Tonic Room

Tonic room is a 4 star bar, but I tacked on an extra star for all the free-​of-​charge strange feelings the bartender with the baseball cap always gives me. Love that guy.

So, this place is a little, hole in the wall, tavern type spot in Lincoln Park. This was my first time here, and I was underwhelmed.
The bar was disappointing. The draft beer was served in plastic cups and the selection of bottled beer was very limited. The «wine» wasn’t much better. It should have been a clue when the bartender had to remember where the wine glasses were kept.
But, the draw is the music. The band was scheduled to start their first set at 9:00, but didn’t take the «stage» until almost 10:00, even though they were all present and set up. Kind of annoying if you have to work in the morning… (and are old, lol.)
The place itself was small and in desperate need of cleaning and updating. It’s dirty and dingy and has inadequate seating for the occupancy limit. In fact, there were people sitting on the bar floor in front of the «stage.»
I would say if you’re younger, say college aged, this spot might be «hip.» However, if you like sitting and drinking from clean glasses and having a mixed drink, then I would take a pass.

Tonic Room will always have a special place in my heart. It is a breath of fresh air from the LP madness. I’ve always had a fantastic time listening to all types of music from different Chicago bands and musicians. The place is small, cozy and intimate. It’s quite a unique set-​up, but it’s what I love about it. They treat their talent really well and are fair with how door money is split up amongst the bands. Their drink specials are just okay. The last time I came here they were pouring their drafts into plastic cups, which was weird, I hope that was just a one time thing. They used to have actual pint glasses before.
I’ve never been here when their wasn’t a show, not sure if I would consider this place a good hangout spot when their isn’t live music going on.

Place is small and dark, which isn’t always a bad thing, but it sure is small. Could be a cool hangout but when there’s 10 people there, there’s nowhere to sit. That’s not that big a deal, though. The thing that surprised me/​cost them major points was the $ 6 12 oz drafts and the $ 9 smallest cocktail servings I had ever seen. How on earth is it a college crowd when drinking there costs so much and the prices don’t really match the vibe of the olace?

This is a great place to go when you want to hear a really good band sound like shit.

Rancid tap beer and the layout is f*cked. Aside from booking good bands this place doesn’t have a whole lot of positives. I want to like you more Tonic Room I really do, but even for a dive bar your game is weak!!!

Been here a couple times for live music– usually when one of my musician friends is playing. Tiny place makes me feel kinda claustrophobic– but really a cool vibe. It’s a narrow bar that gets pretty packed with live music and events but usually everyone is pretty awesome so it’s not so bothering.
Sort of a dive-​y bar (dark & no-​frills) but the prices are fairly reasonable, and they are good at booking musicians that don’t stink ;-)
TIP: Show up EARLY if you are going there to see live music, or you will NOT get a seat– limited seating and when the place gets packed for a good band good luck.
PLUS SIDE: Even if you don’t get a seat, the acoustics are pretty good and it’s small so you’ll still be able to hear the band either way.
Staff is always great– in fact I’m pretty sure there are photos of me dancing with one of the bartenders floating around… haha! Actually, all of the bartenders have been great & quite entertaining– how a good bartender really should be.

Went here last night. Typical dive bar place with no frills. Decent beers and whiskey which is the best thing going for it.
Crowd is mainly DePaul kid’s so yeah, Not really my scene. If there Is a cool band playing, check it out, otherwise it’s just ok.

I like a lot of the music they have to offer, but can’t stand the stage. My bro’s band has played there so I give a thumbs up for that. Strange layout and a little too crowded at times.
The older guy behind the bar with the baseball hat gives my friends and I a strange feeling. Not sure what his story is, but it’s like having an awkward beer guy at Wrigley serving us. I guess I know where those guys work during the offseason now.

Small place for intimate drinks and shows, but lacking options.
I can’t believe I haven’t been to Tonic Room until just recently. It’s a nice little place to grab a drink with friends and if you’re here to catch a show you’ll be close to the stage because its a tiny bar. Don’t expect an extensive craft beer list or anything.

Had so many good times here. Played here in a number of bands over the years. Been to tons of shows here, and it never fails to deliver. Friendly folks run the place and make it a pleasure to visit as a performer or patron. If you have a free evening, check this place out!

Went here to see my friend’s band play, and had one hell of a time.
The bouncer was friendly and invited us in along with a nice hand design of pac man.
Bar tenders were friendly, and a pretty solid beer selection as well. Really can’t ask for much more in a nice small bar space.
I’ll be back, and would like to go on a random night when other live music is playing.

I absolutely agree about throwing drinks away. Went there on Wednesday 02/​19, we were hanging out at the bar, my friend went to smoke, covered his drink and asked me to watch it, so I did. I saw him coming back and turned away for a sec… The drink disappeared right away!!! Wtf?! Asked bartender about it, he admitted throwing it away and he didn’t want to do anything about it… Seriously!!! Vodka tasted funny too. Terrible place

I’ve been a patron and a performer at this bar.
As a patron, if you’re okay with intimate spaces, you’ll be fine.
It’s loud. It’s schweaty. It’s pretty awesome, though.
You can get THIS CLOSE to your favorite local bands.
As a performer, the stage is tiny. You already knew that. You’re fine about that because you’ll pack this place and feel awesome about it. They pay well. Staff is awesome.

