Tizy Nightlife Index › Chicago

Best clubs and bars in Chicago, ranked

The top 100 nightlife venues in Chicago by Tizy Score — a published formula, not a paid list. 290 venues graded, 45 unrated (fewer than 50 reviews). Edition v0, 2026-09.

Search demand: 4,400 Google searches a month for “best clubs in chicago” and 8,100 for “best bars in chicago” (national, Google Ads via DataForSEO, 2026-09; 1,600 a month from inside Chicago).

City index

70.1

Graded venues

290

Upcoming events

173

Searches / month

45,600

A / B / C / D / E

2 / 9 / 19 / 239 / 21

Coverage: measured — Quality, Popularity, Programming, Transparency, Authority, Freshness. Liveness: not yet measured in Chicago; weights renormalise over the measured components so no venue is penalised for a gap in our data.

#	Venue	Grade	Score	Category	Rating · reviews	Q	P	G	T	R	F	Searches/mo	Flags
1	The California Clipper	A-	83.5	Lounge bar	4.6 · 780	85.5	63.9	80.5	100	96	76	—
2	smartbar	A-	81.7	Night club	3.9 · 538	68.0	66.7	98.3	100	99	76	—
3	Spybar	B+	76.0	Night club	3.8 · 465	63.6	62.8	93.4	75	97	76	—
4	Masada Nightclub	B+	75.0	Night club	4.0 · 723	72.6	67.5	72.9	75	90	74	—
5	The Whistler	B	72.6	Bar	4.6 · 801	78.6	64.0	55.0	100	77	59	—
6	The Hideout	B	72.3	Bar	4.6 · 1,076	78.7	65.0	47.5	100	75	70	—
7	Le Nocturne Chicago	B	71.7	Night club	4.1 · 214	76.7	53.0	64.6	75	90	64	—
8	Schubas Tavern	B-	69.2	Live music venue	4.6 · 1,324	76.5	67.8	47.5	100	67	55	—
9	Concord Music Hall	B-	67.9	Live music venue	4.2 · 2,757	56.9	73.8	80.5	25	95	75	—
10	The Salt Shed	B-	66.8	Live music venue	4.7 · 3,300	81.5	72.0	31.6	25	93	71	—
11	Thalia Hall	B-	65.1	Live music venue	4.7 · 3,640	81.5	71.7	31.6	25	80	74	—
12	PRYSM Chicago	C+	64.0	Night club	3.2 · 856	34.8	64.8	73.9	75	96	76	—
13	Arbella	C+	60.5	Cocktail bar	4.6 · 1,266	73.4	62.6	21.9	100	61	36	—
14	Nighthawk	C+	60.1	Cocktail bar	4.6 · 500	73.4	51.9	19.9	100	58	55	—
15	Uptown Lounge & Coffee Shop	C	59.8	Lounge bar	4.2 · 601	66.8	56.9	30.8	100	54	55	—
16	Foundation Room Chicago	C	59.7	Lounge bar	4.6 · 212	83.7	47.9	19.9	75	53	60	—
17	Outset	C	59.4	Live music venue	3.9 · 287	46.2	56.8	65.7	25	94	75	—
18	Dorian’s	C	58.9	Bar	4.5 · 360	73.8	50.8	19.9	100	52	54	—
19	House of Blues Chicago	C	57.8	Live music venue	4.5 · 8,877	71.6	79.1	17.2	75	43	50	—
20	The Native	C	57.7	Bar	4.6 · 340	78.2	47.1	17.2	100	57	33	—
21	The Empty Bottle	C	57.2	Live music venue	4.7 · 1,566	81.3	65.3	27.4	100	11	43	—
22	Metro	C	57.0	Live music venue	4.5 · 2,751	71.6	72.7	32.3	50	53	39	—
