The only night I'm ever here is Sundays, and for the most part the hipsters aren't there that day. The bartender is nice and it's super cheap. The only reason we go there is we go after a performance. Once or twice we've seen some hipsters there, but there are only a few of them so we ignore them. Bottom line: cheap drinks, usually enough seats for us on Sundays, and a nice bartender. Me likes. read more

This will sound cheesy, but when I moved to Chicago, The L and L was one of the first places I wanted to check out. Why you ask? Because it's mentioned in one of the greatest albums, by one of the greatest bands of all time. So after a brisk late night walk, I wandered down to The L and L. Upon walking into the door I was greeted with that an awesome "dim dive" atmosphere. It was very quiet and the few people in there seemed to be having a good time. I approached the bartender and not a word was said to me. So I just said "I would like a gin and tonic please" and sure enough, I got one. The drink was stiff and delicious, and the price was awesome. So I decided that I was going to have another. After my second drink, I had struck up a conversation with the patron next to me. I figured I would buy the next round...Unfortunately, the bartender the only other thing I could order was a beer. Why I asked why not? He told me I was drinking too fast? Too fast? I had two drinks in 45 minutes!! I left. Second time around, the same guy was there. A guy with a heavy accent. And again, I was treated rudely. So I went to check the jukebox, and the jukebox is awesome. After while a nicer bartender came in, and the L and L was a blast. In conclusion, awesome atmosphere, friendly patrons, cheap drinks, but If that one bartender is there, you're in for a rude awakening. read more

L and L sits in the shadows of a strip of bars. There's nothing special about it. The tvs are 20 years old. Not a place you'd want to watch a game at. The drinks are inexpensive. Definitely a place where you'd have to go with a group. read more

L & L Tavern - American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Dive. Bar. You've seen it before- to me it looks like the first floor of Delilah's, or Simons, or the cobra lounge- any place with a long bar and a room. It's not as sketch as they advertise- but what a jukebox. Rock and old/new punk hits. You can get your cheap pbr or any of a surprisingly wide selection of craft bottles. Great low key spot for a weeknight or a watering hole weekend read more

The coolest dive bar- MAXIM voted it the best in the nation after they launched Pabst Blue Ribbon in the city. The wine selection is way better than it has to be, and they are launching a new liquor shot that will end all other liquor shots- until it gets banned! There is only one bar in the entire midwest selling AGWA, a coca leaf liquor. The coca leaves are from Bolivia, and the liquor is made in Amsterdam. On Sunday August 19 at the L&L Bar at Belmont and Clark the Aqwa Girls are flying in from the west coast and you'll be able to buy shots before church groups and politicians go beserk. The event is from 6 to 9 and this liquor shot has pretty much ended all other liquor shots- from Jaeger to those shots with dumb sex names- they all seem tame now. Distilled and produced in Holland, AGWA de Bolivia is an Alco-Jolt made from the Bolivian coca leaf and contains Guarana and ginseng. Available in standard dosage of 32 grams of coca leaf flavour per litre, or the more potent 40 grams of coca leaf flavour. Now you get your shot of booze, and a vial of lime powder which helps release the flavor - here are different ways to drink it: (this website has various men and women drinkers in stages of undress from Europe to the west coast so it is not ok for work) http://agwabuzz.com/us/drink.php Here is the website: http://agwabuzz.com/ The L&L is at 3207 N Clark. They were the bar that got people drinking PBR again. You won't find this drink in the upscale clubs- yet! read more

Found this place by accident. Only in Chicago for a few days. Bartender, Kathy was great. I will return on my next trip back to the Wendy City! read more

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Seriously awesome DIVE bar. Sometime hangout of the NWOI Coalition of Chicago. Cheap drinks, dirty, crappy.

