My first and last time going to Estelle's. I tried coming here on a Friday night around 11pm. I also bartend and they really didn't look too slammed. I came in with a couple friends and saw some free seats at the bar so we went to sit. The bartender (a fat white bald man with a terrible personality- shocker) saw me pull out my phone and scan the QR code for the menu and immediately came and asked me what I wanted. He had an attitude from the start asking "are you actually sitting here?" but I ignored it and smiled at him. I was super hungry and ordered fries quickly and then decided on two modelos. That all happened probably within 3-4 minutes. I pulled out my card to pay but I only had a prepaid visa I hadn't used before bc my only other card had just gotten flagged for fraud and canceled right before going in. I apologized to him and explained. HE THEN PROCEEDED TO MAKE FUN OF ME WITH A PATRON RIGHT IN FRONT OF MY FACE :( it had only taken me a minute to activate the card and he was acting like I was going to steal the two modelos. He was making ugly remarks "apparently I have all day" "wow everyone she just has to activate her card" "not like I have anything else to do." He eventually just took the two beers and walked away. He seemed so angry and confrontational. Don't be a bartender if you hate people. The people you hire reflects on the business. I did notice that most of the people in that place were white, the bartender was white, the patrons around us were white but me and my friends are not white. Could be a coincidence but why risk it? There are way better places in the city. read more

I usually realize too late that if I am at Estelle's it means I am out WAY too late . . . .for I have never been to Estelles in anything other than the "wee hours" of the morning as it's a 4am bar. What is it about this place that has people flocking to it? And not just twenty somethings but people of all ages. On some nights there is even a line out the door. The last time I was there, a couple was actually trying to slow dance in the place to an Elvis song as the servers wound their way through the crowded room. Speaking of the servers- most of them are amazing- patient with all the drunks, bringing countless beers, and shrugging off the many grabbing hands that always seem to show up at 3am. For me- the humor in the place comes from the many guys who use this as their "last booty call" for the night- with enough alcohol in them to make them confident in approaching women. I gotta give them an "A" for effort for you would think after being shot down time and time again they would finally get it. But they don't. And the futility of that makes me laugh! If you drive (and you shouldn't if you are at Estelle's!) watch the signs on the street as they will tow quicker than anything in this area. Usually there is street parking under the EL tracks to the west or down the block a bit. Estelle's is not ever going to be that place to get a quiet cocktail and catch up with friends. But for that last night cap of the evening, it far too often fits the bill. And on those nights- I often curse that it's there . . . . and open. read more

Okay, so I went here. And it was more like a "let's hang out here" more about hanging out with present company than where I was. Standard booze. Greasy grill. Wicker Park hipsters. Um . . . I scored a barstool? Sorry, that's all I got. I had fun here, but it wasn't because the bar was so cool. read more

This was probably one of my favorite Chicago bars I visited. I walked to Wicker Park from the Brown Line Irving Park stop. I was walking around by myself and didn't really know where to go and ended up at this bar because a homeless guy recommended it to me. There were some ladies in there as promised. The lighting reminded me of Happy Dog in Cleveland. The ceiling was really cool. The Rolling Stones were played twice while I sat and had a couple. They had one of my all time favorite beers on tap (Founders Breakfast Stout) so I really enjoyed the drinks. read more

TOP 5: LIKES 1. Good music & food 2. young social crowd 3. open really really LATE! 4. no bathroom attendent 5. love the atmospher, with the dim red ive been here a few times, after watching a concert at sub, or dancing at debonair, and SOMETIMES theres a line-but whatever, its worth the wait...sooo relaxed there LOVE IT read more

What sets this, otherwise typical bar, apart is Levi the super friendly and knowledgable about spirits bartender. Cool, personable, passionate guy that is the embodiment of what a bartender should be: relatable, friendly, and kind. read more

You're closed and you didn't set up a voicemail saying so. You're usually open all week. I took an extra 30 mins out of my day to go the opposite way of my apartment to come get my card and 1 I don't even know if it's there still and 2 I can't pick it up even if I wanted. My fault for leaving it there. I would've liked to have known. A simple change to your answering machine would've done the trick and helped me understand why you didn't answer the phone the first 5 times I called. Other than that, good bar and good late night. Next time, change the voicemail. read more

You can't go wrong with Estelle's. It has a chill and cool atmosphere. Definitely something different compared to the bars down the street like Crocodile and Empire. Reliable bar in the area! read more

Great burgers, I always come here after bartending bc nothings open and let's just say I haven't stopped also good cocktails and music.

