I don't know when Estelle's became a "cafe n lounge" because the last time I was there all it was was dirty and crowded. I am a tavern regular (any Estelle's lover's dreaded bar), so believe me, I understand the 2am crowd in wicker park. There are 3 options: nick's, estelle's, and tavern... take your pick. From what I can tell, there is something for everyone, but if everyone is still out that means these bars are crowded. My problem with Estelle's, however, is not the fact that it gets crowded. Like I said, I know Estelle's has its own set of regular customers and people who love it, but this is why I don't like it: 1) It's often not very clean. 2) The drinks are over priced, even for bucktown standards, and the bartenders don't even pretend to care whether you want a drink or not. 3) There's always a line at the door. If you don't get there before 1:30 the odds of getting in are less than slim to none. 4) The crowd can have an attitude. It's a different set than the lincoln park crowd, but they're just as snobby in their own way. If you're not like them, you're not cool enough. I used to like Estelle's, but from now on I'll pass. It gets 3 stars because it serves its purpose as a late-night bar, but otherwise, it would definitely be a 1-star kind of joint. read more

I have only been here a few times, but I have found myself having a good time there. I always forget about Estelles, but find myself saying that I should go there again just about every time I pass it on the street. So it isn't impressionable enough for me to form anysort of yay or nay, but perhaps if I hit it late night sat it might be a different story read more

stella artois for cheap? $8 burger? YES! having one waitress working on thanksgiving break week when all the college kiddies are here NO! double NO for stopping to hit on/serve every other table in a timely manner but ours. seriously are we ugly? haha. hire seasonal help or call in someone extra for the busiest drinking week of the year. that's what i say. i might give this place a second chance simply for the beer. read more

I think bars in this area can be very hit or miss, but Estelle's is a hit. From the wall art to the music, I love the atmosphere, and the fact that I've gone in wearing everything from a t-shirt to a three-piece suit and plastic crown on my birthday. Gets really crowded on the weekends, especially after 2am but I guess that's just the price of drinking on a Saturday. read more

Whats up my fellow winos! $2 beers on Tuesdays...any beer and open till 4am...awesome! I was there last night with Shake and Bake and Focos, another wino. Now you know what to do on Tuesday night...I have nothing else to say. read more

Yeah there's a high hipster quotient in this bar. Yeah the bathroom kind of sucks. Other than that I've always had great service from the bartenders and every time I've had the food it's been pretty decent. It's either this or Flat Iron, a lot of times this place is just easier to deal with. read more

Beer on the cheap. Beer on the cheap. Beer on the cheap. Staff here is very nice and they have a juxebox that I think has Pavement. Only reason I didn't give this place 5 stars is it gets sickeningly crowded on the weekends. Its a small bar. Did I mention anything about beer being on the cheap? read more

Aside from being leered at by some of the clientele the place was alright. A good late-night bar.

Late night dive.. always packed in the wee hours.. getting a table has been surprisingly easy if you keep your eyes open.. Food is good, what you would expect from a place like this but dont always get from other places.. Good daily specials read more

I love this hole-in-the- wall gem of wicker park! The beers on tap are always delicious and the scene is a perfect mix of a chill crowd of friends with an appropriate level of background music. Although i've never eaten here, the menu is basic bar food with great portions. Staff is always friendly offering small tastings of new beers. read more

5 stars for Tuesday nights and the beer selection but only 4 stars bcs the price goes way up on all the other days. However, if you are into GOOD beers, this place is a dream. read more

Estelle's was chill but we had horrible service. My friend ordered two vodka sodas and you could not even taste the vodka. When she asked the bartender to remake them or add a shot she would not even consider it. Maybe we're just used to that type of service in Vegas but she was very rude. The people next to us had a huge chip in their glass too. Other than the crappy service the crowd was somewhat entertaining. read more

The staff ignored my friends and I the whole night. They acted like they didn't wanna be bothered with getting us food or drinks and this was early before it got busy.probly will not go back there. read more

