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Categories: Dive Bars, Dance Clubs [Edit]
Neighborhood: Near North SideClark/Division (Red)
Chicago (Purple Express, Brown)
Mon-Fri. 8:00 p.m. - 4:00 a.m.
Sat. 8:00 p.m. - 5:00 a.m.
Every Tuesday night, enjoy live music from local artist Chris Bryan, $5 pasta specials and half price bottles of wine.
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I love this bar. It reminds me of going out in college - when we got ridiculously dressed up, drank like crazy and danced the night away. This is a great place to get tipsy, do a little dancing and cut loose. As one reviewer said, it is definitely the more fun the bigger your group - which is why you will always see a large number of bachelorette parties on Friday & Saturday nights.
As a caveat though I will say that even though I usually hit the bar after 11pm, I've never had to wait in line and I have never had to pay cover here, so I haven't had to deal with some of the same complaints. I have been groped, but it was something that I fully consented to (my boyfriend and I came here on our first date). The staff has always been way beyond friendly - as for those of you complaining about fighting your way to the bar, they have waitresses and those girls are ninjas when it comes to getting drinks.
Also, the bathroom are not the worst I've seen (the bars in Tijuana) but I do try to go as soon as I get there and then hold it the rest of the night.
I finally go to experience this place and it was everything I was hoping it to be! Except for some reason I thought it was bigger inside. I got here a bit before 10pm on a Friday night and it was not yet packed at all. Some people might say not to start your night here, but I would say do it because after 11:30 or so a huge line develops outside plus you have to pay cover I'm guessing after 10pm. PLUS, as soon as that line starts developing, it starts to get pretty uncomfortably packed inside.
I enjoyed the music upstairs (more modern dance/hip hop) but when it got too cramped, I had to move downstairs (80's, early 90's). There are 2 dance floors downstairs. If your smart and walk around, you'll see the one to the left - it's not as packed as the others which is a good thing.
The bathroom is definitely not the best, but I've been inside worse. Plus, if you get there early enough, you don't have to deal with the nasty bathroom because it has yet to be devirginize for the night.
If you want to go somewhere where you know you will want to dance and sing to every tune, this is the place for you. The crowd is diverse in ethnicity & age which is always great. But I would say, don't show up past 11 unless you don't care about waiting in line.
To enjoy Hangge-Uppe, you must be righteously hammered, with a big group of friends, and, if female, at least a little open to being groped. There's also no sense in coming here before midnight. I'm not even sure the place exists before that hour.
The basic premise here is reliving your youth. For much of the crowd, it's reliving the frat parties of the relatively recent past. It's hotter than an oven, loud as hell, and far beyond crowded. Everyone is trying to get laid.
The rest of the crowd, a smaller and somewhat older contingent, is doing the same thing as the former, i.e., pretending they're 20 again. Again, everyone of them is trying to get laid. You're the target.
And they're very much in their element, as the 80s music being blared downstairs is the same stuff they were listening to in high school.
You see, the Hangge-Uppe is somewhat of a Chicago institution. The older folks hanging here aren't all trying to do you; it's just that they've been coming here for decades.
You're either going to have a great or terrible time here. Either way, the next day will be painful.
P.S. Worst bathrooms in Chicago.
I can appreciate that this bar knows what it is and it is ok with that. I will also say that my friend had a great time, but that could also be because she made out with two dudes.
This bar included a lot of things I do not enjoy: Number 1, A cover. No thanks, the money I would have spent on booze just went to your cover charge. Number 2, People that are too drunk to function. Some dude definitely whipped his thing out and tried to piss in a garbage can.
I mean despite all of that I managed to have a pretty good time with my friends. Drink prices were pretty much the same as usual. I did not get a chance to make it downstairs to the 80s party which I kind of wish I had. I do love the 80s.
Pros: it's open late, and downstairs they play your favorite hits from the 80s and 90s. I used to come here all the time because my friends enjoyed this older music.
Cons: So incredibly crowded!!! As in sweaty, gross, cannot walk across a room in fewer than 10 minutes crowded. And ladies, prepare to be groped at least 25 times in the course of one night. The drinks are very watered down but still expensive. The bathrooms are absolutely disgusting. In the girls restroom downstairs, for example, there is always tons of toilet paper and garbage on the floor. And the doors to the stalls don't close fully, so you can't actually have privacy. Gross.
