Zebra Lounge is a tucked away little piano bar in the Gold Coast that you must check out while in town. I used to go at least once a month when living in Chicago. The inside is cozy and warm, perfect for girls night, a date night or even to take relatives visiting who don't want to go into the thick of River North craziness. Service was always quick and kind, and honestly drink prices aren't the worst in comparison to other spots in the area. Once you know it's there it's easy to find. But a little tucked away and most wouldn't know the gem of a place hiding on State Street if you passed it. Can't wait to be back next time I'm in Chicago! read more

Wonderful little place here. I live right by it so am happy to have it in arms reach. Mixed drinks are 10-14 bucks a piece, not bad for Chicago. They also pour pretty heavy, so if the goal is to get tipsy, you're in the right spot. There is live music every night and no matter the talent, it's always a fun time. It gets pretty rowdy the later it gets, so keep that in mind. Cute zebra decor. Great spot for a date or a night out with the girls. Service has always been quick and efficient. Will definitely be returning. read more

Zebra Lounge - Lounges Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

We were so looking forward to going. When we entered the excellent piano player/singer had the sound system cranked up in our opinion too loud. He was very good, our bartender was excellent, the people show was interesting. Crowd was transient as it seemed to turn over every half hour. The physical interior location has seen better days. read more

We didn't eat here. Just had a few drinks. The bar is small but both bartenders know what's up and handled the people well. We got lucky, got there right before everyone else and got the big booth right next to the piano. Love me a low lit bar with some some live music...gets me every time. Definitely suggest this place! Cute date night! read more

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Came here on St Patrick's Day, music and drinks were ok. But several days later was grossly overcharged on my card for two domestic beers. It appears the bartender added an extra 0 to the tip. Wouldn't go back after that. read more

Zebra Lounge - Fraudulent tipping - Lounges Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I've been here a number of times over the years. The last time I went I discovered the next day that I was grossly overcharged. I sent three e-mails to resolve the mistake and never heard back. I won't be returning. read more

The drinks are strong here and the crowd is dranked lol! A small space that you could actually miss if you walk too fast lol. There is a huge beam in the middle of the place that is very inconvenient and cuts off some space. The piano person is usually awesome, but the crowd can get pretty loud and drown out if its too lit. Good place to drop in if nearby for a nightcap. read more

This place is so much fun! It does get very packed but it is part of its charm. You'll find zebra lounge on the first floor of a residential building, on a residential Street, very unassuming. But what brings me and hundreds of other people to this tiny little lounge is the piano bar performers. They really do know how to turn it up and could put a twist on ANY song. Try it by requesting a song. Drinks are plentiful and very well made by their friendly mixologists. Come by, let's have some fun together! read more

Glad I got to try it, but likely won't be back anytime soon. We arrived on the early side, and the bar was simultaneously empty and extremely loud. The bartender was nice enough, but there was no drink menu and my glass of wine wasn't great. When people started showing up, including the pianist/singer, I couldn't have any kind of conversation it was so loud. There is one bathroom for both men and women; as others have noted the space is really small. I like a good dive bar, but this one was a miss for me. read more

Located in The Gold Coast neighborhood of Chicago, Zebra Lounge is a small and cozy piano bar with live music daily. Great service. 5 out of 5 stars. read more

Stopped here while on vacation atfter locals recommende. It's and amazingly small but wonderfully mighty piano bar.

This place went down the drain ! LOR the bartender with the dreadlocks is not only rude, but gross. Her personal hygiene is questionable and constantly goes outside to smoke. We saw her hiding in a bush LOL I was literally pulling her hair out of my drink and when I politely asked for a new one, she laughed and told me to f*** off and still charged me for it. I asked to speak to the manager and she said that she owns the place. So now she's a liar. Very bizarre behavior like maybe she is on drugs or drunk. Zebra Lounge sucks now that Britney quit ! Now I know why. read more

It's intimate in here. Not big. Was excited to hear live music once again. The guy playing keyboards was playing behind plexiglass. The bartender was nice and professional. No taps. Didn't love the selection of beer. Wasn't very much craft beer available. I'd have also preferred if they had additional liqueurs and liquor behind the bar. Maybe some Maraschino liqueur. Ordered a Boulevardier and and a can of Guiness. read more

Zebra Lounge - a close up of a coffee cup on a table - Lounges Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

