Very atmospheric institution! Impressive! But!! Completely unfriendly and even aggressive behavior of the hostess places! (apparently so call her) to meet and communicate with guests (visitors) is not her calling.
I don t travel back to my hometown of Chicago without visiting The Green Mill. A legendary establishment that ll leave you with long lasting memories.
Easily my favorite bar in Chicago, and one of my favorite of all. The classic art deco atmosphere and well poured drinks are only exceeded in excellence by the music. The performances here are definitely an experience not to be missed. This former speakeasy has been around a long time, and for good reason. Added bonus: they are open until 4am!
Patricia Barber is great! Best way to spend your Monday evening!
I visited Chicago from out of town and made a trip to the Green Mill looking forward to hearing renowned Jazz/Blues musicians
My first impression of the place was less than stellar. The bouncer was unbelievably rude and talked to me/my friend like he was a prison guard all while asking for a whooping $12 cover charge. He barked at me to turn off my cell phone. Made a**hole remarks to my foreign friend. The guy acted like he never used the words "please" and "thank you" in his entire life. You would think a jazz bar with of audience of primarily affluent adults who hire a greeter that was more cordial/well mannered. Instead they welcomed everybody like some biker wannabe leather jacket prick. If it wasn't for the hour trip I made out there I would have turned around and left. This is coming from someone who was a doorman in college for four years.
The bartenders were only slightly more friendly, but none of them even attempted to smile and treated my drink orders like an inconvenience. They were fast with the drinks though.
My advice to the owners. FIRE THE DOORMAN and hire someone with an IQ above 70 when half your crowd has an IQ about 110. Also investing in some happy pills for the bartenders wouldn't too hurt either.
Besides those qualms I was impressed with the venue. Although it was small, it had a lot of character. Bathrooms were a little dirty, but I was too imbibed with music/booze to even care that much. The jazz musicians were outstanding.
the greeen mill seems like a place to go and have some fun and just party service is great
The decor is amazing. Paper machete is a must on Saturdays. Would be my favorite hang out spot if I lived in Chicago.
Consider a 15 USD cover. Drinks are between 8-15 USD. Awesome music.
If you have a love of the Hammond B-3 organ, great music and sparkling wine, then Fridays from 5-8 pm is the place to be. Overall I love the Green Mill, but not a fan of the crowds for the later performances. The "Flipside Show" with Chris Foreman on the organ is perfect chill session after a long day of jacked up meetings at work and a bad commute through Chicago evening traffic.
I am personally not aware of many musicians that are doing jazz/blues covers on the organ, so I love that I can come here on Fridays and listen to some great music. Chris is great, not only on the organ, but presence wise. He likes to interact with the audience and is open to requests. Several weeks ago he played Wes Montgomery's Boss City with me doing the horn section part vocally and it was a blast!
My second reason for loving this place is that they have sparkling wine on the menu and the prices are pretty reasonable by the bottle. I also love that they serve it in the coupe champagne glass, which is old school, but apropos for this place considering its history. The bartenders are nice and customer service focus.
All in all a good time can be had on Fridays during this show. We have never had a problem with seating at this time and usually end of sitting in front of Chris. But bring CASH! I think there is an ATM in Green Mill, but I don't mess with those smaller ones as I am always paranoid that someone is going to pick it up and throw it into the back of their car along with my information. Cards are not accepted, but Bank of America is across the street if you need cash.
It was very cold outside and I didn t have longer to enjoy the place. But this is a very famous place in Chicago and if you want to listening good Jazz, this is the spot!!!
Classic Chicago! Historical place with and old school interior! Cheap beer, and great poetry and music on Sundays! A must visit!
Very nice venue for music enjoyment. Drinks are ok.
Amazing service for how ridiculously busy it was. Tip your bartender!!
Amazing atmosphere and great music. The vibe is very old jazz club. A must if visiting Chicago.
Loved this place on a Saturday afternoon. Get there early to enjoy The Paper Machete!
Very good bar of the 30s, original deco, atmosphere of orgine super jazz band, a group of dancers dance dancer era was also the show. It is said that this bar was frequented by al capone. An unmissable chicago, a great experience. I advise
I've had mixed feelings about the quality of the staff, over time here at the Green Mill, but the drinks are always affordable and the atmosphere brings me back.
