Older crowd, yes. Crowded, no. Standing room, yes but awkward. Touristy, yes but somehow everybody seems to mesh into this divey scene. Get there early so you can find a seat and enjoy the live bluesy stylings of the great folks on stage. We were lucky to grab some stools in the back by the bar. If you're by the bar, you'll immediately see the wall adorned with currency from all over the world. When we were there that night, we were sitting near a couple from Australia, who'd happened to have met another Aussie couple, also there on vacay. Folks from France, Spain... who would've thought that this place was a destination for the city's international visitors? Great performances, reasonable prices-- a place I wouldn't mind frequenting with visiting friends in tow. read more

This was my very first Blues Club I visited in Chicago. What great experiences & memories I've had here. First I love the Blues, but nothing captures that feeling more so when your in Chi town and in a setting so humbling as Blues Chicago! This is one of those places that gives me goosebumps every time I walk in! From the music to the ambiance of this hole in the wall, raw Blues experience. It's a magical place for me, like no where on earth! read more

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I LOVE BLUE CHICAGO! I will NEVER forget when I came here a few years ago and met Big Time Sarah and the Big Time Express. My pal Sarah and I had to blow off some steam after a really horrendously trying exam in dental school. We decided to go to Blue Chicago to experience some low-key blues music. We were NOT disappointed. We took a seat at the bar and were served right away by the bartender. The drinks weren't too overly pricey but of course, being professional school students, we stuck to bottles of beer as our go-to drink of the night. When Big Time Sarah and the Big Time Express go up on stage and began, it felt like an intimate jazz session amongst friends. The vibe was so amazingly chill and I felt the very soul of Jazz and Blues from within the bands music. What was amazing was that we could tell that the musicians LOVED playing together, joking around and having Big Time Sarah sass at them. She was that perfect blend of sassy and sweet on stage. Not only that, but we also met her in the bathroom during the break between sets, and struck up a conversation with her. She was so lovely and amazing to talk to! And then, wouldn't you know it? SHE SANG A SONG FOR US THAT NIGHT THAT SHE HAD WRITTEN AFTER MEETING US! And it was ABOUT us! She had us up on stage with her at one point and I cannot tell you how awesome that was to blow off steam with blues and jazz with a truly amazing singer like Big Time Sarah. To have her dedicate a song for us was truly a memorable experience. read more

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. read more

I'm rating this as 5 stars, with the qualifier that this is a fantastic true blues bar. It is not fancy and in fact it's somewhat of a hole in the wall type of place, but if you want a true blues bar experience, this is it. Great music the night we went, and definitely not an experience I could have back in Boise. Also, I don;t want to scare anyone off with the hole in the wall comment, it's completely clean and a safe environment, it just has the atmosphere of a neighborhood bar. If you have any inclination to go to a blues bar, do not hesitate and just go. read more

While the music is good, there was one server and one bar tender. In addition, guy at door, very unfriendly and rude. Same with bartender. He even wanted to confront me when I asked door man about a position of one of our stools. Aside from their customer unfriendly attitudes, venue needs to be bigger. If stuck by front door, one cannot see the band. read more

This place blows away "House of Blues" or other commercialized spots. Really small place so you're right there with the blues artists. Friendly bar staff too. Very easy to relax and enjoy the blues! read more

One of the best music clubs I've ever been to. It's narrow, long and no fancy deco. But it's vintage and it creates an awesome vibe. Great sound even for it's small space. Only the great musicians get hired to play here. Good (not water-down) mixed drinks for about $7 and $4 beers (if I remember correctly, hee-hee). There is two Blue Chicago clubs in the vicinity and if you pay your $5 cover at any of the two, it is good for the two clubs. So you get two cool clubs for one cover price. Blues or Jazz with a cool vibe and great drinks x 2 = one small cover price. You just can't go wrong here. I always recommend Blue Chicago to people I know that travel to Chi-town. read more

For the real blues music club experience, this must be your stop. Cover charge only $10 and good drink prices. I visit this place every time in Chicago read more

Great little hole in the wall club. Great music. Cheap drinks. Loved the atmosphere.

