Great place! Great crew ! Zack is the best guy would you ever meet! Great DJ nights in the weekend! Friendly vibes

Came to this bar on our way out to the zoo. It's a small bar but spacious bar. They host live music, although we didnt partake on this particular day. I was on the search for a Sunday happy hr & this was the spot. Half prices drinks. HH is as follows. S-TH 5p-7p F-SA 4P-6P read more

Artsy dive worth stopping in and looking around, but it was a capacity nightmare. I unfortunately couldn't comfortably stick around to wait to view the backroom space as it was too crowded, but I've heard it's an additional interesting element. There's a pool table in the back as well, but again, not much elbow room for an efficient game read more

aliveOne - Dive Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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I love this place on weeknights for a casual drink especially on Wednesdays when Bonzo Squad is playing or Sundays when they have stand up. The bartenders that I've met so far have all been great and they have good speciality cocktails as well as standard drinks. However, I live relatively close by and I understand the noise level I signed up for living near a bar but the door staff on weekends need to do a better job of not allowing people to walk out the door screaming f*gg*t and homophobic threats in extremely derogatory and hateful contexts. It's been a regular occurrence and increasingly often to the point I am fearful to use the main entrance/exit of my building when going out at night due to the proximity to the bar door. After one particularly disturbing set of comments I actually walked over and mentioned my concerns to the staff person and they said they'd try but didn't seem to take the concern seriously and it's continued to be an issue for months. read more

Fun bar in the back with a DJ and dancing. Can get super crowded back there though. Otherwise in front, it's nice to sit at the bar and the bartender was very nice read more

aliveOne - Dive Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

This bar is great: divey meets classy. The cocktails are great; and taste even better during happy hour. They have live music or trivia on select nights. A great place to catch up with friends or just have fun! read more

Huge aliveOne fangirl right here! This is one of my favorite bars. I like that it's divey but sometimes high energy- you can play pool and groove on a lit danceflo' all in one night. They have all kinds of goings-on that I honestly didn't know about until my last visit. Half price happy hour (every day 4p-6p), $4 beers on Tuesdays, free shows on Thursdays... plenty to do. The front space is a funky dive vibe w. cushioned barstools, hanging glass lamps, ornate decor above the bar and a jukebox complete with all kinds of oldies. Throughout the bar you can sit on vintage couches and armchairs and admire the gallery-style wall art. They host shows and private parties in their back room, which has its own bar and some dancin space! The dance floor gets pretty lit on weekends around midnight/1am. Get over to aliveOne stat for a Chicago Handshake and a vibey hang! And don't forget, Kingston Mines is just a short walk down Halsted... have fun! read more

aliveOne - Love a good pool hang - Dive Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

fun vibe but WAYYYYY TOO MUCH DRAKE. if you like kendrick stay away. personally i wish chief sosa was played. read more

Classy but divey! Fun DJ in the back room. Feels small/intimate but with plenty of room. Fun spot that fits many vibes!

I can't say enough good things about this place. Zach was so the highlight! He was like my best friend I hadn't seen in months. He made a custom drink order for me from a friend in Texas. It was perfect and then he exceeded perfection by. Making the house margarita which probably had 3x the alcohol!! I left with friends and so so happy!! read more

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Stephen Mackey - greatest bartender I have come across so far since I moved to Chicago 2 years ago. Stellar service, amazing sense of humor. Asked if he was single but I guess he has a wife. If he is working when you go to aliveOne, definitely order his Gin Fizz. read more

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We go here almost every Thursday to watch the free live music from Bonzo Squad. They bring incredible energy every week and get everyone dancing. If it's too loud, you can easily go to the front bar where it is a very calm and relaxing vibe. Great place to converse and relax with a drink. This spot is perfect for a date night or simply to just listen to great music with a friend. Highly recommend read more

Love going here with my friends for a fun night! The drinks are not expensive and are decently priced! The live music was wonderful and the atmosphere is gorgeous. My only issue with this place was the bartender being very greedy. He would yell at us very often about tipping when we would tip online and more that Id rather not get into. The service from the back bar just really ruined my experience here and I hope to not have the same experience if I do return. I do recommend coming here for the music though ! read more

