The Backroom

They closed!!! We had a great time at The Backroom. I wanted to go back recently but they closed. The ambiance was great as was the music and drinks. Our servers were nice and friendly. So sad to see them go. I hope they open up somewhere else!

All I can say, after our Saturday night, nightmare, is, it is not fair to dance on someone’s grave, but it is timely that The Backroom is turning out the lights.
Caberet Series was a BORE, the following jazz/​motown band was not ready for prime time. But like I said, no grave dancing,

The good. The bad. And the ugly.
First the good. The band on the night we were here was really good. They played everything from jazz to Motown and had our large group up and dancing for most of the night. And this was on a Monday! Big fun there even though the dance floor is only a small strip of carpeting between the stage and the first row of tables.
The bad? $ 5 cover on a Monday night when the place is empty? Please. And the décor? White palm trees against black walls just screamed tired and old to me…I didn’t even know bars like this were allowed in this part of town.
And now the ugly. My martini came to me in a sugared martini glass that was sticky and covered with lipstick. Oh. Did I tell you that it was a for a dirty martini? No sugar necessary which means the bartender put my drink in a dirty glass. YUCK. Yes it was quickly replaced when I brought it back but how he couldn’t see, or feel that the glass was dirty was beyond me.
Will I be back? Doubtful. There just places that I would rather spend my time and money at. Although that band was really good. ..

Enjoyed the music and crowd enthusiasm. Poor wine selection and what they do offer wasn’t good. Could use a sound man (desperately!).
Added gratuity to my bill for a two person tab and also paid a cover cover charge. That is a joke since rail bourbon and diet was $ 12/​per.
I won’t go back.

The best live band, simply FANTASTIC last night! Great popcorn and spirits, love this place!

Overpriced, something is missing with the ambience. It’s missing some energy and the staff are not friendly at all.

Terrible.
I was brought by a friend and will never go back. The music was good. The skinny, tall, younger, white «bouncer» working the night of ¹⁰⁄₇ was rude to everyone in my party. It was an extremely homophobic environment. Very sad to experience in Chicago in 2014.

If my friend didn’t bring me here, I would never have known it existed. Backroom is tucked away down an alley, but as soon as you walk in, you’re greeted with a warm and initiate atmosphere. I was expecting jazz but it was more like a really good wedding band with music you can sing and dance along too. The singer that night had an amazing voice. The drinks were Manhattan prices (~$ 15 each). I would come back!

This is a nice place. I want to write this before I think about it too much. Ordered 12 year old Scotch neat and they charge an extra $ 2.00! Never saw this before at any other place I have ever been in all my travels.
I also have to throw the bs flag on the band that played tonight. My wife comes from a family of professional music players. I have severe doubts about the horn player in this band. I know the keyboard player can manipulate just about every instrument there was on the stage tonight. His movements did NOT match the notes he was playing. I had the same issue with the female singer and some of the songs she sang on. Again based on my knowledge I have gained from my wife’s family I have to question this group.

Was convinced to try this place out after the promoter flagged us down while walking out of Le Colonial. The situation seemed a little sketch, you know? Either way, we paid the $ 10 and followed him down the dark alleyway and we had a great time. The band was good the night I was there, it was a little empty, but we enjoyed ourselves. The drinks were just okay, but I could have ordered the wrong thing.
Overall, it was good time and I will definitely be back.

A dive bar and an interior makeout-​a-​thon venue with a 2 drink minimum and a $ 10 cover.
AV setup — sucks! Instruments are too loud. We weren’t able to hear the lyrics or the good voice. NO lyrics allowed. :-)
Venue — Be careful. The floor is cement, carpet and a step up that is potentially hazardous with alcohol consumption.
Drinks — special price on Tues. Drink Portion is itty bitty with lots of ice. Non-​alcoholic drink is $ 5. Failure to order 2 drinks, you also get charged $ 5.
Unknown Band — after 4 hours, I know about their CD, but no clue about band name.
Chairs/​Tables — plentiful and crowded.

Great place to enjoy smooth jazz performances.

