I miss this place but I want the old Estelle's back! I used to live around the corner and every Tuesday night would hit this bar up. Why? Because on Tuesday's most of the beers they sell are only $2! It's right off the Damen blue line which also makes it super accessible and by 1:30 am the place is packed. If you're lucky enough to get a table the wait staff isn't bad at all for such a crowded and compact place. My only gripe is $2 Tuesdays doesn't stay a secret for long and I started seeing an influx of obnoxious dudes "woo!-ing" every ten minutes. They'd be so loud even the bartenders got annoyed because they wouldn't be able to hear your order. Not to mention they'd order PBR's (practically defeating the purpose of having most your bottles and all your draughts of good beer discounted...but I digress.) Anyway, cool place with a good vibe, but after about 1:30 on Tuesdays if your looking a calmer, quieter atmosphere you'll be out of luck. read more

When I was a young hipster in Chicago I loved this place and now that I am a creepy old guy, I still love this place. Where else have I been offered kissing lessons from a pretty red head 20 years younger than me? Well, one other place, but let's not count that. Well, it happened here, and could happen again. On a recent occasion we went here and drank and drank some more. Beers, shots, mixers, all mixed together when just outside the Wicker Park insanity is going on? Yep. This place is crazy and fun on the weekends. It is crazy fun! Oh, and the food is good. The garlic cheese fries are a favorite. A drunk and very pretty all American corn fed blond girl lost her phone! Oh the shock! She then came up and had me go through her purse to look for it. Who does that? I don't even know your name drunk pretty engineer from Iowa girl and you have your arm around me and are touching my leg and asking me to put my fingers in your..... purse? Yep, I put my hand in her bag. Well, my two female friends tried to help her also but then she just exclaimed "I am way to drunk to even use a phone anyhow. This sucks. It sucks" then she left a while later with some swarthy looking guys. A younger man might have wound up in her apartment for the night. A younger man probably did, and I bet they had fun! Word to the wise. Don't leave your phone in your jacket pocket as it hangs on the bar stool, or leave it on a table. There is a lot of traffic in and out so be careful (this goes for every bar in Chicago). As my friend Kyle H put in his review, the staff here are awesome, but someone might steal your jacket. Careful, the in-and-out guys who steal phones (sorry drunk Iowa blond) and jackets (sorry Kyle H.) are a problem at many of the Wicker Park super busy places that is open past 2 am and serving booze. Danny's has a coat check for a reason! Dumb and wacky fun to be had: Estelle's! Open past 2 am baby! Oh the joy, oh god I am getting old. Keep kicking ass Estelle! Who was Estelle anyhow? read more

Service is kinda slow but foood is worth the wait. The nachos and loaded fries hit the spot. The burgers look nice and plump with a generous serving of crispy fries! The nachos come with steak or chicken, jalepenos, cheese, etc- your standard BUT the type of tortilla chips they use are the crispy restaurant style kinds!!! I was thrilled and they were extra crunchy! The loaded fries came with queso and bacon. It was good! Im not a big fan of bacon but my friends loved it. The fries underneath were nice and crispy. Overall... I was upset at how slow the food came out. But service was friendly and food was good so I cant complain read more

Came here on a Friday night and it was packed. I realized one thing bad about Chicago, the lack of beautiful women. This place was pretty chill, the drinks nice and cheap. The bartenders were fast and courteous. It wasn't too loud, but it was a bit dark. We came here after every other placed was packed with lines out of the door. We stayed till closing, so it must have been worthy enough for us to stay that long. read more

This place has crappy hippy service. Never again. Why should we have to go up to the bar to get our drinks when we are sitting at a booth? Where did all the servers go?? read more

I've had average nights at Estelle's. I've had terrible nights at Estelle's. I've had incredible nights at Estelle's. Yea its dirty and dark but you get a pretty fine sample of every type of young drunk Chicagoan in one place. You can drink at other places but you can't really have the same type of experience. Sit at a booth for a couple hours and you'll never know who'll barge in next to you and either creep you out or start a very intelligent conversation. The bouncer can be an asshole but he has a long night of dealing with every type of bro, douchebag, hipster, druggie, and whore ahead of him so just be patient cause the line does get long after 2 AM. I don't know what all the complaints are about the drinks. I think the prices are about average for wicker park. They're about the same as Tavern. read more