Douche bags go/work here. Was in line for about 2 minutes and got yelled at/stepped on/shoved out of the way. Got belligerent (and if you know me, you'd know that it takes a lot to tick me off). Walked 30 seconds to another Rush/Division establishment which offered the same experience minus the douchey-ness.
BEST BAR OF ALL TIME!
yes, its crowded all the time.
yes, it almost always has a line.
yes, there is a cover.
IS IT WORTH IT? YES!
the music downstairs is amazing!
everyone there is pumped to be there!
EVERYONE is dancing!
if you are looking for a place to dance and drink with music that never goes out of style: this is the place to be!
its not about looking hot or being fake or impressing anyone, this place is about having a good time and going mental. go there! i just moved to LA and i miss the hangge uppe! nothing can compare!
I love this place! I think its fun and silly.. a great place to dance to 80s music! I like to go early, hog the dance floor while there's still room, because later this place gets packed! Its true this isn't the swankiest of bars/dance floors.
I've never seen puke on the floors and I didn't think the bathrooms were THAT bad. The worst thing was some sticky floors form spilled drinks.
If you love 80s music this is the place for you.
You know I look at these reviews and I wonder why these people are so uptight!
This place isn't where you go for an upscale experience...Try somewhere on Rush St that is crawling with the guys in their badly tailored Macy's suits.
This place isn't a neighborhood bar...Try someplace in your neighborhood. If this is your neighborhood then think about moving to Lincoln Park or elsewhere to find lower key places.
If the staff is rude to you. Think about if you would like yourself as a patron if the position was changed.
If the cover is a problem you don't have enough money to drink at a bar, buy a bottle of Ripple and drink at home. The same goes with drink prices.
If you wanna hear some douche kid in $400 jeans spin electronic music go to Level. Level is also good if you wanna hang out with the tragically hip...or as I prefer to call them douchebags and douchebagettes.
If you want to hear live music find a concert in the park and bring a flask.
If you want an unpretentious good time, good drinks, fun music and a crowd willing to party...Go to Hangge Uppe.
I have been coming to this place since I visited friends here after I turned 21...Now that I moved from the West to Chicago I tend to hang there pretty often. All the staff is really friendly, however you might be a little irritated with the ramblings of drunk people all night if you were sober. There are some awesome tenders at every bar in the place and you will never go dry.
As for the bathrooms, #2 shouldn't be an option. There is a Jewel down the street for that and after that much traffic any bars restroom would be funky.
P.S. The smell downstairs is gone now.
I was excited to go to this place for my friends bachelorette party and was gravely disappointed. It might be that we went early (at like 10pm), but still, this place sucked...they only played 80's music on BOTH floors..blech...me don't like
The Hangge-Uppe is like smoking a Swisher Sweet cigar in a number of ways:
1) It's kinda trashy...
2)...but sometimes I just REALLY want it...
3)...especially after I'm drunk...
4) ...and I usually pay for it the next day.
So seldom in life am I blessed with a metaphor as effective as this one, but that pretty much sums it up.
I give them 2 stars for playing fun music. I can't really think of anything else to give them stars for. We waited in line for probably 20 minutes, only to be packed inside. The place was swarming with brides-to-be swinging around inflatable penises. It's the kind of place where you try to dance, but all you end up doing is playing human bumper cars with all the people around you and having your toes stepped on my drunk douchebags and girls with 4 inch heels.
Oh, and there was puke all over the floor of the women's bathroom. Classy.
A friend of mine suggested we go there on my birthday last year. I am still evaluating the status of our friendship.
We essentially paid $5 for the privilege to wait 20 minutes to use the mens room and 30 minutes to get a drink. Oh god I knew I was in for a disaster when I finally got the bartender's attention.
If you wanna catch a little buzz especially on your birthday, basic arithmetic says that you had better double-fist yourself some beers and get a shot (or two) all at once in situations like these.
I ended up pounding two beers and a shot of warm, well Vodka that I ordered for myself all in the span of about 20 minutes because I knew I wasn't going to get the bartenders attention within the next hour.