Enjoyed a night cap and some salty blues at this hole in the wall bar. They have multiple sets which makes for a cool evening

I go to this place everytime I travel to the windy city! It is always packed, even on a Monday so get there EARLY!!! Can be hard to move around. Don't like the cover charge but at least your sure to get a good show This is the real thing, down and dirty. read more

It is not difficult to have correct times on yelp, Google, and one's website. This place has incorrect times everywhere. If I would've known they were going to close earlier than stated on their website, I would have gone to a different part of town, but because it said they would be open I came here instead. Then when I got here they were "closed" and it was too late for me to go somewhere else. Purposeful wrong advertising. And the workers were rude about their company's false advertising. read more

This place is legit! Love it. And for downtown-an $8 cover is cheap! Yes, a bit touristy-but I'm totally okay with tourists gettin this impression of Chicago. The place is on the smaller side and on the, teetering towards dive bar side, and that's the best! It's not pretentious at all. Just good ole music lovin fun! read more

Blue Chicago - Dance party! - Jazz & Blues Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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A true dive bar with some great live music. It's filled with tourists who are looking to enjoy some Chicago blues music downtown. Drinks are cheap and was hard to get service. They pack a lot of people into a small space. There is a cover charge. read more

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 ... read more

Blue Chicago - Great band! - Jazz & Blues Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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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. read more

No. I guarantee that everyone in there was going home to master-bate. Cover charge was high and band was just ok. Nowhere to sit or even stand. Just glad that we left and found a better place. Won't be coming back to this shit hole. Could be a cool little place but with the asshole staff and the tools standing around whacking each other off- it ruins it. I would not recommend this place- read more

Blue Chicago was a hole in the wall gem! I went there on a Sunday night. Cover was $10, no lines, and they had a live blues band. I immediately started dancing. People of all ages come here, and the diversity made it a lot of fun! It has a dive bar feel; a bit worn and dated. Not a place to dress up for, but definitely a place where you can cut back and enjoy yourself. read more

What a legendary treasure of a night spot! It's jenky. It's slightly smelly. It's tiny. But it's fun! Skip the tourist trap across the street and come here instead. read more

Blue Chicago - Jazz & Blues Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Update: Blue Chicago has contacted me, apologized and offered a night out~ on them. Apology accepted, although still apprehensive about giving them another try :/ read more

Went here upon a friend's recommendation, and it was just okay. The music had the potential to be really good, but the band playing that night wasn't my favorite. Oh well. Their sound system is pretty good. The drinks were a little expensive for my taste ($5 for a Corona? Maybe I'm just cheap), and the drink menu was VERY limited. I wouldn't mind coming back again for a better band. The cover charge was $8, which isn't too terrible, I guess. read more

Woohoo!! Its tiny its sweaty..it screams BLUES as no one else. I prefer intimate hubs like these, than the swanky upscale Blues get ups...any day. By the time you leave, you would have danced with happy people...hummed to your favorite blues...sung your share on stage with the artists...and had enough to leave u with a happy buzz for the night. My routine is to go lounge at Fado's Irish pub and then hit this place as soon as the show starts...which is usually around 8pm. That way my night is made...from good old guiness to the Blues. BLUE CHICAGO - Hit it! read more

Really cool place, super talented artists. It's got the feel of a dive bar - it's not huge. The staff is really nice. It's easy to get to and close to transportation. Don't expect much aside from blues - that's what they do. They did take requests and though they didn't know any of the ones I asked for, they did play Dr. John knowing that my husband and I were from New Orleans - it was much appreciated! read more

Fun place! Get there early (they open an hour before the music starts, usually) as the seats go quick. The bar seats are actually quite good for the music. Note that all of the standing space will also be filled, so it gets pretty crowded. Check for the drink specials. I also agree with the tip of starting at Fado's Irish pub and heading over here once it opens. read more

I've been to the place several times and have never rated it, but whether you're just passing through Chicago, or you're lucky enough to call this amazing city your home, Blue Chicago is it is ABSOLUTELY worth checking out!!! TRUE talent...simple as that. read more

Excellent blues singers! Great and friendly spot to just hang out! And enjoy a drink and Entainmemt!

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

Blue Chicago - Men's bathroom. Hilarious. - Jazz & Blues Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Went here to listen to Blues. The place is relatively small and the facilities are at best OK. The chairs are sparse, the restrooms run down. However, the music is really good. They have a great bar and provides a rather diverse program of entertainment. The music is fantastic, the settings and the service maybe not quite up to the quality of music. read more

I am an unabashed fan of this place. Yes, it's a bit of a tourist trap located in River North walking distance from all of the major convention hotels. Yet I've never had a bad time here. The talent onstage is always top notch , the crowd is always receptive and the drinks are always poured with a heavy hand. Reasonable cover charge and friendly waitstaff, this is a great spot to end your evening. read more