Whenever I am in this hood I need a fix of the LandL. Super friendly provacative bartenders in a dirty dive that reminds me of home. Things covered on Saturday afternoon. Ginsburg, Fehrlinghetti, Kerouac, Southern cooking and transvestites, a good time for all. read more

I can't believe I've never reviewed this place. I'd have to call it my overall favorite bar in Chicago - a place that always feels like home. I'm not sure what it is about it, but it's as comforting as ordering a PBR in mom's kitchen. The bartenders are great and the clientele is usually decent. The drinks are stiff and cheap, so don't forget to tip well. One of the best jukeboxes left in Chicago - everything from Springsteen to CCR to the Lawrence Arms. Within these old walls, there's much more love and good vibes than your average bar - especially one in this neighborhood. Whether it's stopping in during a warm summer Saturday for a quick one or coming in to hide from the sub-zero temps in winter, the L&L will always have a special place in my heart. read more

I really like this place. I've only been a few times, but it seems to be mostly immune from the wrigleyville frat crowd while retaining that chill, friendly Chicago vibe. The L & L will always have a special place in my heart because the first time I visited, even before I had moved to Chicago, I was drunk as a skunk and lost my wallet. I was convinced I had lost it at the L & L, and so the SO and I started looking for it. One of the guys at the bar noticed we were looking for something, and started helping, getting down ON THE FLOOR with his cell phone to try to provide some light. Then the door guy noticed, and also started helping (although he had a real flashlight). Pretty much every single patron got up and looked around their area to see if they could find my wallet. (Turns out it had fallen out of my purse in the cab on the way there! doh.) Anyway, the L & L was one of my first introductions to the friendly alternative scene in Chicago, and for that I will always love it. read more

I like L & L. And while it's lovely and a bit little inside, it has a great true dive feel to it. You walk in and you know you walked into a dive. And not a bad dive, the good kind of dive bar that makes you want to come back for more. We actually stopped in here one day, early, before a show at the Vic. The service was great, the bartender was sincere and easy going, the crowd was nonexistant and the drinks were made well at reasonable prices. The bartender even gave us a free sample of one of the liquors we got into a discussion about. That exemplifies the reason I go to a bar to get a drink: a good atmosphere with good bartenders serving good drinks at decent enough prices. That's what the L & L has to offer and that's why I like it. read more

I don't get around to this bar enough, of course I can't drink like I used to, but it is: a bar, a dive, a sinkhole, a garden in the middle of a sewer. What it is not is a place for pretentious little shit's who feel the need to be coddled because they are now old enough to legally step in. it is not a place where people go dressed in the latest retro fashions to show how original they might be. If you go to a bar to drink (and last I checked that's what bars were for), this place is great. Good prices, wide selection; it's an aged single malt with a bouquet of reality. The only thing it lacks is a bigger window to watch the circus of the lost parading down Clark Street. read more

Ashtray floors, dirty clothes and filthy jokes. They haven't allowed smoking in this establishment for a few years now, but that smell isn't going away anytime soon. I love this place for many reasons: Cheap drinks, never crowded, a real jukebox, it's in the same building I live in, random free whiskey shots, and the interesting mix of people. For example, that one old man who just sat at the bar laughing hysterically and patted my head everytime I stepped up to the bar, with the only intelligible words coming out of his mouth being "WHATTA THEY FEED YOU?!" (I'm tall) I hope I can come back to this place in 10 years and feel like nothing has changed. read more

This is a true dive bar, no pretension towards diveyness here. Upon entering you may be struck (and I do mean struck) by the unique potpourri scent, a mixture of mildew and stale beer with hints of whiskey and prehistoric cigarette smoke. (Even though the non-smoking ban has been in place for several years traces of the scent can still be detected, or perhaps it was one of the other patrons.) But don't let the smell or the decor, which is in a functional state of dilapidation scare you from entering. PBRs in a bottle are only $2.50, the Saturday afternoon bar tender is very friendly and ready to discuss any subject as are the other patrons. The jukebox also has a great selection. read more

Ehhhhhhhhh. I like the style of this place and I think it's fairly priced (plus it has a decent selection of beer and liquor), but man the bartenders are surly. I was basically ignored when I came in and it took a while to even get the bartender to look twice at me. So, no, you don't get a tip if you're going to give me dirty looks. read more

