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    The Wild Hare

    3.7 (256 reviews)
    Closed Closed

    The Wild Hare Photos

    Business Info

    THE WILD HARE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Loud
    DJ
    Live music
    Casual

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    Recommended Reviews - The Wild Hare

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    sharay T.

    Amazing food! You must try the jerk nachos and wings!!!! I had such a great time Sunday! Also live music , they are also on Uber eats.

    Blackened catfish, cabbage, rice and peas, and plantain
    Angela M.

    Exceptional service at the bar! Great music and delicious food! The DJ was on fire with a mix of old hip hop!

    Jerk wings (6 to and order)
    Patrick D.

    Best jerk chicken I've had in Chicago, maybe ever! My girlfriend and I were in the mood for jerk chicken and this place had solid reviews so we decided to check it out. The place was smaller than expected but had a nice ambiance and laidback vibe with the bar, tables, and music all pretty close to each other. The menu is short but hits all the basics you'd expect Carribean restaurant: jerk chicken, brown stew chicken, oxtails, shrimp and fish dishes, plantains, rice and beans, etc. We got an order of their jerk wings and a jerk chicken platter (with rice+beans and plantains). The platter had a breast, drumstick and thigh, and the wings were 6 to an order; all of the meat was seasoned and cooked perfectly, with a dark and almost blackened exterior but meat that was juicy and fall off the bone. They were both served with a nice savory sweet jerk dipping sauce, but honestly the chicken was so perfectly cooked it didn't need it. I've had jerk chicken in a number of places in Philly and Chicago, and this is definitely my favorite. The meat is great, the portions of meat and sides were more than enough and prices were very reasonable; if you're around the area, do yourself a favor and stop by this place for the best jerk chicken around!

    Seasonal Vegetable Curry with shrimp
    Wendy L.

    Hidden gem alert! I seldom get a chance to try out Caribbean food so coming here was a pretty cool experience. We happened to be in the area and was looking for a place to eat dinner and there was no wait here. They have a DJ blasting Reggaeton music on the evening that we came and the bar area slowly filled throughout the night. You can tell this is a place locals love to frequent. The atmosphere is totally casual and friendly. Our server was fantastic. We ordered two of their dishes, the jerk chicken and a vegetable curry. Their food menu is simple, not a whole lot of choices, but the food is great. The jerk chicken was extremely well seasoned and juicy. The curry was very creamy from the coconut milk and they included lots of vegetables. I'm not sure that you can find a better Caribbean place in Chicago.

    Sorry I only got the finished product. Amazing... it includes cheese, shrimp, jerk sauce, heaven and many other wonderful ingredients.
    Danielle K.

    Y'all.... The Caribbean shrimp fries. I can't even breathe it was so delicious. Get there now!

    jerk chicken dinner set
    Angela L.

    A few girlfriends and I came to Wild Hare on a Friday night for drinks and dinner. Food is your standard Caribbean food paired with rice and plantains. The portions are very generous - the jerk chicken dinner set I ordered can definitely be shared between two people, for example. I recommend their rum cocktail - the drink is deceivingly sweet but packs a punch (no pun intended), and can be the perfect segue to the rest of your night. Because no need to move, you have live reggae music in the room next door. Show usually starts around 10:30 PM, and that's when the place starts getting crowded - try to come before nine so you don't need to pay a cover. Overall a very unique atmosphere not provided anywhere else in Chicago. Giving an extra star for the live music!

    Oxtails, rice and beans
    Malcolm W.

    Never disappoint. Good service, food and music. Drinks not bad at all either. I will be back soon!

    Caramelized plantains of a decadent cheesecake
    Bill N.

    Stopped in to experience this place. We arrived early before the headliner and door fees were assessed. Service by the bartender was spot on. The Rum Punch was good but the Caramelized cheesecake was amazing

    a plate of food on a table
    Ashleigh J.

