Spyners Pub

Pool table, juke box, bunch of TVs always playing a Chicago game, and popcorn! Drinks are well priced even for a dive bar. Service is prompt and its a LGBT friendly dive bar which is pretty rare. I won’t hold it against them that they’re a Notre Dame bar ;)
Also, It’s probably the only lesbian bar in the city!!!

A normal place for normal lesbians to hang out? Oh thank god… finally! It is definitely a dive bar but it was very nice when we went and the drinks are not much money at all. The karaōke was basically amazing. I am taking one star off because the bathrooms were not the greatest but I have seen much worse in the city of Chicago. I would say come here on weekdays if you want to be able to chat and get to know people better.

Pretty divey. You get what you pay for.
The drinks are cheap — the crowd is very random on Karaōke nights. They have a whole other section to this bar if you go through the door past the juke box… On that other side of the bar — on Thursday nights, three girls host We Wish You Were Beer — where a bunch of comedians gather around and do stand up which can only be described as hilarious group therapy sessions. I went there with a friend and we were the only people not getting up on stage. It was fun.

This is the local go to. Drinks and shots are awesomely priced. Bartenders and patrons become your friends. Perfect during the week to be a regular. Then on weekends when the karaōke gets going everyone else shows up and takes over.

Bathrooms filthy, patrons go and steal from 7 – 11,
drunks patrons outside are smoking everywhere.
Customer service is also lacking
Avoid this dive bar

Not sure how I feel about this place as I may have spent just about 2 hours here for a friends bday recently. He likes karaōke and its close to home for him which has to be the only reason he chose this place LOL! I was told shortly before I rolled over to the joint that this was pretty much a lezzie bar so no action jumping off here for a single guy like myself lol!
The place is pretty much a dive with an old beer sign (I think its Michelob) at the front on the outside. There was an older woman working the bar by herself and doing a decent job of it surprisingly… obviously a vet when it comes to slanging dranks! There is also dartboards in the back which is always cool to get the drunken competitive spirits flowing. Drink prices weren’t too bad so you won’t blow your wad here. Not sure if I would come back here but its good to maybe stop in for a drink if you happen to be in the area. Its located right off of the Western Brown Line stop so its pretty easy to get to.

The bartender with black hair was terrible. She yelled at me for closing my tab, and refused to close it because she was «too busy» but continued to serve other customers. In addition, she was extremely rude to me the entire time. I would not recommend this place. The drinks are cheap but the service is not worth it.

Diverse, fun crowd and great people watching. Unfortunately, The bar is understaffed on busy saturday nights, and the female bartender with dark hair is very rude and lacks any awareness or hospitality. She scolds you if you raise your finger to signal you need a drink, can’t hear your order over the crowd, and never smiles. She is absolutely horrible!!!
Read the reviews below to get a feel for what I am referencing. Bartender needs to find another line of work that suits her bitter demeanor better.

This place is a black hole. And when I say black hole. I don’t mean a bad thing actually. You have so much fun you loose track of time! The drinks are reasonably priced, karaōke frequently, tight on those nights. Come early to get a table, and stay late to have lots of fun

Great staff and nice selection of beer. All the regulars are friendly, and karaōke will always be encouraged.

I recently discovered I like to sing again.
The other reviewers have it right, the name on the bar is the beer sign, so pay attention.
I really have a great time when I go there. If you are there to drink, sing and enjoy the night, this is a fun place to be. There is no judgement (I didn’t feel any while singing) and I really enjoy the place. Everyone was giving each other high fives and makes for a super night.
I was surprised that they had a great beer special that night (turns out they have drink specials, just have to ask or listen). So, if you need liquid courage, this is the place that supplies.
I am giving this place 5 stars because they really do have a great selection of songs. Are you a regular there? The owners there sing and make everyone welcomed. I asked for a song and a couple of weeks later, they had it (becoming a regular there helps). They also have a side room that they open up for special occasions. All this and it’s right by the Western Brown Line subway stop and they have parking in the back.