It's one of my favorite spots in the city. The front room has a more typically dive bar atmosphere with the pool table and the rock music. The back room is my favorite, with the live DJ and the hip hop or throwback hits. Well drinks are reasonably priced and the staff is super cool, especially Thomas. He's the best! read more

aliveOne - Front room - Dive Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Bartenders know how to get down, Stephen Mackey gave 10/10 service and knows how to make a mean gin fizz. Rumor has it he was one a famous stand up? Definitely can envision it. Will definitely visit just for him! read more

This place is super fun to go to. I've only been here twice but the bartenders are super friendly. Happy hour everyday for the first two hours which is amazing. Pool table is decent. There is nothing super flashy about this place which I like, it's just a good bar. read more

Love the Tuesday happy hour music. Thomas the bartender plays his selected favorites instead of the jukebox....great way to unwind after work. Thanks Thomas! read more

DO. NOT. GO. I have never actually had the fear of god put in me by a bar's security guard until I stepped into this bar. I felt so extremely UNSAFE. The security was EXTREMELY aggressive, the door opened on accident and the guard handled it poorly. I will never step foot into this unsafe environment ever again. read more

So I resisted reviewing this place for the longest time because I wanted to keep the crowds away. Now that they are reopening after COVID, I figured they will need every bit of business we can bring them. Here is the short story - this may be the best bar in the universe. Want proof? Friendliest bartenders around - I often come alone to chill after work and have become friendly with half the staff just by being around. Half off EVERYTHING happy hour MONDAY THROUGH FUCKING FRIDAY 5pm-7pm/ drink specials all night every night. Enough said. Best low pressure dance parties on the weekends in the back room. Drinking and people watching on the couches in the back room. Live music played by their resident band and guests every Thursday (like who has a resident band anymore!). No TV. Hate TV in my bar, gives me ADHD. Badass dingy art everywhere. Clean bathrooms. Multiple bathrooms. You can bring your own food. Please pick up after yourself when you bring your own food. Random conversations with total strangers. Zach! Did I mention no TV? read more

This was a very nice local bar. Definitely seemed like a place that many people like to go to hangout. If you come early it a nice place to chill and talk. Later in the night definitely very packed with lively vibe. There is one pool table and they have another room at the back for live music/DJs with a separate bar. The vibe in the back room was energetic with a lot of people dancing. Plus there was a dico ball. read more

Went to AliveOne for happy hour recently and had an awesome time. Chloe behind the bar was such a vibe and really took care of us. Great service and great atmosphere. read more

Came here for my sister birthday and she was able to rent out the back room for 4 hours. Perfect amount of space for our friends and family. The bartenders were so sweet and we were able to play our music over their speaker system. Everyone had a blast. The only downside was that we kept having random people come into our party even though there was a sign saying the room was reserved until a certain time. That was pretty annoying, but overall we had a blast. read more

Low key spot with great specials. Live music in the back and free pool. Muisc in the ft was pretty good and bartender super nice . very welcomed. read more

aliveOne - Margarita. - Dive Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

We love alive one it is our favorite bar in chicago! shoutout to everyone that works there! especially my girl anne! read more

aliveOne - back bar - Dive Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Bartender dropped my friend's credit card in the trash, proceeded to avoid eye contact with us as her coworker tried to find it, eventually the second guy found it in the trash. We asked if we could get a free drink as like a "oops sorry for making you think you lost your credit card" and they could not be bothered. Boooooo. Lame. Not nice at all. Also def lots of underage kids here. read more

So this place looks cool, but . But u put money at the Jukebox and bartender skips all the music U play . I wEnt to ask what happened ,she told me that music I played is not what she likes so she just skipped it, offered money back, I told her it's kinda weird. If u have jukebox and take money for it, how can you skip what ppl play. Just don't go to this bar., experience was not pleasant at all. And by the way that bartender girl is a manager now, so it will get even worse . read more

aliveOne - So this place looks cool, but . But u put money at the Jukebox and bartender skips all the music U play . I wEnt to ask what happened - Dive Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I love this place. So versatile. You could go there for a nice quiet drink during the week, or dance your heart out on a Saturday night. Zach is the best ever! Also super easy to rent our their back room! I rented it for my boyfriend's birthday, and you can rent it for FREE (have to hit a certain minimum), but so great for birthday parties, small group gatherings, or even formal dances. Really really love this place. read more

I love this little place. It's such a great find in the neighborhood. Nice little divey-ish bar with live music. The staff is nice. The venue isn't tiny, but has a significant amount of room. There's plenty of space at the bar. There's also a few high top tables and the back area has a pool table and some couch seating. Also, the very back-back room plays live music at night. Great find indeed and no cover. They got drink deals, as well. I can't really make this review any shorter, but cool vibe. Great spot. Free live music. Good drink deals. Definitely worth checking out. read more

Hands down one of my favorite bars in Chicago! Everyone and I mean EVERYONE that works there is amazing! It has a super awesome atmosphere where you can go to hangout with friends or bring a date. It has pool, music, and very reasonably priced drinks for the area. Perfect place in my opinion! read more

Great place for a Saturday night in Lincoln Park. Great music, reasonable drinks, fun crowd.

