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Grand (Red)
Merchandise Mart (Purple Express, Brown)
The best thing about Ontourage may be the fact that it's next door to Al's Beef.
The place is small, the staff is kind of snooty, and there's nothing special about the music. I don't know why there's always a line here...probably because it has prime real estate and a big-ass sign. There are plenty of better places nearby...you'll only catch me here if I'm getting in for free.
And am buzzed already.
This club is like stuff out of nightmares. LOL. The mixes are HORRIBLE, and the inside decor looks vaguely like Star Trek. I've only been to this club once... and I could only manage to stay there for under an hour. It was really hot inside the club, and I noticed that a lot of people were sweating despite that no one had even begun to dance yet. I will give them the benefit of the doubt... and maybe their air condition was broken on this particular night- I have no idea. Still, the combination of bad music and high temperatures is not exactly the base line for an outstanding club experience. I won't be going back.
On a positive note- walking through heavy black curtains to enter in is kinda cool. Yet, on another less positive (and somewhat creepy) note- they photocopy everyone's ID who enters in. Is that really necessary?
I went to this club with the mindset that these Yelpers were just WAY too damn harsh. My dear Yelpers; I humbly apologize, because you were RIGHT! :(
First the layout. WAY smaller than it looks outside; which on such a muggy Saturday night was so not cool. Boo to the fog machines, so not needed in such cramp quarters. I did get a chance to check out their 'VIP' section upstairs, hopes still high. Alas Ontourage let me down with that as well. How are you going to have VIP couches that are riddled with rips and stains??? Yuk! Oh! I did see my first Guido up close and personal. I always thought that this phenomenon was reserved only for our East Coast counterparts, but I was wrong. BTW, interesting hair Mr. Guido Guy. It did make you look a bit taller, I guess.
OH! Honorable Mention to the OBVIOUSLY pregnant chick on the dance floor and the women with the coochie cutter shorts that looked like they would blow you for 10 bucks! Pure class. :( Anyways, standard River North drink prices, parking non existent, average club age of 26, typical B96 techno, yadda, yadda. Save yourself the trouble and head further west to either Sound-Bar or Funky Buddha, you wont regret it.
If needing a bulletproof vest is your kind of fun go right ahead. Watered down drinks the way you get a buzz, enjoy. I really could go on. I'm sorry, but I can't think of a single reason that anyone could ever get me to go here EVER again. UGH! I HATE IT!!!!!!!!!
Sleazy, grimy, & full of d-bags enrobed in some form of Christian Audigier and embellished jeans! Why people actually wait in line to get inside this crack house is beyond me. I lose 50000 points for actually going here. Yuck!
What happened!!!!!!!!!
This use to be my Friday night spot after work jam !! Not! I don't know if it's new management or what but yet again another club with bottom less( almost) booty shaking girls on risers . Taking up precious space on an already crowded dance floor. Cheesy smoke machines people who apparently don't get out much !! I am fortunate enough to get in for free and have my first drink on the house that the only bright spot. I usually stay until the lights come on but I was ready to go !! Oh that Thomas guy was there from the Bulls he was partying right next to us seemed cool and down to earth .
I am wracking my brain to figure out why I gave this two stars in the first place...
____________________________________
News Item:
Shooting outside River North nightclub
December 29, 2008 4:27 AM
A man was shot in the knee during a scuffle outside a River North nightclub early this morning, Chicago police said.
The shooting happened about 3:30 a.m. outside the Ontourage Nightclub, 157 W. Ontario St.
The victim, who police said had gang affiliations, was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital in good condition, police said.
No one was in custody.
Ontourage... or as I prefer to call it, the seven levels of hell;
Level 1- Parking is horrible, take…
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Went to ontourage on the saturday. Paid $12 for valet since there is no parking around that area. Free entry before midnight. The club was sorta nice, but alot smaller than i expected. Paid $12 for a long island which i thought was pricey but it was pretty strong. The music ehhhh not my kind. Too much techno. I was gettin bored so i decided to dance the the lil platform thing by myself. I had taken off my shoes cuz i was afraid of falling off. Well while i was dancing some girls decided to get on too and they tell me that i've been dancing for too long. Wtf??? Anyways i get off cuz i was gettin tired anyways. I get my shoes and one of them is missing!! So i walked outta ontourage barefooted. What a night.
