Darkroom

If you love reggae music this is the place to be every first saturday of the month. The atmosphere is awesome.

I am here to support my incredibly talented friend Tom Silva and his band Clara May. Come and join; it is mesmerizing.

It’s a nice place but the night I went it was boring. They were playing this techno-​house music, nothing that this south sider has heard before.
Maybe I will try this place another night because it has potential. Very pretty inside.

Darkroom is one of my favorite bars in Chicago if only for the fact that you can go on any given night and experience something completely different each time.
Arunas does a fantastic job of booking a wide variety of music nights, you name it, they’ve booked it. with the exception of maybe a Christian Rock night. and no, thats not a suggestion. Darkroom is the home of PANIC! A Britpop/​Indie/​Alternative party hosted by Pogo (formerly of Q101) and Arturo Valle, which happens to be my favorite night of all the events they host here.
The décor is well… if you don’t know what a photography darkroom feels like, you’ll know after coming here. the walls are black, with red accent curtains and booths, and dim red lights provide just the right amount of atmosphere to just chill. The bar is decorated with photographs and the walls always feature some photographers work.
The staff is always very friendly which is what keeps me coming back here. No douchey doorman, no bottle service, no bartenders performing tricks. and thats just how I like it!

I been here before a few times in ’08-’09…and it was fun… this time =not so fun.
For a Saturday night it was dead (and to think they charge a cover but we did not pay??)…Even though I do enjoy house music and what not… we didn’t dance because there was only 5 people dancing and well that is not enough to get me on the dance floor… and the people that were there were mostly guys… who were trying to talk to every single girl that was there…
My domestic beer was way more $$$ than I expected…
So since no one was dancing we just sat and talked at the bar… but the music was too loud to hear anything… we stayed there pretty late just screaming at each other trying to talk. We thought eventually it would pick up… but it never did. This is not the place I remember from a few years back… hmm

If michael jackson rose from the grave for one last concert at dark room and i was given free front row tickets I still wouldn’t go here again.
I have been in chicago and this is absolutely the worst bar I have been to — hands down. I got dragged here on a Saturday night for a birthday party.
$ 8 cover !&@$? Absolutely insane for a bar in ukranian village close to western. Then I walk in and my group of 10 doubles the attendance. What a buzz kill.
The DJ was playing a new genre of music that he created that night — r&b/house/80’s yea try dancing to that.
To really confirm my thought as worst bar I have ever been to I saw a group of fat girls at a table break a tube of pringles out of their purse and pass around the table.
Ok I will admit it I have snuck a bag of skittles into a movie when I was 13 but chips into a bar when 21+ that is pretty low. Maybe excusable though since one of the girls was 450+
Felt bad for the birthday boy as one by one the party all said good night and snuck out before 1:00.
Do yourself a favor and do not come here under any circumstances.

How did I end up here? After several glasses of wine, sangria, and mojitos with friends, I met my boyfriend here at 1 am. I had never even been in this neighborhood, and I’m not sure he had either. My friend looked a little scared dropping me off, as if to say «are you sure this is where you want to go?» But my boyfriend was inside, so inside I went.
It is, indeed, dark inside. There was a healthy crowd — not too many people, but not sparse. A diverse bunch. I spotted my boyfriend and his friends easily — the only three out on the dance floor. They were doing their best to get the party started. I can’t say the crowd was really into it — over the next few hours, some drunk girls moseyed over and joined the party on the dance floor, but then they’d mosey out again and it was just us. But I had drinks and I did not care. I have no idea how much they cost, since my boyfriend bought me mine, but it was strong. The music was not familiar — no songs I’d heard before — but the beats were great for dancing, indisputably. The booths are big and comfortable, even though we didn’t spend much time sitting down.
I’m not sure I’d come back, since I never have any reason to be in this neighborhood, but it was a pretty fun choice for our late Friday night. Would’ve been better if more people were dancing though — come on, hipsters! Nobody is too cool to dance.

Went there at 11:00 on a Friday night and it was rather dead.
People started showing up at 11:30 but by 1230 there was only two people dancing on dance floor.
For a place that closes at 2am I would assume dancing would’ve started earlier.
Pros: Got a seat at bar and bartender was nice and efficient.
Diverse crowd.
Cons: Disappointed with the lack of people and dancing.