First, I hate cash only bars. Seriously? Let me open a tab, and I promise I'll spend more. The first time I went here was with my Irish coworker. Normally I can understand 50% of what he says. It was so loud on this particular Friday (Good Friday, I believe) that I found myself nodding and laughing at everything he said because I didn't understand a lick. I will say, though, I watched the Blackhawks win the Stanley Cup in this bar (and yes, all the hipsters who think they're cooler than hipsters gave me dirty looks while I stood on the barstool and took pictures and my friend and I screamed and hugged), so it will always hold a special place in my heart. read more

I'm completely ok with the Chad/Trixie scene. I'll even go so far as to say I enjoy it. To that end, the L&L is not my typical milieu. However. It's a whiskey bar. They have a decent selection of whiskey here, and that makes me smile. I was glad to have been meeting up with friends here - I don't know that it would have been the greatest place for meeting new people. read more

I'm all about a shitty disgusting dive bar but I reach my limit when they don't even have running tap water. They use a soccer cooler (igloo) with the spout. Gross. I'm sure it's inhabited with bacteria cause there's no way they take the time to clean it. read more

What's not to love? The floor is peeling, the bathroom doesn't have a lock, the jukebox is totally free and the Miller Lite bottles are $3.50. I swear the chairs are from a VFW Hall that threw them out when they upgraded after 1995. But they remind me of my childhood in some weird way, sitting on them for weddings and other events. I love going here when I'm not in the mood for anything else and I just want to sit and talk to friends. No one bothers us and we can drink at our own pace, usually fast but if I need to slow it down it's just as acceptable. read more

Came here on a Monday night after Brew & View. Not many people around. Had some beer. Nice chill atmosphere. Bartender was pretty funny. I forget what we were talking about, but I do recall laughing. I'd go back. read more

Any bar where the bartenders regularly skip the Doors and Sinatra when someone plays them on the jukebox automatically gets five stars from me. (Although that does beg the question why those discs are in the juke at all...) But, beyond that, the L&L is the one bar I return to every time I'm in Chicago, like clockwork, and I've been to Chicago more than any other city I've never lived in. Heck, I sort of feel like an honorary resident... I probably ought to take off a star because I'm a beer snob, and you're not going to go here for the beer. Hell, they don't even have anything on draft. But they do always have a decent special--both whiskey and beer--and the former usually makes up for the latter. I don't know. I can concede some of the criticisms on here, but I've never had a bad night here. Even when it's crowded it's not too crowded; it's just plain fun. Unless you like Jim Morrison. But then you have bigger issues to worry about. read more

I genuinely like this place! Both times I've gone I've gotten good service, and it hasn't been crowded. I've also always gone around 9pm ish, when it's not crowded. Grabbed bar seats with the boy, and tried the day's special: $3 Bohemian Black Shiner something or other. It was good, and not too heavy for a dark beer. Bartender was the lovely tattooed blonde gal. I'm not one for chatting up bartenders, but she smiled back at my thankyou before we left, and seemed to be having a good conversation with the guy sitting left of us. Thanks lady! You're sweet. Drinks are always good & cheap, especially if you're in beer mode. Great place to chill out with friends, but go somewhere else if you want frilly drinks & atmosphere for that type of thing. Otherwise, dress casual and settle in for some good beerage! read more

I love this bar. It proudly boasts serving PBR. They have a bouncer that looks like Rivers Cuomo and is the nicest guy you'll ever meet. The drinks a are cheap and the jukebox is wicked good. The only reason it doesn't get a '5' is that their is an older female bartender whose entire conversation with you is, "do you want another?' Bartenders are paid to be friendly at least if they want a tip. read more

The L&L is my favorite place in Chicago. It is where I meet friends, old and new, for good conversation and stiff drinks. Bad breakups mean PBR and shots of whatever whisky strikes our fancy. Good tidings mean jack and cokes and whatever beer is the special. I like to go alone before meeting friends there because no one looks at me weird when I pull out a book at the bar, and no one tries to make conversation with me when I obviously don't want to be talked to. This place is a dive bar. If you don't like dive bars then what are you doing going to the L&L? Go somewhere where the Top 40 hits keep repeating themselves every hour or so and where people are screaming to be heard over everyone else screaming. My favorite part about the L&L is the jukebox and the fact that the Lawrence Arms are on it. Yay! Also, if you aren't in the mood to drink there is a big water cooler next to the door with stacks of plastic cups. Get yourself a cup of water instead of bothering the bartenders for it. read more