GO HERE! Visited Zebra Lounge with +/-15 coworkers on a busy Wednesday night. Only one bartender handling the whole room. Lor was amazing, handled both our crowd & locals with unreal efficiency. Also features very talented pianist with full list of phenomenal songs. Go here. Hope Lor is bartending. Cannot recommend highly enough! read more

while staying in the Gold Coast this past weekend, I just happen to pass this establishment on the way back from my hotel. just from passing by, I could tell the ambience of this local hunt had an inviting feel as well as a beautiful local crowd.. the friendly doorman let me in and I was immediately in love ! The bartenders are very professional and attentive, and made me feel like a regular immediately, out of my three days in Chicago. I made it a point to stop there twice.!! OK read more

The new bartender they hired Brittany is seriously the sexiest, coolest bartender I have ever met. What a fun hole in the wall live music bar downtown! read more

A pretty cool piano bar that is very intimate. The singing was too loud for me for such a small room. You could barely hear each other talk. We were there for about 3 hours and we joked often that you probably can't hear a word we were saying to each other. I probably wouldn't come back mainly because it's too small and too loud. Only about 30 people can fit comfortably. We came on a Tuesday night and there were about 20 people there. Imagine going on a weekend night. read more

Zebra Lounge - Lounges Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

DO NOT COME HERE!!! Horrible date spot. Cockroaches, smells like bad sewage and vomit. The bartenders are unfriendly, unprofessional with a general lack of personal hygiene. They leave the bar to go smoke while u just sit there waiting on them. It's located in a weird area. Just go somewhere else. read more

bartender is a WEIRDO. he yelled at another client because of her "tone" when she was clearly from another country. He told her to never return which was very harsh. In my opinion, he was too sensitive to be a bartender and drove away business. read more

Best place to listen to some amazing piano. Get your song list ready and have a blast.

So I visited the Zebra Lounge for the first time; I never knew it existed. I loved it. Hidden away in between big business and trendy restaurants is Zebra lounge. Some might call it a dive bar and they might be right but its a perfect combination of hidden gem and drive bar. I would totally recommend this place. read more

Used to love this bar... came in from out of town to visit on a Monday... the bar was empty and the bartender was outside the bar smoking.... When she finally came in she refused to serve me on the account of being too drunk, when I hadn't consumed one drink. My favorite bar turned to my least favorite bar overnight. Please explain to me what your job is if you aren't serving dedicated patrons on a Monday night, and squatting in a bush smoking a cig outside the bar... sign me up! read more

Cool piano bar kinda tucked away! The atmosphere is pretty intimate but it definitely gets loud. Bartender was very friendly and drinks were great. read more

Disrespectful. Server was incredibly rude when I asked as to why I had been ignored for over 15 minutes while waiting patiently and while others arriving after I had were being served before me. You're better off going to Sparrow. read more

Just fabulous!! Live music w/piano!! Need I say more?!?! Very intimate. If you blink you could miss it, so I suggest you keep your eyes open! Yes, it is literally located at the bottom of an apt building. When visiting Chicago, please visit the Gold Coast neighborhood and find the Zebra Lounge. You wont be disappointed! Great bartenders, great drinks, great atmosphere. A jewel!!! read more

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Love love this place!!! Not living in Chicago anymore but ! So happy to be back every time. Great romantic atmosphere and music!

What a fun place! Dropped in for just one drink after midnight on NYE, but had so much fun we stayed for a second drink. Everyone was singing along to an incredible variety of songs by a terrific piano player/singer. So glad we stopped in! read more

Great music Hard working staff - hey it gets no better No idea why one would complain read more

Located in a building that looks like it has seen better days this is the piano bar located next to mcfaddens. Supposedly this is one of the "hidden" gems of chicago. Its only hidden if you have had 24 beers at McFaddens and were trying to find the next bar but you are lost. Whoops. Tom Petty had a song called " refugee" and he could have been singing about this bar. You might want to come to this bar: You need more beer You want to find out where the neighborhood alchies live and play. You are hard of hearing is always very LOUD. Have been here 5 times since December.-not sure why. I reccomend you getting shit faced right away upon entering because you will be like "WTF why am I here" Sometimes the piano player screams. I know because I am a neighbor. What for? There is a microphone and the place is smaller than my college rec room at Yeshiva University( back in the day) The drinks? affordable but meh ok so so read more

Where to begin? I guess with the good things. It's a speakeasy bar which is cool. It's also nice and clean. We went on a Sunday and it wasn't very busy. Seems like most of the people there were friends with the piano player or bartender. The friends of the piano player were beyond wasted and being super obnoxious, so we decided to leave. The bartender asked us for a card to open up a tab, we got 3 old fashioned and depending what you want, it can be $10 or $13. She didn't ask us. Whatever . The main issue was at the end of the night she ended charging my boyfriend for shots I had already paid and for the three drinks. So we ended up calling to let her know. She said she would fix it. Instead she ended up just charging him again, both cleared and no refund was made. Maybe on another night when the bartender isn't busy with her friends or the vibe is different it might be actually be a fun place. read more

