The Empty Bottle Reviews

Nice little dive bar for shows. Very nostalgic for me really. Would go again if ever in the area.

Hipster paradise! Lots of cool people. Great, friendly staff, nicely priced drinks and in a nice neighborhood. I went on a Tuesday night to see one of my favorite bands play and had a great time. The crowd was polite and chill. The sound from the stage was ok, pretty good. My ears were ringing until the next day.

In town for a few days and caught a few shows here. It was fantastic. I love seeing bands in small clubs and this place really did it for me. Cash only bar so bring dollars.

Maybe my favorite spot for live music in Chicago. Probably my favorite bar. Live music 7 nights a week, usually under $10 cover and cheap drinks ($2-3 cheap beer and daily $6 beer + shot specials). Great sound, incredible booking, and friendly staff as long as you aren't asking for anything with more than 2 ingredients, in which case they will probably just tell you no. Cool and relaxed if you want to just sit at the bar or shoot pool during the day, too (weekends only I think). Great food next door at Bite if ya get hungry. Pay attention to their website for free w/RSVP shows at least once a week lately.

Chicago's finest music venue since '92. If you haven't been, go see a show here.

Awesome venue through the years. We caught so many great performances here.

Cool, friendly vibe, hip atmosphere. Note that bar is cash only.

This will always be my favorite neighborhood bar and venue, even though it's been a few years since I've moved.

Free shows on Monday and a Chicago live music staple. Looses a star for being cash only

Always a good show! Great bar service and specials as well

Good venue for shows. Pretty small and intimate. They also have other events at times like a local craft fair.

Cheap drinks and good music. Perfect sized venue for seeing relatively unknown bands. Size of the place lets you feel near the stage almost anywhere you stand.

This is a great place to see a show! It's loud and divey, just don't be the person who heckles the band. It's intimate.

Shows usually start really late here, but they are always great. It is cash only, but that makes the Bottle keep its charm.

I prefer the intimate/smaller venues that minimize the separation between artist and audience. EB consistently features acts that are musical explorers, creatively searching out news paths to their muse.

Cheap beer, daily drink specials, and really friendly staff. Saw the Weeks here this week, guys in collar shirts and suits mingling with tshirt wearing hipsters. Real interesting crowd. Venue is set up nice and if you have a show you're going to see here, dont miss it

Rocking bar, cash only and they have a great beer selection. Free shows on Mondays is great, too. Nice bartenders, and great lineups night to night. 5 stars fur sure.

Saw a few posts on here complaining about the loudness and poor sound quality. Not sure if I just went on a good night, but I had a great experience. Was visiting Chicago from out of town and saw a phenomenal band here called the young empires. And I was very impressed by their music and the overall sound quality, which I find to be rare at dive live music bars like these. Yea, it was loud, but was well balanced. Bass was pretty clean, vocals cut through the mix, etc. Like others have said, they have a solid beer selection. prices are reasonable (10 buck ticket + 5 buck beer). I'll come back next time in Chicago

I was wandering Chicago on a mundane Monday night and stumbled upon The Empty Bottle after reading about finding a posting about it on Reddit. I was so impressed. Looking for a hipster atmosphere and a chill place to vibe? This is the spot. Cheap beer ans fantastic music. I acknowledge there are a bunch of Chicagoan's that are very passionate about The Empty Bottle and I am glad that they were able to share such a unique venue with us.

Go see the Hoyle Brothers play Friday nights 5:30-7:30. The friendly, all-ages Honky Tonk scene is warm and wonderful, the band is phenomenal and the two step dancing is super fun. There's no cover, so save your money for the Hoyle tip jar. And only buy your tamales from Claudio; the other slinger is invading his turf! No te preocupes, Claudio, somos leales.

Indi music stronghold. Friendly. Dancing. Top live rock venue. Great bands. $ drinks.

A staple metal, punk, and rock music venue in Chicago. The sound is pretty good especially for guitar oriented music. Beer prices are average for a music venue with a few cheaper options available as well as some craft beer selections. It's a little on the grungy side, but that's kind of the point with this place. Not my favorite venue but far from my least favorite. That would be Reggie's.

I had a lot of fun dancing, this place had great vibes.

Great venue, good prices. Bar is cash only! (There is an atm.)

Premier destination for quality underground, indie, electronic, rock, etc. Excellent bands are consistently performing throughout the week. Loud, no frills, and up close sight lines. Cool vibe throughout. Beer selection is good. Ticket prices are reasonable. Staff is friendly. Great venue

I absolutely love this place. So easy to get drinks. So intimate. Everyone there is amazing. The artists have to walk through the crowd to get on stage. The intimacy of this place is unbeatable and the bar is amazing. This would be my go to concert destination.

With the exception of the bar tenders, the staff was rude. Sound was awful. DO NOT SNAP YOUR FINGERS TO GET THE BALD HEADED SOUND GUY'S ATTENTION!!!! He REALLY doesn't like it This particular guy had a chip on his shoulder and totally unnecessarily rude to guests.

I honestly believe the sound could be fine for small, simple setups but for more complex arrangements I think the sound guys were lost.

I personally seen the Voidz, the first 2 opening 3 piece bands sounded fine, but the effects, keyboards & synths of the headliners seemed to be too much for this small venue. The band was annoyed, the sound guys were rude & I can only recommend going here for bands with simple arrangements.