I haven't been to L and L in soooo damn long, it was nice to re-visit last Friday. The place hasn't changed much, a pretty good watering hole for a Clark Ave. bar. My bartender was cool, she apologize for charging me 2.50 for a PBR bottle. I thought that was kinda funny. Then she disappeared. I wanted another drink, but she was standing by the back door talking to one of her friends. After 20 minutes has passed, I was tempted to hop the bar and serve myself, but I said fuck it. I left her a tip, and made it just in time to grab the 77 bus to California. read more

If you normally frequent shi-shi places w/ bathroom attendants, this place is probably your worst nightmare. Skip it & leave more beer for me. Want a place you can watch Jeopardy every afternoon while a bevy of interesting historical facts is offered up by the nicest bartender in the city? This is your spot. read more

I would give it 5 stars if it weren't for the neighborhood. The clientele has changed quite a bit in the last 10 years, but it is still easily the best bar anywhere near Wrigley Field. If you're an asshole who needs his every whim catered to, you probably won't like it, which is why I do for the most part. read more

IMO, a really good dive bar will have at least a few yelp reviews that exclaim "this place is a fucking dump" while the vast majority still appreciate a dive bar for being, well, "a fucking dump." Was only at L&L for a beer or two, but the selection was great, the prices were pretty cheap and jukebox was f-ing FREE and had about half of my CD selection in it. Sooooo...yea, I'm a fan. read more

...and they weren't planning on going. It was just there after a spontaneous visit to a tattoo parlor. Surrounded by ostentatious sports bars and freak boutiques, as insignificant as a cough. She had been there before and found it forgettable. They ordered beers. The bartender was curt. It took time for our protagonists to appreciate the bar. It was a dive. Unapologetically. But it had quirky character from the signs, the fact each stool and chair were covered in duct tape and stickers, 2 small tube tvs, and regulars who were a mix of young hipsters and old timers with wise eyes. The girl felt the place was out of a Bukowski poem or somewhere Cindy Sherman would shoot an "Untitled Film Still." The man felt at home and impressed by it. Nothing was contrived. The bathrooms didn't lock but had a latch at the top of the door not unlike scout camp WCs or Kum and Go (Kum, Cuddle, and Go?) gas stations. The girl loved the free jukebox with a decent selection of songs so she could play DJ. Though she wished they had more songs and albums. The tamale guy came and everyone bought some including her companion. The next round the bartender warmed up. The girl realized she loved the bar. After that they... read more

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You cannot hate on a safe bet in this neighborhood. The asshats do trickle in but the usually realize that it's not really their scene and move further north along Clark. Plenty of PBR mirrors and it's lit like a cave. Whiskey selection is impressive as hell. Oh but one thing... does anyone else fucking hate it when the barkeep just helps themselves to a tip out of your change? I ALWAYS tip so it's not like I'd annoyed about not having the money, but I'd like to lay the money down myself and not have some tattooed bint assume I'm just going to give her the money. That's like me taking $20 out of my grandmother's purse every time I see her and saying "Well gram, you were going to give it to me anyways right?" That happened here last time. I thought it was rude. Minus one star. read more

picture it. a long day of wandering the city. but by some act of the devil you find yourself at the corner of clark and belmont. you sweat, looking in vain for something that isn't a starbucks, a place that serves beer...IN A BOTTLE or better IN A CAN. you panic seeing more and more backwards cubs hats and polos with "poped" collars. your eyes start to cloud over as you see more and more girls in $300 jeans and long highlighted blond hair yapping on cell phones and sporting louis vutton. your mind starts to race as you see throngs of tourists walking slowly asking for directions to wrigley. then, as you almost fall to the pavement, you see it, nestled next to the bank of switzerland (WTF). the L and L. and oasis. it probably can save your life. and it probably will. read more

