Streeters
50 E Chicago Ave
(between Rush St & Wabash Ave)
Chicago, IL 60611 (312) 944-5206
- Nearest Transit:
Chicago (Red)
- Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: No
- Outdoor Seating: Yes
- Music: DJ, Juke Box
- Happy Hour: No
- Alcohol: Full Bar
- Smoking: No
- Coat Check: No
27 Reviews for Streeters
Oh, Streeters. You will always hold a special place in my heart.
I used to come here with coworkers nearly every night after work. The nights when we closed Streeters are memories, foggy memories, but still memories I will always look back on fondly. So many drinks have been consumed here, so many ping pong games played, so much drunken dancing, and so many other firsts and lasts... if those walls could talk, I would be in a lot of trouble.
I haven't been there in a long time, but the last time I went the bartenders still remembered me. It was a good and scary feeling all at the same time...
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Alright, this place doesn't look half as clean as it is in the picture. And yeah, it doesn't matter if a bar is clean so long as they have beer-fine. But $6 for a beer and $8 for a shot is insane and that's "industry pricing." My ass.
The place is like a dungeon-literally underground like a bomb shelter and dark and smelly. Kind of like frat-boy b.o and cheap perfume from Lincoln Park trixies trying to mimic the scent of pheromones.
The tables are cocktail rounds and the ping pong table will get you in the first few steps into the actual room. My friends and I have been blind sighted by a stray ping pong ball one too many times.
Their beer selection isn't the greatest and they only have 3 on tap in rotation. Don't ask for a black and tan 'cause it'll be all foam and no black if you get my drift.
The only reason I'd come back here is if I got dragged or if I didn't want to walk further up the street.
In law school we went here so often they let us start doing a beer pong tournament, which apparently people are still doing to this day. This place is definitely THE Streeterville dive. Been here more times than I can count, and had fun--or more accurately continued the fun I started elsewhere. One word of advice--don't look at the floor too closely. You will see cockroaches.
Ugh - hope I don't have to go back there! I live around the corner and finally went there because my friends were playing beer pong there. I bought a pitcher of beer and my boyfriend and I stood around one of the bar tables by the pool table with a few other people who also had their own pitchers. My pitcher as well as one other had about 1 beer left it each and a waitress came over and poured 1 into the other, and they were two different beers! I tried to stop her and told here those were two different beers and she immediately got an attitude and said she needed the pitcher and there wasn't much left in them any way. She basically told me too bad and walked away. About 10 minutes later she came back with a pitcher of miller lite (I ordered bud light) and slammed it on the table. To make a long story about a bitchy waitress short - I told her that didn't fix the problem and she proceeded to call me a bitch and flick me off.
I found a "manager" and told him what happened and he said could care less, didn't even look me in the eye and told me she was crying in the back. No woman ( and I can say this with certainty because I cry at the drop of a hat) whose instinct is to call a customer a bitch for her own mistake does not go ball after words.
I will end this review with how I started, ugh.
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I really like this bar because they have a ping pong table and a foosball table. It's pretty small down there, but its quaint. They also have a pool table, but it's in pretty sorry condition. Although, it looks like it was once a really fine piece of craftsmanship. All their cues are crooked and the cushions on the table are shot. So don't come in there to play any kind of a serious game. Also, the angles are bad for making shots with other tables and pillers in the way.
They have a DJ on the weekends and the music wasn't bad.
Chill little dive. I've been here two times now and don't go in with any expectations...but always leave after having a good time. I think it's open a little later than your standard 2am bar as well...
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I have to keep reminding myself that I am rating this bar in the dive bar category so the fact that it is a dump is expected and not penalized.
As previously mentioned (see older reviews), but I must repeat, the true gem in this place is the one way mirror in the men's restroom. (Don't get excited ladies, it looks out, not in). Thank God you don't have to miss a minute of the action in the bar as you relieve yourself at the trough. And it is a trough.
Of course, the downside of this place is that it is dark, subterranean, dirty and smelly. While I don't exactly find that charming, given the choice between Streeters and shopping at the American Girl Store with grandma and cousins, I'll take Streeters. In fact, my only trip to Streeters was because of that very scenario.
On the upside, I can say that this place is truly an escape from the reckless commercialism that is the magnificent mile. Pints of Guinness were (only?) $5; they can one decent sized flat screen and the bartender and bouncer were really cool about accommodating our TV requests. (btw, you know you're in Chicago when a Cubs preseason game gets precedence over NCAA March Madness). From what I could tell they don't serve food, but when I was there, they were allowing patrons to bring in food from one of the nearby eateries.
