Smart Bar

I’m a resident DJ at another venue in Chicago, and this is my favorite dance club – hands down. Where else can you hear the actual architects of Chicago house like Derrick Carter in residence? Nowhere. Get your butt to this club, stat.

Quarter of a million dollar funktion one sound system, the best talent buyers in the industry, extremely reasonable cover prices, renowned monthlies like Hugo Ball and Queen. Without question the best nightclub in the Midwest, and arguably the best nightclub in the country. Only Bunker parties in NYC and a once-​a-​year party in Detroit can rival smartbar.

my first 5 star review! 1) This is only a critique for Queen on Sunday nights. 2) If you don’t like house music, don’t come here. 3) If you don’t like to dance, see #2. It’s literally what I think a modern day Studio 54 would be except for the exclusivity of it (in a great way). You’ll see young, old, fat, buff, the most bizarre/​random costumes, drag queens, straight/​gay/​bi, and everything in between. You literally come as you are and there is never any judgement. The house music they play is amazing! Never had a dull night. It makes me wish a place like this existed on a Friday or Saturday night. I found out about this place about 6 months ago from a friend and wish I did a lot sooner. If I’ve ever call in on Monday because I went to Queen it’s always been worth it hahahah.

Went on a Sunday– Queen night. Too much going on in the women’s bathroom for my taste, but the music was awesome!

Hello,
People, help us
My friend lost id yesterday, maybe near Smart Bar, if somebody find it, sent message or call to 312 975 2695

This review is for the bar and not the music at the venue. The bartender Claire gave my credit card and my Drivers license to a girl. Isn’t the point of keeping the drivers license to identify the person before you hand it to them? Poor service! Make sure you don’t pay with a credit card if you go here.

I need to write another post for Smart Bar since so many people seem to have dogged it recently. For people wanting to hate it because its not everything they have imagined after watching Studio 54, continue to hate.
For people looking to experience electronic music in its purist (non-​capitalist AKA EDM) form than check out smartbar, you will be glad you did.
This month alone you can see Nightmares on Wax, & Tama Sumo.
I miss getting there as I am a new dad w early morning responsibilities but needed to write a updated review cause this place always deserves 5 stars in my book

There is a reason why there are so many consistent, great reviews of this venue. Where do I begin?
Smartbar, Metro and the Gingerman Tavern are all owned by Joe Shanahan and have been for some time. Smartbar is the basement level of Metro, and on certain occasions both venues are openly connected for the BEST parties in the city. Focusing on Smartbar, you’re greeted by an awesome security staff. The men at the door all have personalities and if you’re cool they’ll give you a hard time in the most endearing way. Once you enter the ticket booth and coat check are immediately located to the left. Walk to the end of the hall, down the steps and you enter the secondary bar area of the venue. This side is often more chill, it has couches built into the wall and the ladies room is located on the north side of the venue, men’s on the south. This bar is open on high traffic nights (Friday and Saturday). Move into the main room by taking a step up and you will be massaged by the fully opened Funktion One sound system. If you don’t know Funktion One then you just don’t know until you come in. With bass bins 8-​feet tall this intimately small venue puts out the best sound in the city. The bar is located on the south side of the building and has the best tenders in the city. Not only are they happy, engaging and friendly people, they are enjoy the music played and are more than willing to improvise fun drinks for you. Tip them very well at the beginning of the night and good throughout and your return visits will be smooth sailing — like an elephant they don’t forget that money talk.
The best night to go to Smartbar is on Sunday’s for Queen!, Michael Serafini’s gay night. He and his straight counterpart Garrett David play weekly and have special guests including their third resident, the GOAT Derrick Carter. Michael rocks the house playing vinyl (YUP!!!) and taking you on a journey through house, disco, and tech, constantly taking you down different tunnels or sound and opening you back up to various possibilities. When Derrick’s behind the decks he is at his best, in his element of queer, trans and queer-​friendly folks, all willing to be drugged by his jackin introduction and lulled into his disco closures. Some notable guests to Queen! are Honey Soundsystem. None others are really worth mentioning — go for Michael and Derrick.
Other good times at Smartbar are Derrick [mostly] Does Disco where Mr. Carter plays a 5 – 6 hour set of his interpretation of disco and it’s evolution into house. Hugo Ball’s Simone rocks the fuck out of the decks, playing dark techno to 90s house. Her fellow Ball[er]‘s Severin steals the show with his eerie, deep, heavy techno/​tech house sets and tiny Justin Long bob’s his head all around with mixing skills upcoming DJs need to pay attention to. Here and there you get some decent headliners on random nights, one on occasion I saw DJ Hell and every so often Mike Dearborn drops by too. The former booking agent, Nate Manic, left Smartbar sometime ago and the catalog has not been the same since. Many local DJs who have little mixing talent get gigs because it’s all about who you know and not whether you can match beats. Ignore those instances though and enjoy the gay[est] night of the week: Queen! Originally hosted by Ruby Dee and Sal-​E, now taken over by The Jojo Baby and Miss Sissy Spastik they continue to be an inclusive non-​heteronormative night of fun and debauchery. The night gets littered with heteros around 1−2am but 98% of which are queer friendly or queer curious. There’s a high presence of white gays but fortunately there’s a welcome mixture to that vanillaness, especially around Monday holidays. Lesbians don’t appear to be in a high turnout but hopefully that will change. As I continue to mention, it is a highly inclusive night and the regulars welcome new additions with reading glares of apathy which translates in queer talk as loving affection.