They were playing Vanilla Sky and the Birdcage on their little bar TV of the few times I went there. Always good movies on. I don't know who's manning the DVD or BluRay player but they doing a great job. Notice I said little bar TV; you ain't gone showered in the bright flickering glow of 18 million bro-bar-esque 52-inch plasmas. Cozy. Low ceiling. Nice dive-bar lighting without the smell of cigarette-soaked pleather walls of an actual dive bar. Estelles is an evolved dive bar. They have some booths up front which are pretty nice for larger parties. They also have some more intimate seating in the back; but there's kind kid a lot of foot traffic that way thanks to the bathrooms being in the back as well. This is a late-night bar so its a great place to start and end the night. Although to be honest I don't really know where else your going in the hood, this is one of the last few great bars in the hood; not the only, I didn't say only, I said it's among the greats still left in Wicker. The food is decent. I got fries once, they was good. I don't know, it's bar food. Private pooper. Nice place to pop in and unload. Stretch those legs out. The graffiti is kinda funny. read more

my first time here and the bartender had an attitude right from the start and swearing saying "this is a grown up place we swear if you don't like it don't go to bars" and saying he can do whatever he wants being very disrespectful so never even got one drink but no good bars would let their employees swear at customers its The service/ hospitali business you don't swear around customers read more

I used to despise Estelle's because it was basically a shooting gallery (e.g. junkie hangout). Not so many junkies in the hood anymore, and after temporarily closing their doors (I thought cops shut it down) they surprised me by opening back up, remodeled and ready for a new life. I don't go when it's crowded, but have had a good time on weeknights after a Double Door show. Musicians playing at DD are known to come hang out after. I have a hilarious story about a date who tried to sleep with Ed Harcourt there. read more

Estelle's - Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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I usually want to take 4 showers when I get home from here. Something about the crowd and the close quarters make you feel like you're in a walking, breathing STD. It's a total meat-market, as are most 4am "last-chance" bars. I don't like crowds too much, and it's really small for all the people that crowd in here, touching parts of you that you didn't know existed with their writhing sweatiness. That said, it's fine if you're not there for the post-2am douchebaggery. (If you are out that late, I prefer Nick's.) The cheap drink specials are a great deal, though. read more

I'm holding a mad grudge against Estelle's. On my birthday - my ACTUAL birthday, i went to Estelle's with some friends after a show at the Double Door. I thought, 'Hey! I'm one of the only girls in here. I'm not terribly ugly and it's my date of birth. Free shot, right?!' WRONG. I had to BEG the bartender for a measly shot. The place was dead. It's not like he was crunched on shot-pouring time. It's also not like anyone is going to get jealous of the birthday girl getting one free shot. Riots are not going to break out. Jesus! So after many minutes of begging. After agonizing moments of the bartender studying my ID with the same intensity you'd give a BioChem study guide, he eventually poured me a shot of cheap whiskey. Moral of the story is: Don't go to Estelle's on your birthday. And if you're my friend, don't go to Estelle's ANYday. read more

This is probably my favorite after hours place. I've met a couple good friends from this place, and I usually wind up here at least once per weekend. The drinks are moderately priced and I love the staff. Not to mention, you can usually catch Shaun of the Dead or the Big Lebowski playing, which are two of my favorite movies. All in all, this was one of the first bars that I happened upon while visiting Chicago. Now that I live here, it's definitely one of my favorites. read more

Why do people love Estelle's so much? I am bored out of my damn mind every time I come here. It is so hard to get to the bar, the tables are always occupied, the bathroom absolutely sucks, and it is so damn loud. I don't mind noise, as long as it is good noise. Why would you spend time here when you can go ANYWHERE else? Wise up and go elsewhere. read more