Great drinks, live music and a fun crowd? Say hello to the Zebra Lounge! How this little place escaped me up to now is easy as it it kind of hidden with a discreet sign which is in contrast to all the other places that it competes with. But that discreet sign is an oxymoron for once you pull open the door, the loud music and people jostling for position will keep you entertained all night. We sang, we laughed, we danced (well, more of a shake and wiggle given the space is so tight, but I'm pretty sure the guy behind me liked it!) and had just a great time. And the age range is all over the place so the people playing the piano really are talented as the requests come from all over the place. One minute it's NY show tunes and the next it's Top 40 ballads. So, pull open that door and join us. You might just find yourself wiggling and shaking and singing with the rest of us. Beer bottles up, sing into the neck, yep, it's almost a microphone! read more

Went on a Saturday night and it was packed shoulder to shoulder. The pianist did an awesome job and you could tell the crowd was enjoying the music. However they could do better crowd control since it was so insanely full. Maybe hire a bouncer (if one was there, I have no idea where) because we walked straight in and there were far too many people packed inside. read more

Love the vibe and the music here is great! All the zebra art and decorations are amazing! Loved that you got to suggest the song you want the pianist to sing and play. It's a darker bar but everyone is in good spirits and enjoying the music, perfect for a GNO or Date night read more

I'm glad Zebra has managed to stay open during a long, hard year. I'll be here for Halloween cocktails!

Why have I not reviewed the Zebra until now? This place will never change, and this is a good thing. It's near Rush/Division, but worlds away. Actually out of the way, tucked into a building with only a small sign out front. It's an oasis of cool, and cocktails. A throwback with a piano bar and a sassy dame behind the bar. Go here late night, but GO here. I was here the other day, and the time to go is really late night. It's a bit deserted at what - 7 PM or so? But still cool. read more

Looking for a dive bar to get tanked on your vacation? Then visit the ZEBRA!!! Lovely piano music, ALL BILLY JOEL SONGS! The piano man has a menu of request songs to choose from, and he WILL NOT deviate from the list- so you will hear lots of Billy Joel- which is horrible if you're sober- but you're at the zebra so you will be very tipsy and you will love it. Enjoy! read more

Zebra Lounge - Lounges Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Really fun environment. Bar tender/owner was great to talk to. It is small and loud, so I wouldn't recommend for a first date but perfect for a evening hangout read more

Zebra Lounge is a super cool, nostalgic feeling speakeasy/piano bar hidden on the ground floor of an apartment building in Gold Coast. We came here for the first time on New Years Eve with some friends who were visiting from Arizona. We were initially a bit skeptical about trying some place new to show our friends a good time, but I had read online that this place was a must-try. I'd have to agree with that! When we arrived around 9pm, the place was already packed but it was NYE so I'm not sure if that's a good representation of a normal evening crowd. We still managed to snag a table fairly easily. The pianist Kevan was amazing, and he played a good mix of new and old! I've been to other piano bars where you only hear a bunch of top 40 stuff stylized for piano and while I'm TOTALLY into that, I need oldies, too!! Definitely check this place out for your next night out! I loved it. read more

Sadly, this place was not what I expected it to be at all. I read in the reviews it was tiny, but man, was it small. Smaller than I even expected. There's a giant post right in the middle of the room that takes up a lot of space, making it feel even smaller. As soon as I walked in, I heard the pianist/singer announcing she was taking a break and would be back. She took a 20 minute break and in that 20 mins of no music playing, I really took in the place and looked around. It was 11:00 on a Friday and everyone was hammered. One girl could barely stand up without assistance. They don't have security or a bouncer there. What are their rules on kicking people out? The clientele was just obnoxious. So annoying to the point where I had left my tab open, but after a little while, decided to close it out since I knew I didn't want to stay there, sitting next to girls who were about to puke on my shoes. This was not a low key piano bar like I'd hoped. No one was even listening to the piano player. And she was actually really talented! I just could barely hear her over the drunk screams of everyone in the room. I will say that my drink was strong and the bartenders were surprisingly friendly. Maybe I'd give this place a shot again during the week, but I'd never come back on a weekend again. read more

Super cool spot. makes me feel like I'm in an old speakeasy - although - I don't think old speakeasy were every that crowded. Drinks are a bit pricy and it can be crowded but it's a must do if you like Prohibition history or dive bars. As other reviews mentioned - you can miss the spot if you don't look close enough AND the night can vary depending on whos playing. The music is super fun and it's just such a unique place. I would recommend popping in for a drink and then heading somewhere else to drink more (to not spend too much money) read more