

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Dick's Last Resort

American Restaurant

Reviewed by Gabriella D.

"Dick;s Last Resort is probably one of the only restaurants where you go HOPING the waiters/waitresses are rude to you and boy, are they! Me and a larg ..." more

315 North Dearborn Street
Chicago, IL 60610

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Marie's Rip Tide Lounge

Dive Bar / Lounge

Party Earth Review The already tipsy patrons who stumble through the red door of Marie’s Rip Tide Lounge usually feel they’ve been transported back in time to a place barely changed since its opening in the early 1960s. Made famous by its lovable late owner, Marie – a woman known for her over-the-top holiday decorations and ability to drink ... more

1745 West Armitage Avenue
Chicago, IL 60647

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Rainbo Club

Dive Bar / Historic Bar

Party Earth Review A Chicago staple since 1936, the Rainbo Club is a cozy one-room venue popular with a creative clientele of artists, musicians, and hipsters. Ambient blues and folk music set the tone in the spare space, whose small stage – which has hosted everything from burlesque performances to dueling pianos – now showcases a rotating ... more

1150 North Damen Avenue
Chicago, IL 60622

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Jacqueline's

Dive Bar

Reviewed by Chris M.

"Though located on the edge of Boystown and certainly gay-friendly, Jacqueline's is defined more by the diverse crowd that it pulls in than any one gro ..." more

3420 North Broadway Street
Chicago, IL 60657

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The Mutiny

Dive Bar / Live Music Venue

Party Earth Review Tucked into the eastern ridge of Logan Square just a stone’s throw from the rumbling Kennedy Expressway, The Mutiny is a self-described “dive rock bar” that offers free live music, inexpensive drink specials, and frosty thirty-two-ounce steins of beer. Long nights of drinking, a few free rounds of pool, and some very loud ... more

2428 North Western Avenue
Chicago, IL 60647

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Hungry Brain

Dive Bar / Pub

Party Earth Review Named after the bar in the 1960s Jerry Lewis film Visit to a Small Planet, Hungry Brain is a relaxed neighborhood dive that’s as quirky as Lewis himself. Patrons enter through what looks like a derelict storefront and into a large open room full of random sofas and chairs, from cracked leather davenports to plastic cafeteria ... more

2319 West Belmont Avenue
Chicago, IL 60618

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The Empty Bottle

Dive Bar / Live Music Venue

Party Earth Review The Empty Bottle has been serving up $5 drink combos and live music seven nights a week since it first opened in 1992, featuring a jam-packed calendar of events ranging from jazz and rock to experimental noise. The venue’s deceptively small exterior hides a spacious three-roomed space decked out in concert posters and packed ... more

1035 North Western Avenue
Chicago, IL 60622

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Wise Fools Pub

Dive Bar

Party Earth Review Nestled among a sea of Irish pubs, boutiques, and ice cream shops, Wise Fools Pub is a dog-friendly bar offering twenty craft beers on tap, bar games, and piles of free popcorn. Four-legged patrons are just as common as two-legged ones, and include the doorman’s signature mastiff, who often demands a scratch ... more

2270 North Lincoln Avenue
Chicago, IL 60614

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All dive bars in Chicago →

Chicago Dive Bars Overview

Billy Goat Tavern - Dive Bar | Historic Bar | Restaurant | Tavern in Chicago

Dive bars in Chicago! Where do you even start? There are so many great Chicago dive bars in practically every neighborhood that you’d be hard not to find one that suits you.

Right off the bat, you can’t mention Chicago dives without talking about Marie’s Rip Tide Lounge. Opened in the early 1960s, this hole-in-the-wall is open later than most bars in the entire city and is the perfect late-night spot for those hankering for one more beer but with only jingling change in their pockets.

One of the most popular dive bars in the city is Billy Goat Tavern, which was made famous when John Belushi blurted out “Cheezborgers!” on Saturday Night Live. TV show aside, the bar is really well-known because of the alleged curse on the Chicago Cubs brought on by the bar’s original owner when ushers told him to leave a World Series game because he brought his pet goat.

For live music lovers, there’s The Mutiny in Logan Square, which is self-described as a “dive rock bar” and features cheap beer, loud music, and rowdy crowds.

There are plenty more dive bars all over the city if you know where to look. Check out Party Earth’s long list of classic old watering holes to find the perfect dive bar for you.