Recently my roommate wont go anywhere else. "Where do you want to go tonight?" "Estelle's." "But we've gone to Estelle's every weekend for the past 3 weeks!" "What? I like Estelle's!" I like Estelle's, I do, just not every weekend. But it's a 5 minute from our place, J Wellingtons is on our way home and you always talk to very interesting people. People seem more friendly in Estelle then a lot of other bars in the area. Maybe it's because its open till 5 am and all the guys just want someone to go home with? Even if that's there intention you still get to meet new people- with out even going home with them! I find the drinks pretty reasonable and they have really good beer on tap. I gotta get myself to $2 Tuesdays! My one complaint- 1 stall for the girls bathroom. Really? 1? With every drinking till 5 am, don't you think you could afford to expand the bathroom. But at least you always have a interesting conversation with the 7 people waiting for the bathroom! read more

Let's start out by saying I am a bit bias as this is where the lady friend and I met a lil over tres anos ago. Well actually by the dumpsters in the alley but that's another story altogether. That important piece of news aside, I do find myself coming back frequently. There is always an array of interesting characters to mingle with, food is served late into the night, and if you wanna get crazy they have fin de monde, as well as several different great beers. Usually not crazy crowded which makes for good drinking, and the staff is pleasantly sympathetic to our inebriated selves. Definitely one of my favorite spots at this 6 corners. read more

It's THE place in Wicker Park to go when it's late, you're bored, and want to hang out with other people who've already gotten pretty drunk. My strategy is usually to move in on someone's booth, politely ask to sit on the end with my friend, and eavesdrop on their conversations. I had no idea Estelle's served food- I've only been there after 2:00 on weekends... The bathrooms are freaky- there used to be a guy lurking in the ladies room who looked like Jesse from the "Who wants to be a VJ?" contest and he tried to sell me coke once. One of the waitresses HATED one of my friends- we went there pretty regularly for awhile, and she was rude. The staff doesn't exactly have time to be friendly when the place is packed, but sheesh. read more

Go to Estelles if you want to get laid. The girl to guy ratio is really good, the later it is, the more desperate people will be and you will/ could totally get some drunken sex! So for a pick up bar it's pretty good, and for girls getting free drinks its pretty good. Just watch for other things you can pick up from the regulars. read more

Great Chicago bar to stop in any night for a drink. Specials on all the slow nights. Food. A ton of personality and with good old flicks being played to help entertain you. Better late than early. read more

I decided to stop by here with a group of friends after seeing the crazy long line at Empire Liquors. It is a typical Wicker Park dive bar with cheap drinks. Well vodka is only $5.50. It was pretty crowded, but the bartender made the drinks fast and strong. There is also a waitress who came around periodically to see if we needed any refills. The bar really isn't anything special, but we had a good time. My major complaint... one person bathrooms?! Come on Estelle's! read more

Dive bar, nice seats, affordable drinks, what's not to like?

Estelle's is place we go when we want to grab a seat, have a good conversation while getting silly drunk on the cheap all in the mix of loud music. Honestly there is really nothing too special about this spot but its a good standby bar. Granted, I have never been here late night or when it has been real crowded and I like it that way. The staff is super friendly and didn't even flinch, roll their eyes or even sigh when I ordered my lone Miller Light in a sea of PBR. That's my kind of place. Thanks for making a Lakeview girl feel welcome in the WP. read more

Complete with a top notch jukebox selection, is my most frequented 4am bar in the neighborhood. There just isn't a better place to get a cheap drink. Of the many bars I've patrolled between here and there, this is the most sociable of the bunch. When I no longer had to show my ID at the door, I knew that local status had been obtained. I've had some good times here and some sloppy times here. If you want to feel like a king for a day, then come on Tuesday and buy everyone some $2 beers. It's a late night crowd, so don't expect it to be busy until 2am. Personally, the food is what tempts me most often. Bar nosh wins me pretty quickly. Anytime that I'm feeling like chicken fingers, seasoned fries, and whatever's on tap, I head to Estelle's. Oh, and I hope that you don't mind the smell of urinal cakes. Welcome to the heart of the Crotch. read more

I hadn't been to Estelle's since I lived down North Avenue several years ago. It was nearly empty early on this Wednesday evening, and there was only one bartender. I appreciated that I could (for the most part) hear my conversation. Jimi Hendrix kept popping up on the jukebox. I like Hendrix, but is there not enough variety in the playlist? We didn't stay long enough to order the portabella fries. My curiosity regarding those alone might bring me back. The dim lighting and carmine walls provide a great lounge environment. I'd hate to be there when it was crowded though. read more