The Empty Bottle is the grungy artsy thick rimmed glasses heaven a hipster could want. With a wide array of Bevs and plenty of music to dance to, this hip corner of the Ukrainian Village will please the tightest jeaned, most alternative taste there is. One of the best holes in the wall Chicago has on offer.

Great place to sleep outside of in your car while you're in town!

I've seen several bands in the past here. Before he was famous weve seen "The White stripes".Jack is an amazing guitar player. double necked guitar playing lead and bass. The space of course is dark and dingy just the way you want to see these up and coming bands. At the end of the day. its a bar.im not expecting much here. Talent is what the draw is for me.

Dog friendly, people friendly, excellent food from Bite next door, all around great service.

I always want to like the Empty Bottle, it's a bit of a music venue landmark however I've never ended up staying more than 20 or 30 minutes. It's a small venue, if you don't buy tickets online for a weekend show before it sells out there are limited tickets at the door in which you might need to wait in quite the line for. It is also cash only and gets very crowded. All of these things I would be happy to do for a good show and a good vibe but I usually feel not hip enough to hang with the folks there and end up moving on to another place quickly. I would suggest a show during the week if that's what you're after. They do have a pool table and I hear that it's always open if you go early but be ready to defend it if you go during peak hours.

One of my favorite venues in Chicago. Bring ear plugs and get a Chicago handshake.

Drinks are cheap and the bartenders remember your orders and face. Nice venue for intimate shows. The bathrooms were clean and the space was overall clean. I would come back for another show.

Dive music galore. The offer a variety of daily drink specials, centering on shots of cheap booze. It tends to get pretty loud, so be prepared.

Always a great show. Go on Mondays for no cover and hopefully catch something amazing.

The perfect place to see up and coming acts, or see an established artist in a cozier space. There is ample floor space, and if you're there for the bar you won't be suffocated by the people there for the live music. There is also a back room, complete with pool table and some arcade games, where you can see what's happening onstage via live feed on a monitor in the room. It's a cool, authentic venue, the type where you'll find the bathrooms decked out in graffiti, and the walls full of old and new show posters. Check it out any night of the week!

Best place to see a concert. Intimate setting. Good sound. Good crowds. Not a bad seat in the house. Play pool with the band. . .maybe.

Just saw Aldous Harding here tonight. Drove in from Kalamazoo for this. What a great atmosphere. The sound man did a fantastic job of mixing.

Yeah, small odd shaped space, but where else you gonna catch Hanni El Khatib?

A must see if your going out for cocktails. Retro vibe with extremely friendly and helpful staff

I went to a fundraiser for Heartland Animal Shelter and CRISP. The music was great, the beer was great, the venue was cool! I really enjoyed being tipsy and playing pinball. It was also super nice to have a small brunch place next door. Some of the bartenders were not very knowledgeable about their beers but others provided excellent service. I do wish they accepted more types of payment other than cash.

Cant even think of an ironic review to write to describe this place

Great place to see a band. Capacity is probably around 200 standing room oonl. A true no-frills band-centric venue with great bartenders and an excellent selection of beer and cocktails. Can't wait to see Deerhoof there again!

I saw Dead Meadow here. It would be nice if there were somewhere to sit between sets.

I've been right next to this place numerous times because I always visit Bite Cafe when I'm in Chicago. Finally had a chance to check out the venue and overall it was great. The place gives off a very intimate underground vibe. There's a pool table and a couch in the front room, an arcade corner, and the walls are lined with band posters. The stage is right next to the bar and fairly small but good sound quality. My only issue is that sometimes the speakers are way too loud. I've been to many concerts, standing near massive speaker systems, but this was so bad that I had to put in ear plugs (was lucky enough to bring someone along who had some). I felt like my ear drums were punctured even with them in and had to leave towards the end of the set with a headache.

some of the best shows i ve seen have been at this dive. super loud, super gritty, and definitely a staple in the underground music scene. a wide variety of drinks and music acts, mainly focusing around rock/punk. mainly standing-room because there s live music almost, if not every night.

Went early for a science talk. Good beer selection, great bartenders

Great local venue. Always has great bands. Great specials. Close to transportation. Cozy joint!

Cash only, gritty, and eclectic. It's got a pool table, photo booth, and stage.

Stripped down place to see live music up close for cheap (both covers and drinks). Didn't have a great time for the election party they threw, but it's because this place is nothing except a music venue, really. I have a tough time sticking around without earplugs, but I think they sell them.

Great place for a show, and the people are friendly.

Sweet little venue in Chicago, local and well known bands will perform with a descent selection of drinks.

Cheap beer, good bands, and chill environment. It's a dive. It's also got a number of different spots to watch the band on stage as well as a separate room to escape it all together. The space can hold a lot of people without seeming dead when there are fewer people there. The bathrooms boast some aggressively graffitid walls.

A staple metal, punk, and rock music venue in Chicago. The sound is pretty good especially for guitar oriented music. Beer prices are average for a music venue with a few cheaper options available as well as some craft beer selections. It's a little on the grungy side, but that's kind of the point with this place. Not my favorite venue but far from my least favorite. That would be Reggie's.

What being a dive bar is all about! In an awesome neighborhood. Very intimate environment to see and enjoy your favorite band. Eager to return to see future performances.

Great place to see a show! Wouldn't hesitate to go back