What is even going on, here? I feel like I stepped into the back end of a GD Dr. Seuss production. What language is everyone speaking? Where are the special thneed trees? But don't try bringing it up with any of the locals, it is NOT the most self-aware scene around. Jack and Coke was nice and strong.
Old school atmosphere, great cocktails, and gypsy jazz! Make sure to grab a bite to eat before you get here, there's no kitchen or snacks. Cover was $6/person on Wednesday night.
Great spot for live music. Like stepping into a time capsule to the Speak-easy 20's era! Not a great place for mixing it up and socializing. When music is playing absolutely no talking!
I like this place overall, but the last time I came, the bouncer was extremely rude to everyone in line, even though everyone was waiting respectfully. There was a homeless man nearby panhandling, and the bouncer loudly threatened to not let in anyone who gave to him. Unecessarily rude, ended up just leaving.
Best bar in Chicago. The music and history are a part of the cities culture.
The food is authentic and awesome; and the guy's that work there are hot!!!
Great service, great vibe. Friendly crowd but not too busy. Tried a Ninkasi Vanilla Oatmeal Stout, which was smooth and subtly sweet.
Great dark classic live jazz music spot. Good prices and great crowd
I do not recommend going there after a long night of drinking. If you're too loud, on your cell phone or otherwise disrupting the music, they WILL boot you out no two ways about it. This is a fantastic spot to enjoy a drink and some incredible Chicago music.
Old school speakeasy type of bar. Live jazz and lots of history. A Chicago jazz staple.
Very cool place with a cool history. The band was very cool.
My group of 6 had a horrible experience at Green Mill. We were excited to end our own speakeasy bar hop with the most reputable place in town, and were greeted with utter disrespect. The manager was incredibly rude and did not care about our patronage whatsoever, literally saying I really don t care when we raised concerns. The attitude at this establishment is we can do whatever we want and get away with it. I recommend spending your money and time elsewhere.
Excellent jazz venue. Not crazy about the cash only policy.
This place is absolutely amazing. Retro styled cash bar with the best jazz ever!
Best place for jazz or Poetry Slam on Sunday nights
A must-visit place in Chicago. Great atmosphere from the 1930s
Cozy ambiebge, professional musicians and quality sound. It is a place to go to listen to music and appreciate it. You can't talk while musicians play. The beer is at a good price, the entrance too. Excellent, I loved it, of my favorite places.
Chicago s Original Jazz Bar. Embracing history, Jazz roots, architecture, service.
We caught a comedy show on a whim, great time, good drinks, old and quaint.
I can't wait to go again this bar is amazing and right up my alley.
Great jazz music. Great vibe. Cannot wait to go again
Place of Jazz music, you have to arrive before 19hrs to get a good table with a view of the stage. Usually live music starts at 8:00 pm. They charge cover for the live jazz show. Beer from 5 dlls drinks from 8 dlls. It fills up very fast.
We got there early and had a great time. Our server, Amy, was fantastic!
Very liberal and authentic jazz place! You can sit anywhere in the room, even in front of the stage
We went for the poetry slam night. Would have preferred to listen to more jazz, but obviously got to pick the correct night for that. Only drinks are served, but there are food places nearby. Toilets are clean, atmosphere is great. Cash entrance fee exists.
Awesome bar we hit up before a concert at the Riviera
Called several times to find our their closing time and the person that answered Wasserstein very rude and informed me that s it as bothering them. Customer service is terrible and they don t care about you and are very rude. Beware.
The ambiance at Monday Night jazz makes for a cozy date night.
The atmospheric slam poetry jam and a great martini, hit the spot.
Awesome place. Cash only, FYI. Never been to a place even close to this one.
An institution. And, the poetry slam is still going strong with Smith at the helm.
This is a must when in chicago. Big Al the security guy was such a cool dude I recommend everyone visiting Chicago to go the the green mill just to meet Big Al. He is a very cool dude.
Everyone needs to visit at least once. True Chicago and a slice of history.