NEGATIVE STARS
F*ck this place. You step away from your beer for a second and they throw it away and have zero remorse after you tell them. I had two beers thrown away — one was completely full.
A holes. Read the other reviews. The service apparently is consistently douche. My first and last time there.
Bartenders can eat a salty d*ck. DON’T THROW AWAY SOMETHING I JUST PAID FOR AND TIPPED YOU ON.
Never in my 9 years of bar hopping have I ever witnessed such a thing. Ridiculous.

Dive-​Bar, They have live music, we just went in for a drink before dinner at a nearby restaurant.
They seemed annoyed we were there having drinks and SPENDING MONEY without paying COVER (the band was still setting up and we were coming in for ONE DRINK)
MEH.

When I go to live shows at bars, I focus on a couple things: atmosphere, seating, crowd, money, brews, staff,.
We came here for a live show on a Thursday, so i’ll start from the beginning.
Atmosphere: Great! (if you are a fan of small dive bars with vintage décor, which I am) There are tons of old bottles lining the top near the bar and above the booth area. It’s dark, divey, and cozy.
Seating: We got there early for the show, and there wasn’t many places to sit. Luckily, we found two seats at the bar (which you will later see was a great spot.)…thus leading me to my next topic:
Crowd: As i mentioned we got there pretty early, so it wasn’t too bad, but later on, the place was packed. And the crowd was actually full of decent music lovers of all walks of life. No specific group hangs out here.
Money: The bar takes cards, luckily, and the beers are decently priced… speaking of beers:
Brews: They have craft beers! :D (and the others)
Staff: Our bartender was great! He recommended a delicious pale ale and was always checking to see if we needed a refill!
Overall great place!

My few experiences here had been ok in the past, but this past Saturday night was pretty awkward. I came by there around 8:30 to see the live bands. The layout of the bar is not meant for bands with more than 4 musicians with a lot of gear. The stage is tiny and right in front of the doorway, so it can easily get crowded. Seriously, the band members may as well have been sitting on their amps. The mic stands were off the stage and on the floor. That tiny.
The worst part of the evening was right before the last band started, which was probably around 11:30, the doorman made 4 people from the booth right next to the door move because it was reserved for another party that knew the owner. I didn’t care that much since I was planning to eventually move up by the stage anyway, but the other couple was PISSED. And as this «party of 7» turned into party of 15 with bottle service, everyone including the server was shoving their way to and from the bar, and I was pushed so far up that I may as well have been standing on the stage myself. Not sure why they couldn’t have put this bottle service booth closer to the bar instead of the stage because they clearly didn’t give a crap about the bands. It’s just a bad layout, the sound could be better, and it was not worth an $ 8 cover. This place would probably be better for just DJs spinning or acoustic acts. Beer selection is ok, but limited. Don’t expect a variety like Quenchers.

I was hanging out at the Tonic Room open mic last night. It was the first time I had been in since the reopening sometime last year. It really hasn’t changed all the much from what I could tell. The stage is a little bigger but it is still in an awkward place. The atmosphere is cool and the place is generally small but the comfy booths make it cozy.
The drinks are reasonably priced and they have a decent beer selection. However, it was heinously cold last night and they were unequipped to make any hot drinks. I’ve been freezing my tush off the entire drive/​walk to the bar and the last thing I want is a cold beer. I would have loved a hot toddy or spiked hot chocolate. And frankly those aren’t even hard to make! You don’t even have to have the good kind of hot chocolate — just hot water and packets of hot chocolate! If it hadn’t been so cold out I would have walked over to the McDonalds on the corner and bought a hot chocolate and have the bartender spike it. Although, it was so freakin’ cold last night it probably could have been cold by the time I got it back to the bar. Hot toddies are super easy to make as well. I just don’t understand how they can’t make hot water.
That being said, the open mic brings some real characters out of the woodwork. Prepare to have your favorite songs butchered but still have a good time. The host, Chris Zonada, did a great job of keeping the evening moving and he is extremely talented as well.
I probably will come back to Tonic Room for the music but if it’s that cold again I will be bringing my own hot drink.

I’ve only been for Monday/​Open mic night. But I’d love to come on a weekend. Nice crowd, fun people watching, and my friend is the host for Mondays. :)
People seem pretty interested in the performers, all levels of musicians, diverse music genres, peeeerty cool!
Bartender was hip, and the booths are nice. I don’t think I’d have enjoyed myself so much standing up. I plan on singing here some time soon, which will make Tonic Room even cooler. hehe.
oh! and when the performers weren’t on stage, the music on the system was killer. I approve.