There's no excuse to be rude as an employee of an establishment. The female dog that answered the phone on 03/14 at opening along with the "manager" who I spoke with afterwards are giving Estelle's a bad name. I called to make sure my debit card was there before heading over to pick it up. Mind you I left it SATURDAY and was told by the female dog mentioned above it's not there, only to have her hang up on me right after. No chance to respond or anything. I was merely going to ask how long this establishment tends to keep a card, as it was my first time opening a tab ever and also leaving a card behind. Apparently the employees here cannot be bothered by looking for cards because they have such difficult labor intensive/stressful careers (lol) I called back several times until the "manager" himself answered being completely unprofessional and asking why I would expect my card to still be there. It's only been 1.5 days. Did you expect me to pick it up first thing the next day, sir? You open late, I'm not on YOUR schedule. Makes no sense. On top of that I could hear the first person who answered the phone in the background making comments. So I hung up the way they first hung up on me. This place is trash and so is the "manager" and employee I spoke with Manager in quotes because he's a pathetic excuse of a manager and female dog referred employee because that's the perfect way to describe her as I didn't get her name read more

My favorite local bar. It's never packed and annoying; not even on the weekends. Good movies always playing. Just simple.

Walked in for the first time and instantly got a nasty attitude from the bar tender. I said excuse me and tried to ask a question. She completely ignored me and said you have to wait your turn. My apologies grandma I didn't know I wasn't allowed to ask a question. Won't be coming back. read more

so excited to return to this neighborhood establishment. classic dive bar w pre hipster status. we really really had a great time until the bartenders snuck some extras onto the tab. not sure who got served but it was messy. stealth because i was sober and saw what my party had actually consumed. the loaded fries were trash, but its late night eats... i guess the hustle is real. read more

GREAT-looking bar. Nice decor, but some of the staff is VERY RUDE to its newer customers while being noticeably friendly to returning customers, particularly the front-door Bouncer (ironic since that's one of the easiest jobs a bar could ever offer). He even hugged a returning customer he clearly knew while simultaneously making insulting comments about me... And they expect you to want to spend your MONEY there?‍ ‍ I'm sure everyone's experience there IS different, but my best advice is: if you haven't already been to Estelle's before, then don't bother going at all... read more

I came here with group of friends last night and this place is fantastic! The bartenders were super cool and the beer selection was just great. Not to mention that all the drafts were only 3$ each!! I ended up having a bit more than I should have but that's so easy to do when there are so many great beers to choose from and moreover for such a rocking price! Can't wait to come back!! read more

Estelle's - Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Certainly a fine late night place; cold beers, food until late, just a bar all things being equal. 3 stars only because of the bizarre "service" we got on a Friday night. It was pretty empty and we came in with a medium sized group so we grabbed a banquette by the window after ordering drinks at the bar. We were immediately bombarded by a server (I didn't even know that was a thing at estelles) telling us if we weren't going to order from her we had to stand. That's fine! We planned to order more food and multiple rounds, no biggie. The real issue is that she just never stopped berating us. After about twenty minutes (and multiple food and drink orders through the server) I considered just handing her $20 to stop her from harassing us and reminding us that she doesn't make money if we sit that that table and don't order through her. Not only had we already ordered through her multiple times, but we anticipated staying until last call continuing to order. I'll make sure to only go to estelles if there are bar stools available, if there aren't I'll just go to rainbo. read more

