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    Gold Star Bar

    3.9 (225 reviews)
    InexpensiveBars, Pool Halls
    Open 2:00 pm - 3:00 am (Next day)

    Gold Star Bar Photos

    GOLD STAR BAR ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Juke Box
    Moderate noise
    Divey
    Hipster

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    Grant A.

    I won't continue to profilgate the fetishazation of dive bars. The facts I got mixed drinks for $6 a pop. The varnish and wood on the actual bar shows years of enjoyment from customers. ATM on site. Beers on draft and bottles. I think 2 or 3 the beers has one of those dive bar prices that make you do a double take. What a time to be alive. The bar isn't doing a reinterpretation or an irony dive bar thing. It's the actual thing.

    DISGUSTING! One of the employees was so messed up on lord knows what that he was passed out on the bar. He would wake up every so often and then slam his head back down. Eventually, he grabbed our bag of leftovers from the restaurant down the street and ripped it too shreds. He ate every last bite as we watched in horror. When we asked the staff if he worked there, they confidently replied, "Yeah he works here." When they saw what he was doing and how he was acting, they simply acknowledged with a head nod and nothing more. I told them they needed to get him help because something was wrong. No thank you. No apologies. Nothing. This place is disgusting as are the employees--not even the ones passed out on the bar eating my food without permission.

    a green sticker that says this is burn

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    17 years ago

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    18 years ago

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    17 years ago

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    10 years ago

    Situation was sorted out, management are good people.

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    13 years ago

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    11 years ago

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    14 years ago

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    11 years ago

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    15 years ago

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    10 years ago

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    17 years ago

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    15 years ago

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    18 years ago

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    16 years ago

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    17 years ago

    This is the first bar I went to in Chicago, 'way back in the low digits of the 90s, and it's still the best.

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    7 years ago

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    21 years ago

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    16 years ago

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    10 years ago

    The perfect dive bar. Friendly staff, friendly clientele, and cheap drinks. It's cash only, but they have an ATM.

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    16 years ago

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    13 years ago

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    21 years ago

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    18 years ago

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    16 years ago

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    21 years ago

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    18 years ago

    I don't mind this place. It's actually semi-pleasant. I think it's too bright in there sometimes.

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    18 years ago

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    Page 5 of 6

    Ask the Community - Gold Star Bar

    Review Highlights - Gold Star Bar

    The customers are always friendly (the regulars are gems), there's free popcorn, and the juke box is fantastic!

    Mentioned in 19 reviews

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    Cleo's Bar & Grill

    Cleo's Bar & Grill

    3.8
    (495 reviews)
    0.5 mi
    $$

    Paid Street parking Nice bar area with nice patio seating…read more Front windows open to allow for a breeze. TVs throughout the place. Clean bathrooms Nice staff service I ordered jerk wings all flats for an upcharge. The jerk marinade/sauce was decent not spicy but flavorful. I added a dusting of ghost pepper for heat and it definitely kicked things up a notch. The chicken itself wasn't seasoned and that it what I would have done differently. It was cooked perfectly though. My friend nachos were delicious there was a light refreshing flavor with a pinch of heat because of the jalapenos. Definitely worth eating again. I like the drink options we had classic margaritas and oberon beer. The margaritas were delicious with good flavor and well balanced. The beer nice, cold, and crisp. I would return... But I hope they start seasoning those wings they have so much potential!

    Nicely painted & redecorated outside entrance. Typical bar atmosphere inside. Great bar to watch…read moresoccer with many tvs available. I've been to the outside patio in the nice weather & it's so cute. Huge soft pretzel with cheese & mustard was very average. Nothing special but it hits the spot. We heard the French onion soup was great & it did not disappoint. This chilly November day it warmed me up. Very hot crock of flavorful soup with perfect bread chunk & cheese melt on top. The onions were a perfect ratio too. It's a seat yourself place & servers are friendly.