Its too bad but the club wasn't as great as it could've been. I did enjoy the V.I.P treatment for our bday party. However, the staff is a bit too serious and the music needs to be more interesting with their mixes. Also, the vibes were just a bit too over the top when the people were not. So, hopefully they get better DJs and the crowd lightens up and enjoys themselves!!! Drink and be merry people!
My first gripe is why the hell did they have to spell the word wrong?! It has taken me a little while to get past that! I can understand it if it's a play on words or something similiar but this is a little behind me...
Secondly I am glad that bars are non smoking now because if not this place would have been unbearable. With the crowd of people and smoke machines going I can only imagine what a bunch of smokers would have done to the place.
The music was good...but the dj was not so great. What I mean is while he played some really good top 40 music he didn't mix it well at all. I know many "sound masters" that would have been disappointed in him! However, other people didn't seem to mind. They were all out dancing and having a good time.
This is definitely the type of club where pretty people go to hit on pretty people. The attire is pretty skimpy for the women and jeans and button downs for the men. It was hella cold when I walked in but it didn't stop anyone from wearing almost nothing!
Drinks were over priced for what you got and the cover well...that brings back bad memories...so I won't talk about that.
This place is decent. 2 floors......
Music isn't bad and the drinks are the same price as it is everywhere. Atmosphere isn't too bad I guess.....but since it's a pretty small place, most of the seats are all reserved.
It's either a hit or miss here coming here....it's either really busy or really dead.
Eh, im not crazy bout this club. When my friends and I were there, all of us compared it to an 8th grade dance.
Barely anyone was dancing, and most people were just sort of standing around talking/drinking looking nervous.
Other than that, the club itself is pretty nice inside...really small, but the decor was nice. I will most likely not come back to this club again just because I like more action/dancing when I go to a club.
Drinks are the same priced as everywhere. Nothing special bout this place.
If your into dancing and lots of people, this isnt the place for you.
Despite guestlists (Ginseng) and passwords, at least, we didn't have to wait in line too long but we still had to pay a $20 cover which is usually unheard of on a Sunday night.
At least they have two floors here, but the alcohol was watered down, music was decent, and atmosphere was okay. The space is small and crowded though - not sure if I'll be back - as a female in Chicago, I hate paying cover ever.
It's really smoky, sweaty, and packed in here. Small too.
But with such a cool intentional mispelling of "entourage", how can I hate on it? I think this place was called "Ontourage" before that show "Entourage" debuted. Thus I cannot deny that this club is ahead of it's time.
It was freezing when I came and I was bundled up all toasty in my beenie, scarf, and heavy wool jacket while waiting to get in. Yet these hot blonds still rolled up to the club in miniskirts, high heels, and skimpy tops. Bless their brave little hearts....
I joined Yelp JUST to write this review.
I'm so glad we got in without paying cover. The crowd is awful and mean. Someone spilled his drink on me on my way to the bathroom and when I turned around, he said "you walked into it." I've been to most clubs in chicago and have never met so many assholes in one place. My friend asked a few people for a light and they just turned around and walked away. Also, girls, the guys here are not attractive...mostly older guys trying to score without buying you a drink.
The bar is small and the dance area is generally crowded. Even though theres no one sitting on the couches for the entire night, its still "reserved"... We came here for an advertised "lingerie party" and there was nothing there that was even close...just 2 girls walking around in a bustier that worked there.
Everyone else there was there for a birthday party of some sort, meaning that they did stand around and talk like its an 8th grade dance.
On our way there, some girl was like "Ew, why would you want to go there? Why don't you just go to funky buddha?"
I wish we listened to her.
