Marie’s Riptide Lounge

Cerrado. Sold to the peeps next door.

Oh Marie’s how I will miss you! All the best in the future endeavors attached to what Marie’s offered. Yes it was a late night bar, but somehow drunks at Marie’s just made sense.

I first came here years ago when it was a buzzer bar, and perhaps it still is, but this is one of my favorite ALREADY DRUNK bars in Chicago. If you are already drunk and want to stay out and dance to some amazing cheesy music on the Juke Box… well, go here as people have been doing since before your mother was born — literally!
Somehow the «specials» are the way to go and usually a good deal compared to the not so cheap normal prices. I usually just ask «what is the special» and drink whatever that is. Why? Because I am already drunk and I can’t get over the fact that every time I walk in here I can’t get this song out of my head:
«Well, it would’ve been /​Could’ve been worse than you would ever know /​Oh, the dashboard melted /​But we still have the radio»
Well, it could get worse… you could be rocking The Continental!

i had the best night here. it was definitely a 4am kind of night and this bar was perfect for it! awesome dj playing all the hits and room to drunkenly dance and not give a crap!

Cheap drinks, super friendly staff, vinyl on the 1’s and 2’s. no pretense. Great bar. If Danny’s is packed, which is usually is, bring the party here.

Listen. Nobody I know seems to give a rip about Marie’s Riptide… sadly. But I really need to talk more about this jukebox. Some people might think it’s limited in choices — there’s no Super Search on this bad boy. But what this means is you can drink your Buddy L’s with 100% confidence that a Nickelback song isn’t going to ruin your buzz/​night/​potential hookup/​life.
My vocal chords are currently enacting revenge on me for hitting those high notes in Petula Clark’s Downtown. So worth being a temporary mute.
An out of town guest declared Marie’s his favorite jukebox bar in Chicago. And I have to say… I agree.

Hot Mess in a Dress…
If you end up at Mary’s after midnight then you must be having one of the greatest nights of your life. Every time I end up at Mary’s I’m a hot mess in a dress, but I have a beaming smile! The bartenders are friendly, the crowd is always fun and entertaining, and you can’t beat the prices. Go with your friends and I promise, you will have fun. My only complaint is that it is nearly impossible to catch a cab in this area. I’ve had to walk under the viaduct near Bucktown Bush Guy… again hot mess in a dress.

~ A Lesson in Swimming and Drinking ~
As soon as I got out of the cab and saw the desolation outside the bar, I knew I should have calmly walked to the side — parallel to the façade of Marie’s Riptide Lounge — in order to escape the Riptide. However, I wanted to conduct an experiment for you, Young Unilocaler, so that you could learn from my mistakes and go forth in your usual infallibility.
Actually, I got talked into going to Marie’s Riptide Lounge instead of the other usual late night options. One should never trust someone who constantly tells fish stories.
I could tell this place was going to be dead before ever crossing its threshold. That wasn’t because it screamed Old Man Tavern but because there was no activity outside the bar. Like a trooper, I soldiered on, breaking the cardinal rule of swimming by going straight into the Riptide.
The door opened, I stepped in and I was immediately bowled over by a fetid stench emanating either from the latrine, seriously dirty mop water or both.
As for the crowd and atmosphere, well, there wasn’t any crowd or atmosphere unless you want to talk about the six or seven bros up at the front with hats on and the smell. One friend wanted to stick around and have a beer in this mecca, so we ordered one.
While at Marie’s Riptide Lounge, I was able to check out the sole attraction of the place — the jukebox, which is one of the old fashioned types that plays 45s. Those are the small, 7-​inch discs with the big hole in the middle that have an A-​side and a B-​side, kiddies. Both sides of the disc play music. They sure were efficient back in the old days. I think I saw some Beatles. I know I saw some Elvis, Frank and Diana. It’s mostly old stuff from the 60s and 70s. And about one-​quarter or one-​third of the titles are, um, scratched out with pen. Classic and classy!
We stayed long enough for two Elvis tunes and one other tune before escaping the Riptide.
If you ever find yourself in a real riptide, Young Unilocaler, remain calm, swim parallel to the shore until you’re out of the flow pulling you from shore and then calmly swim back to shore.
If you ever find yourself facing Marie’s Riptide Lounge, Young Unilocaler, I recommend you simply walk to the side and depart the area.
Lesson in swimming and drinking concluded. Go ahead and print this out and carry it with you whenever you go to the beach or out drinking. Class dismissed.

I am very glad to say I have not been here for a while. This is where you go when you are 12 sheets to the wind at a bar that closes at 2AM and you think you want to drink MORE. If you close Marie’s you will promise to Never Drink Again. I really hope I never have to make that promise ever again.

I, as most people, usually don’t trek to Marie’s unless most other bars are shutting down for the night. It’s a great place to head late night. The bartenders are extremely efficient when you realize how many people are stuffed in this little dive. Can get a little wild in there… Some people just can’t control themselves. All in all, I’ll keep going from time to time. I feel much safer here than I do at The Continental.

One time I went to Marie’s and got drunk, left for a few hours, and came back and drank some more until close. It was fun.
One other time we tried to go inside but the door was locked but then this dude let us in and locked the door behind us and no one else was in the bar and there were lots of tools laying around and he disappeared for a while and I thought we were sure to be murdered. But then he came back sipping chocolate milk and served us whiskey. It was fun.

This place is such a delightful little hole-​in-​the-​wall. I went here with a couple friends since we didn’t want to end the night and we grabbed a booth and literally watched the crowd like it was a TV and listened to the AWESOME classics they were playing on the vintage jukebox. All in all, it was a nice experience and if I’m ever near the area, I’ll be sure to stop in!