    Photos
    Bar area
    Bar area
    Jumbo Wings
    Jumbo Wings
    Front Entrance

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    Front Entrance
    Nettare

    Nettare

    4.3
    (73 reviews)
    0.6 mi

    I came here first thing in the morning to treat myself to some delicious lattes. I had heard they…read moreeven had latte flights, but I didn't see that anywhere on their menu, so that was my first bit of disappointment. We were going to order at the counter, but we were offered paper menus and told we could take a seat in the front area if we'd like to have our coffees there. I ordered the Black Walnut & Honey latte ($7) that was really mild on flavor. My husband had the Crème Brulee latte ($10), which was better but noticeably smaller. The Cinnamon Roll ($8) was fine, but it wasn't worth $8, and it wasn't heated all the way through. Unfortunately, I didn't like the Confit Mushroom Egg & Cheese Sandwich ($6) at all. It wasn't hot, and the smell was a bit off-putting. Despite a lackluster experience, the real disappointment hadn't sunk in yet. When I got home and glanced at our receipt, I realized that they had charged a mandatory additional 20% service fee. I at first thought my husband had unexpectedly left a large tip, but I checked their menu again and saw that it says "For dine in service only: When your bill arrives, it will have a 20% service charge added to the subtotal. This we use to compensate our staff as they deserve for their exceptional work. As such no additional gratuity is expected." I have of course seen this practice done at full service restaurants, but I wasn't expecting this for a café visit simply because we chose to sit and drink our coffees there instead of taking them to go. It was a bit of an awkward space as it was, and we were still going up to the counter to get our food and drinks and carried our plates up when we were done.

    Cafe in the front, party in the back!…read more Beautiful surroundings. Beautifully and thoughtfully decorated. We stopped in early (1pm) for the tail end of lunch service. We had a great time. We were welcomed nicely. Service was really nice. The menu though-- drinks and food are on another level. Everything is just elevated a little bit more. We started with coffee drinks, shared the ham hash, and ended with their mimosa which is better than any other place. Thoughtful, elevated, approachable and wonderful experience. Boom that's my review 10/10 recommend.

    Photos
    Gorgeous front area
    Gorgeous front area
    Nettare
    A manhattan  Journeyman black mission fig field rye, vermouth, aromatics

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    A manhattan Journeyman black mission fig field rye, vermouth, aromatics
    Star Bar Chicago

    Star Bar Chicago

    3.6
    (7 reviews)
    0.8 mi

    Nice little Dive bar on Western. They have some chips behind the bar if you need a pick me up from…read moredrinking. I have gotten bourbon here, they do not have Dickle if you're looking, but they have a nice selection. For beer they have a lot of local options on draft. The inside of the bar is very red, and there are always dogs sitting at the bar which is cute. Definitely recommend if you are in the neighborhood.

    Came here with a friend a few months ago after a show at empty bottle for a couple beers. This…read moreplace uses touch tunes which allows you play whatever music you want through the app. We were playing some early 2000's hip hop and couldn't help to notice the bartender giving us dirty looks. Made us feel uncomfortable, so we left. Fast forward to a couple nights ago . We were in the area and gave it another chance. Couldn't help to notice that all hip hop, rap, Latin music are completely blocked off. Politely asked the bartender what was up with that? He seemed very uncomfortable with my question and gave us a very sarcastic response. "Well, I guess that's a racist juke box." We immediately felt the bad energy. We proceed to finish our beers and play a jazz song by a black female singer. Immediately the bartender and some older biker looking dudes next to us start talking smack about the song. They asked if we put the song on? We said yes, and tell us to read the room. So I respond in a very sarcastic tone. "oh, you want us to read the room, would you like us to play some Toby Keith or Kid rock for you?" They smirked and had no response. I strongly believe the place is owned and operated by white supremacist maga brothren's. I would strongly encourage people In the neighborhood to stop supporting this business.

    Photos
    Lounge area
    Lounge area
    Pool
    Pool
    Bar

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    Bar
    Homestead on the Roof

    Homestead on the Roof

    3.8
    (400 reviews)
    0.5 mi
    $$$

    It's been four years since I've been to Homestead on the Roof and I was so excited to come back as…read moreI knew the theme/menu has changed over the years. We ordered the cod croquettes, spare ribs, tartine, and rice pudding for dessert. The shared plates were all excellent and large portions which would be perfect for sharing with a bigger group. Next time we would skip the dessert as the rice pudding was overwhelmed by a tart passion fruit curd. You can't beat the location of this hidden gem on a summer evening in Chicago!