We went on a Friday night, and the bartender seemed to already be having kind of a hectic night, but he was nice, and made strong drinks, and even smiled once. The music is good, and the door guy and I lip-synched to Under Pressure together. It was a little cramped, and there were quite a few girls shrieking, but overall, still lovable. read more

We visited Estelle's twice during an impromptu Milwaukee Ave/Wicker Park bar crawl. Not sure what the special was, but I thought their craft beer selection was more than adequate. AND they had "The Dark Knight" on TV, which almost succeeded in sucking us in for the duration. My only knock would be the bathrooms--the men's door didn't lock, and they're tiny. Other than that, great (late) bar! read more

The way I had heard people talk about this place I was convinced it was a hole. in. the. wall. In a bad way. Surprisingly, it's a CLASSY good way hole in the wall. Real small 4am bar with booths toward the back and tables in the mid stretch. Chatty waitresses and cheap PBR's (where aren't there cheap PBR's these days?) Candles and dim light give it a really cute ambiance. It's a really chill place even though the music can be pretty loud. It's for the most part GOOD music, which really helps out. IH'll be bak! read more

Went in on a slower evening. There was only one bartender, and he was quite friendly and kind. Drinks were priced well!

Nice hang out, super loud music. I could barely hear my conversation, but I will definitely come back. The drinks are inexpensive and the food as well! Cool place for meeting up with close friends. read more

This place is the best! Great service. The best days are always when Brittany is there! Super awesome, friendly staff and good beer selection. read more

Home away from home. A place where musicians work and hang out. good times. Sooo many blurry nights. Doooooshbag free most times. I'll miss it when I move read more

Open till 4am, good beer selection.....

I have such a great time every time I visit this bar. The bartenders are awesome, security group is friendly but hardcore and the food is super tasty!!! The fried pickles and hummus are the best! I especially look forward to Tuesdays and Thursdays - the girl security chick with the short hair is super cool! :) The music in the jukebox is awesome, especially if your parents are baby boomers. My guy and I look forward to visiting every week. Cheers! read more

I've only been here on $2 Tuesdays (a number of regional beers such as Half-Acre or Three Floyds), and I keep coming back. It's a bit noisy, but it's got personality. Some friends and I made it a Tuesday tradition to swing on by Estelle's, and I've loved it ever since. You won't get cheaper beers on an off-night in a cooler spot. Definitely worth checking out if you don't have too many concerns about how much work you'll get through on Wednesday! read more

I went to this bar a couple times, and immensely enjoyed the selection and atmosphere of the Tuesday $2 beer night. On my most recent visit to Estelle's, while waiting a solid 10 minutes for a beer, I noticed that almost everybody at the bar ordering a drink got served before I did. I eventually ordered my second beer, one of the female bartenders, the same that served me before, "called me out" on "not tipping her earlier." She proceeded to yell in my face accusing me of not tipping her last time I got a drink, commenting on "why can't I tip her when the beer is two dollars." I excused the excessive rudeness and mentioned to her that I had in fact left a tip before (2 dollars, but hey its still a tip). She proceeded to tell me that I was a liar and that she would know. I was absolutely furious as I contemplated pouring the entire beer over the bar and walking out of the place. No matter how mad I was, I could not waste an entire pint of daisy cutter over such trivial shenanigans. So, In the end I held myself back and thankfully drank that delicious beer, fury burning in my heart over such rudeness. Perhaps she had not been receiving tips that night or something else. I work hard and am myself disgruntled when people don't tip me at my job, but I would never do what this bartender did to me tonight. I would also like to add that the food at this bar is really good, but you just might run into chaos like this. read more

Do you know how hard it is to screw up a hot dog? And besides a bad meal, we had to serve and bus our own table. Not because they were too busy to do it themselves, but because they couldn't be bothered to come out from behind the bar. Me and my friend both ordered the Thursday hot dog special. The buns were so soggy that we couldn't lift the hotdogs to our mouths. So we just ate the plain dogs. The fries were a tad burnt. I ordered the parmesan fries. They put shredded parmesan on them, so it just falls off the fries when you eat 'em -- dumb. read more

We popped in on a Wednesday night during half price cocktails. You can't beat a $5 Old Fashioned. Our bartender, who identified as Beef, took great care with our drinks. Good music and a good atmosphere made for a good time. Glad we stopped in. read more

Tuesday nights, 2$ Blue Moon, $3.50 whiskey and a solid Juke box.

