There's a reason why CNN Travel named Rose's one of the 'Top 10 Dive Bars' in the country. Check it out for yourself. read more

A truly solid dive bar. As others have claimed, it feels like you are in "grandma's basement" with mismatching sets of kitchen tables, chairs, couches, and old lamps. There were Christmas lights up, but my friends and I decided we don't think it's just because of the time of year but that it is the main lighting year round. Last night when I was there, it was quiet at times, and the staff was great about keeping catchy songs going on the jukebox. They also kept our bowl of pretzels on the table refilled throughout the night. They pulled chilled glass mugs from the two regular looking fridges alongside the bar and handed out as many as we wanted to share pitchers of beers ($15 for Old Style). The highlight of the night though was meeting "grandma" or, rather, the namesake Rose, who was sitting quietly behind the bar and who gladly talked with my friends, encouraging one, single friend to marry one of the (regular?) young men who was at the bar. We talked briefly and didn't love the guy and some of the other seemingly bar crawl folks who wandered in and out in a loud group, but we liked their support of the local establishment. We also appreciated Rose's emphatic waving over toward the door upon the miraculous appearance of the Tamale Man toward the end of the night. We appreciated it for ourselves, and she bought some to bring to her son, she told us. In summary, Rose's is a lowkey spot, that can attract loud, late night groups. If you go, be sure to check behind the bar for Rose to say hello. read more

Stopped by last night for a drink, since I was in the neighborhood with friends. One drink turned into two, two turned into three...and at 2am, I ended up stumbling into a cab drunkenly enchanted with this dive bar. Run by a Macedonian mother and son team (Rose and Hiro(?sp.) (his name translates to Cyril), this place is the epitome of a dive bar. The decor is beyond tacky, but also reminds you of your grandparent's basement rec room with its faux-wood paneling, broken in bar stools, religious kitsch, Christmas lights and tinsel mixed in among the bottles of alcohol. But there is a $.50 pool table, and an ancient juke box filled with oldies but goodies. You can't beat the 7 plays for a dollar. Prices are really quite doable. I drank the night away for about $25, but I think the price for drinks fluctuates depending on the day, time of day, customer, and bartender. (Rose is one tough cookie, but you can charm her son into drinking discounts). There are three beers on tap (old Style, Bud, and one other that I can't remember in the light of day) as well as a good selection of domestics and imports. And, if you're lucky enough that mama or Cyril like you, then you might be treated to a shot (ok, it was really 4 shots) of sliwowica. This place is religious about checking IDs, and it fills up with hipsters and DePaul undergrads later in the night, but everyone is pretty friendly. Also, who doesn't love a place that shows sports at one end of the bar and the food network (Hiya, Alton Brown - you're really quite amusing!) at the other end. read more

I love this place. Run by the same family for decades. The floor wobbles. The glassware is like the stuff you might find at your grandma's house, and what I love about this place is that in a neighborhood that has seen waves of gentrification this place has stayed exactly the same. So often these gems are lost (look at Division Street, or Milwaukee and Damen or heck most of Chicago since 1990). Rose has been replaced by her granddaughter and prices have gone up for the cheapskates, but I think it is A-OK to pay a little more to keep a place going that has been here since before the Whole Foods and Trader Jose. Still an affordable place to get drunk, and the free pretzels are a nice touch. Love that. read more

Rose! I love you too! I love the fridge you pulled my Polish beer from. I love the jukebox with the bad music but gives you 7 plays for a buck. I love the regulars and their crazy life stories. I love the art (if one can call it that) on the walls. I love the thrift store furniture and seating. Did I mention I love you Rose? read more

This is the definition of a dive-bar. One of the few places that you can go on a friday or saturday night and actually have a few good brews and hear your conversation. The second I came in, I felt like I was a regular. The bartender was very friendly and made us feel at home. Also we got free pretzels with our drinks, which was a huge plus because I was hungry. The jukebox has a GREAT music selection; anything from the beatles, the beach boys, elvis, great hits from the 70s. I played a lot of the hits I heard growing up with my parents, and there just aren't too many places in the city that have that kind of music. If you want a chill night at a bar with someone or a group of good friends, this is a good place to go. You'll actually remember your conversation and feel like you're back in a much simpler time. You might even want to put away your cell phone for a couple hours. read more