I’m rating this 3 stars only because of the live music, sound is good and room is perfect size. I would have to rate the bar service as a ONE STAR, perhaps… the worst bartender I’ve seen in a long time. She had to be called over anytime someone need a drink and it was not a busy night.
I went on another night and the service was better but I think they need to take care of their clientele a bit more so they will come back.

No cover before 11pm, dim lighting, eclectic music, plush leather half-​circle booths (of which we scored one), a giant screen showing clips from the Bicycle Film Festival, and wild funny company equals a good night.
Let me start by saying Nicole (one of our servers) was adorable in her cute little dress and was so fun and welcoming. There is something to be said about attentive staff. The bartenders were also pretty quick on the draw considering how busy this place became around midnight.
The space near our booth was clear enough that we could dance right next to the table and that was a big deal since that’s where our booze was. The music covered so many different types of music and we just danced thru all of them. Some of it sucked, some of it was great, but all of it kept us entertained.
Beer prices are about what you’d expect. I was drinking Stella Artois and it was $ 5 a bottle. They also had a keg of some kind of Lager for $ 2 a small cup, but I just wasn’t feeling it.
Basically, I had a great night with two of my favorite people and we had so much fun we ended up staying until closing time. Wonderfully wonderful evening.

This was a fine place to grab a drink with a buddy while we had some time to kill. All the leather booths, velvet drapes and (of course) art photographs made me think that everyone who walked in would be, at minimum, transsexual.
(Note to transsexuals: I’m not knocking you in any way. Though I do have some preconceptions about where you like to drink.)
There was no live music on the night I was here, but I did have one of the strangest experiences I’ve ever had at a bar.
Picture: Me and my male friend, both of us visibly of legal drinking age, are asked for our IDs at the door. The bouncer proceeds to examine each under a blacklight, as if we were auditioning him for a TSA job. He then insists on stamping each of our hands so we can get back in later.
We pass through to the inner sanctum, to find: a totally empty bar! Not ONE other patron is here at 9:00 on a Tuesday. But I felt very, very safe from Al-​Qaida.

Went to a party here this past weekend and what I liked:
– convenient and plenty parking
– spacious large venue
– lots of seating around the room
What I didn’t quite like:
– Bar service was painfully slow
– For a 2am party-​end time, they turned everything off at 1:30am
– Bouncer was not only not friendly, he was clueless and confused

I use to venture out here from time to time about a decade ago for reggae and world music nights. I came here recently to see Unilocal’s favorite local band: Certain Stars.
I don’t live too far from here so I can bus, cab or crawl home. I know that’s not relevant for anyone else but local places always rate higher than me.
As another Unilocaler mentioned this place may not be divey enough for me to be a regular at. I won’t even notice the décor (Oh, the red lights. Darkroom. Oh, I get it.) and I am usually out with an older group so I will be oblivious to the younger patrons.
But after not being here in a while, I know one thing hasn’t changed and that is the service. The owner has obviously imparted on the staff to take care of the customers. That will keep me coming back.

Very dive cool type-​a-​spot. I went to check out some photography and it was pretty neat. The place was dead on a Friday night, but it was also a very cold, rainy Friday night.
There was no cover, no hassle and drinks were cheap. The bartenders are very friendly and didn’t shoo us away when last call was called and allowed us to finish our drinks even as the lights turned on. I would come back for a low key night or a show or something.

Ah Darkroom you have been around for a while and somehow I never made it down until last night to see a buddy play.
Popped in a little after 9 and immediately noticed the feel of the place. Intimate but open space, large pieces of art on the wall, and speakers all over. Most small «venues» you goto have a crummy Sound System because they are a Bar that wants to have bands play, here it seems they put some thought into it. When the band started the place filled up with the sounds from the stage but not overpowered, you can still hold a conversation and not feel crushed. Well done.
Top notch staff to boot. The young lady behind the bar while busy was very efficient and on top of the orders as they rolled in. Never did I feel ignored.
Noticed they have a Patio, will certainly be back to check that out.

