Blue Chicago

This is an old building with great Blues music with great musicians. It is very small, and is rectangular in shape.
We got there as it opened, an hour before show time, to get a seat close up on the floor. Mistake, which I will explain later.
Drinks are very reasonable for a venue of this sort, no food is served, so eat first, and be prepared for a packed joint. A lot of patrons had to stand, so be early if you want a seat.
The problem that was not the fault of the location, but some drunk, ego-​maniacal idiots. As the bar filled up, the crowd standing in the rear were invited forward to make more room for people trying to get in. Four morons (two couples) pushed forward. They were «dancing» by jumping around, stomping their feet and being very boisterous while the band was playing. At the end of one great song, this one idiot walked to the guitar player and stood there for a minute trying to high five him, as though his opinion was worth something, Finally the musician had to return the high five just to get him out of his face.
Then, another «with the groove dancer» thought that dancing meant standing on a very crowded dance floor and thrusting her elbows back behind her as far as she good, bringing them forward, and thrusting backward again. I had to duck once to avoid her hitting me in the temple. People, when the floor is crowded, you have to limit your antics. You impress no one, and actually make yourself out to be an inconsiderate fool.
The point of this narrative is to stay off the floor, but to get one of the seats on the left as you face the stage, where you are raised up and can see over the heads of the people crowding the stage.

Fun bar. Music was just ok. Bartender was a little condescending. Honestly not worth the $ 10.00 cover. There are better jazz bars to be had.

Its official: I’m having WAY too much fun here!! Sunday night and thanks to this awesome place the LAST thing on my mind is Monday morning! Kill your blues ahead of time… come here and have a great time! Crowd and band make it what it is! play here if you can!

Unbelievably good. Great cheap drinks. Amazing music. Friendly service. Will be back again and again.

I am beyond surprised that this place has such great reviews. $ 12 for a cover charge? $ 5 for a PBR??? $ 5 for any domestic beer??? Oh and I can’t stand where I want to stand? We have designated taped out sections where standing is allowed? Wow. Fuck this place. Never have I ever despised an establishment so much.

this club is exactly what it should be. small, crowded, loud. I go to this club each time i go to chicago and I’m never disappointed. the beer is cold, the sound is great for a small stage, and the talent is always first rate. if you’re a blues lover don’t miss this one.

Had a blast with Shirley and the boys playing the blues. Enthusiastic fun. They are playing at the Chicago blues festival this spring. Loved it. 10 bucks cover. Way worth it. Small dance floor we burned it up.

When I was in Chicago for a 5 day holiday with my wife we went to three different jazz/​blues bars but this place was by far the best for intimacy and enjoyment.
Don’t expect much in terms of the place itself — it’s a bit dated & run down but once the music starts you don’t care about the surroundings you just get transported into the blues… a great blues night out venue

Been to sooooooooo many bars/​lounges, I have never thought I would hate a bar so much! Honestly, the band is great!!! But the staffs are absolutely horrible! Considering $ 12 cover and several premier drinks, I would have a great time in Chi-​town… Unfortunately it was totally the opposite! First, a bouncer came up and kept telling us where to stand and where not to when it was already far from the bar and stage in a small facility; second the waitress came up to us and acting like we were not supposed to sit when there were vacant seats?!! What’s happening?! Unbelievable!!! Seriously… We travel the world and I have never been to a place like that! Good band… Just too sad!!!

Perfect. Lots of fun. The night we were there, there was an entertaining and fairly polished quartet, plus one great blues-​lady singer.
It’s a smaller club but adequate seating, and the volume of the music is perfect; clean and not too loud.

Great live music. Good drinks. Sucks that there’s a $ 12 cover charge but it’s worth it.

Great bar, the bartender was incredibly nice and on point!
The music was very on point and the entertainment made the evening very enjoyable. It’s a small cozy place to feel the blues, enjoy drinks and unwind.