Finally. A bar that non bar people will like. Here's the story: I hate going to bars because they're always too loud, crowded, and uncomfortable. I'd much prefer to sit back in someones apartment and hang out. So mind that for the context of my review. Rose's fulfills thats just that! The outside is super...sketchy/weird/tacky, but go inside and you're instantly taken back 30 years to your grandma's basement. Random chairs, great couches, one quiet TV, a jukebox, Christmas lights, random faded posters--its all there! The bar tender is super friendly and will chat you up endlessly about Macedonia if you ask him where he's from. The place is decently sized, but overwhelmed by the monstrous furniture which is so great to just collapse in. As for the alcohol. haha, flat and bad selection. If you'd a booze snob you won't like this place. That's that. But I got a soda and snagged a couch and thought it was a perfect atmosphere for hanging out comfortably. The crowd was eclectic and very diverse so no one type here: I guess there were no bros or dumb blondes which was nice. The jukebox is great! and there's a pool table! And even better: its byo-dinner! Seriously one table next to us brought in a full dinner and sat down without anyone saying anything. Overall, chill place, but not great for booze. But if you're a non-bar person, its great! read more

... We had a great time at Rose's and it's featured in my YouTube video here Dad Is Phat in Chicago Part 2 Museum of Science and industry, Willis Tower, Rose's Lounge https://youtu.be/OeR94qDE1gk read more

Quiet dive with comfortable seating and decently priced drinks. They have a great jukebox, $1 for 7 plays! It's a really great hole in the wall, they have some table space and a few board games you can play, including one of my favorites: Hoopla! The bartender was very friendly and told us that Rose went off to Montana to go hunting by horseback! read more

For this neighborhood, Rose's is a lifesaver! I used to live around here, and Lincoln Avenue is the worst place in the world to be if you don't have a popped collar, some K-Swiss, and a Nextel. So if you find yourself stuck in this predicament called Lincoln Park, you can get a taste of normalcy at Rose's. Cheap beer, minimal decor, and popcorn. Reminds me of a bar back home I used to frequent. Bonus points for nostalgia, I guess. Just don't come in here asking for a Vodka and Red Bull. If that's your thing, just stick to any of the other 9 million frat bars further down on Lincoln. read more

I feel bad giving a sweet old lady a bad review buuuuuuuuuuuuuuuut..... I walked in an ordered a chardonnay. I was drinking wine with dinner and felt it was best not to switch it up. Rose stared blankly at me and asked me again what I wanted. I simplified my answer to a white wine. She looks behind her and picks up a mini bottle of a blush wine. I smiled and told her that wasn't quite what I was looking for. She shuffled back and eventually produced me an individual serving bottle of a white wine. No glass. Didn't unscrew the top. As amusing as it was for me to take some pictures drinking from the bottle, I prefer my bartender to know what a drink is when I order it. I'd come back if I was in a beer mood. Hopefully she won't make me drink it straight from the tap. read more

Look here's the deal. If you want a dive bar of the greatest magnitude, a place where you can go and sit on old couches and furniture stolen from a bowling alley circa 1976, drink dollar beers and get taught coin tricks by the old dude at the bar then by all means go here for a bang up time hanging with your friends. If you are going to Roses's because you are a Lincoln Park douchebag and are trying to be seen then stay out and hit up Barleycorn you assbucket. Rose's has cheap beers, groovy jukebox, one pool table, comfy seating, and Rose. Best place to sit and swap stories, play cards, or just hang with friends. You there, the 23 year old dude with the fauxhawk and the stripped button down shirt? Yeah you? Stay out. read more

Everything I love about a bar: -Host: Rose is so sweet -Tap beer: Old Style & Guinness...what else do you need in life? -Jukebox: get the crowd excited with Peter Gabriel - Sledgehammer -Decor: Grandmas basement read more

Oh Rose, you oracle of good fate and fortune! You had forgotten the perfect amount of drinks so that my night did not get out of hand, but the rest of your family (who were a strange mix of employees and patrons) provided me with enough dancing, conversation, and complimentary shots to ensure a good night. Ducking in from the rain into your 70's-era basement living room romp for a last-minute meet-up was one of the best ideas I'd had all week. Also, your jukebox was equally perfect and fateful. Dancing to Motown, Doo-Wop, Bowie, and Sinatra was all I needed to turn my week around - I don't even care that it's stuck on shuffle or that I had to dodge pool-cues. read more

The place is cheap. The decor is brilliant - there's a painting of a woman with feathered hair behind the bar, for example. The bartender judges your juke selections and will shoot your shit down if you make a bad choice. This place rocks. Hard. And by rocks, I mean it rocks, if you want a place to drink cheaply and be witness to others trying to drink cheaply with no attitude. When Delilah's is too... much, or you're just getting too old for whatever scene is loudly being announced there, drink here. Not that I don't like Delilah's, but sometimes you just don't want to see the same folks doing their same loud song and dance over and over and over. read more

Gotta respect Charlie Brown-esque Christmas decorations in October. If you want a chill beer, you get a chill beer. Salut!