    They should call this place On A Roof. We thought we'd enjoy an evening outside at the place we'd…read morehad some decent experiences. We had a reservation at 6:30 on Friday. Upon arrival we were met with a vagueness you'd expect at a remote Amtrak stop and told that our reservation was for shite and we'd be eating indoors with the houseplants and like it. I stared down the stairway to the exit like a kennel dog wondering as to the direction my life had taken when my wife and friend opted to stick it out and we positioned ourselves at a table with an obstructed view of the place we weren't allowed to be. Eventually our server showed up with all the confidence of Sean Spicer and took our drink orders. It would be some time before they would appear. I should have ordered 4 of them right off the top but how could we know that it would be a leap year before he'd be back to take our food order? The feel of this place is that they know it sucks and they let you know with their indifference and soft speak that they know we know it too and there's nothing any of us can do about it but make better life choices going forward. They should call this place "The Roof Is On Fiyah." Just to catch you up it's now 8:44. I was a young man when I entered this place. I can now hear my cankles forming. Its just a hunch but I can't be sure that the employees like each other very much either. Not a smile to be found. There's a young lady running up and down the stair to the bakery or the weed dispensary with a bin full of dirty plates and I wonder who these people are that get to eat and where they might be because I can't see them. They should call this place Homestead Roofing. That way they could just cut out the whole idea of being a restaurant and serve everyone shingles. Just a thought. At some point I stood on a table top waving my arms about in semaphoric fashion and ordered more Rose. But I was told they would arrive sometime between 1:00 and 5:00 next Thursday. We still didn't have appetizers but one of the servers kept bringing plates to our table that weren't meant for us and we'd send him away. I now wish we hadn't. The appetizers eventually crawled up the stairs on their own one at a time and made it to our table but the Duck fried rice collapsed at the South Summit and returned to base camp. They should call this place Roofus. The beleaguered manager apologized for the lack of being fed anything of significance and we exited down the stairs through the bakery and past the day old donuts just outside of our reach.

    Photos
    Venue? Check. Dinner? Check. Cake? Check. Champagne? Check. We'll take care of it all.
    Venue? Check. Dinner? Check. Cake? Check. Champagne? Check. We'll take care of it all.
    Homestead on the Roof
    Host your next event in West Town at this intimate rooftop!

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    Host your next event in West Town at this intimate rooftop!
    Clara

    Clara

    4.7
    (32 reviews)
    0.6 mi

    Wait this is a new fave spot. If it were a little cheaper I'd probably come weekly. The summer…read morespecial cocktail we got was delicious and so many of the bartender created cocktails sounded awesome. The atmosphere is dark, moody, intimate, and the live music really makes the vibe lively and fun but if you sit a bit further away from the band it isn't overwhelmingly loud and conversation is still possible (unlike, say, Dorian's). They also have a photobooth! Self seated.

    Cute-enough spot with small plates and cocktails. However, when we visited last night, we waited 15…read moreminutes for our one wine and one cocktail, despite the restaurant being less than a quarter full. We watched our waitress make multiple attempts to pick up my husband's drink from the bar, spill, set it down, pick it back up and spill more, and finally give up and run it to us. As she set down this sticky, wet, under-filled mess, I asked her exactly how much of my husband's $16 cocktail she had just spilled. She said, "Yeah, the bartender over-poured," and walked off. We then watched her do the exact same thing to every mixed drink she ran. Way, way too expensive to be delivering messy, dripping, quarter-empty cocktails. Skip Clara and go to Le Midi, where the service, ambience, and wine list were perfect.

    Photos
    The drummer and bassist of Solomon lindenberg trio
    The drummer and bassist of Solomon lindenberg trio
    Two Smooth Sailing cocktails. Featuring Whiskey, Lemon Juice, Maple Syrup, and Benedictine.
    Two Smooth Sailing cocktails. Featuring Whiskey, Lemon Juice, Maple Syrup, and Benedictine.
    Festive Lion -- mezcal, tequila, grapefruit syrup, and cardamom bitters.

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    Festive Lion -- mezcal, tequila, grapefruit syrup, and cardamom bitters.

    Gold Star Bar - bars - Updated July 2026

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