This is in response to Christine P. who wrote a review lower down the line. I happen to know the door man you're speaking of. He is in no way racist. The race card is too often pulled out by ignorant people when they are losing an argument. It's an immature way of saying, "well, I know you're right but I need to save face in front of my friend cuz I'm not cool enough to get him in this bar with out ID." What a croc of s**t. So if you never go back then good riddance. Keep the trash out. Ok, now I'm done with you. Go away. read more

It's extremely difficult not to rate your neighborhood bar a 4 or 5. It's where you go to escape. It's your safe haven from annoying co-workers and bitching roommates. It's your secret flask when you end up at some snobbish wine tasting with elitist yuppie fucks. It's almost certain that you give "your" bar the praise it deserves. Estelle's, for me, is just like that, a hidden, tucked away, little container of alcohol that no one sees me drinking in an ally while I run off for a smoke. read more

This is a decent bar for a night out. The crowd doesn't pick up until later. The atmosphere is very relaxed yet energetic. The service is timely yet the staff aren't very friendly. Overall decent bar but nothing to write home about. read more

I got a ticket for peeing in the alley here once. That about sums it up. Well, maybe not. Worst/best Estelle's moments: Worst: Saturdays at 4:30am. Best: Watching a guy break a beer bottle over his head (no trick involved). Worst: Not being able to use the bathroom because one guy was jerking off another guy with a guy watching for like 20 min. Best: Actually getting a booth. Worst: The 3 months after the cops raided the place and they actually obeyed the maximum persons requirement. Best: Watching people try to pretend they know someone to get to the front of the line. Worst/Best: $2 you call it bottles on Tuesday. Absolute Best: Watching a wasted Keanu Reeves make out at the bar, doing a shot of Jameson with him and watching him choke it down and seeing him again across the street with the make-out queen falling all over the place an hour later. I am alive because I live far away from you now, you dirty Estelle's, you. read more

My friend and I stumbled upon this establishment on Monday, May 2nd, seeking a casual Monday night hangout. Upon entering, we were immediately disturbed by a shrill, unwelcoming bartender. The bar was virtually empty so we chose to sit in a booth, contemplating our drink choices. My friend approached the bartender and politely inquired about the drink specials for the evening. Even before she could get a word out, the bartender started yelling at her and myself, demanding we present her our ids. Obviously, when I walk into a bar, i present my id, but this particular bartender was unwelcoming and offensive to us. She seemed like she hated her job so much that she was taking it out on her customers. We felt so singled out and humiliated to the point where we had to leave. She was barking at us for a solid 2 minutes, demanding we get up and show her our identification even tho we had no intention of staying. Thanks to our negative experience, we no longer feel comfortable entering your establishment when this particular bartender is working. It would be beneficial to your bar and to the general public if this type of service did not represent the establishment as a whole. Based on the service and my experience on this Mondaya night, i will not be returning, nor will i be recommending this bar to my acquaintances. read more

If it's 2am and you're not done yet, Estelle's is the place in Wicker Park that you want to check out. Of the 4am bars in the neighborhood, this place has the most..."character". While everyone looking to dance and make-out with Wrigleyville rejects stumbles over to Tavern, the rock-minded drunk goes to Estelle's. There will be a line, but it will be worth it. The interior is kind of stylishly decked out in black and, that is- black floor, black bar, black stools, black booths. The bathrooms are only recommended in emergency situations, but this bar makes up for it. The juke box, usually kept pumped with green by regulars, is by far the best juke box in the city. A little Smashing Pumpkins, some Stooges, the Stones, Television, Public Enemy, Dead Kennedys and Buddy Holly are staples, as well as a couple slots to newer indie rock like Wolf Parade and Modest Mouse. The waitress is a little intimidating, but really quick, and the drinks are strong. If you do happen to wander in before it gets packed after 2, then you can grab yourself some decent pub food at a reasonable cost. Be warned, however, that if going home smelling like an ashtray is a problem, then you may want to wait until after the smoking ban takes effect to frequent this little den of debauchery. read more

