Empty Bottle

Great venue! Saw the Glories there recently. Nice selection of beers, attentive bar staff. Women’s restroom was clean. The crowd was a wide range of folks and I witnessed none of the drama that seems typical at most rock and roll shows!
Bar is cash only… there is an ATM inside if you come unprepared.
I recommend buying your tickets in advance as the venue is not that large and the show I saw sold out quickly. Not much street parking so I also recommend taking lyft or über there to make it easy.
Lockdown is a good burger joint kitty corner from the venue to grab a bite or a beer before the show but you must like loud heavy metal music :)

There’s nothing fancy about this place, but it’s a good place to see a variety of music. They have a small stage with a quality sound system. The door cover is always reasonable and they have free shows on Mondays… but the bands are still top quality.
The drink prices are pretty typical for the neighborhood, but you can usually find a variety of discount options. Overall, it’s a good place for music, drinks, and the occasional game of pool (1 table in the side room).

Can’t believe my first visit to this legendary music bar took so long, but it was worth the wait. Saw the Oblivians, Gories, and Running here on New Year’s Day eve. Sound was fantastic! Packed house, but as a short person I appreciate the elevated steps to the side of the stage where I had a great view. Tons of craft beer to choose from including Half Acre and Revolution. Bartenders were killing it with the service. Ladies restrooms were surprisingly tidy. This venue is a staple for a reason, I’ll definitely return when in the neighborhood.

One of the best divy music bars in Chicago. Awesome Friday country happy hour too. Simple drink selection, but they have all the necessities. A must go

I went to this place twice, both on Friday nights at 10pm. First time it was empty almost no music second time the door was locked and even tough I knocked couple minutes nobody opened it up. I could not ask any worse experience.

Just saw Tobias Jesso Jr. there and he had to say many times with no results to shut the f… up. This place is a dive. Horrible sound and the lighting sucks. Tobias on stage was in dark practically with glaring lights pointed at crowd. The place cannot help the crowd but there were too many obnoxious 20ish year old people talking loud about nothing to hear the music.

Such a cool place! I stopped in for a community garage sale they were holding. Although it’s pretty dark inside, is full of personality. The walls are all written on with band posters galore. They have few beers on tap, including Revolution which is a plus for me. They also have a lot of craft beers in cans and bottles. Their food is amazing! I was there for brunch and I was not expecting much from bar food. I was pleasantly surprised. I had an anguish muffin with crispy pork belly, scrambled eggs, cheddar and sriracha aioli and it was so good. Apparently the breakfast tacos are even better! I’d come back in a heartbeat!

Favorite live venue in Chicago. 20+ years. Best bands, deals, And service! Erin always hands me stuff I like. She is magic.

This place is a ton of fun, but I’ve never been so poorly treated by a bartender in my entire life. When I asked for change she threw it at me, poured my beer out, and told me to get the fuck out. Clearly this place has no idea how to treat clientele. Watch out for the waitress with the long black hair. She may chew your head off.

Best venue in Chicago.
They get the best bands by far. Seemingly without competition. Any buzzy type band that people are starting to talk about will be at empty bottle a couple times first. Not to say that they won’t have older bands or classics like thee oh sees, they just seem to be the only ones with a clue.
Subterranean and beat kitchen (and former township) get these types of bands occasionally, but not nearly as often.
And the sound is very good for its class…

Me Gusta, Muy Bien.

Great place. Just great, nice sound and lots of interesting gigs.
I was at the Screaming Females gig at it was awesome. It was a little bit tricky to find a parking around but the place it self is nice, I mean as nice as a club of this kind should be.

Recently, saw my friend’s band do their final performance here… Fun venue in an ecclectic hipster kind of place. Great place for head banger music, friends and a few drinks .
Check it out!