Tried to order classic drink Aperol spritz, bartenders goes to me, I am to busy to make this cocktails, I was like you to busy to pour Aperol over the ice with some Champaign, she goes I know what is in it, and went to talk to another bartender, this is what cocky Service in Chicago looks like. read more

"Do I know you?" "Yeah, we met at Claire's thing a couple weeks ago." "Oh fuck yeah! I love you!" "I love you!" "Do you do drugs?" "Sometimes." "Then you're going to do some coke with us tonight! Hey, Doug, this is- What's your name again?" "Justin." "Justin! I love this guy. Take care of this guy." I don't do cocaine, and ten minutes after this conversation I wandered to the restroom and never saw this person again, but it was a very Estelle's moment. I also watched three separate girl-on-girl kissing explosions, had my chest rubbed by a total stranger, almost got into a fistfight with a kid in blue-blockers (so I don't know how he fucking saw me in the first place) and managed to turn a 1:40am trip to the bar into an enjoyable and festive 2.5 hours of booze-fueled fun. I'm pretty sure Estelle's is actually a government funded STD farm, but that doesn't stop it from trouncing Nick's for late night Wicka Park fun. See, at Estelle's everyone will actually have sex with you. They are, in fact, trying to, from the minute you walk in. Since everyone seems to be on the same page, it's almost comforting. It's like someone gave Cupid some of that elusive bar coke and he's running around apeshit, arrowing everyone right in the pants until it's just a revolving door of Hepatitis L and syphillorhea and PBR. I've had shitty nights at Estelle's, but they're few and far between. If I'm going to break the 2am barrier, there's no better people-watching in a three mile radius and I can crawl home in under five minutes. The beer is not quite as cheap as the ladies, but it's not terribly expensive either. Jukebox is good enough. Crowd is more hipster than dickhead, but still pretty varied and, again, really horny. Stock up on condoms, because you're going to have to double-bag that thing. Also, if you see me in this bar, it means I am utterly shitfaced. Feel free to walk me home and like, DO ME or whatever. There's nothing like the gentle chirping of morning birds to really get my motor running. read more

If Estelle's were a diner, it would be that seriously dingy 24-hour joint that is held together with grease and love and has a seriously loyal following. If Estelle's were a drug dealer, it would be the one that lives in my building and shovels the front steps when it snows and sometimes takes my dog out for me. If Estelle's were a pair of jeans, it would be that pair I bought in college that still manages to fit perfectly despite being "repaired" a number of times in dubious fashion. If Estelle's were my boyfriend, it would be the one without a job or any real life goals that I am hopelessly smitten with just the same and have no intention of trying to "fix" him or "change" him or whatever. If Estelle's were my bike, it might need to get its spokes trued and maybe the chain could be cleaned or something, but it will be a cold day in hell before I sell it. What I'm getting at here is that Estelle's is a little dumpy, and the crowd is perpetually weird, and the door guy has some Nick Cave hair/beard going on, and it's not for everyone. And that's fine. More Estelle's for me. :) read more

What I can I say, I like Estelle's. It's a fun place to both watch and talk to different people. However, there's not much new I can say about a place that has the reputation as Chicago's #1 one night stand bar. Weekend after weekend people arrive as singles and go home as pairs. A girl here once offered to blow me because she liked my moustache. While I'm sure many dudes would jump at the facial hair/oral sex trade off, I tend to shy away from putting my penis in the mouths of strangers. What can I say? I'm old fashioned. During the time when Wesley Willis sold Chicago street scene drawings just around the corner, I've heard Estelle's had a pretty sordid reputation as a heroin bar. This makes it rather amusing to appreciate the fact that in the past decade they've actually cleaned the place up. This is a good place to go if... it's 4 AM, you're lonely and you want to roll the dice with VD. read more

Estelle, ol' girl, you really let me down. You committed the ultimate atrocity: you stood by and watched me down a shot of Jameson (aka 'light and fluffy') even though I don't do brown liquor. I demand a refund. Wait, my friends are telling me I had such a good time I closed down the bar on a Thursday night. Me? Jameson? Happy together? Stranger things have happened. Thanks for facilitating this new friendship, Estelle! read more