This bar is right up your alley if you can say yes to any of the following:
- You gave any of the John Barleycorn's more than a 1 star review on Yelp
- You like women that can barely stand or speak literally falling over themselves on various items (the trashcan, yourself, etc)
- You wear a golf visor upside down and backwards (male or female)
- You feel at home in a club or bar that is 250 people over capacity and it takes you 30 minutes to walk end to end across the entire room
- Ladies, if you wear a halter top and short skirt, no coat on Saturday nights in the middle of February
- Gents, if you believe in the "1 out of 10 says yes" rule. I'm sure the old "7 out of 10" rule applies here
I eventually found some prime real-estate that afforded the most elbow room off in a corner and by the stroke of luck I saw a little opening to which I was able to dart through and get outside. And my friends? F 'em. I know they say you should never leave a man behind but this wasn't Vietnam.
I luckily found a cab down the street, turned my phone off and headed back to the safe, comfortable confines of my neighborhood bar.
I shouldn't be assigning stars to this because the last time I was in it was also the first time, in 1982 or 1983 with a very pretty and competent divorced ex-call girl friend who was one of life's innocents and was looking for romance. I generally avoid pickup joints and totally didn't get it. Nothing whatsoever happened and we left after one drink. The place was clean, pleasant, boring, and rather empty. I cannot believe that it still exists, but I had to wave to it in astonished recognition.
The Hangge-Uppe is my FAVORITE party place of all time... and I don't even live in Chi-Town. I'm from Houston.
I have been to Chicago once or twice a year for the last 4 years, and we have partied at the Hangy Uppey (that's what I call it) each time. The trip to chi-town is simply incomplete without stopping in to get our groove on.
I can't speak about the ground level floors, or anything other than the 80's room for that matter... that's the only part I've ever experienced. The 80's tunes are amazing (duh), but the dance floor is usually packed, which makes the party that much better. You'll find people rockin the old moves, like the hammer, typewritter, kid n play & roger rabbit... at least when I'm there you will.
Boom. Hangy Uppey is the bomb digity.
Waitress: You guys wanna buy some shots?
Me: No thanks
Waitress: Awww, that isn't the answer I was looking for! Are you sure?
Me: [shakes head no]
Waitress: [stares at me]
Me: [turns around and puts back to waitress hoping she leaves]
$5 Cover + Dirty dancing + Old men = Hangge Uppe Friday nights
Oh Yelpers, have you no sense of humor? Get out of the bitter barn and go play at the Hangge-Uppe. Why? Um, because its hilarious. Such a throwback to college bars, with the music that you love to hate/hate to love. I don't go very often, but when I want to dance (and drink for cheap), you might find me here. Oh, and its a must for bachelorette parties.
My one complaint (and this really grinds my gears) is the overly aggressive cocktail waitress that bombards you the second you walk in the door. Too much.
Yeah, no.
$5 cover (tragic, honestly) to be pummeled by obnoxious, sweaty, lamefish. People are seriously like this? Regularly? All in one place?
It's genuinely a depressing scene...and I'm no bitter Betty, I had fun at Elm Street Liquors prior and the Hunt Club after, which are virtually the same DNA (Douche Night Association). Hangge-Uppe is just, SUCKY.
Yes, I can get drunk enough to enjoy dancing to "Living on a Prayer," but I'll never be trashed enough to enjoy this place.
Let's just say, never again. mmmmk? Ok. Never again.
Ps. I'm not rating this on population alone, it was also about twice over capacity, impossible to get a drink, and our group was graced with the unfortunate smell of the men's bathroom, which is conveniently located right near the dance floor. Score! Yeah, so...no.
Blech.
A friend of a friend dragged me into this converted basement of hellish proportions. She…
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No.
Just no.
It's what I said to the jerk that tried to dance up on me at the previous bar, and it's what I said leaving this awful, smelling, crowded place.
Ugh.
If you are going to go to the Hangge-Uppe, you must abide by certain rules:
1. Don't go before 2AM. Seriously. You aren't ready yet. What do I mean by ready? See #2.
2. This is not the place to start the evening. You need a couple beers under your belt to enjoy Hangge-Uppe to the fullest.