If you’re looking for a place that plays the same repetitive beat for hours, then this is the place for you! Do NOT go here if you like EDM and expect to hear music that is played at festivals, major clubs, concerts, etc.
We came from out of town and saw the raving reviews so we decided to check it out. We were incredibly disappointed. Maybe I’m just spoiled with the clubs and bars in my hometown but I honestly have no idea why this place has such great reviews. It is located in a dark basement and we saw multiple people ask if there’s another room (answer: there isn’t). This place costs $ 16 to enter and the music will put you to sleep.
I will say the staff was very friendly though.

Would you please tell me what’s wrong now with this place?!
I’m going there since I moved in this city (2011) and I just love it… But now I was rejected at the entrance twice in a row since this new Nazis bouncer thought some in my group were drunk. The best part was the explanation: no debate at all!!! He decided that and he doesn’t care what we had to say. If you are drunk or not in shape according to his standard there is nothing you can do or say, just walk away otherwise he’ll start to shout on your face so loud that you could lose your hearing…
Where is the old one?! He was so funny and friendly… And still when he was there I’ve never seen bad people coming into this place…
I hope the entrance policy will change soon…

I feel bad for giving just one star to this place.
It has always been one of my favorites since I moved to Chicago 3 years ago. Great House/​Techno music, nice dark atmosphere and very interestingly mixed crowd.
Unfortunately the management recently decided to substitute the previous door guy, who has always been very professional and nice with the people, with a Nazi with power complexes.
This guy didn’t let me and my group of friends enter twice in the past 2 weeks for no real reason.
When we tried to get an explanation he became extremely rude and aggressive.
As I can read we are not the only ones to experience this.
I’ve been in this place many many times before and I never had any sort of problem inside or noticed anything weird so I don’t see the point of acting like this.
The only explanation I can give myself is that he uses the customers to give vent to his anger.
As I said I love this place but I don’t think I’m ever gonna go back until that guy is there.

Great music, great DJs, great sound, but
… they changed the guy at doors.
Now there is a completely unprofessional guy that spend his miserable life trying to impose the authority with his body. You will recognize him since he is the tallest one and the only guy that speak allowed. Usually the people that are at the smart are very relaxed and are there just to listen some good music. I have never seen an hubbub there. But this guy suffers of attention-​seeking behavior. He is very irritating since you can see that he is excited to exercise his mania of grander.
I’m so disappointed since Smart Bar used to be a very nice place to go with relaxed people and good music. but I will never never go again until this guy is there. I want to have fun, not deal with the problems of the people.
(I have just realized that there are at least other 4 negative reviews in the last mouths about this Nazist guy at doors!!)

The people who run this club care about their guests, they care about the artist, the care about everyone having a good time. Best place to hear House Music in Chicago. Space to dance, space to sit, space to drink at one of the two bars. One of the best things in Chicago.

Was here last night for the first time in about 20 years. Back in the day this used to be a total dark, dirty, run-​down shit hole dive bar, where all the punks would come to slam dance on Tuesday nights.
Also it was the notorious «after-​party» bar to go to after seeing a show at the Metro right upstairs.
Standard to see hay or even sawdust on the floor to soak up all the booze spilled, but no more.
They totally re-​vamped the place and made it more of a high-​end nightclub. I loved it back then but nice to see it’s updated look. A lot more clean, contemporary looking and without the sawdust or hay on the floor.
Sound system is amazing. If you’re looking for a fun place to dance to house/​techno music til 5am, this is your spot!