Awesome little dive bar on a nondescript stretch of Lincoln that is the perfect place to go for a heavily poured cheap boozy cocktail. The regulars quite possibly could be the extras from the movie Barfly but the bartenders don't mess around. They mess you up. This is a no bullshit, no attitude place where you will place nice or get the fuck out, trust me. And its good to come here with someone because the natives aren't that friendly if you are overdressed and look out of place. But the minute you bust out a round of shots, they are long lost friends. Trust me. read more

Awwww.....I wanted to like this place! I really did. I walked in and saw the couches and the basement look and thought "YAY, another great dive bar!" Well, not so much. First off, we ordered two pitchers of Old Style and it was so warm I thought it was soup. THEN, I reallized that it would have been cheaper to buy by the pint! So I marched right up to the bar and......ordered another pitcher. *slap* But this time I ordered Miller Lite because the house-elf they had there told me he just put on the old style barrels. So the Lite had to be cold. Well, I watched young miss Rose pour me a nice big (un)frosty pitcher of Old Style! Now I can handle all of that to a point. I will just go put in some Johnny Cash in the jukebox. *searching* *searching* WHAT?!?!?!?! NO Johnny Cash!? I asked Rose's son and he said they were getting some. I quickly told him that I understood. He is kind of new and not a lot of people have heard of him. That is enough to warrant a single star! But I save single stars for places like Bar Chicago. We left after the Mexican house-elf asked us if we knew why Mexicans don't grill. It wasn't so much his joke but we wanted to actually enjoy ourselves so we had decided to leave at that point. In case you were wondering, the answer is because the beans fall through the grill. *sigh* read more

This is a great bar with great people working there. The night we visited, the customer base was a perfect combination of friendly and loner. I hope it can remain unchanged. read more

Sometimes you just want a place to go for a drink, it can get a little on the Chad side occasionally but for the most part we can enjoy without pretense. great jukebox! read more

So on our last night in Chicago me and my girlfriend were told it was a 45 minute wait to get pizza at the joint across the street, so what better way to stir up an appetite than beer. We walk across the street to this sign that says Old Style on tap. And Seriously?? $2 beers is unheard of !!! there is no way you get out of anywhere nowadays with out dropping at least a 5 for a beer. So not only is it a good deal but the homey atmosphere with a small scent of old couches got me sold on this place. Next time i'm in Chicago it'll be top of my list read more

super strange experience. went in at 845 when the bar was supposed to open at 7. an older gentleman greeted us (quite rudely) and we asked if they were open and he said they were, despite no one being in the bar. he asked us to wait a minute before ordering so we did. at a certain point my friend approached the bar and the man cursed at him and said "i said f**king wait." it was very strange and unnerving. we tried to leave and then he asked why we wouldn't wait another minute. overall, would not recommend read more

Oh my, check out this dive! Everyone get excited: Rose's Lounge now has the honor of being called, "The most dive-y dive bar I've ever been to." (That's a pretty big honor.) This place is tucked away on Lincoln. The old lady, presumably Rose, have everything you could dive bar proprietor: old, walks with a limp, eastern European, slight B.O, crude. My buddy ordered a glass of water and Rose goes to the ice bucket, dips a high ball into some melted ice and hands it too him. Priceless. We asked if we could drink outback of their place. Rose informed us that the outside was only for smoking...or sex. Amazing. Check this place out and it will give you a whole new prospective on drinking. read more

This is the warmest, coolest, and comfortable dive bar in Chicago Dive bars are known for being under the radar, grungy, and having shady regulars. All reasons that make them so great. Roses falls in the dive bar category for a different reasons though. Rose is the owner and head bar tender who must be in her 80s or older. Running this bar for all these years is the key to her youth i think. She has quirky and funky trinkets behind the bar intermixed with ancient bottles of alcohol and your standard full service bar. Cheap juke box machine with great tunes, cheap beers, she frosts the beer mugs, 75 cents to use the pool table, comfortable couch seating throughout, and a back patio to smoke cigarettes. I love coming here early in the night with friends when no one else is there. We run the pool table, there are free snacks, always gives good deals on beer, great location, and lounge seating. It's like pre-gaming in your parents basement except at a bar! Awesome! read more

Rose's Lounge - Dive Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

There are few times in life when a meal is so expertly crafted. Case in point last night - the mahi mahi. This place is a dive and makes no apologies. Awesome, friendly people. Really can't be beat read more

I would give this place 5 stars, but... I was molested by an old man here. He kept touching me with his cold, soft hands, and asking that I buy him beer. To some, this may be a charming incident of being a patron of Rose's, but I was kind of creeped out. read more

This is my high school drinking life recreated in a bar, there are old couches everywhere. I love this dive! There is an old jukebox and Christmas decorations up year round. Rose the owner still comes in on Fridays she is 84 yrs old. read more