i am sad to say that spyner’s just doesn’t give me the warm fuzzies like it used to.
a while back, they changed their karaōke set up. you can no longer follow along with the words unless you are in the front of the bar– presumably, if you are the one with the microphone. this may seem perfectly sensible, but hear me out. part of the charm of this bar’s karaōke is the community. the camaraderie. the belting out of 80’s tunes with strangers. the change in setup made it more about watching people perform, if you could call it that. for me it created a void between the singers and the rest of the bar.
i also don’t care for the new folks running the karaōke. (they might not be «new» anymore, but just not the same chica who was runnin’ things when i wrote my last review.) when we were here last month, they did last call, sold my friend a beer, and then rudely forced us to leave about 10 minutes later. i have never seen such a quick turn around in a bar between last call and kicking people out. i completely understand closing time is closing time, but give a girl a minute to swallow what she just paid you for.

I would not have gone here had it not been for a friend’s birthday gathering. In the defense of the place, they probably had NO idea that two birthday groups would be coming in. One group was 30 people and we were about 20.
Staff 411:
They had ONE bartender for the majority of the time we were there. She simply could not take care of all of us. They did finally get a second person to come in much later. They were both female, and neither of them were very friendly, unfortunately. Between the two parties, we brought them more business than they have probably seen on one night in a long time. Additionally, we were tipping. So, the least they could do is be friendly and smile for the fact that they likely made WAY more on tips than they ever do. I wouldn’t go back simply because I wasn’t impressed with the service. :-(I asked about food. They don’t have any. I asked if I could have it brought in. I was told, «Yes» as she walked away. No recommendations, no menus, no help beyond that.
Décor 411:
It’s a dive bar. Don’t expect much. The men’s bathroom smelled of urine and had quite a bit of water (it is winter after all) or urine on the floor. I don’t mind dive bars, so I was fine, but don’t expect anything really nice. It’s not.
Bar 411:
Apparently it is a lesbian bar. I wouldn’t have known if someone didn’t mention it to me. Maybe if I were a lesbian I would have received better service or even some smiles? ;-) Darn it… I guess that is a negative of being a male in a lesbian bar. :D
Music 411:
Karaōke was going on this night. The music is loud. The audience hears the music, but the singers don’t hear themselves well over the music. This can be a good thing for those of us who can’t sing. The karaōke dude was nice to those partaking in karaōke.

Worse Bartender ’ s in town. Takes forever for a drink whether it’s a crowd or empty. Ridculous!

Pretty nice, solid little dive bar. They have karaōke, but I only popped in for one before a theater show, so I didn’t get the full flavor of the place. Friendly bartender and a seemingly amiable crowd.
I’d come back if in the area, since Tar Bar/​Leland Tap is now closed, who knew!

Spyners puts the Diggity in the Bomb Diggity! Best of the dive bars in Chicago for a few reasons… The usuals are an eclectic bunch just as are the random patrons. Everyone is welcome and it being on Western ave, across from 7 – 11 and down a half block to the Western Brown line, you never really are sure who is going to come in which is grand not being at a bar when you walk in to check it out, the usual cliques give you the snub job which is always a HUGE buzz kill!
All the beer and drink prices are reasonable and the selection is pretty darn good and unexpected. I didn’t think they had any wine but found out recently they do and it comes in a bottle with a cork and everything! (actually I had a FANTASTIC pinot noir!!) The bartender on most nights is the owner and she is so kick a**, has an amazing memory and tolerates a lot more than most places. But don’t come in being a douche please…
they are sports fans. big tv’s. there is an atm inside the bar. darts and pool and even a party room if you ever need one.
The bar stools are very comfy, the karaōke is one of the funnest around, there is free pool on some nights and you can order or bring food in for you and your troop.
There is a jukebox altho I have yet to go thru it since there is always something decent playing or the karaōke is on full force.
Everyone is so nice but even better… they are just super cool!
Good beer, always fresh and nice selection, drink specials (check their website) and there is a flaming lemon drop that hits the spot. :)
Well, the Hawks opener is on. I’m headed to my neighborhood dive… how about you?!?