    I had lots of fun here! The music was great, rum punch was hitting. But the food, meh. We ordered the jerk chicken and a beef dish. The jerk chicken is served a lil blackened, of course, but my first plate of it was straight up scorched. They took it and gave me another plate, which was better. The server was cool. I felt like Ms. Rona was probably here, because it can get real club like with people walking by you and your food pretty close, often without masks because they're going back and forth eating & drinking. But the tables were spaced and staff wore masks.

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    2 years ago

    food was horrible best nasty though oxtails hard rice disgusting gumbo very bad experience

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    William G.

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    3 years ago

    Great drinks and the food was great the jerk tacison Tues are awesome. The music is great

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    9 years ago

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    4 years ago

    Hidden gem. Awesome music and drinks. Service is great. The best cheesecake I have ever had. Plantain cheesecake is a must

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    Page 1 of 7

    Ask the Community - The Wild Hare

    Are you all back open?

    Not as yet. Thanks for checking in and please follow us on Facebook and our website for updates.

    Do they have coat check? And what type of music on Thursday nights?

    We have live roots reggae most Thursdays plus The Wild Hare Sound System featuring DJs like G Sharp. We operate a coat check at the front door during winter months.

    What is age limit to get into the Wild Hare (Chicago)?

    We are 21+ during performance hours.

    View All 7 Questions

    Review Highlights - The Wild Hare

    I've been looking for live reggae music for soo long and I'm very glad I came across this place.

    Mentioned in 11 reviews

    Read more highlights

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    Three Dots and A Dash

    Three Dots and A Dash

    4.1
    (4.2k reviews)
    1.1 mi
    $$$

    This place is a yes, yes, and yes! I have a buddy that loves Tiki bars and found this place/made a…read morereservation, so our group came to visit on a Sunday night. The vibe is speakeasy-ish; the entrance is off the street in an alleyway but the interior is very nice, low light, and would be fun for a date night! The staff were attentive and very friendly. My friend got some shots, which were surprisingly good given they were kind of sweet, and I ordered the "mystic lamp" cocktail ($16) which was VERY memorable to me as someone that loves floral drinks -- it was very floral, slightly fruity, and had a lovely chunk of lychee it came with which was delicious! The drink was decent sized too; I've been charged a lot more for much less drink at other speakeasies (those of which I don't plan to visit again any time soon haha). In my opinion, this spot has the perfect combo of great drinks, nice ambiance, cool speakeasy-vibes, but also cheerfulness given the tiki-theme inside. Would definitely rec a visit to anyone visiting Chicago who likes cool bars!

    I can't understand what the fuss is all about here. I couldn't wait to leave…read more This place represents itself as a tiki bar but is the most half-hearted attempt I have ever seen. I was excited for the experience having heard how busy it gets, blah blah. These positive reviewers need to seek out other tiki bars. After you negotiate the alley entrance and go down dangerously dark stairs, you are met with crazy boring decor. I kept thinking there had to be more right? The whole point of a tiki bar is to strike a mood, but hanging a very few polynesian masks on the wall, putting up a grass facade over the bar and dressing the servers in vaguely polynesian outfits is sad. I've seen private tiki bars at people's homes that are more exciting. Add to this a comparably boring music selection played far too loud over boomy lo-fi speakers and you'll wonder what's going on here. So what about the food and drink? Completely uninspired for anyone who's had more than a mai tai before in their life. About a dozen extremely common drink choices is all you get!! No specials, that's it. When I asked if this was the whole cocktail menu, the server said it was but they have a full bar so you can get anything you want. Well, I could get that service at just about any bar in the world, so big deal. Maybe it would be better if you sat at the bar and chatted up the bartender. One could also go taste their rum selections and other cocktails in the Bamboo Room, but I hate that kind of elitist nonsense. That's never been what tiki bars were about. The drinks we sampled were okay at best. Even the namesake 3 Dots and A Dash cocktail was lackluster and used cheap cherries for the dots instead of classic Luxardos. (If you know, you know) The appetizers were okay, but way overpriced. 5 tiny spring rolls for $18. Come on guys, enough already. I'd rather go to the bar at the Polynesian Hotel at Disney than return here. This place is a hard pass.