3. You are a REALLY. GOOD. DANCER. So true it's an infallible rule of the H-U.
Rules notwithstanding, a little part of you will be shamed at the idea of coming here so many moons after your 23rd birthday... The other part of you will be doing test tube shots and screaming along to Bon Jovi.
On the weekends its a bit too busy/packed and im not a fan of paying cover for a bar. Cover is for clubs.
Now, thursdays this is a great place!! No cover, no real line, and not too packed.
This place is nice because the basement is retro/80s music so its a nice change from the horrible top 40 crap that most bars play.
If you want a place to get so drunk and disorderly that you barely know your own name, this would be a good place to accomplish that goal.
Bottom floor = 80's music. Get yer grind on to some Bon Jovi and Duran Duran. "Come On, Eileen" and "Bye, Bye Miss American Pie" will play every 20 minutes.
Top floor = hip hop. Clean, non-smelly bathrooms = not here. The ladies bathroom smelled like barf and feces. (Classy) Girls don't make those scents. Seriously.
I had fun here the one time I went, but really, I know I can do better.
I will never go back to this bar. I had terrible service last time I was there. Not only were the drinks weak, but I was charged twice for my them on my credit card. The doorman was also overly aggressive in his flirting with people which got to be rather annoying.
Move along now, nothing to see here!
Oh my...
The Hangge Uppe is a great place for dancing of all varieties if you can handle the overwhelming feeling that you've just walked into an elaborate episode of To Catch a Predator and, hey, doesn't that guy over there look like Chris Hansen?
Went here one Saturday night with friends because they made me drink the Kool-Aid and I assumed we'd have a fun night of dancing and fun. Perhaps Saturday was the wrong night? It was packed, so I was immediately squashed up against a sea of sweaty and horny broheims mumbling various profanities and checking their Carmine Gottis in the mirror.
Needed to pop in the ladies room for a second where it smelled like that poop monster from Dogma was hanging out all night. We FINALLY made it upstairs (I swear our fingernails are probably still stuck in the staircase walls) where there was more room and better music. I had fun once we got up there, but MAN.
Not saying it's the bar itself, but rather the people who...well...do whatever inside.
Welcome ladies and gentlemen to the 3rd circle of hell. This is where polyester tube tops and knee high vinyl boots comingle with popped polo collars and too much hair gel. The bouncers are jerks, the bartenders suck, it smells like pee and body funk - oh, did I mention that you have to pay $5 to soak up this kind of ambiance. The worst part is, I know all of this and have been here more times than I care to admit. At 2am it always sounds like a good idea, until I get inside. Don't get me wrong, I love me some 80's pop when I'm hammered. But when it takes 30 minutes to get a drink - hammered doesn't last very long. However, when my crew ends up getting kicked out of every other bar in the vicinity - Hangge Uppe always lets us in. That probably explains the crowd. Things that make you go hmmm.....
Meeehhh....too crowded and hot in here....pushing and shoving, getting drinks spilled on me and my feet stepped on every 5 minutes isn't really my idea of a fun time! But on the plus side, getting a drink was not too difficult, not a long wait time for the ladies room, and I liked the 80s music downstairs----it's definitely a touristy spot, but that's ok, our bachelorette had a good time and that's all that matters.
What can I say about the Hangge-Uppe? Besides that it's been around since my parents' generation? And that it's the typical late night bar where people go to party from 2 AM to 5 AM. As is the case of most late night bars, the crowd is very iffy, but with the right group of people, the Hangge-Uppe can be a great time. I prefer the lower level, although it can get steamy hot and very crowded in the wee hours of the morning. I like 80s music, and the random TV monitor filming a 5'x6' box that passes as a dance floor is creepy enough to be kinda funny. The line is long, so try and arrive before normal bar closing time (1:45 AM) and don't even bother trying to cut...the bouncer is very, very strict.
Is this hell on earth? No, it's the Hangge Uppe.
I scarcely know where to begin...
You know it's bad when a bar's "official website" is a myspace page...
This place is like a bad college flashback, with the added bonus of creepy old men and bum-ish characters that wouldn't have been permitted entrance to your average underage basement thumpfest.