Do you ever have those days when you want to listen to great music, but don't want to bourdon of queuing up songs? You've found it! Great atmosphere full of a friendly staff and great drinks. Generally a younger crowd. I can take my friends here or relax by myself and have welcoming conversation with Zach or any of the other team members. You like Gwen Stefani? Go. You like Grateful Dead? Go. You like CREED? Maybe not the place to go.. 5 Stars read more

This place is a great neighborhood dive. It's good for smaller group gatherings, it works out pretty great as a date spot. Originally I picked this place because my boyfriend likes rock music. I don't care much for rock, but second time I came to this place I found out about the hip hop. One of my friends who is best described as the Gandalf the party wizard from friends, wanders to the back of the bar and comes back telling us we have to go check it out. Full on hip hop in the back. Chill in the main area of the bar to ice break, then head on over to the back. read more

I'm a jukebox fanatic! Being a musician I like to entertain people. I like to see people having a good time. This place has one of the best, most unique jukeboxes in the City. With the majority of selections being live recordings and bootlegs, your favorite songs now have a new life with versions you may not have heard! The front room is decorated with rock posters and memorabilia, a huge American flag type art sculpture streams out over the bar calling you in...give me your tired, your poor, your thirsties! The place is casual but not crappy. Service is good and seats are plentiful on weeknights. There is a tiny room in back with its own bar for private parties and they even have bands once in a while. read more

anne behind the bar was PHENOMENAL. great service, great conversation, and the BEST old fashioned i have ever had. i'll be back later this week! read more

This is someplace I might have frequented in my 20's. A kind of dark, divvy, hipster bar with a pool table. Their drink prices are a bit steep for the place, cocktail choices etc. They also got some shady business going on behind the bar. Two drinks first price $24. Second round same drinks $21. It's called bartenders choice and it's shady business. All in all this appears to be a local hangout or hideout for the "cool" kids ie 20-30's crowd with an affinity for all things from the 80's. read more

Overall: Great not-so-hole-in-the-wall place that offers a dive-y feel while still being professional and overall awesome. The good: Great beer selection and a great dive bar atmosphere that's still "clean" if that makes sense. You come here for the vibe, good music, and humble atmosphere. The back room can get kickin' too which is always fun. The bad: Some taps are more expensive than they probably should be. That's about it! Atmosphere: 9/10 Service: 9/10 read more

Excellent late night bar. Wide variety of quality micro-brews on tap, pool table, juke box playing good music, cool people, place gives off a good vibe.. Dance floor / DJ area in the back. There is something for everyone here. read more

I love the vibe of this bar. The art and memorabilia is really cool and it goes hand in hand with the amazingness which is the jukebox! I only wish I wasn't there on a Saturday because it was too crowded to get around and check it all out. I didn't even realize until the very end of the night that there was a dj (playing GOOD 90's music) and dancing in the back room. Note to self - Tuesday has the $2 pint deal. Both are good to know for next time. read more

The Mr. and I were early for a group dinner reservation across the street at Sapori Trattoria so we decided to head across the street to aliveOne for a drink while we waited. It was Saturday night around 7:30... and we were the ONLY ONES IN THE PLACE. It was heaven. I had a flashback of being a drunken 20-something and being with a big group of people that got ourselves kicked out ages and ages ago... But that was a younger, less intelligent Natalie S. My guy was thrilled the Blackhawks game was on and we chatted up the super friendly bartender. He was accommodating and even let me have a mostly full second glass of wine on the house, just so he could get rid of the bottle. THAT'S service. Now that I am the mature, more intelligent Natalie S. that is far too old to be kicked out of a bar (ahem), we need to head back and check out the live music. I'd definitely go back. read more

aliveOne was the perfect place to host a private party and the back room was such a cool space. Everyone had a blast and Thomas was the best bartender. Highly recommend for a private party and be sure to ask for Thomas as the bartender! read more