    Photos
    Interior Entrance
    Interior Entrance
    These Loaded Luau Cheese Fries
    These Loaded Luau Cheese Fries
    Tiki gift shop.

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    Tiki gift shop.
    Rossi's Liquors

    Rossi's Liquors

    4.2
    (432 reviews)
    1.2 mi
    $

    Friendly and lively dive bar (4/5 Green Stars) Waiting for…read moretake-out from nearby Lou Malnati's, we wandered into Rossi's for a quick drink. It's a reasonably-priced busy dive bar in the heart of Chicago. I asked the bartender if she had a beer + shot deal and she said "no, but you can order a beer and shot." And so we did! Noise level is fairly high, thanks to a lively crowd plus a jukebox. They don't normally serve food but I think are fine with customers bringing in your own food, and you can also place an order from a nearby restaurant (I don't recall which one). And yes, it's cash only so bring some money if you don't want to pay ATM fees! 4 out of 5 Green Stars for social and environmental impact. I like bars that allow customers to bring (or order) their own food - it allows for all diets! The one thing I'd like to see is more beer on tap - even just one good rotating local beer (e.g., Goose Island). Draft beer has smaller environmental footprints compared to bottled or canned.

    Recently stopped by Rossi's Liquors and this place is the definition of a dive bar, in the most…read moreauthentic way possible. After a quick ID check at the door, the bouncer let us know it's cash only (thankfully we came prepared). From the moment we walked in, dim lighting, loud music, and shoulder-to-shoulder crowds gave the vibe of a full-on frat party, but not in a bad way. It's chaotic, energetic, and unapologetically no-frills. There's even a self-serve cooler with drink prices clearly listed underneath. I grabbed a Sapporo Premium, brought it to the counter, and our friendly bartender broke our change and offered a chilled glass to pour it into. Simple and efficient. That said, it was loud, so loud that even whispering-distance conversations were a struggle. The space is small, seating is limited, and since we couldn't snag a spot, we ended up leaving shortly after finishing our drinks. This feels like a better weekday hang than a packed weekend night. Still, if you're looking for a classic, gritty, no-frills dive experience, Rossi's delivers exactly that.

    Photos
    Nightcap
    Nightcap
    Rossi's Liquors
    Rossi's Liquors

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    O'Callaghan's

    O'Callaghan's

    3.5
    (315 reviews)
    1.2 mi
    $$

    Sat at the bar because it was Friday night and the tables were all taken. I liked the variety of…read moremusic, the ambience, the atmosphere....and the burger and fries! That burger----was SOOOO GOOD (Char Burger) and the waffle fries were kind of crispy- good! They had an NBA game playing on the tvs. Service from both bartenders was great- Our main server had great attention to detail. (realized they forgot the mustard without me saying anything) All in all- great! (Skip the fish and chips- get the char burger!)

    I came in with three friends and we grabbed a high-top table. We ordered a few rounds and…read moreeverything was going fine. Toward the end of the night, two of my friends left, and the remaining two of us paid our bill and were finishing our drinks while waiting for our Uber. At that point, the bartender came over and told us she needed our table for a large group. The table wasn't reserved, and we were clearly just finishing up. We told her we were about to leave anyway, but the way it was handled felt really abrupt and rude. What made it worse was that she immediately brought a group over to take our table, and even they were apologizing to us because they seemed uncomfortable with how it was handled. I've worked in bars and restaurants myself, so I completely understand needing to manage space, but there's a way to do it respectfully, and this wasn't it. Unfortunately, this experience left a bad impression, and despite having been here multiple times before, I won't be returning.

    Photos
    Dining Room
    Dining Room
    Corned Beef
    Corned Beef
    O'Callaghan's

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    The Wild Hare - musicvenues - Updated July 2026

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