23	The Wild Hare & Singing Armadillo Frog Sanctuary	C-	54.0	Live music venue	4.4 · 1,346	66.8	63.6	19.9	75	32	64	—
24	Lincoln Hall	C-	53.3	Live music venue	4.7 · 1,818	81.4	65.5	17.2	50	32	40	—
25	Gus' Sip & Dip	C-	51.8	Bar	4.9 · 2,580	93.6	63.5	0.0	100	0	16	—	unmatched-graph
26	Bottom Lounge	C-	51.6	Live music venue	4.6 · 2,379	76.5	64.5	17.2	50	29	45	—
27	Fatpour Wicker Park: Ultimate Chicago Sports Bar	C-	51.4	Sports bar	4.2 · 1,244	64.0	61.8	17.2	100	12	60	—
28	King KTV	C-	50.3	Karaoke bar	4.4 · 279	74.8	45.5	21.9	100	5	45	—
29	Hopleaf	C-	50.2	Gastropub	4.7 · 3,800	86.7	66.6	0.0	100	0	16	—	unmatched-graph
30	BASSLINE \|\| 2239 - CHICAGO	C-	50.2	Lounge bar	4.2 · 782	66.7	53.8	32.6	100	5	39	—
31	Rick's Cabaret Chicago	D	49.8	Adult entertainment club	4.5 · 1,125	98.9	56.8	0.0	75	0	16	—	unmatched-graph
32	Kingston Mines	D	49.6	Blues club	4.7 · 3,758	84.8	66.5	0.0	100	0	16	—	unmatched-graph
33	The Embassy	D	49.6	Sports bar	4.9 · 316	95.1	46.5	0.0	100	0	16	—	unmatched-graph
34	Beat Kitchen	D	49.0	Bar	4.5 · 1,247	73.9	64.1	15.2	100	5	16	—
35	Pleasant House Pub	D	48.8	Pub	4.7 · 1,574	86.0	59.5	0.0	100	0	16	—	unmatched-graph
36	Chief O'Neill's Pub Restaurant Beer Garden	D	48.2	Bar & grill	4.6 · 1,860	83.5	60.8	0.0	100	0	16	—	unmatched-graph
37	Surreal Nightlife & Bottle Service Chicago	D	48.2	Night club	4.6 · 130	94.3	39.4	0.0	100	0	16	—	unmatched-graph
38	Reggies Chicago	D	47.9	Bar & grill	4.5 · 4,792	78.7	68.5	0.0	100	0	16	—	unmatched-graph
39	Buddy Guy's Legends	D	47.9	Blues club	4.6 · 3,585	79.9	66.1	0.0	100	0	16	—	unmatched-graph
40	Duke Of Perth	D	47.9	Pub	4.7 · 852	85.7	54.5	0.0	100	0	16	—	unmatched-graph
41	Blue Chicago	D	47.8	Live music bar	4.7 · 1,745	82.3	60.3	0.0	100	0	16	—	unmatched-graph
42	Parlay Lincoln Park	D	47.8	Sports bar	4.7 · 522	87.2	50.6	0.0	100	0	16	—	unmatched-graph
43	Weegee's Lounge	D	47.8	Lounge bar	4.7 · 347	89.0	47.3	0.0	100	0	16	—	unmatched-graph
44	Garcia’s Chicago	D	47.8	Night club	4.7 · 179	100.0	42.0	0.0	75	0	16	—	unmatched-graph
45	Delilah's	D	47.6	Bar	4.7 · 1,154	83.5	57.0	0.0	100	0	16	—	unmatched-graph
46	Cork Lounge	D	47.4	Lounge bar	4.7 · 282	88.5	45.6	0.0	100	0	16	—	unmatched-graph
47	Park West	D	47.0	Live music venue	4.5 · 1,296	71.6	61.7	26.8	50	22	16	—
48	Long Room Chicago	D	47.0	Bar	4.7 · 739	83.3	53.4	0.0	100	0	16	—	unmatched-graph
49	Three Dots and a Dash	D	46.9	Cocktail bar	4.6 · 8,002	73.4	72.6	0.0	100	0	16	—	unmatched-graph
50	Kasey's Tavern	D	46.7	Pub	4.6 · 1,044	81.0	56.2	0.0	100	0	16	—	unmatched-graph
51	Fame Nightclub	D	46.6	Night club	3.7 · 178	60.9	41.9	24.9	75	34	34	—
