Rainbo Club

Ukrainian Village, Chicago –

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 display of works by local artists.

Although a handful of small booths offer a place for groups of friends to chat over pitchers and $3 beers, most of the laid-back patrons are content to grab their drinks at the enclosed bar and then mill around, while a few clusters of jovial hipsters huddle around the arcade machines.

Patrons looking for their moment in the spotlight can make their way to the well-worn photo booth, and then hope to be included in the venue’s yearly calendar, a popular freebie featuring the boisterous faces of tipsy guests.

A stalwart supporter of the arts and a haven for creative types and performers, Rainbo provides a comfortable, casual, and inviting atmosphere that has cemented its place as one of Ukrainian Village’s true neighborhood bars.