What a shame. Has potential but employees prefer to treat you like crap rather than a human being. This place unfortunately deserves to fail. Terrible/​no customer focus. Find a bar that actually appreciates and wants your business, rather than a place like this which prefers you feel like you should beg to be let in.

Holey mother of God! I was in town specifically on a mission to enjoy house music. This was by far THE spot to be!
I was there on Friday June 12^th, 2015. I arrived at midnight and walked right in after taking car of my admission. Took the stairs down into dungeon-​like club that immediately caressed me the a mother caresses her new born. I felt welcomed. I felt loved.
The music blew me away almost literally. Their sound system is tops. I mean when I walked into the dance area DJ Dahlia was doing her thing. Thunk, thunk, thunk, thunk, thunk, thunk,…lol. Then Sven Weisseman followed up with a killer set. This was a house music lover’s dream come true.
I realized why this place is legendary. The crown very eclectic. I saw gay couples, straight, white, black, asian… The bottom line: NO ATTITUDES!!!
I had the best time!

Historically a queer/​gay dance bar known for house and techno DJ nights. (See
) Still a very friendly and non-​sleazy, personal-​space-​respectable dancing environment with excellent house/​techno/​funky/​dance music, but the Friday crowd tends to be straighter. Shots are about $ 6 and drinks are about $ 10. Cover usually ranges around $ 7 – 14 and up to $ 16 after midnight. There are a couple of spots on the dancefloor that are well ventilated by fans. If you stand in the front near the DJ set it gets quite annoyingly loud, so wear ear plugs. Saw many of my favourite acts here, including Octo Octa, Jessy Lanza and The Drum. Great memories of dancing til 4am.
There’s a $ 3 photo booth in there that you should only go in with one other person because it’s impossible to get more than 2 faces in the picture. Also, the drinks are a bit out of my price range as a poor academic hipster who prefers estelle’s but most young professionals would be able to afford it. Just drink at G-​Man bar next door before you hit the dancefloor

If you are a big fan of EDM, GO HERE IMMEDIATELY.
This place is an EDM Mecca. If you aren’t a fan of electronic/​dance music, it’s definitely not worth the money. You will be pissed about the high cover and expensive drinks.
HOWEVER, if you can at least tolerate the genre, get ready for an evening of the MOST delightful people watching. Like I said, Smart Bar is Mecca, and the devotees of this particular religion are a colorful and entertaining people. Open your mind, have a few drinks, and dance your face off.

Always a good time at Smart Bar. Even on busy nights there’s usually a place to hang out if you need a breather off the dance floor. Usually a perfectly drinkable beer and liquor on special, even on Saturdays. Surprisingly low douche quotient for Wrigleyville.
Special thanks to the world’s most patient security manager Grayson, by the way: he was incredibly calm and quiet with a tired and frustrated friend who lashed out a bit after losing her coat check ticket the other night. The staff could’ve kicked her out at any time and instead they let her cool off– and once she found her ticket all was forgiven. I would’ve sent our asses packing!

I’m not sure I have adequate words to use towards smartbar, but if you’ve ever seen me near the left front speaker, you will notice my nonstop dancing is a fairly accurate testament towards the quality smartbar bestows. I can’t speak highly enough on the music front. Constant variety and quality. Amazing residents and resident nights ontop of national and international talent.
If you like to drink, the prices aren’t outrageous and they make em strong, learned that lesson the hard way at John Roberts last year (sorry guys).
From ticket counter to bouncers to bartenders to talent buyers, the staff is warm, kind and helpful.
The only drawback is the crowd, and that’s a disadvantage of Wrigleyville, not sb. The staff has been very good at keeping a lot of creeps out (it’s never perfect but it’s not any of the downtown bars AHEM). My pro-​tip is close your eyes to dance and enjoy the night with your friends, and have a friend who doesn’t mind cockblocking the occasional weirdo for you :3
What more could you ask for?

Un super bar, boîte de nuit et salle de concert ou de nombreux Dj viennent chaque jour créer de l’ambiance pour des nuits de folies.
Les verres sont assez chers dans cette boîte un peu huppé de SF mais ca vaut vraiment le coup.