What do you do when you are on a first date with a very cute ex Marine and the wine bar is closing and neither of you want the night to end?
Why, you go to Marie’s Riptide Lounge, naturally.
And so we did. And we made out at the bar. People around us were dancing, laughing, the bartenders were eager to refill our drinks, great tunes were playing and the bar was decorated in holiday cheer.
This is not your average dark, dank 5am bar you should steer clear of. It is very well lit and happy. Good vibes had by all! Or perhaps I was under a love spell…

If dive bars could form teams, Marie’s Riptide would be clawing her way to team captain. It’s that divey.
This place is a Chicago late-​night classic that I only recently got to check out. We showed up around 11pm last Thursday night, and we had to knock on the door (it was locked). It took a few minutes for the bartender to unlock and answer the door — turns out he was sleeping in a booth! His half eaten Chinese food gave the bar a weird musty/​stir fry scent that colored our brief, odd experience.
We all had a drink, and decided shots were in order (we were celebrating a friend’s birthday). So, 4 shots of… Jaeger (grosssss) and 4 high lifes later, our new bartender friend asked for $ 40 for the round. He seemed to just pick the first number that came to mind. No huge deal, but it seemed a little stiff for the round. And random.
I’d go back maybe. Probably after way too many and way later, when there are other people there and it doesn’t smell like a chop suey joint.

Appropriately named the Riptide because IT’LL PULL YOU IN!
Ok this is definitely the most positive 3 star review I’ve ever written mainly because I like the Riptide but I’m unsure of how I feel about it.
The whole place looks like half cheesy 50’s restaurant, half bar. Despite being March, it was awash in a gaudy combination of red and green kind of like an art project you did as a child and forgot those were Christmas colors. The light-​up Spuds McKenzie, much like a light tower on troubled seas, is a beacon on a windy Chicago night.
Dive bar purveyors, this is your spot.
The vintage juke box cranks old school tunes on real 45’s still! (according to the bartender). Cheap beers and stiff cocktails of course round out the joint and make it an awesome place. The bartender was friendly and awesome to chat with. I think I’m just unsure about how I feel doming PBR when there’s so much good beer in Chicago. Seriously, how do you Chicagoans swill so much Bud Light? Your city is awash in great beer.
I like the Riptide, it’s a chill place to come get wasted on a weekday night and it seems most of the other patrons won’t mind joining you for some drunken banter. I think I’ll need a few more visits to solidify my opinion up or down but initial forecasts are good!

Ugh karaōke AGAIN! Why do I keep winding up in bars with karaōke? What did I do to deserve that? ‘Africa’ by Toto. Really, drunk guy? Really? Did that sound good to you?
Anyway, heads up industry folks: Marie’s Riptide is great for our poor, tired, foot-​achy masses. Sympathetic ears, shared horror stories, understanding nods and cold High Life. All found at Marie’s. I like it. It’s too inconveniently located for me to go to often, but it’s a great late-​night neighborhood joint. Except for the karoke.

Stopped in here after a daylong betting excurion at Arlington race track… anyway its right off the Metra on Armitage and we decided to stop for a couple more drinks… Why not?!
Wow I went back in time… drinks were a lil small though.
I will be back, so a follow up is to come.
stay tuned folks!

Started off here with a group of 15 for a Birthday Party and pretty much had the place to ourselves from Open till 1 AM. Tired little Juke Box with a limited selection but it gets the people dancing… Before it gets crowded. Not bad prices, friendly staff and the characters that come through on the late night rounds are well worth the price of admission (no no cover just a figure of speech).
Bad Dancing — Check
Bad Judgment — Check (young kid following around a friend. Like he was going to get anywhere)
Fistfight — Check (no not me but someone threw a Punch and it was returned)
Good times with Friends — Check
I think ’09 could be the year of the Dive Bar for me.

If you like getting wasted in your grandpa’s basement, this place is for you. This review will probably get zero «useful» votes because I’ve never been here without getting certifiably trashed elsewhere first. This is the kind of place you can go when you’ve already knocked a beer over into your ribs at Cleo’s and embarrassed the shit out of yourself, your friend whose pants you’ve also soaked with beer, and the waitress.

I was there with Lisa D. who Unilocaled below and I second that review!
We were looking for a dive bar and we walked into a ghost-​town instead. Completely empty at midnight on a Friday (I uploaded a photo above that captures the crime scene). However, unlike Lisa’s review I happened to enjoy the $ 10 fake-​french martini that the bartender whipped-​up, and actually ordered a second.
Here’s the thing… if your bar is empty with zero patrons, don’t treat the 6 that stumble in like they have leprosy. Although possibly loud, we actually were all being very respectful and were just there to have a good time and dance around silly to some old Elvis hits. BOOO MARIE’S RIPTIDE! Worse dollar I ever spent was in your jukebox!

This is one of my favorite places to go, drunk or sober. We actually went thru a patch where we’d get there when it opened at 8:00pm and just belly up to the bar, shootin’ the shit with Marcia (Marie’s cousin), Marie and her daughter (the bartender). And yes, we’d stay til it closed, which is 4:00a on Friday and 5:00a on Saturday.
There are some great happenings here. Snag a booth for service before it gets too busy and then count how many times randoms try to squeeze in with you. Only bad side to booth seating is as gets busier, Marcia starts to ignore you and then gets annoyed when you went to the bar instead. Marie never buys a drink and actually asks patrons to buy them for her. The bartender sings one of the best renditions of «Ring of Fire» I’ve ever heard.
Then there’s the crowd. Pretty much every type of person traipses thru here all in varying degrees of fucked-​up-​ness. Hot trainwrecks everywhere. Probably not the best place to meet someone for an LTR since there’s a good possibility that they won’t remember your name the next day, let alone being there. But all around, you can never really have a bad time here, or at least that you remember.