This place is pretty fun with decent music. However, I am only giving it 3 stars because it's trying a little too hard. The decor is a little too swank, the door/bouncers are too into themselves, and the girls walking around in skimpy clothes carrying jello shots are a little too cliche. It's like they took all the elements of what a "hip club" is supposed to be like, and stuffed it into one club. Anyway, I still had fun, so I don't want to rag on them too much. I would still consider coming again. =)
If you're a Patrick Swayze fan, go here. The bouncer dresses just like him in a ruffled white shirt and some tight leather-type pants (actually he is more of a Patrick Swayze on steroids). Aside from the Swayzemaster, the rest of the place is a mess as well. I was there for one of those all you can drink party deals and I did not like how they did it. Even though it was supposed to be a deal, it actually wasn't. They put a bracelet on you with drink tabs and they ripped one off every time they gave you a drink. I felt like I was at a carnival or something. My friend spilled a drink on accident and the bartender made the Swayzemaster kick us out, which we actually got quite a laugh out of. The only reason I would go back here would be to see the Swayzemaster in all his glory.
This place has gotten some really mixed reviews. Seems like some people had a great time while others thought it sucked. I guess that's the nature of night clubs. You can walk into a place like this for the first time in your whole life and have an amazing time, or it can totally blow. There are so many variables and influences. All I can say is it rocked when I was there. Of course, it always helps to know somebody, and all the more so if there's a special event happening that night. This is a very fun venue, with lots of different zones and places to hang out. The spiral staircase is a trip.
As clubs go, it is normally a pretty typical Chicago nightclub, if there is such a thing. But what they are going to do next week, now that is something phenomonal! They are having a benefit on Wednesday (April 26th, 6-9) for Carina Bella Ciangi, who was diagnosed last year with Wilm's tumor. I actually ran the Chicago Marathon for the Children's Memorial Marathon Team, in honor of Carina. Tickets are $30 dollars in advance, $45 at the door, and there will be a hosted bar and hor d'oevres. Proceeds will cover medical and treatment expenses, and the remainder will be donated to Children's Memorial Hospital Cancer Research in Chicago. For more info..go to their website
http://www.ontouragech..., and of course scroll down past the Jello-O wrestlers!
small club. way to many fog machines. i don't want to be dancing in a place where i can barely see my own hand in front of my face let alone who i'm dancing with. i found the decor to be a bit cheesy, perhaps trying too hard to be an upscale club. the crowd was kind of sketch, definitely an odd mix of people. i kid you not, a guy stopped me and kept saying "thank you" in a language that i couldn't understand. this happened twice. after the second time, he continued to tell my friend that we were "hot, like chicken biryani". lol. i couldn't make this shit up if i tried. music was alright but the dj could not mix at all. probably won't be coming back unless i'm forced to.
It's an OK club. Only been there once and I went when it was packed full of Asians. Wow. Gotta love them Asian girls, huh? I'm not sure what the crowd is on a normal night, but that night was 99% Asian. Furthermore, there was a really bad guy to girl ratio. It's like 1 girl to every 5 guys. Talk about a sausage fest! Oh, by the way, please don't take my review of this club seriously, or my other reviews for that matter! haha!
I did not have fun because there was too many guys. It was crowded. Hardly any room to move. But who knows how this club is like other nights. I like that there's 2 floors. And I like how there's more than 1 way to get upstairs. There are stairs in the front and back. Each floor has their own DJ and type of music.
So my final verdict? It's ok...
If you come here when an asian Ginseng party is being hosted, you're all set. Be sure to come when someone can let you in so you don't dish out anything. Sure, it's packed with filthy-looking guys and trashy girls, but you can't deny the fact that the music will keep you moving. It seems as if the drinks are a bit stronger during this festivity, too. Other nights are lame. Don't let the Korean bouncer make you feel lowly when you observe him letting only his friends in - tell him he sucks and brush by him. Or, better yet, go somewhere else where you'll have more fun.
This place seriously sucks. I had a party for my boyfriend with the hopes that we would have a good time. We did, but it was freezing cold when we got there, the prices were ridiculous, and the place is amazingly small. And, there were stripper poles. I love to dance but I gripe when I see sluttly, fat girls in skinny clothes looking like second-class whores. I'm sorry but you will never see me in this place again.