So all in all, I probably wouldn't chose to spend a Saturday night here, but if you need to seek refuge from Michigan Ave, and take the edge off, this place will suffice. (But I would take Grandpa, not Grandma).
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It's like reliving my glory days every time I step into Streeters. Beer pong, pool, good music, cool people, gin and tonic...what else could I ask for from a dive bar. I was surprised to find this bar in the area it was. It's a few steps and a few stairs from all the chaos that is the magnificent mile. You feel like your in a different part of the city. Good times.
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Always a good late night option once things start to go a little hazy. It has a permanent pee smell...so you know it's good. Always a friendly, diverse crowd, and never and problems from the various groups of people who congregate at 3AM.
Too bad the ping-pong table has been converted to beer pong -- there were some epic battles about two years ago.
Great place when you don't want the huge crowds of a more trendy bar. This is a low-key hang out that takes you underground! No food, but you can order from next door and they'll deliver it for you! They also have a table for beer pong, pool and foosball!
I'm amazed that no one has commented on the Streeters smell. Really? Streeters truly has it's own smell such that if you got so drunk you can't remember where you went last night you can merely smell your clothes and say, "oh yeah, Streeters." It's more pungent than merely smoke, it's got that extra special je ne sais quoi...
Besides the smell, which is a way to enjoy Streeters after you've gone home, the bar is kind of great. See the other reviews for the details, but basically, Streeters is a great bar to get your drunk on.
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For a downtown joint, this one isnt' bad.
No overly pretty bartenders. No crazy expensive beers. No foofy door guy.
I'll argue that the beer selection isn't top-notch. The closest thing to a Belgian they had was Blue Moon. Guiness was poured a bit crappily, and the crowd was very, very hammered.
Around 1 a.m., a freaking bus pulled up and dumped an entire wedding party into the place -- some in kilts.
Anyway, I was surprised to find an actual DJ in a little nook of the place. He could easily have been replaced by an iTunes playllist. However, I did like what he was playing: Depeche Mode, George Michael, New Order, Timberlake.
Honestly, I wouldn't go out of my way to visit Streeter's, but it's great for the neighborhood it's in. For someone who hates the Rush Street nightlife as much as I do, finding a tolerable place is a godsend.
Oh, and I hear they're open until 5 a.m. on Saturdays.
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As the most interesting man in the world might say: "I'm not always in the area, but when I am, I prefer Streeters."
Streeters is a pretty great bar in a very unexpected location; something about it is just right. It's a great hideaway from the Magnificent Mile and all the craziness that that brings along with it. As soon as you walk down the stairs into Streeters, the shrieking of lost tourists disappears. It's loud and it's real. No crazy flashing lights and massive overdressed crowds; just people who want to hang out and drink... and not necessarily in that order.
The music is usually decent and the bartenders are friendly and attentive. The vibe is neither pretentious nor understated. Its not overly anything, it's just a nice little bar in the middle of the crazy touristy shopping scene.
Definitely a non-pretentious place to grab a beer, especially during the day (day drinking somehow seems more acceptable underground). Also earns points for having Budweiser on tap. This makes my boyfriend happy. Recently I asked if he would graduate from Bud Light to Budweiser. I mean, I graduated from jug-o-wine to the $10 bottle range. Intrigued by my theory, he is now hooked on the full-bodied "manly" beer (and I officially watch too many commercials). Unfortunately, not too many places we frequent have straight up Bud on tap. Yahoo Streeter's!
The last time I was here, the aforementioned Budweiser draft tasted rotten. Rotten beer!?! Blech! Turned out to be the first pour of the day. Thankfully, the bartender swapped it out for a non-rotten Bud! Solid.
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This is my favorite Chicago bar. I started going here not long after meeting my boyfriend because our friend lived down the street where we spent many a night after going to Streeters.
I love Streeters for the ping pong table, decent beer, and good music. It's a nice laid back bar in the middle of a huge retail area as in it's unexpected. I have so many great memories associated with this bar and the people that I've met while just hanging out and drinking beer. Our friend's fiancee wanted to go to Streeters and play ping pong on the night that they got engaged (she was dressed up and everything), so it's my favorite bar in Chicago.
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I've never been to Streeters and not had a good time. There's usually decent music playing, and there is plenty to do. It's not a huge place, but they managed to fit ping-pong, pool, and fooseball. Of course, they also have the best guys bathroom in the city. That's right, I'm reviewing the bathroom. If you've been there you know what I'm talking about and if you haven't it's worth a trip just to see it. The only drawback here is the drinks can be a little on the pricey side, but I guess that comes with the neighborhood.
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I like this bar. It's laid back. The bartenders are nice. They have a good selection of beer. The bar food is decent. I stopped in this weekend after shopping with some girlfriends on Michigan Avenue and it was the perfect end to our day. We drank some beer, played some pool and had some lively girl talk.