Estelle's is great. The pinnacle of dive. It knows what it is and it does that well. I have come here after a lot of bad nights but I think only once on a Tuesday. They make food til super late (but I've never ordered it) and they have great beer. It's a dingy little place, but that is what makes it so good. Great jukebox. My friend and I went here super late on his last night in Chicago before moving away permanently. It's sort of fitting that Estelle's, in all its gritty honest glory, is the last place we went. Of course there are hipsters. It's Wicker Park and like it or not, this is essentially their territory, so I'm always confused when people are surprised and offended at their presence. Obviously you can't put a 'no hipsters allowed' sign up (it's not like anyone identifies as one, that's the whole point of being one) so you either avoid it or you go anyway and just give people your judgmental face. read more

I really like it here. I really do. It's open till the wee hours, the BLT and fries are what GOD himself intended it to be and drinks are cheap. The service, crowd, and music are pretty entertaining too. Bring an open mind. read more

This is your average Wicker dive. Some people are just obsessed with it but I don't really understand why. Good with friends or a date. Inexpensive and decent service. read more

I'm not sure if I happened to show up on hipster night, but I found this bar to be incredibly obnoxious. I can see the potential. The drink selection is great, the prices are not bad for the city, the setting is intimate and not at all dirty, but oh the customers! Normally I can deal with all sorts of people, but we were there on a Friday night, which may have been our own mistake, and the place was so crowded it was hard to stand in one place. The crowd was very young as well, and I am pretty sure a good amount of the patrons were probably not even legal. I could like this bar, I could even love it, but the vast quantity of hipsters were just too much for me, so I don't think I could hang out here until that trend has passed. Hopefully there are other nights that aren't so bad. read more

$2 Tuesdays!!! I've never been any other day of the week, but their $2 deals are the best. Half Acre Daisy cutter drafts for $2?! Yes please! They have a great craft beer selection on the cheap. One night we had Anna as our server. She is da bomb. I mean she made a good enough impression for me to remember her name and mention her in a review weeks later. The crowd was a strange mix, but in a fun way. No one was outwardly offensive which is all that really matters. I've heard from my guy friends that the dude's bathroom is scary. The women's bathroom has chalk paint and chalk, because what better to do then draw on the walls while peeing? 4am bar. I'm barely in my 20's and I already feel too old to be out that late, but if that's your thing then this is a good place for you. read more

Not bad for an after-hours. OK so it's not the same as "old" Estelle's, get over it. I'm less worried about getting shot down the street from it these days as well. I liked the old place (anywhere with a Kyuss album in the juke scores instant points with me) but the new one is decent in its own right. The food is nothing special, and the fact they have a kitchen seems just an excuse to have a liquor license anyhow. The scene, as other reviewers have stated, is alright before the other local places close...sorta low key, good chill place with a good juke. At 2 AM however, it's like a series of short yellow buses let off their incontinent passengers outside all at once. Overall you can do worse for an after-hours place, but they're all cut from basically the same cloth in this neighborhood anyhow so take your pick. You know what you're getting. read more

Oh, Estelles. How many mistakes must I make here before I realize I should never return. After 2am nothing good can ever happen. read more

not impressed, not impressed in the slightest. While I only stayed for one drink, it was because I just had to get the hell out of here. We sat down at one of the tables as we were looking for a place to keep drinking at. Estelle's seemed to be the option. While it was busy, the waitress was certainly findable and she blew us off every time we tried to get here attention so that we could get a drink and possibly some food. She was consistently taking care of the table next to us, but seemed to be blowing off some other tables as well. So, we ordered our drinks from the bar. It took a bit to get our drinks from the bar, but that was more due to how busy it was. Still, the waitress kept walking past us and we still tried to ask her if we could have a drink and she couldn't be bothered. We pretty much just got fed up and left. The food may be good and the beer list looks good, but I'm not gonna bother finding out as there are plenty of other places to go to get good beer and food read more

Wow! So went there to kill some time before going to a soft opening of a good friends restaurant down the street on Hoyne and North. Waited about 13 mins...no greeting, no eye contact. Completely ignored for a total of about 15 mins. Then told the guy working the fryer if he could ask the bartender to notice me. ...that did NOT work so I left. Bad bad horrible bartender. Get it together, if you can't handle 10 people in the place get a new job dude... HORRIBLE idea to go there and I usually like the place a lot read more