Great for live music!!!
I was really impressed with the band that was performing and the overall vibe of this place. You can tell that the people that perform at this venue as well as the clientele have a passion for the blues.
I would definitely come back.

This has always been one of my favorite places in Chicago! The music is always authentic blues, the drinks are strong, the vibe immediately puts you in a good mood. This place lives out the meaning «Sweet Home Chicago»

What a great place! Inexpensive. Only $ 10 cover. Great music … Crowd is probably between late 20s to late 50s. Some local. Some tourists! Dancing if you like …

Had so much fun here! Place is small, but has a great atmosphere and music is good. Bought the T shirt!

From the Los Angeles area in Chicago for my birthday weekend on Dec 12^th. At dinner we asked our server to recommend a blues bar, he told us about this place. We didn’t know what to expect but this is exactly what we were looking for. The band was awesome and atmosphere was so chill. Our server was great, I forgot her name, sorry, I had too many tequila shots by that point, WE LOVED YOU!!! and the owners talked with us as well. We plan to go back November 2016, see you then!!! HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

We stumbled into this bar and decided to stay despite its $ 12 cover because it was raining. The place was really intimate and it had a good vibe going. The band came on around 9 and we were blown away with how good they were even though we aren’t big fans of the blues. We ended up having a good time and enjoyed our night spent here.

My wife and I were in there Windy City celebrating our anniversary. We had a great dinner and then we wanted to hit up some of the city night life and catch some good love music. We used Unilocal and found a great LITTLE local spot called Blue Chicago.
It was amazing! We arrived about 10 mins before they opened. Good thing we did too because a line began to form behind up pretty quickly. Doors opened and the place packed out in about 30 mins. It’s a tiny little spot so you will want to get there early to get a great seat.
There is a cover and a two drink minimum on the weekends. The cover was $ 12 but the live blues band was well worth it! The band playing this night was awesome and they rocked the house. The waitress was very nice and checked on us quite regularly. I would deff recommend this little Gem if your in town.

Omg BEST BLUES EVER!!! I loved every mintiue of it. Came randomly in a Saturday night it cost $ 12 to get in but its so worth it if you like BLUES. Vibes are amazing and friendly just amazing. Considering I am young by far the best club I every been too.

Cheap drinks and amazing music! I loved this place and the staff. We had a great time here, cant wait to go back.

Muy buen lugar para tomar unos drinks y disfrutar de un gran show! No esperes un gran lujo.

Great night. Great music. Sat in perfect spot (as far as we’re concerned) w/​back rest. Great waitress (Johnavon or something). Good drinks. Still not wild about $ 12/​head, but it’s live jazz, so… Go at least once and make up your own mind. Go ready to sing, shout and dance — if it’s not too crowded. Doors open at 8, get there between 8 and 9:15, otherwise, don’t B— about not getting a seat. You will be seated with a person or two, so be prepared to chat it up. Met a couple from suburb in Oregon who had just moved to Chicago. Seemed cool.

Cheap cover, great music. Expect standing room only if you get there late.

Small typical bar. Music was great and drinks were decent. The bouncer not much of a personality but I guess it has to be that way. We ended up dancing having a great time and walked out. Wait for it. Leaving our camera. Did not realize this until the next day. Called the office and went over the next day at 7:30pm .karma was on our side because after searching for a bit and the manager calling the employees. He found it behind the bar. We are so grateful for honest good people in the world. Thank you Blue Chicago! and for that honesty you get a 5 star rating!

Had such a good time here! This is a smaller place with $ 12 cover charge, cash and no minimum drink. They do take cards for drinks at the bar. We reached there around 11 and it was standing only but we were able to find a spot at the bar. The setting is very intimate and crowd is a mix of locals and tourists. The music and atmosphere was very good.