Chicago Classic. Great place for late night jazz bands past 2 AM. Supposedly a Capone hangout
Was having a good time for the first 30 minutes I was there only to have the owner, who was stationed at the front, hogging an entire booth to himself in a shoulder to shoulder bar, storm over to our side of the bar and tell everyone to "shut the f@ck up!" He proceeded to have a stand off with one person and continued harassing them, seemingly escalating the situation. The purpose of a bouncer/owner in that situation should not he to harass/escalate it. Made me feel very scared for my safety as the owner was overtly aggressive to customers in a packed bar.
I understand that they want people to not be loud, but you're the owner, grab the microphone and remind everyone to not be loud? Most people are unaccustomed to that type of protocol at a bar. Lots of better ways to handle that than storming over hurling swear words at random customers, and having physically aggressive posturing. Have never seen something like this in my life.
I've been here a few times and this experience with the owner (I confirmed who he was with the bouncer) is a complete turn off. I'll never waste my money at this establishment again.
There are plenty of other nice spots. SIP, for example has jazz on evening weekends, much less crowded and never been verbally assaulted by the owner! A win win!
Walk through the doors to step back in time to 1920s Chicago. Sit in Al Capone's booth, listen to jazz, enjoy a stiff drink, and experience the world that put Chicago on the map.
Looks dingy on the outside but inside has a cool layout and decor. Great musical selections and the place itself has a wealthy history.
The door collects a 7.00 cover charge. Once inside though, you cannot beet the entertainment. We had a very enjoyable evening of great jazz music. The historical setting and art deco ambiance makes it a nice intimate space to share a late night cocktail. We will definitely visit again!
Mark Smith is a master of Poetry Slam. The Futz Band are incredible musicians adding to the show
Amazing lounge to visit while in Chicago, the live jazz provided a chill ambiance while I sipped on my adult beverage. It is a cash only establishment, so be sure to bring some doll hairs. If you bring a date here, you're winning!
Defintely one of the best places for retro nights in Chicago. Enjoy the great ambience, music and dance.
This place is a legend in Chicago jazz. I must say it is small and quirky. We went to see a toys for tots benefit concert by Guitar Madness. Great show! We donated a toy so that was the cover charge. Drinks were reasonable. In terms of jazz talent this place has no Chicago equal. Some put it in the top 3 in the nation. All I know is we had great fun.
I must say I was not impressed. A $15 cover is pretty steep, but I've lived in New York, so I just shrugged it off and went in anyway. The inside of the bar is really cool and the band was awesome, but I could not get past the SHUSHing, my god! If you so much as say a WORD during a song people will literally shush you. I wasn't even being loud, just conversing like a normal person does at a BAR.
It's a bar for god's sake, not Carnegie Hall. I'll be looking for other places to go where I can enjoy the music and have a conversation while I'm listening.
Get ready to dance and have some fun. I am not a dancer but the energy and sound of the band will make you get up and dance, promise. It is pretty far north, but worth the hike to hear great jazz music. It is open on Saturday's till 4am which can be pretty dangerous as you won't want to leave:)
They babysit you and force you to sit down in seats even if it s in the corner in the worst spot. Disrespectful and terrible customer service. Not great music either. Especially for 15 dollars each
Not a bad spot to catch your breath after a show at the rivera next door
The Green Mill is awesome. Lots of history. Jazz nights.
I also appreciate that when I've bought myself and the bartender shots of Malort, they've never refused
Lovely place... amazing music shows... i will come back
This could have been a really great place if not for lack of room and poor service. Together with my friends we were charged for entry even though the staff knew there was no place for us to stay, even at the bar. For people drawn here with the Al Capone's legend - forget about it. Looks like a standard, a bit stylized, bar. Save yourself some time and money.
This place is an institution. I love Thursdays when there is jazz guitar. Perfect for drinks with frond friends.
This place is wicked awesome place to see and be seen. Epic ambiance, feels like you stepped back in time! A must see on any Chicago visit!
Great service from bartenderLove the pleasant environment...
Interesing place. Never been to a bar that you couldn't talk while the music was playing....until here.
Period jazz Tuesday and Thursday, comedy Saturday afternoon.
It is a Bar that has really stayed at the time of the twentieth century, which is its greatest attraction, in fact there are no points of sale and you can only pay in cash, attention is not good at all, there are no food services ( or at least the day I went there was not), I expected to find a live jazz band but that night there was only one person playing their guitar (really it was very good). The interesting thing about the place is that it was a meeting place and business of mobster Al Capone.