52	The Red Lion Pub	D	46.5	Pub	4.6 · 912	81.0	55.1	0.0	100	0	16	—	unmatched-graph
53	Uncle Mike's Sports Bar	D	46.5	Sports bar	4.8 · 147	88.3	40.4	0.0	100	0	16	—	unmatched-graph
54	Monk's Pub	D	46.4	Pub	4.5 · 2,619	76.4	63.6	0.0	100	0	16	—	unmatched-graph
55	Centennial Crafted Beer & Eatery	D	46.4	Gastropub	4.6 · 749	81.3	53.5	0.0	100	0	16	—	unmatched-graph
56	Stereo Nightclub	D	46.4	Night club	4.2 · 680	81.9	52.7	0.0	100	0	16	—	unmatched-graph
57	Fado Irish Pub	D	46.3	Pub	4.5 · 2,479	76.4	63.1	0.0	100	0	16	—	unmatched-graph
58	Martyrs'	D	46.3	Live music venue	4.7 · 766	81.0	53.7	0.0	100	0	16	—	unmatched-graph
59	Industry Ales Brewpub	D	46.3	Brewpub	4.8 · 334	84.2	47.0	0.0	100	0	16	—	unmatched-graph
60	Headquarters Beercade	D	46.2	Bar	4.5 · 4,024	74.0	67.1	0.0	100	0	16	—	unmatched-graph
61	Kerryman Irish Bar & Restaurant	D	46.2	Irish pub	4.5 · 1,702	77.3	60.1	0.0	100	0	16	—	unmatched-graph
62	Rossi's	D	46.2	Bar	4.6 · 1,237	78.7	57.5	0.0	100	0	16	—	unmatched-graph
63	Miller's Pub	D	46.1	Irish pub	4.4 · 5,523	72.4	69.6	0.0	100	0	16	—	unmatched-graph
64	Quality Time	D	46.1	Bar	4.8 · 201	85.7	42.9	0.0	100	0	16	—	unmatched-graph
65	The Globe Pub	D	46.0	Bar	4.6 · 1,045	78.7	56.2	0.0	100	0	16	—	unmatched-graph
66	Osito's Tap	D	46.0	Bar	4.7 · 387	82.7	48.2	0.0	100	0	16	—	unmatched-graph
67	Forbidden Root Restaurant & Brewery	D	45.9	Brewpub	4.6 · 1,939	75.9	61.2	0.0	100	0	16	—	unmatched-graph
68	Map Room	D	45.9	Bar	4.6 · 1,012	78.7	55.9	0.0	100	0	16	—	unmatched-graph
69	President's Lounge	D	45.9	Night club	4.3 · 216	84.8	43.5	0.0	100	0	16	—	unmatched-graph
70	Timothy O'Toole's Pub Chicago	D	45.8	Pub	4.4 · 5,617	71.5	69.8	0.0	100	0	16	—	unmatched-graph
71	The Red Room hookah lounge	D	45.8	Hookah bar	4.8 · 219	84.4	43.6	0.0	100	0	16	—	unmatched-graph
72	Old Town Ale House	D	45.7	Bar	4.6 · 857	78.6	54.6	0.0	100	0	16	—	unmatched-graph
73	District Brew Yards	D	45.6	Brewpub	4.6 · 1,545	75.9	59.3	0.0	100	0	16	—	unmatched-graph
74	No.18 Karaoke bar	D	45.5	Karaoke bar	4.4 · 1,718	75.1	60.2	0.0	100	0	16	—	unmatched-graph
75	Village Tap	D	45.5	Bar & grill	4.5 · 793	78.4	54.0	0.0	100	0	16	—	unmatched-graph
76	Best Intentions	D	45.4	Bar	4.6 · 675	78.5	52.6	0.0	100	0	16	—	unmatched-graph
77	Parlay River North	D	45.3	Sports bar	4.5 · 689	78.2	52.8	0.0	100	0	16	—	unmatched-graph
78	The Tin Lizzie	D	45.3	Bar	4.6 · 629	78.5	52.1	0.0	100	0	16	—	unmatched-graph
79	BallPark Pub	D	45.3	Pub	4.6 · 391	80.4	48.3	0.0	100	0	16	—	unmatched-graph
80	KOVAL Tasting Room	D	45.3	Cocktail bar	4.8 · 285	81.8	45.7	0.0	100	0	16	—	unmatched-graph