I think I pulled a girl here the other night. She kept hugging me, like really long, swaying hugs, and then once I bought her a beer, she hugged me even more, kissed me again and again on the cheek, and told me she loved me and how soft my hair was repeatedly. I wish I knew what her face looked like. In between complete transfixion and entertainment at this, my husband made his own friend who kept shaking his hand and yelling "London...YEAH MAN!!!!!" I smoked a cigarette. I don't smoke. Good tunes, cool staff, cheap beers, excellent chance of getting laid. Ah, Estelle's. Good times. read more

It's fine as far as late night dive bars go. Drinks are reasonable. Atmosphere is cool. The staff however is incredibly rude. Bartender got annoyed when I asked for clarification on a menu item and the waitress snapped when we sat at an empty table claiming it was reserved. There was no sign or anything so I felt it was an honest mistake. All my friends agreed they all seemed on edge. Maybe it was just a bad night but it definitely left a poor taste in our mouths read more

On a weeknight, at least, Estelle's was refreshingly laid-back and chill (pretty empty) for a bar this close to the action in Wicker Park. Beer was cheap, and they seem to be running some sort of special almost every day of the week. I strangely was not in the mood for any Jameson, but had I been, the prices here could almost compete with Jameson prices in Detroit. Nice! The jukebox is definitely solid -- important to me. While we were there, a staff member must have had their iPod plugged in or something, because although most of the music was great, not all of it (hello there, Mike Watt!) could be located amongst the juke selections. Tuesdays seem to be the best deals here -- lots of $2 beer. I'd return here for specials and recommend it to friends who wanted to do some affordable pre-drinking prior to shows at the Subterranean or the Double Door. read more

UGGGGHHHHH Is how I feel this morning after stopping in here late night with a couple of friends Leo and Focos to kick off a birthday weekend....yeah yeah I know its Tuesday but thats how we roll!!!! Yes $2.00 beers............and we had too many of them! midnight madness! toe toe madness!!! I felt like I was in the scene from the gremlins where they are all at the bar getting ripped! wow good times! SHAKE AND BAKE SEAL OF APPROVAL ONCE AGAIN! And of course this place has overun by hipsters since 2007 :( read more

A good find in the land of Cans and Northside. I can see how this place gets crowded but fortunately I have never fallen victim to elbow-to-elbow hour here. En route to Estelle's I DID almost bolt in the other direction when I saw a sea of tube tops up ahead. PHEW! It was just a false alarm - clubbers were headed to a private, upstairs party one door down. I really like sitting AT the bar here which is not the case at all hang-outs. Good beer specials - Old Style and Blue Moon both on tap. I settled down with some Miller Lite bottles which were not on special but not too pricey either (I mean 3 bucks is average AND we're not on Lincoln Ave anymore Toto. Thank God). On my quest to find more tolerable, cool hang-outs in the WP/Bucktown hood, Estelle's makes the cut. I am sure I will be back in the near future. read more

I went here last night with a couple of friends to celebrate my birthday. It has been a while since I have been here and the last time I was here on a weekend late at night. I remember that it was elbow to elbow last time. Last night was rather empty and the service was great. The place is not very big and it was very dark and relaxing with just a handful of people in there. Their menu was small but all we had was some deep fried appetizers. I like this place much better a weeknight bar as I am not into the elbow to elbow crowds. read more

My friend and I grabbed some PBRs for ridiculously cheap (which is practically free). We were catching a show at Sub T and the lines for drinks has been too much to handle. It was crowded there, so Estelle's provided a nice oasis. Our waitress got our drinks and left us alone to chat. She came back to check on us one last time and we were able to pay her and head out in a snap. It was pretty good. I don't know that I'd specifically seek out this place in the future, but I definitely won't mind returning. read more

