Top 5 Music Venues in Illinois

1354 W Wabansia Ave, Chicago, IL 60642, United States

“The Hideout is an iconic Chicago bar that opened in the 30s . Located in a 100 year old house,you feel you are in your grandparents basement . Many musicians started their careers here and is well known within the Chicago music scene. The venue is small with limited seating . Drinks are reasonably priced with a huge selection of Chicago beers..PBR,Old Style and Hamms just to name a few. My nephew flew in from Charlotte to play the night I went. A small intimate gathering of friends and family enjoying the music of Low Groves. Absolutely fantastic! Plenty of street parking available. For a true music experience ,you have to visit Tte Hideout and experience the vibe and the music.”

3420 W Armitage Ave, Chicago, IL 60647, United States

“Came to Rosa's Lounge to see a friend of mine play the blues, Stefan Hillesheim. This was the first time that I've been to this establishment due to work requirements. I had been invited many times before but I couldn't make it due to my work hours. This time I was able to go! It was everything that I expected. I ordered my tickets on line and was at the door when it opened at 8:00PM. The atmosphere was that of an old blues club, where you'd come and see Muddy Waters and Buddy Guy. The staff was very polite and friendly. There is no kitchen but you can have your food delivered or bring it in with you. The show started on time and was every bit as good as you would expect from going to see a show at some of the bigger blues venues in Chicago. I would definitely recommend Rosa's Lounge for a night out on the town, this is a must see! Put it on your bucket list! I'll be coming back soon!”

2100 W Belmont Ave, Chicago, IL 60618, United States

“Small intimate pub , love the small venue , was able to get up front and watch my fav up and becoming artist , Troy Cartwright ! The opening act was amazing as well ! Ordered the garlic tots , and chicken quesadilla , was a good proportion , regular pub food vibe ! Drink special “ Pomelo was good ! “”

2421 N Milwaukee Ave, Chicago, IL 60647, United States

“It is definitely laid back, with a back patio. The bar is small but it works and the bartenders are nice. Went there in an off night and they were sooo friendly and they were dancing too! Love that. Note: it’s hard to find but their front has random themes throughout. Cute place to start the night out!💓💓 The bouncer was very friendly too!”

235 N Ashland Ave, Chicago, IL 60607, United States

“I’ve been to Cobra Lounge atleast 25-30 times in the past year and honestly I’ve always had a great experience. I go to a lot of hardcore shows, so as you’d imagine I’m usually dying of thirst after each band. Cobra Lounge almost always provides free cups and water which is amazing - they also sell Liquid Death water too which although pricy, can beat waiting in line for water at sold out shows. The food here is solid. There’s not a ton of options, but everything I’ve had so far has been good. Service, especially when sitting at a table, has always been excellent. If you go to grab a drink at the main/back bar later, it may take a few minutes but the bartenders are almost always quick and friendly. There is parking outside the venue, although I should warn I’ve seen cars get broken into in these spots. The area isn’t bad in terms of walking, so I recommend parking at the Fulton Market Garage (about a 10 minute walk) down the road, which usually costs around $14. The garage is monitored and has elevators, so you know your car will be safe. The 10 minute can be a little sketchy, so if you’re a woman, please be considerate of your surroundings. The sound of the venue is usually pretty solid. I’d say 8/10 shows, the sound is great. The venue is small and there is no seating, which is great for energetic and intense shows. The sound isn’t overly loud, but I’d still recommend earplugs. Overall, Cobra Lounge is my favorite venue in Chicago. The staff, the shows, and the experience are consistent, enjoyable, and exactly what I’d want from an underground spot for smaller artists.”

4659 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60640, United States

“We met up with friends and family members on Thanksgiving weekend, and had a blast! The band was awesome and made the night- Patrick Bale and the Pale Ales- hope to see them play again soon! The atmosphere is so unique, with character and charm, also artsy and styled- fun for all ages. We didn’t eat but drinks (and shots!) were flowing. We’ll be back for sure.”

5225 N Illinois St, Fairview Heights, IL 62208, United States

“I heard about this place last year and planned on visiting at some point. It was my cousins Birthday and another cousin recommended it, so we decided to give it a shot. Upon arrival we were greeted by security/door man. He was a very nice young man. As soon as we seated, we were immediately greeted by the waitress she was such a sweetheart. We ordered our drinks, which were amazing by the way. Cudos to the bartender. The crowd & atmosphere was surprisingly great. We had a very good time not only watching but also participating in Karaoke. I will be visiting again and would recommend.”

2601 S River Rd, McHenry, IL 60051, United States

“Sometimes, A bar is just a bar, but this place definitely books some awesome bands while still managing to keep the drinks reasonably priced, and has some decent food. I was only there for the music and didn't take pictures of the food but will definitely be back to rip through the menu and re review it accordingly. The price for admission for bands are a little high, but it is a smaller venue, and i know they have to pay the bands and such but $20 to see a cover band is a little crazy. I'll definitely be back but will only be blowing my money on food and drinks than the music. Cheers”

302 W State St, Geneva, IL 60134, United States

“We absolutely love this little gem in downtown Geneva. It's a smaller scale music venue which is awesome for people who love to get out and see a live band but still get a local bar feel.”