81	Chipp Inn	D	45.3	Bar	4.7 · 264	82.2	45.1	0.0	100	0	16	—	unmatched-graph
82	The Hurley Tap	D	45.2	Bar & grill	4.7 · 137	84.4	39.8	0.0	100	0	16	—	unmatched-graph
83	Flight Club Chicago	D	45.1	Cocktail bar	4.6 · 1,863	73.4	60.9	0.0	100	0	16	—	unmatched-graph
84	Matchbox Bar	D	45.1	Bar	4.6 · 549	78.5	51.0	0.0	100	0	16	—	unmatched-graph
85	Benchmark	D	45.0	Bar	4.5 · 1,546	73.9	59.3	0.0	100	0	16	—	unmatched-graph
86	The Galway Arms	D	45.0	Pub	4.5 · 863	76.2	54.6	0.0	100	0	16	—	unmatched-graph
87	The Up Room	D	45.0	Bar	4.6 · 527	78.4	50.6	0.0	100	0	16	—	unmatched-graph
88	Desert Hawk	D	45.0	Bar	4.8 · 122	84.2	38.9	0.0	100	0	16	—	unmatched-graph
89	Sheffield's Wine & Beer Garden	D	44.9	Bar	4.5 · 1,443	73.9	58.8	0.0	100	0	16	—	unmatched-graph
90	Smoke Filled Room	D	44.9	Bar & grill	4.6 · 212	81.6	43.3	0.0	100	0	16	—	unmatched-graph
91	Babe's Sports Bar	D	44.9	Sports bar	4.9 · 60	86.8	33.2	0.0	100	0	16	—	unmatched-graph
92	Theory	D	44.8	Bar	4.5 · 1,373	73.9	58.4	0.0	100	0	16	—	unmatched-graph
93	Jazz Showcase	D	44.8	Jazz club	4.8 · 1,157	83.0	57.0	0.0	75	0	16	—	unmatched-graph
94	Marty's Martini Bar	D	44.8	Cocktail bar	4.7 · 494	77.9	50.1	0.0	100	0	16	—	unmatched-graph
95	Gallery Cabaret	D	44.8	Bar	4.6 · 437	78.3	49.1	0.0	100	0	16	—	unmatched-graph
96	Elements karaoke lounge	D	44.8	Karaoke bar	4.7 · 325	87.8	46.8	0.0	75	0	16	—	unmatched-graph
97	Green Light Korean Pub & Karaoke rooms	D	44.7	Karaoke bar	4.7 · 320	87.8	46.6	0.0	75	0	16	—	unmatched-graph
98	Howl at the Moon Chicago	D	44.6	Bar	4.4 · 3,733	69.0	66.5	0.0	100	0	16	—	unmatched-graph
99	O's Tap	D	44.5	Bar	4.7 · 172	81.4	41.6	0.0	100	0	16	—	unmatched-graph
100	Andy's Jazz Club & Restaurant	D	44.4	Jazz club	4.5 · 3,825	68.5	66.7	0.0	100	0	16	—	unmatched-graph

Q quality · P popularity · G programming · T transparency · R authority from the venue–artist graph (city percentile) · F freshness (L liveness is unmeasured until venues stream). Searches/mo = Google searches for the venue by name (the external label the weights are learned against; it is not a component). Flags: dampened = movement capped at ±15 per edition, review-velocity = review growth quarantined. Greyed rows: rating snapshot older than 180 days. Methodology · JSON: /rating/api/v0/city/chicago

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Venues on this list can embed their grade: <a href="https://tizy.app/rating/chicago"><img src="https://tizy.app/rating/badge/{location_id}.svg" alt="Tizy Score" width="180" height="48"></a>