Yeah, Friday and Saturday after 2 a.m. are crowded, and yeah, there are too many LP people migrating over, but I still love this bar. On any other day (Thursday is pretty bad, but still manageable), the late night scene here is pretty lively but not chaotic, and before 2 a.m. chances are you can grab a booth and chat with your friends in relative peace. So yeah, Estelle's is better on Tuesday or Wednesday than on Saturday, no shit. I think that one cool feature of Estelle's is the crowd. Even if you don't dig a certain scene ("Hipster's are so lame, try too hard," "Hey preppy, nice polo," etc.), it's better to be at a bar that has different elements to it. For the same reason that drinking at McGee's in LP fucking sucks, drinking at the Continental can be kind of annyoying as well. In that sense, Estelle's has maintained this weird, egalitarian balance (for the most part). Finally, the bar staff is amazing. Although the place gets packed, and the bar is stacked three deep, I don't think I've ever waited more than ten minutes for a drink. In my years at Chicago, I was either at home, at school, or at Estelle's. Maybe it's just the familiarity, but this is the first bar I head to when back in Chicago. read more

This place stinks like an unwashed bathroom. I always want to inquire about purchasing the fantastic art on the walls, but then I think about that shit stinking up my house. barf. I hate coming in here sober. Especially after 1am on the weekend. Dudes be trippin rude up on me. I never get hit on so consisently with assholery and weirdness at any other bar. This one time a dude came up to and said to the guy I was sitting with: "Your girlfriend has beautiful feet and toes. You are a lucky man. May I touch her...?" My friend's pretty much a dick so he said "LOL, yeah go ahead!" Yeah, he said "ell oh ell" aloud. fuckin a. He hangs out, pickin' up chicks at Estelles all the time. I keep comin' back though b/c I love cheap drinks. One extra star b/c I'm banging one of the bartenders, so I guess I have to be nice. :\ read more

If we were to roll the clock back about 6 years, I'd have easily given this place 5 Stars... but in the span of the years since... this place has fallen from grace with a wet thud. Once filled with interesting artists, punk rockers and general counter-culture folks... it is now overrun with Yups and chodes. However, if you go in on a week day, you can still find a loyal core of folks from the old days of Estelle's lingering on like apparitions of times past. The weekends are now the primary problem here, the ranks of moronic, attitude-laden meat-heads and their vapid girlfriends... have swelled to near intolerable numbers. It is always sad and strange to see these social vampires follow around on the coattails of intellectuals and freethinkers... leeching the life out of our social energy to feed their own empty existences. /sigh read more

This is a neighborhood dive bar, with such a variety of individuals walking through. We came here on a Thursday, where all the drinks (except for shots) were 1/2 off. I got the Pimm's me up, which was filled with alcohol for only $5! I might have had multiple of them lol We also got the chicken quesadillas, which were only $5. The food took an exceptionally long time to come out, and the pico de gallo took even longer. Quesadillas were good, but nothing great. The bartenders were amazing, and what will keep me coming back! read more

The quick version of my review: Don't bother! Let me start by saying I have nothing against dive bars in general. I have been to quite a few since my boyfriend loves finding great hole-in-the-wall type places. However, this place doesn't have any charming or redeeming qualities that dive bars typically have. We went on a week day around 7:15PM. Keep in mind that they opened at 7PM and there were only 2 customers when we walked in. We grabbed a couple of stools at the bar and proceeded to sit there for almost 10 minutes without being acknowledged because the bartender was too busy chattin' it up with his buddies - completely unacceptable. At the very least, give us a "Hey guys - I'll be with ya in a minute!" Once we were acknowledged, our experience did not improve. We were given a draft list but the beer we wanted, Zombie Dust, wasn't available due to some "distributor issues." Ooookay, then take it off the list. Besides the service and the unavailable draft, Estelle's only has one bathroom (per gender), no cell phone service (Verizon), and smells too hard of cleaning products. If I absolutely had to say something positive about this place, it would be that the prices are reasonable, they seem to have some kind of drink/food deal every day of the week, and the burger/fries that someone ordered looked like a large portion. read more