205 N Peoria St, Chicago, IL 60607, United States

“My friend and I brought our doggies here for a doggy date (Dog friendly bar). We order wings for us and PB sandwiches for the doggies. As I'm eating my wings, I spotted a piece of curly hair in my food. Told our waitress, I can't remember her name, but she was so sweet and helpful. She informed us that she would notify the manager. The manager (Forgot her name) came by our table and was very stand-offish. Her first words were "I'm not sure how hair got in your food, but I will check the cooks in the back to insure they are wearing nets." Not even 5 minutes later she came back "No one back there has curly hair, maybe it's from you? or your dogs?" I instantly rebutted, "The dogs are on the floor and as you can see both the dogs and I have straight hair. How dare you try criticizing me and these dogs?" She replied, "Well I'm not sure how the food got there but will discount your wings." The manager was a Hispanic woman, my friend and I are Black. I'm sure if we were Hispanic, she would not have no problem assisting us in a friendlier manner. I will never support that bar again. There are more dog friendly spots here in Chicago that will treat Blacks better.”

8924 S Stony Is Ave, Chicago, IL 60617, United States

“Great place to come on a Wednesday night. Bald head is doing live comedy and he is one of the most down to earth comedians I have met in a few long time!!! The drinks are a great price also!!! Come out and enjoy yourself with some great laughs and amazing food!!”

20 N Cass Ave, Westmont, IL 60559, United States

“This place is awesome, the wings are the best I’ve ever had! And the guy with the shaved head behind the bar has never let my beer sit empty for longer than a minute! He is always on it! I will always take another “lite beer” my man! Best buffalo wings I’ve had, and if I’m lucky I can enjoy some good live music with them.”

5750 Lakeside Dr, Lisle, IL 60532, United States

“It’s a nice place to come and share with friends and family, at anytime of the year, summer or winter time. There is so much fun things to do, and the food is really good. Today it was very slow and they even forgot to bring our food (pizza) and we had to ask for it 3 different times, 🙄🤦🏽‍♀️😅 even with so little amount of people there. I still like this get away place.”

2319 W Belmont Ave, Chicago, IL 60618, United States

“First time here for an event. It’s ok they need to pay more attention to the menu and the setups”

5510 Park Pl, Rosemont, IL 60018, United States

“What a fun experience! Went on the weekend. Does get full but plenty of space and seating area. Piano players were so much fun. Huge selection of music to choose from from American all the way to Spanish music. Someone requested bad bunny. They were awesome. Shots are delicious and so are the drinks. We did not get to order any food but from the looks it looked decent there was a cover charge of $12 prices. A drinks were between 10 to $15. I also had the syringe jello shots $7 those were very good what totally come back again connected to the place. There is a Hawaiian bar. We're totally recommend that place too. If you have time to do both, go for it ❤️”

111 W Campbell St UNIT 3, Arlington Heights, IL 60005, United States

“It was a cool place but a few issues. The floors and bar were incredibly sticky. My shoes were almost stuck. It was early when I went so it seems they don’t do daily mopping near the bar. The outside has barely any lighting. The string lighting seemed like it was turned all the way down. The TV was the only main light source. And it was 61 degrees out and chilly, we couldn’t turn the fire table on because they were out of propane. I always order a Moscow mule wherever I go and the one that they made has a very strong taste of licorice, very off. Not a mule. Also until I needed a glass of water I didn’t realize they were so stingy. Incredibly disappointing that they insist on you buying a bottle of water. It costs you nothing to push that water button. In the 20+ years I’ve been going to bars/clubs/restaurants I’ve never been denied a glass of water. I was dehydrated. So bad for the environment with all those bottles of water. That disturbed me the most.”

236 E St Charles Rd, Lombard, IL 60148, United States

“Nice, small bar. Our class reunion gathering was here and all the staff were great to us. It has a back patio area that's well lit and spacious. They had a live band that night (went on a Friday) and the band was really good. The bathrooms were clean and the space was very inviting. Nicely priced drinks.”

103 La Salle St, Tonica, IL 61370, United States

“Very good pork tenderloin.”

2051 W Division St, Chicago, IL 60622, United States

“The happy hour is a great deal ($5 paddy shots and half price drinks and apps) and the food is is actually tasty. Get the Korean wings. They're great! The staff is also really nice and service is speedy. I world give this place 5 stars instead of 4 but we were kinda tricked into coming here. We thought we were coming here for a whisky tasting. The tickets were supposedly "VIP" to include drinks and even a cigar. But there were 2 bottles of whisky to sample and 1 cocktail so it really wasn't as advertised lol nonetheless, we had a great time at this bar.”

1939 W North Ave, Chicago, IL 60622, United States

“Cool speakeasy type place that you have to enter through a record store. We had to pay $10 cover charge each as there was live music. The inside was pretty packed, and there wasn't much anywhere to sit. The music was good and the people were enjoying it. The bartenders were non-stop making drinks. Overall, a cool place to check out.”