As good as I remember it when it first opened and a good friend, Todd was the bartender and we drank for free. That was about 2000 and nobody would come to the neighborhood because you could and would get shot.
Great time, went for the Smokers Jacket record release party for a good friend and hip hop afficionado. The sound is good, still. Acoustics are big speakers, which I like because they tend to hold bass a little better than the Bose invisible speakers everyone wants to install now. Great show, good crowd. Just the right mix of hip hop and hipster.
I just wish that Red Lox would still spin Roots Reggae on Thursdays… Anyone, anyone?

Last stop on our Halloween adventure for ’09! Only 6 peeps remain. Or 5.5 since Wendy (Dave Thomas’ daughter) was barely standing. 20 mins later, I throw Wendy in a cab and were down to 5.
The PBR is flowing and my dancing shoes get to going. I really like Darkroom, and it’s my go-​to place to dance in town. That’s why this place made the last stop of places to hit up in UK village for this Halloween crawl. The DJs mix a lot of good indie /​new wave/​britpop which are my favorites to get down too.
Not even an hour goes by before we lose 2 more. Our once fierce crowd has dwindled and I lose myself to the dance floor. No worries, a lot of good times were had.
I don’t come here nearly enough, which means I don’t go dancing nearly enough. Let’s get together more often at the darkroom.
Oh and still time for a slice at Johnny Bacci’s after close!!!

Such a fun place to be on a Saturday night, or any night. Great variety of music. I’ve enjoyed Hip Hop, House music, Classic Alternative, and Reggae here. The crowd is so diverse. The size of the space is adequate. The bar is big and has seating all around. They have a good amount of tables against the wall for seating and a small more private room. People are so friendly here. They see you enjoying the music and strike up a conversation or jam along with you. Planning a return trip soon…

I used to live a block away from Darkroom before it was even a glimmer in its owner’s eye, and before Ukey Village got all hip. I think it was a Ukranian buffet restaurant before, and I remember the cries of «gentrification!» and «sellout!» coming from the hipsters that were already selling out Ukey from under the feet of longtime bushas and neighborhood immigrants looking to make it in the USEofA.
Well, it’s funny what time can do to a neighborhood, and the Ukranian Village has grown up around Darkroom, and it doesn’t feel at all like a sellout. It is the hip edgy equivalent of Ukey and its residents, including the bushas! (Yes, bushas are hip and edgy!)
Bathed in sexy red light and black painted touches, nobody looks bad in Darkroom! Ever. Dress up, dress down, just be sure to put on your best red lipstick and moue that moue you do so well. Guys leave the high tops and ball caps at home and at least tousle your hair a bit to make it look like you’ve been working on the next Great Indie Rock Opera! Actually, there’s no real set clientele, and that’s a plus for Darkroom. No one is given the ol’ hipster dirty eyeball.
I’ve played music here and the sound system is really good, and they treat their artists well. I saw Brooklyn’s «Bugs in the Dark» and Dallas’s «The Backsliders» blow away a local suburban Chicago band here recently. I’ve never seen a music bill with all clunkers, and usually I’m so taken by at least one artist that I end up buying their whole CD catalog and drooling on their Doc Martens at the merch table!
They have good drink specials and they serve an authentic «Dark ‘n Stormy®» with Goslings Black Seal Rum. They also have Shiner Bock, which is a big hit with me! The bartenders are super nice and attentive. So whether you’re movin’ fast to the beats or taking it slow in a booth, Darkroom, Darkroom will love you, baby!

I was just watching Vicky Cristina Barcelona and heard the line ‘tale of lust in the darkroom’ and was reminded of my own… need to write this review!
This space is exactly what you’d expect to find in the Ukranian Village: all-​out brood factor spun with effortless hipness. Sitting around the perimeter of the square bar and exchanging flirtatious eye contact with the Darkroom’s dapper dudes? So much fun I almost missed my redeye flight to NYC.
The service is friendly and fast; a cold one was always within reach. The sound is moderately big for the venue and I like that they’re consistently booking fresh local talent. I also hear they treat their bands very fairly.
Drink specials, free shows, sexy crowd… Darkroom you are a delight.