Had an amazing time with a few friends of mine on a Tuesday night. $ 10 cover because we arrived before the band began to play, but the bouncer mentioned that it cost $ 20 if we had arrived later.
Pro– Small, intimate, great band
Cons– Band was a little too loud for my taste; 2 minimum drink purchase

The Backroom is directly connected to the Drawing Room lounge in the front. It does have its own dedicated entrance through an alley, but this wasn’t the way we got in. Tickets are available online for 15 bucks but since our bartender from the Drawing Room walked us in, we didn’t have to pay it. Keep in mind, our tab was around 60 bucks so that may have been a factor for entry.
The cocktails served in this venue were not as involved as Drawing Room, but if you wanted an Old Fashioned, you can get it here. There are also snacks to chomp on like Ranch Flavored Popcorn or Calamari as you sit and enjoy the live music.
-=-The Live Music, Skinny Williams Band-​=- It was a touch of Motown and Jazz. Pretty enjoyable when he went around and saxaphoned in everyone’s face. They encouraged people to get up and dance, which a few did, but most people sat around their tables and sipped their drinks. The atmosphere was lively and on this busy Saturday night, the band would be playing till about 2am. We heard that afterhours to chill and hang out would extend all the way to 4am, but we didn’t hang around long enough to find out.

Came here the night after Christmas. What a fun thing to do! I thought we’d catch the first show and go home but we stayed until it closed. The drinks and service are wonderful. The show we saw was Ricky Rainbow. He was fun and is very talented. He did a range of Motown to The Eagles to Black Eyed Peas. My only rub was not the venue’s fault — the PDA. The were a few over served couples that were gettin’ down in an embarrassing way.
I’d come back for some cocktails and live music anytime!

I have been here twice in one year most recently last night to see Ricky Rainbow and the Ott Band.
I am a native to the gold coast hood so I like to patronize local spots if they are good quality establishments. And this place is for sure one of the those
This is in the space that used to occupy the gold coast hood.
e
For those of you that have been to café wha in Greenwhich Village, this spot will remind you of that place only that this space has more room. it’s kinda cozy with two bar areas.
The manager was nice and comped me a vodka and cranberry for me when they door guy told him I was a local. It’s not about the money or the fact that the drink was free. it was the fact that they appreciated that you have decided to hang out there despite other choices that you may have to you walking down Rush Street.
All the bartenders, wait staff were nice and no one was copping an attitude like at some places on Hubbard Street which shall remain nameless.
The band was very lively and played some tunes with different variety.
«the thrill is gone»
a soul/​jazzy/​funk inspired version of «highway to hell»
«everyday people»
«hotel california»
«do you remember»
This is some of the music that I recall hearing in the hour that I was there last night.
There is some room to dance if the mood strikes you and it will… dont worry about that :)

Music venue inside of the Drawing Room. We didn’t even know this existed until we started hearing the music through the doors. Apparently there’s a $ 20 cover but if you have drinks at the Drawing Rom, this is waived. We headed over there after our drinks and it was great. There was a jazz band playing and they were phenomenal. Not sure I would pay $ 20 to just go here and take my chances on a good band, but I would definitely have a drink ($ 13) then come over.
²⁶⁷⁄₃₆₅

Solid music, decent drink selection, service may take a minute as I was warned, but I had no issues.

Chicago Blues as you have NEVER heard them before! This is absolutely the real thing.
Your experience begins before you even enter the premise. As we were walking along Rush St., we were greeted by a gentleman who asked if we would be having a cocktail at the Backroom. When we said yes, he took us through an alley to the actual «back door» of the Backroom. It was a novel touch that added to the excitement and anticipation of what was next to come.
And we were not disappointed.
The interior is classy with some nice touches like a unusual horn sculpture. The bar is well stocked so you are sure to find the drink of your choice. There isn’t much food but it’s the type of place you go after dinner. The stage is a nice size and there is a bit of dancing space between it and the tables. Music is played until the big show.
The night I went, Skinny Williams was playing. He is an EXCELLENT saxophonist. His band plays all the old smooth jams as well as the new tunes of today. We heard everything from Al Green to Cee Lo Green! The lead singer and Williams were intimate with their audience and a lucky few were the recipients of a serenade. They were not shy about interacting with their fans.
So in between dancing, serenades and screaming HELL YEAH, this venue will give you the ultimate Chicago experience.

I don’t live in Chicago but this place is pretty good. If you are a live music fan, you will enjoy. They schedule live bands there I think for every day of the week. The night I was there, Avain Hightower and Full Circle (
) was playing. They are an R&B/Soul band.
Great place for date night or an outing with a group of friends. Only downfall (big one for me) is that the bar is expensive. I am from Atlanta, so I know the expensive bar tab scene, but never I never get used to it. The list of drinks that the bartenders know if very short and service was slow for the number of people there. Be weary of how much they charge as they charged me the cost of 2 shots for a french connection after they asked me how to make it.
I would have rated a 3 for the service, but the live music made it up for me.