If you are even mildly claustrophobic, the Hangge Uppe is your worst nightmare.
Waiting in line outside to get in wouldn't be so horrible, given that they have warming units lining the building, if not for the fact that 1) the reality of the indoor experience is such a letdown and 2) the people in line with you are so consistently obnoxiously obliterated. And do let me add that I came to the Hangge Uppe at 1 a.m. after a three-hour open bar, so it's not like I came sober...
If you do go to the Hangge Uppe, be prepared to be spilled on, fallen on, knocked over, intentionally sprayed with beer by the Coyote Ugly wannabes dancing on the tables, and to leave with an unimaginable feeling of shame for having subjected yourself to such a low class experience. The Hangge Uppe's skeeviness is actually palpable. At the Hangge Uppe, you're just a piece of meat being feasted on by every lowlife pair of eyes in the joint.
Oh and also, on a random but significant sidenote... you can actually SEE the people peeing in the bathroom stalls, as the doors have gigantic gaps in them. On a positive note, you could probably just skip the restrooms and pee on the floor instead and nobody would notice...
Hangge-Uppes will be around for a very long time kids!!!
Well....one must have the right mind set before stepping foot in Hang-Uppes. It's a great place where you can just totally let loss and have fun!!
Yes it gets packed and there is always a long line for the wonderful restrooms, but if you like 80's music and enjoy dancing, then this is the best place in town hands down!! It's a nice change of pace from the club rat/hiphop BS that's out there......Again, good attitude and the ability to let it hangout is a must for Hang-Uppes.... don't go if you're looking for an "upscale" bar/dance club.
The one major downside is that the door guys can be tools from time to time....but understood for the fact that there's always around 100 drunks trying to get in at 2:00am
Also....I think there's a nice age rage in this place (not just all 20 somethings??)
Ok, not like this place needs more reviews, but I feel obligated to write about a college favorite. The Hangge-Uppe is always super crowded late-night- if you get there after 1, there will be a long line. The bathrooms are always disgusting. It probably will smell bad, and you will get sweaty. It may be full of frat guys and middle aged dudes.
That said, if you come prepared for these things and just want to get drunk and dance, you will have a great time. There's a $5 cover for everyone, girls and guys. Once inside, drinks and shots aren't too expensive and are occasionally free. The bartenders will serve you quickly and there are 3 or 4 separate bars you can go to. The (much smaller) top floor plays hip hop, top 40 type music and the roomier basement floor plays 80s and 90s hits that everyone will sing along to. Don't wear stuff that will be ruined by having a beer spilled on you, and you'll have fun!
Hangge-Uppe, interestingly, is spelled the way that a drunk person would spell the name of a bar with a name pronounced "Hang Up." It is not pronounced, as the name would suggest, "HAHNG-geh Yoo-peh."
A good place to go if you are a post-40 year old female divorcee looking to hook up with a guy who just graduated from a Big Ten school. Also a good place to go if you're my ex boyfriend and plan on running into me while I am completely wasted beyond all reasoning and look like crap.
Hazzah. My most favorite place in the gold coast.
So if you are not a clubber, but you like to just go have a good time dancin' with your friends this is it.
Its got two floors and I prefer the lower level, because they mostly play oldies, 80s, 90s and the first floor when you walk in is where there is all the ghetto fab stuff from the radio right now...
The drinks are pricey-er and there aren't any specials so since its a 4am bar I tend to get there later with my ladies. Although the later you go the longer the wait outside. There's also a $5 cover which way back when in my 21 year old days was $3 so that's disappointing.
I am however a fan of the cheasy/nightclub/diveness of this place. Its totally unlike any of the other bars in the area and its ALWAYS a good time.
You wonder why they lose a star? PRICE and cover and too crowded sometimes can make this not one of my most frequented joints. However, as my girlfriends say every few months its awesome to get out dance on!
Well, since this bar is attached to my apartment, I feel obligated to write a review.
One weekend I was recovering from a breakup and needed a break from studying, so I took my friend dancing here.
What better way to cheer up than dancing to 80's music all night and not having a care in the world (although, the alcohol may have had something to do with it)?
I didn't go there to find men, just wanted to dance and sing. It was good entertainment and lifted my spirits.