Very authentic little blues club! It’s tiny so you have to get here early to secure a seat. They open at eight, the band didn’t go on until nine, they played for an hour and then took like a 40 minute break. It kind of broke the momentum for me but that was just the band so I can’t really fault the club.
Unimpressed with the alcohol selection. They offered no wine and even though I asked for a Gray Goose neat it tasted more like bargain vodka to me. 2 drink minimum that was hard to meet under these circumstances. Uncomfortable stools and the service left little to be desired.
All that said, the band was great when they played and the place has an energy that is just plain fun. I would come back.

This is a small, intimate club that attracts as many tourists as locals (because of its location). But that doesn’t mean it’s not a fantastic place to hear authentic Chicago blues. If you want to see, as well as hear, the show… get there no later than 8:30. By 9:00, it’s standing room only.
The singers are almost always women, and the band last weekend really rocked the place. I think the cover depends on the singer, we paid $ 12. There was no drink minimum. I ordered a glass of white wine (there was only one choice), and it tasted like vinegar. The server replaced it with another glass, but it was just as bad. Cheap wine and great music don’t mix. So what would have been a five star rating is only a four.

What a great time here! This is dive bar type of venue that specializes in Blues music and was put on the map for featuring female blues singers, so cheers to this venue just for that! It isn’t that big here, so I wouldn’t roll in with a large group, but they definitely try and squeeze in as many people as they can, even with still maintaining a small dance floor toward the front of the room – which definitely gets going even late on a Sunday night when we were there! Clearly a work night/​school night doesn’t matter for this venue!
Drink prices aren’t that cheap though and it is a $ 10 cover usually too, but it is a fun, lively spot, and a good place in the area to see some decent music, some covers sometimes, and if you are lucky, you will see the guitarist go on a super long led zepplin cover where his wireless guitar still functions outside of the bar when he leaves the bar while playing and then comes back ha ha So funny to see in person!
This is also a place that clearly has its regulars too which I really like. Some live music venues just sell out but you can tell that people who live around there keep coming back for a reason, and it is those people with their almost secret like handshakes they do once they get inside that make me realize this place is pretty clutch.

Forget those «chain» blues places. Seriously. This is THE place to go and hear some great music. The staff is great, and the atmosphere is exactly what it should be.
Stop searching, just put down your phone and go.

Great atmosphere, great music.
We went there on a Sunday night. We paid $ 10 per person as cover price. The drinks were very affordable. They have non-​alcoholic drinks as well.
We listened to the Nellie Tiger Travis Blues Band. Not only are they fantastic musicians, but also they know how to entertain people.

Wow! We went to three blues places while in Chicago and ended up at the Blue Chicago after dinner, kinda as an after thought, on our last night.
What. A. Wonderful. Place.
The music was everything Chicago Blues is known for. Not too gospelly, not too jazzy, not too showy, just plain awesome incredibly good entertaining music and singing!
We’ll return for sure.

Wow, très intime, très vrai. Place de blues classique comme je m’y attendais et pas de problème à payer $ 10 pour entrer avec la qualité du spectacle et l’ambiance. Je me sentais dans un endroit figé dans le temps où le Blues était à l’honneur. Quelques clients locaux se plaisent à y danser et nous jaser. Service correct et portier serviable et attentionné. À voir pour les amateurs de musique qui savent respecter l’histoire du Blues.

What’s a Chicago trip without going to a jazz bar?!
The live music was incredible, the crowd loved it. There’s a little bit of space in the front for dancing, where you can chill with friends or be intimate with your partner. There is limited seating and it gets super crowded so I would suggest to get there earlier. $ 10 cover per person.
I really enjoyed my time here! Would’ve given it four stars if it wasn’t so crowded… not good for claustrophobic people =X

Good place for Blues on a Fri night!
Great live music and cheap drinks as most are $ 5 (beer & mixed)
Awesome dive bar with good service
Place gets pretty packed after around 9PM… luckily we got there around 8:30 and friends were holding seats for us.
FYI…there is a $ 10 cover charge