I recently moved out of Chicago and honestly, I miss the place the most. Its quaint, chill, solid blues. Not sure what else you really need. Check it out - I plan to head back when i'm in town! read more

Very cool little hole-in-the-wall place! Now I'm probably not the best person to review Blue Chicago, given the fact that we didn't spend much time there seeing as it was the last night of our Chi-town trip. But I felt uber-guilty for not having checked out the blues scene at all up until that point so a quick pop in was better than not at all! Our days were just jam packed and we were usually pretty wiped by the time 9:00 PM or so came around, so we just kept putting it off! Man, we're getting old... Anyways, thankfully it was located (conveniently) only steps away from our hotel. Not sure that I would go out of my way to do it or that I'd make a return trip next time I'm in town considering how much there is to do in the city but if you're looking for something to do and like good music and cheap drinks, it's hard to go wrong. Even for an 80s pop-rock aficionado such as myself (I know, I know) it's a great time. We saw The Shirley Johnson Blues Band who were fantastic, though I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that all of their house acts are probably pretty tight. Considering the quality of the talent, the $8.00 cover charge is more than reasonable. The atmosphere is super, exactly what you'd want and expect from a tiny (and it is pretty small!) place like this. Not a lot of space to manoeuver and you're pretty lucky if you get a seat. But it really is the sort of place that you're not going to mind one bit in either event. So I might check out Buddy Guy's next time around or see what my other nightlife options are if we manage to take it a bit easier on the sightseeing! But certainly no hesitation in recommending this place...straight up old school charm. read more

Blue Chicago - The very excellent Shirley Johnson Blues Band. - Jazz & Blues Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Just loved this place and the music was terrific. The grumpy bar tender couldn't even leave us disappointed. If you're looking for good music and straight up drink choices, this is the place. Again, just loved it hear and will be back soon. read more

Blue Chicago is a great, intimate (read: crowded) spot to catch some live blues in the city. However-if you live in the city, I recommend you go elsewhere. While the act was great and the bartenders friendly (to me at least) this is a tourist trap-we just got too annoyed left after about an hour. If you're visiting Chicago-definitely stop in, have a cold Miller Lite, sing along, and hit up the mini dance floor in front of the stage. Blue Chicago has a great central location to hotels, restaurants and other nightlife and they really do put on a great show. Just be prepared for $10 cash cover on the weekends (not sure about week nights). read more

All I can say is WOW! In from California and just thought we would be hearing a little blues. Not the case here. The band is incredible and the singer Sheryl Youngblood. u won't forget her when u c and HEAR her. She is over the top! The real freaking Blues Deal! Gotta c her read more

Great music - even early in the evening when I came by. The size of this place means everyone is close to the stage. -1 for no draft beer.

We ended up here purely by accident, and had such a great time! We wanted to see some blues during our short trip- and this was the perfect place to do it! The night that we went the band playing was lead by an amazing lady who has her portrait painted on the wall- so I can only imagine she is a chicago legend. The music was great- it was not that packed and we got seats right at the bar. It was like pulling teeth to get service though, Granted we were there and closed the place down, but the bartender sat there counting her tips ignoring us instead of serving us alcohol- to make her more tips! It was so bad, that by our second round the other bartender came over and gave us a round for free- wooohoo! read more

A small Blues bar, come before the show starts to get a good seat. The drinks are good and reasonably priced. The staff is friendly. The Sheryl Youngblood band was terrific especially the lead guitarist and the keyboard player. Sheryl was good, but not great read more

Smaller, intimate dive bar. Lots of character. Came to see a buddy play on a Monday, really enjoyed ourselves. Peaches sang (subbed for Grana Louise), and was great too. Good crowd, lotta tourists, bit on the stiff side. Bop along with the music, people, have some fun! Only annoyance was the waitress who got everyone else's drinks (including Hubby's) but kept forgetting mine. Gave up and went straight to the bar, very friendly guy. read more

Exactly what one would want from a blues bar; dimly lit, a bar tender with a very heavy hand and most importantly soulful live music. The cover here was incredibly reasonable at only $8 with a one drink minimum (or maybe I am just used to my native LA where a $15 cover and 2 drink minimum wouldn't be uncommon) I walked so I am unsure of the parking situation. The bartender was very tentative for being the only one making drinks for a full house, less than a 3 min wait for you drink. This place is literally 10 steps away from the Aloft hotel which means I could drink as much as I wanted and crawl home. Next time I am in Chicago I will be back, hell I'll probably be back before my flight home. read more