I'm not so much a fan of the upstairs, club music section.
By the way, the line to get into this place after 1am is crazy long!
I went here for my 21st birthday, and there was a bachelorette party going on at the same time.
Definitely a place to go if you want to dance to 80s music and not remember how awesome a time you had. I would stay away from this place except on special occasions that you plan on getting absolutely plastered--because everyone else is doing that to. The night we went there we had ten people, two lost phones, a lost camera, two lost coats, two pukers, and one person kicked out of the bar, and we weren't the rowdiest group there.
The hangge uppe is the Hooters of clubs in Chicago: delightfully tacky and unrefined, and NOT TRYING TO BE ANYTHING ELSE.
Definitely a once-in-a-while kind of place, but if you keep that in mind, it will be sure to please.
If you're looking for a very low-maitenance bar where you can probably hear some recognizable songs that you loved in your childhood (or just your standard drunk anthems), then the Hangge-Uppe is the place for you!
OR, if you're into mingling with the tourists and bachelorette parties and like to get down with guys who bother to change out of their work shirts before they went out, then you will LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the Hangee-Uppe.
For all the rest of us, proceed with caution...
I had tons of fun from 2am till 5am. I will be back with tons of girls in tow. I love the 2 dance floors - current music upstairs, 80s downstairs. Two huge negatives - the downstairs was so crowded and smelled like puke, so I had to head back upstairs. And...I was so sick the next day - yuck.
Don't judge!! But....this is...
My. Favorite. Place. In. Chicago.
All night dance parties? Check. Amazing variety of music? Check. Drunken ridiculousness in every nook and cranny? Check.
Words really can't describe this little gem. I adore the people who work here. I live for the reckless dancing (especially on the coveted platform downstairs). Whenever I come back to visit Chi, this is the FIRST place on my list to go to - heck, I still keep in touch with two of the guys who work there!
Stay away if you hate crowds - and by crowds, I mean, you will feel like a sardine. Fridays and Saturdays are obviously the most ridiculous nights ($5 cover those nights), open 'till 5 baby. Prepared to step on plenty of broken glasses - oh and the bathroom is a mess at the end of every night. But there is some understated charm about this place that keeps me coming back.
The bottom level (70's, 80's, and 90's music) is 100x better than the top level (hip-hop-ish stuff). Guaranteed, you will hear Sweet Caroline at least once during the night.
Oh, and Wednesday is country night. Yeeehaw!
Drunk? This place gets 5 stars... so..many..beautiful..people....:::barf:::
Sober? negitive 3 stars, for stepping in that barff....
Went on Valentine's day for amusement. A 5$ cover, 2$ coat check - 12$ valet parking (which note is cheaper than the lot across the street). We didn't wait in line because we went a bit earlier (maybe 1030 or so) around midnight/one there may have been about 50 people in line. craziness.
This is a interesting place, the bottom floor has 80s/90s music and top floor has top 40 stuff. I didn't find the crowd to be as bad as some of the reviews describe it to be. There were some good looking guys, some normal ones and some strange ones. I didn't feel like I was with a bunch of college kids either. The bartenders seem to charge you whatever they feel like (stoli-cranberry seemed to be 4$ or 7$) and sometimes someone just stands with a bottle of tequila and pours you shots of as much as you can take.
go, drink, dance and don't dress up too much because dancing till 4 in heels is uncomfortable and it is usually crowded enough that you are going to have a drink spilled on you at some point.
Ya ya ya ya, we get it - you play quirky 80s and 90s music and just flippin' love bachelorette parties - you are really clever there Mr. Hangge-Uppe.
However, if you are so unlucky to be dragged in here and are not:
A.) a member of aforementioned "hen parties";
B.) a 45 year old tourist/suburban house mom; or
C.) deaf and/or blind
well then I would not recommend checking this place out.
It's a bit sloppy, a bit cheesy and honestly just down right annoying.
To each there own, but take caution and make sure you know what you are in for with this one.
Neighborhood: Near North Side
Category: Dive Bars
Neighborhood: Avondale
Category: Dive Bars
Neighborhood: Near North Side
Category: Nightlife
Neighborhood: Near North Side
Neighborhood: Near North Side
Category: Lounges
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