I’m in Lesbians with Spyners Pub.
My first time was about a year or so ago. Walking home from a Cubs game it was hot as fucking Hades outside. A nice, sweltering 95 degrees if I remember that night correctly. For whatever reason I could not get a cab at all. Rotten cabbies. So I walked from Wrigley to Western and then North up the street. It’s about 10ish pm, I’m tired from walking and thought a cold one would really boost my spirits. (See, there were cabs which stopped but they’d look at me and then pull off. Racist pricks. This happened four times on my walk) So. I’m walking up to this bar and in front I see a group of attractive women sharing a smoke. I hadn’t any prior knowledge it was a lesbian bar. In that moment, I’m tired, see lovely women (whose perfume I could smell a block away) in front of a dive, feel a cool breeze from inside and hear the sounds of karaōke sung. I was walking in.
Inside, it’s a dumpy dive. There were decent beers on special and the bartender took care of me pretty quickly. I gotta say, I had more conversations with lesbians in one night, than I’ve had with hetero women at general bars. Who said lesbians are angry at men? What else; I hooked up a shy gal with a cute bartender, complimented a plethora of nice lipstick lesbians and had more than a few conversations about sports, food and beers. It was good people watching too. About $ 14 dollars spent on beers and tips and I was on my way back home. Probably because of the good karma picked up from hooking up some lesbians, I met a cutie patootie on my final stroll home. The end.

So Matt L. had a birthday party here. The night of said party I looked up this bar to find out if it was dressy, casual, etc. and come to find it’s a lesbian karaōke bar. Seeing as he is not a lesbian and none of his friends attending the party are lesbians, I was a bit perplexed.
Angie M’s text to Matt L: BTW: Why are you having your bday party at a lesbian karaōke bar?
Matt L’s text to Angie M: Uh, you wouldn’t?
Angie M: I suppose not. Seeing as I’m not a lesbian and none of my friends are. But I’m rolling with it. Are you super pumped to get white girl wasted?
Matt L: Totes. And yes, I’m wearing khakis.
So with that, we went to Spyners.
Here’s the thing: Spyners is a diiiiiiive. You could probably wear sweatpants and not look out of place. I can appreciate that in a bar. It’s also really bright, which I always find off putting. Shouldn’t bars be dark and mysterious? And you know… there’s atrocious karaōke happening.
On the plus side, the drink prices were relatively unoffensive. $ 3.50 Green Lines, $ 3.50 Jameson shots and $ 4 bomb shots are the Friday specials. Nothing to shake a fist at… I LOVE any type of bomb shot. It’s the repressed ex-​sorority girl in me. And these bombs were goooooood. So good in fact that I could barely get off my couch the next day. #hangovercity
Would I go back? I don’t know… probably not. I mean… it’s not close. It’s a lesbian bar. I like to dress up in something above yoga pants when I go out… But for what it was, it was a good time.

This was my first time at Spyners and I had such a great time.
We went for karaōke on a Friday night. They have a wide selection of songs and a great atmosphere. It’s a «who cares what you sound like as long as you’re having fun» type of atmosphere, which makes for some (and others not so) entertaining performances, but always followed by enthusiastic applause.
The bar itself is a typical dive in the best way. The owner is the bartender, and did not hesitate to cut off a really obnoxious patron who got to the point where he just started swaying. I don’t often see such responsible bartendering, and I appreciated it.
The crowd varied. Early in the night, it started out as a lesbian crowd. These ladies love to karaōke! A couple hours later, they cleared out and it was a random mix of LS locals. Good times were had by all. I will return to Spyners!

Came here for a meeting once. Yes, you read that correctly: We came to a pub for a meeting. Ha.
There was a group of maybe 10 of us. We had the back room reserved thanks to one of our members’ connections to the bar. I had just came from work so I was starving. I asked the bartender if there was any food on the menu; she said no. Then I asked if it’d be okay for me to bring food in or order in. She said yes. Score!
I stepped out and came back in with a box of noodles from across the street. I ordered a glass of wine to go with my food. They didn’t have that great of a wine selection, but what did I expect? The bartender let me eat! That was enough to make me happy so I thought I’d order a drink to make up for it.
We had our meeting in the back room. It was nice and quiet. No distractions. We got things done. The restrooms were decent.