S'ok. I go here on occasion on weeknights to chat with friends. Never had the food. The price isn't too bad. I've never seen any cute guys in here but perhaps I was in on an off night or I am too picky. The booths are where its at, however! I think the weekends are too crowded. read more

$2 Tuesday. Nuff said. $2 to $3 for draft beers on Tuesday? At a late night bar? W good music? And many many brews to choose? This makes me happy. Especially considering my account is overdrawn right now but I just can't seem to take that as a reason to be more responsible w my money and not drink at all... Though I can't recall at this moment what exactly they are I know they do have pretty good specials on other days as well. So stop in and have a delicious brew. Try something new! Be advised this place is a little on the smaller side and fills up quickly after the 2am bars close. I recommend if you're planning to hit it up late night arrive by 130ish and get comfy! read more

Tuesday nights Tuesday nights Tuesday nights. $2 for most draft beer. I don't care how much you don't like hipsters. I like beer more than I dislike most people and their selection is fantastic. It gets crowded, be warned, but $2 for Half Acre or Three Floyds is worth it. read more

My favorite bar thus far that I've been to since moving to the neighborhood. Granted, we haven't even scratched the surface. But there's no pretension here. Pretty regular people come through here. And it's open until 5:00am on Saturdays? Mainly I like the $2 and $3 drafts on Tuesdays and great food specials on weekdays. While I could do without the TVs, it normally is playing something non-sports related which is a nice change given the 'bro' demographic much of the other Bucktown and WP bars (I see you Division Street) tend to attract. They also usually have one of Gumballhead or Zombie Dust, but not always. Still though, that's killer. read more

I walked up to the bar and Built to Spill's "The Plan" came on the jukebox. Followed shortly by the Weezer classic, "El Scorcho". I was smitten. Dark, small, and open till 4 AM. My new favorite bar in Chicago. read more

Estelle's is what it is and nothing more. I'll say it again; I don't really care for Wicker Park. Yet after reading other people's disgusted reviews of 'trixies' coming into what must be the Hipster Holy Grail, aka Estelle's, I feel I need to stand up for everyone who lives in LP, LV, GC, and other neighbors of mine who will clearly be given dirty looks, just like I am, whenever I go here. Here's what I'll say about Estelle's: +get there early on a Tuesday if you want to partake in the $2 beer special-it gets very crowded. +on weekends, get there before 1 or you will wait in a very long line after 2 especially. +the staff? they seem to be really nice to the regulars but not so nice to people they don't know or who look like they don't 'fit in' with the crowd. So, why do I even bother here? Because I have a single friend who loves Wicker Park, and I love her, so once in a while, I can tolerate the utter rudeness of regular patrons and staff here. Oh, but the doormen are nice and will chat while you're waiting. read more

I will always have a fond place in my heart for Estelle's since that is where I had my first legal drink. However, I only had that experience there because I lived in bucktown and it is a 4am bar. It's crowded and expensive, I haven't been back. read more

Cool spot located next to the El on North and Damen. I came here with my wife for the Labor Day weekend and we met up with some friends of mine that I hadn't seen in a while. The parking situation was the worst part of the night but, at that location on a Saturday night, what else could've been expected. The locale itself is very nice, the decore has somewhat of a contemp-posh feel so it's rather odd to see that Estelle's has a grill (for their food) right behind the bar. This does throw off the aesthetics but, in no way does it deter from Estelle's ambiance: romantically dark yet lively and up beat. This is the place for a drunk to chill out at. Speaking of drinks, My hat goes off to Estelle's ecclectic beer selection, whether it's from a bottle, can or on draft, Estelle's really delivers on the beer front [hat tip]. And, believe it or not, the food there is very descent. We ordered wings and fries, which were both good and, I finally got to see the grill in action! The only downside was that it did take a while for the grub to come out to us but, that gave us ample time to test out Estelle's beer selection, a suave move on Estelles part or lousy time mismanagement? Either way, I got tipsy and, at the end of the night, isn't it that what it's all about? read more