To begin with, I had always enjoyed coming here the past year. Except last night completely changed my thoughts forever. Things were fine at first, but as I almost sober ask to clear out my tab their supposed manager, Claire, starts questioning my honesty. She states that she has already closed it out and that I had previously asked her to do so. These were both lies from Claire. She insisted my tab was at $109 at the time when she gave me a receipt for $37. This store copy receipt for my debit card had no signature, just a heart around the price of NOT my own doing. She completely mistook someone else for me. A handed-out identity theft! I was with a group of people Saturday night and we all saw this manager Claire doing salt, tequila, and lime shots directly behind the bar while on the clock and serving customers. People's money is a sensitive thing and to be that unprofessional and the manager is asinine. Never go to Estelle's. I know I'm done. Thanks Claire, I was filling police reports all night and morning. read more

Used to go here in my early 20s and never had a problem. Always liked it for a good late night spot. The last 2 times I have been here have been awful. Went probably a year ago and tried to order some food. The bartender saw me and a friend there and just ignored us. After about 10 minutes he finally decided to take our order with a unprovoked attitude. Never planned on going back until I was in the area and my friend that I had not seen for a few months wanted to go there because it was one of the only spots still opened. So me and my girl went and we had just gotten there when my girl needed help finding the bathroom. I walked her to the back and decided I needed to go too. There was a guy standing on the wall and it was kind of cramped so I go to try and get behind him and for no reason he puts his hand on my chest to stop me. Nobody that I do not know is going to lay a hand on me so I instinctively grab the guy by the wrist and remove his hand and in that same motion he puts his forearm into my upper chest under chin area. I did not think about it until later but this is a total bouncer move and I know this because I have worked doors in the past. Unfortunately for this guy he did not realize that I knew how to handle myself and I very quickly was able to gather myself, throw his forearm to the side and push him back. Now, I would not normally hold this against Estelle's but some other guy came out of left field at me saying that I do not want to get some other guy involved and then the bartender/manager came around and I let go of the first guy telling him that I was not looking for a fight, was just trying to go to the bathroom and that the jackass likes to put his hands on people. His response, OK, it's time to go. At this point I am figuring that they all work together. I walk to the front and grab my friend who I was meeting to let him know I had been kicked out. He just ordered us some beers. The doorman and another worker were cool and asked me what went down so I told him. They said they wanted to know so they could kick the other guy out but that never happened. I asked them if we could just kill the beer we had just bought and they said no. Awesome. In summary if you want to go to a dive where you get randomly assaulted (likely by employees) and then kicked out for defending yourself have at it. If not, avoid. read more

Love the burgers and cheese fries here! Perfect before or AFTER a heavy night of drinking. Used to come on for happy hour's on thursday but heard the pop music stopped! wth?! read more

Came here for a quick drink between bars. Levi took care of us and the beer I had was great and my friends' cocktails were awesome! Would definitely come back again, if not just to see Levi ;) read more

Awesome happy hour specials! Stopped in on Wednesday and had there bomb grilled cheese and pile high fries for only $6. Great bartenders too!!! read more

Treated very rudely by staff, ordered 2 drinks and French fries. Sub standard food and drinks. Very lame for a Saturday night. Almost empty and waitress was inattentive and demanded all the payment up front. It was very awkward to pull out my wallet and hand over cash as she waited impatiently. No receipt was ever written. I can't ever imagine going back here and I advise all to stay away. We only went because they had food late at night. Overpriced and really shitty. read more

We came for $2 tuesdays and Beef hooked it up. Never met beef before tonight and she made our entire group feel like longtime friends. Not only was she prompt with her service, but Beef's playlist KILLED IT. We were supposed to leave after an hour but stayed all night cause beef's playlist was too ICONIC. Do you want to live your early 2000s dream while stay buzzed on a budget. ESTELLE'S IF BEEF IS WORKING. read more