In the 90's this bar was a den of herion and junkies, as well as cheap booze. A group of pool players who would make rounds in all the Wicker Park/Ukranian Village dives seldomly would end up here if their drug fueled benders outlasted last call at Tumans. It's still here but gone is the table and the junkies , which I suppose is good thing , right? Stay cool Estelle's. read more

This bar had me when I walked-in one late Saturday night to a Tribe Called Quest tune. One of my faves in the city, there is always some magic happening at Estelle's after midnight Friday and Saturday nights! From great people to great bar tenders, this is the bar that my friends and I end-up at whenever we are in Wicker Park. During the week, they are a great place to grab some bar grub. I highly recommend the portabella fries. Besides food, there are also some daily beer/drink specials. PLEASE NOTE: *In the winter, be prepared to stack your coat somewhere because there isn't a coat check at this joint. It's annoying to hold it or leave it on while manoeuvring around people. *As the night goes on and other Wicker Park bars close, this small space gets packed around 2 AM. *Stop playing Oasis in the Jukebox. There's more bands in there to choose from! *Ladies - you're going to have to wait in line to use the restroom (surprised?). However, there are loads of fun people to talk to while you are waiting. *Yes - that's really a bedside alarm clock at the bar. No need to check your cell for the time. *There may be a line at 3 AM to get in. Yes it's cold out, but you should have come earlier. Enjoy! read more

Estelle's is as exactly as I remember it. And I like that in a dive bar. What really is there to say? Not much has changed in years. I used to come here when I was 19 with a fake ID. The place smells of skunked beer but I like the layout. The bathrooms are one-seaters. The booths are big and comfy. Drinks and food are cheap (by my LA standards) and they still offer the greasy classic bar grub, although recently I've seen healthier options like hummus. And $2 Tuesdays. Oh, $2 Tuesdays. It's rare to find a haunt where you can still drink draft imports for 2 buckaroos. As Wicker Park slowly morphs more and more into a carbon copy of Brooklyn, it's nice to know that Estelle's is still the same 'ol rock n' roll dive. read more

What better place to go a few blocks from home when you get thirsty at 1am? Open until 4am is nice sometimes. Sometimes. Ladies, if you would like a quiet beer by yourself, I don't suggest Estelle's after 1am. I had to ask three different guys if they knew where I could go poop, to get rid of them. Drinks are reasonably priced, the bar is a good dark, and the bathroom isn't rancid. read more

Now that Wicker Park has been overrun by people who know more about Bed Bath & Beyond than how to behave after a few drinks, bars with atmosphere in the area are at a premium. Estelle's is one of the few near the Damen/North/Milwaukee intersection that I still enjoy. The staff is typically a top notch group of people although they do occasionally fall into the incestuous trap of paying more attention to each other than their customers. The two dollar draft beer special on Tuesdays is impressive given the decent selection of imports and crafts on tap, which I suppose they can afford since the hipsters and music guys will all drink Blue Ribbon, Old Style, or whatever other ironic swill tickles their fancy anyway. Lots of music fans here, given the bar's proximity to the Double Door and yes, the bar does start to fill up quickly around 1:00 a.m. and stays elbow to elbow until 4 so you'll want to establish some seating real estate by midnight if you're in for the long haul. The food is nothing spectacular but some of the specials are worth checking out and everybody raves about the veggie burgers. read more

Awesome experience! Estelle's has $2-3 drafts on Tuesdays and it's so great. Beef was a personable, smart and fun bartender and created such a bumpin' playlist. Right off the Damen stop on the blue line, convenient, cheap, wonderful read more

For a long time, I tried and tried to nurture a hatred for this place: the pick-up lines, the douchebags and all the rest that goes along with a 5am bar in Nuevo Wicker Park. Well I got over it. Because this place sure as hell beats Nicks (at least for me, right now) and theres no way in hell I'm cabbing it over to the Continental when I can stumble home from six corners. Maybe its because the past few times I've been here on a Friday or Saturday night I am able to get a good spot (booths!) and I've got a couple friends in tow so I could give two shits about the creeps. Plus there are excellent weeknight specials. So there. read more