Rose's Lounge - Dive Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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I've been a search for a solid dive bar in Chicago since moving to the city. I'm on an impossible mission to replace the Caribou in Madison, WI, but I must try. Rose's is actually pretty sweet and is pretty close to my apartment which is key for a go to dive bar. An old school juke box machine, pool table, and solid company. Plus, Rose actually works behind the bar. I will say that we arrived a bit early and were the only dudes in the bar outside of this old guy that was really friendly, but would literally not stop talking to us. The true test will be once my buddy from Madison makes it down to Chicago for a visit. read more

Dude, beer is a dollar. And don't worry about it getting overrun by wasted Lincoln Park bro's --- the attic smell, office furniture, and certifiably insane bartender do a good job of scaring away any stragglers from John Barleycorn's. To get the full experience you have to sit at the bar and chat up Rose's son (the bartender) for at least half an hour. His crazy talk will knock your socks off! Rose's definitely beats Marie's Rip Tide at their own game. read more

One Saturday night I found myself running for the Roses, in this case it was Rose's Lounge. A secluded dive bar found on Lincoln Ave, this place has about as much charm as my grandma's basement. No really, a grandma owns this place and she has packed it full of her own treasures. Think really old fashion tables, chairs, couches and everyone's favorite knickknacks. Just like many dive bars the beer is cheep, the pretzel's are free, the bartenders are semi attentive and the jukebox is stocked with the best songs. Beer is beer, so in my book this place deserves an A-OK. I will head back sometime, its just not on my list of must go back's. Side note: Cash only. read more

Have some quarters for the dancing queen! Rose is a sweatheart and i can't believe anyone would think otherwise. Sure, you may have to speak up and help her find the bottle of booze you want, but tell me where else you can do that! My best friend met his wife here! Single guys- this is the hangout! read more

All these reviews make me want to cry! This place is ridiculously horrible. I will admit it looked like a bunch of the kids were having fun and all that jazz behind me.... but.... the drinks? ARE YOU KIDDING ME???? My friend ordered Guiness.... and it took this "Rose" character 20 million hours to pour it--- i asked my friend if she had died... geez. she served it in a mug and it was half foam. end of the keg. i got a can of pbr--whatever it was cold. $3. friends half glass of guiness was $5. It seems like people could have fun at this bar.... but not for me. I don't think that little creepy old lady is cute and I don't give her credit for being the only bartender who takes a millions year to get drinks. bitter review equal to the bitter service and experience. Dive bar or just a fad to actually make people go? read more

It actually smells like kitty-litter and everyone in there is senile--and it's awesome. Once Rose told a random dude that he should marry me, and then asked me if I would like to wash his feet. Another time, one of the regulars from the old-folks home across the street, told my friends and I he had slept with both Liza Minnelli and Judy Garland, and they were both 'terrible'. $10 pints of old-style, stale pretzels, and probably the best people watching in the city. read more

my girlfriends and i had such a good time at rose's lounge last time we were in chicago, we went twice over 4 days. the bartenders are just normal, regular guys that want to do some shots and have fun. we always enjoy a little divey bar that you can sit and get a good buzz. we also enjoyed that all of the furniture was mismatched and it kinda smelled like a basement with wood paneling. rose's we will be back. these michiganders love you. love, juston read more

Ah, now this is my kind of dive bar with its classic back alley like door and porthole frontage to scare away the trendy types. Yes, the decor looks like a garage sale blew up inside but it's cool in its own way. Inconsistent service, a wobbly table or chair here and there. Rose's Lounge is so imperfect that if it were any other way would be just wrong - and that's what makes this the perfect dive bar. Cheap beer doesn't hurt either. read more

Love this place! Don't come here if you plan on ordering a Cosmo, Chardonnay, or other Fru-Fru drinks. Also, your drink may look like it's half full because they have so many different styles of cups/glasses floating around. I met Rose and the son- very nice people-they are very generous! Rose is the cutest little lady EVER! The decor/furniture is like being in someones basement or in a college frat house. Love the jukebox and pool table. This is a great place! read more

Reminds me of the Bikini Lounge crossed with 70s kitchen. It was the perfect thing on a rainy night in Chicago.

Very low key and fun! Service is amazing as well. Would recommend for a chill good time!

I went here for a roommates' summer bar crawl (loop to west town to lincoln park--yeah pretty big range). Even if these guys were all BIGlaw lawyers, they picked a great, friendly spot. 25 cent pool tables, 35 songs for $5 (seriously) jukebox, and $1 beers. Check it out! read more

You know you're having a good time when you've got a weighty mug of $1 Old Style in hand, sitting in a corner with all your buddies on mismatched Salvo furniture, watching an 80 year old man do the two-step with a 20 something indie gal. There's also a lovely old dear behind the bar... you'll have to bite your tongue to keep from calling her "nanna" once you're soused. Plus! Free stale pretzels handed to you on a paper Christmas plate. Yes - the beer is room temperature (or warmer!) but if you're a raging Anglophile like me you'll welcome up. Plus the footie was playing on a little blurry tv tucked into the corner. read more