Can I just say... there is no place like the L & L. I have searched the earth (chicago) and have found nothing that matches it's dark charm. Bar soap in the bathroom aside, this is the best place ever. 10/10 would lol @ the L & L read more

As a person who does her best to avoid both hipsters and Trixies/Chads, I'm pretty comfortable here. There's a good jukebox, it's cheap and the bartender's a really nice guy. According to legend, both John Wayne Gacy and Jeffrey Dahmer used to hang out here. Creepy. But also interesting if you're into true crime. Just think, if you're a guy and you use the restroom while you're there, you're probably sitting on the same toilet seat those two did! Yikes! read more

The L&L is seriously a fucking dump. No, I'm not being snobby. It's really a dump. It's also a dump that was out of Jack Daniels AND Miller High Life when I stopped in on a Thursday night. Bogus, dude. Bogus. Jack Daniels is required to make a bar a happy place and High Life? Well, it's the champagne of beers and should ALWAYS be stocked in dumpy drinking establishments. Harrumph! Being out of my poisons of choice, I made the executive decision to switch to Beem and role with the rest of the night. So, um... yeah. L&L is a dive. This means it's really dark. There's no décor to speak of. The locks on the bathroom door kinda work. The barstools are falling apart. It seems to be filled with locals and regulars. The bartender wasn't nice to me. Perhaps I need to not have highlighted hair and insist on wearing jeggings and tall boots because I seem to get shafted by bartenders at every dive bar in Chicago... Would I make it a destination? Nah. Would I go again if I was in the neighborhood and wanted a drink? Sure. I'd mess around with the free juke box and hope they've restocked their Jack and High Life. read more

After seeing all the positive reviews for this place I had to throw in my two cents... I don't understand the people who get off on mean, horrible service and poor drink selection, but to each his own. If you like nice, fast, efficient service, friendly patrons, and a tolerable atmosphere skip this place. if you like standing around nasty, rude, screaming people, absurdly slow service (get in line for your second drink as soon as you get your first) from impatient, curt, sometimes flat out mean bartenders, come here! One of the most unfriendly crowds in the city to boot. All this crammed into a TINNNNY little space. read more

One of the worst bars I have been to. The bartender was cool but the bar itself was disgusting. In the less than 10 minutes I was there I saw two roaches on the bar. Yes I said roaches. I was ok when I saw the first because it was a few feet away. The next one I saw was actually crawling on my glass. How this place hasn't been shut down by the health department is beyond me read more

I've been going to L&L on and off for years and I'm delighted that it hasn't changed much in ten years. It's inconspicuous. It's hard to notice if you just walk by on the busy Lakeview sidewalks. Even after Cubs games it remains relatively empty, and that's because it doesn't have that same meat market college party atmosphere that most bars in the area have. Cheap beer, dirty floors, nice bartenders. Props on the jukebox, which features old favorites as well as lesser known and/or local artists. read more

Let me preface this with I adore dive bars. I have proclaimed my love for them in the Yelp threads. But, like Erica A.'s experience, our haggard bitch of a bartender must have had one nasty day. She was rude as all get out and acted like we were inconveniencing her by ordering one round of three bottles. I didn't find the beer prices or selection as outstanding as I expected. With an Old Style at 2.5 bucks, I'm pretty sure that I could find a $3/pint Guinness deal someplace in the area where I would prefer to drop my tip. Maybe I'll give it another try, but I'm thinking that there are other places to check out. read more

I started going to the L&L in either 1999 or 2000; it was a true local, neighborhood dive bar. No attitudes, just people sitting around and drinking either in groups or by themselves. Now it's become an attitude filled hipster bar. If you're dressed like you have a job that requires you to shave and shower you will be an outcast. If you want to fit in here I recommend going to Reckless Records on Broadway and picking up a 7" by a garage band that only ever put out 3 songs and telling everyone they're the greatest band ever. You'll earn instant hipster cred and fit right in. Don't forget to wear your little sister's jeans and order a PBR. read more

Best. Dive. Bar. Ever. Best bar ever for that matter! Did I mention their amazing juke box that is 100% free?! read more