If you want to go to this club go on Sundays only! I went on a Sunday and I had a ball! I was sober the whole night because I dont care for drinking!! The place is never cheesy ! It is a place for people with class! The deco was nice to me! I met alot of nice looking guys there too!
I'm actually not such a fan of clubs, but I went to Ontourage recently and I really liked it! It's a little cheesy, but my friends and I had so much fun. I'm not sure if it was just an especially fun night there, but I would definitely go back again.
This is the WORST bar in Chicago. It pains me that this place is so close to my condo. My friends decided to have a party here b/c of the special on fridays. You get in for free and get 10 drinks for $20. Your group also gets a table and one bottle of cheap champaign. The decorations are from some bad early 90s movie and so is the music. I haven't heard some of the house and techno songs since i was in 8th grade. The crowd was beyond weird! Mix of Polish club kids, old tourists, and girls in stripper clothes. No reason to go here at all.
Ontourage is pretty cool, I went there on a Saturday with a couple of friends. The music was good and the crowd was diverse. The first floor is pretty small and kind of cramped but there is a second level. I've been here for a birthday party on a previous visit and we were allowed upstairs access. The VIP is kinda loungey and cool. I don't know if I drank too much but ... neon lights? I honestly didn't notice. The drinks....eh, but I'm a cosmo and margarita girl so the bartender kinda sucked to me. She was very nice but she couldn't make a decent cosmo to save mankind.
I went for the first time last night and the place reminds me of a club I went to when I was 17..Very cheesy. Neon lights? You have to be kidding me? I have no idea what the decor is supposed to be but its not working...The crowd is horrendous but I still had fun but only because I was with a large group of people!!!
Cheesy. Even cheesier cheeseheads. Go in groups of 10 guys or more and you'll fit in.
Went here for my birthday and it was really bad! Paid $10 for cover since I rsvp'd but it's usually $20. I called to make sure I'd hear some hip hop, the guy assured me I would. It was going great for about 10 minutes, then the DJ switched to techno. That's all I heard the rest of the night. They have go go dancers, but this night must have been special cause they decided to invite porn stars and dancers from local strip clubs. There were also girls running around with just glitter for shirts.
Just picture lots of guys pulling out their camera phones and holding them in the air while girls dance around without their shirts onstage, trashy.
2nd floor was VIP only so you couldn't get up there, and I cant speak for the drinks cause I didnt have any--no amount of liquor would have helped.
I hate it when you need to know people to have access to certain areas. Especially places that have 17 year old half naked girls running around. Yea, you can say its something fun to look at for a few seconds, but I would rather spend my time where I dont have to feel like a doush in order to get into a place and then throw down money and be crammed in a packed area. Bouncers think they are Gods, but then again its like that anywhere in Chicago. But the upstairs has a good feel to it, you have to buy bottle service to be up there.
Ontourage is in a weird location where its not that easy to pull up to valet...but sometimes you get lucky and find street parking within eyeshot of the place. The upstairs is mysterious because a lot of times you can'teven go up there unless your VIP. However, the upstairs is pretty nice and chill...good for talking to that cute new person you just met. Downstairs is okay. THe thing I dont like about it is the guardrail that separates the main dancefloor from the perimeter. We aren't toddlers that will fall out of our beds! Drinks are pretty good and one time...a bartender forgot to charge us for drinks. Good thing we are honest people and said....HEY...(while waving money in herface) this is for our drinks. duy....
This club has two floors. The first floor usually has techno music while the second floor is more of a lounge to sit around and talk. I'm not a fan of techno music, but I sometimes go here anyways because the drinks are great. The drinks are very strong, and not too expensive considering how much alcohol is really in there.
Taquiza Time!
Neighborhood: Near North Side
Wednesdays $3.50 Stella Drafts
Neighborhood: Bucktown
Neighborhood: Near North Side
Category: Lounges
Chicago, IL
Category: Sports Bars
Stone Park, IL
Category: Dance Clubs
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