Just saw JEFF the Brotherhood and Juiceboxxx for New Years Eve. For sure one of the best shows I’ve seen in my entire life. The Empty Bottle totally nailed it. I forgot to post this review when I wrote it four months ago, but here it is:
I had eaten some magic mushrooms earlier in the night, so naturally, I was a little bit nervous. Was the Empty Bottle going to harsh my vibes? I’d been there many times before and know it’s «in your face» and I didn’t wanna freak out.
We arrived a little late and missed the first two bands. I was standing front row waiting around for the show to start. I had no idea that Juiceboxx was literally going to shred /​melt /​rap my face off.
He was literally the best band I could have seen tripping on mushrooms at that moment. The entire universe deconstructed itself and rearranged the pieces so I could find the power inside myself to be the most awesome person I can possibly ever be. I’m not sure if this was Juiceboxxx or the mushrooms, I think it was a little of both.

Nice selection of beers including Tiger Beer which I have never seen outside of Singapore but the female bartenders are the most unfriendly I have seen in a long time. I don’t expect more than a hello and maybe a smile but these bartenders don’t even say a word let alone smile when they pick up their tip. They just scoop it up with a dead paned face.
The score is three out of three so far.

The Empty Bottle is a great intimate setting to catch live music in Chicago!
The stage here is about three feet off the ground and you can get really up-​close and personal with the performers… like touching distance (don’t actually do that, okay?)! And sometimes the crowds can get rowdy (read as: hope you’re okay with people in your personal bubble).
The drinks are cheap (CASH ONLY), the bathrooms are relatively clean, there’s a pool table, and of course, the infamous babydoll head wall!
The sound here is the a drawback, it’s pretty hit or miss. For example, I’ve been to a show where the artist was constantly requesting that his mic be turned up because he was very muffled throughout the concert. Another con is that there is no easy way to reach the Empty Bottle via public transit. Despite these negatives, this is one of my favorite venues in the city!

Oh the Empty Bottle. I’ve only been here a handful of times, and mostly 5+ years ago, but I always have super fond memories of this place. The layout is interesting, but obviously works. They have a cute photobooth in the front room, which is nice to force a friendly musician into, or just commemorate an excellent night out with friends (infinitely better than instagrams). I remember there being a black cat just mewing, purring and cuddling about in the front room, too, but I didn’t see one when I went in June. There’s a couch love/​seat and a pool table, too, when you’d rather entertain yourself. (Though, I guess we have smartphones for that now.)
The best part about this venue is that there are always an assortment of free or cheap shows (with/​without RSVP). If you recognize the band for a free show, be sure to get there early. So many plans rerouted because of EB reaching capacity. Most of the free shows are on weeknights, but going out on the weekend is overrated anyway.
They have a little cooler at the end of the bar for self-​serve water, which I definitely appreciated during my teetotaling days. This place is generally standing room only, though grabbing a seat on the stairs to the left of the stage to still see a great show.

Hands down one of my favorite venues to see a show. Out of all the venues in Chicago Empty Bottle seems to consistently assemble great shows with some of my favorite artists. I am real short and have yet to experience any issues with getting a good view of the stage. They have these stairs to the left of the stage you can also stand on (or sit, depends on the show I suppose) which is in my opinion the best spot for watching the band perform.
Bar staff is always on their a game and generally don’t have to wait long for a drink despite how packed the place usually is. The prices for beer are very reasonable so no complaints there; it is cash only so come prepared. *if you neglected to bring cash they have an atm*
I should mention as soon as you walk into the venue you are welcomed with some pinball machines, a pool table, claw machine as well as a photo booth. They also have a Pac Man arcade game which is located in another area of the venue.

As a musician I have always heard great reviews about the Empty Bottle. I have played over 50 times in Chicago but this was my first time at the Empty Bottle and I have nothing but great things to say about it.
It’s kinda the ultimate dive bar! This is a place I would hang out if I lived in Chicago.
As far as the staff goes they were second to none! Everyone was super nice and talented at what they did whether it was running sound, doing lights, running the door, or slinging drinks!
They have tons of cheap beers to choose from and since I was playing I got a discount on the already cheap beer selection. So lets just say I bought a few rounds!
Anyway I will be back for sure and hope to play here again sometime! Keep up the good work! Empty Bottle!

If you really want to see great bands before they hit the big league in a small venue, you must go to Empty Bottle. This is it for Chicago. The people who book this place know what’s cutting edge. It’s divey, hipster and cheap as well.
I have seen so many amazing bands over the years. The posters on the walls of the bands who have been through here are a who’s who of alternative, metal and punk rock.
Highly recommended.