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OH Man! I used to work at Streeter's!
Way back in the early and mid-90's this place was fan-tabulous! It and the original Bar Louie (sucks now BTW) were the main industry bars catering to the employees of the restaurants in the area.
This was place filled with good people, good drinks, and many many people about to hook up. Awesome.
Oh How I miss those times......
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My boyfriends favorite downtown place to hang out when we have out of town guests who want the "Maginificent Mile" experience. It's downstairs and there's wood everywhere - walls, floors, tables, and bar. Can get crowded around quitting time for the downtown construction workers, and around shopping holidays and sales. Cheap cheap alternative to the $7.50 beers at the Signature lounge, beers are only $3-4. Supposedly they have some memorable chili. Good for groups meeting downtown who don't want fancy overdone expensive drinks, just good service and see-thru mirrors in the men's bathroom. That's right, they can see you when they're peeing - so don't touch their drink.
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This is a fantastic place to avoid the crowds of the magnificent mile's more trendy bars. It is a nice place to be able to actually hear other people speaking. I love the atmosphere, and the music is pretty fun. It has a pingpong/beer pong table as well as a pool table and foosball table. (I believe these are all free-of-charge. At least the pingpong/beer pong table is.) No food is served, but there is a menu for a place next door that delivers. Oh... and I haven't even mentioned that it is underground!
Streeter's Tavern holds a special place in my heart. I worked here for a year 10 years ago and is probably the most fun job I have ever held in my life. Alot of great people (many still go there after all these years...) and is definitely a Cheer's feeling to it. Lots of different types of people during the week who work in the area have fun and mix well. Weekends gets a completely different crowd, though. Do the still have "Bad beer for a Buck" on Wednesdays??
This offer is out to Lodge Management: Name your price, I will buy Streeter's in a heartbeat. Seriously. C'mon Chris, sell me the place!
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The reviews do no justice to the amount of crunkage that goes down at Streeters. It is a place where Northwestern Med students have been grinded all night by ex-convicts. Where a scrawny mod-like "dj" pumps out Ludacris with no sense of irony. Where people pass out in front of, in their cars, and wake up to street cleaners...
How I miss thee---oh Streeters---and your totally gratutious Rumplemintz shots, and your slightly insane waitresses, and your alcoholics in the corner, and your pervert-style one-way mirror in the guys bathroom. I have many a time walked into Streeters with five layers of clothing, only to leave four of those layers there, and not feel cold on the way home. (Warning: Streeters is not a cheap dive bar, especially if you consider the 20 shots you are about to order.)
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This place has a neighborhood bar feel to it. It's never too crowded, and the prices are reasonable ($10 pitchers). They also have beer pong available, so it's a great excuse to relive the college days. I've never had a bad time there.
Beer pong, Beirut, call it what you will; there aren't many public places where you can enjoy the ultimate drinking pastime and reminisce about your college days. With a foosball table and two pool tables, this dive feels like a glorified frat (but slightly cleaner). The beer selection and prices are reasonable.
This is a really cool place to stop in for a drink! Its underground so it's super easy to just walk by the entrance but everyone inside is super friendly and its not too crowded. They've got good drink specials and lots of regulars. They also have foosball, ping pong, and pool so its easy to waste a lot of time in here!
i feel at home here. never experienced it super packed, if so i was probably too drunk to notice as it always ends up a 4am bar of choice. great service. the girl who waited on me once when i left my card made sure i stuck it my wallet on the next visit weeks later. good lookin' out. cozy and warm under the world just drinking some beers and playing some pool man.
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Blehh.. okay I remember I remember. This was the bar we went after my birthday party. Mike Dolen, good friend said this is the place to go. I'm not sure how we got here, I stumbled down the stairs because this place was underground. My first impression? college bar.. okay I see why we came here, college girls, lots of them, all giddy, playing drinking games. I never seen people playing drinking games with ping pong ball? interesting. Ping pong table, pool table, bar around the corner, bathroom specialty(explain in a minute). I drank too much, stupid I know, where is the bathroom in this place? I get like 10 times funny when I drink.. too funny. I had to go bad, I went around the parameter of this place, corner to corner from one end to another, finally found it at the other end. I must have walked around like 5 times to finally find it, hidden behind bunch of people blocking the entrance. Okay, I don't really like talking about bathroom stuff but I must share. In my life time, I have visited many restaurants, bars, seen many unusual bathrooms; some really cool, some really nasty.. etc. This one is pretty nasty.. yeah, there you go, but what so special? There is this two way mirror right in front of the urinal. Yeah two way mirror where you can check out what's going on in the bar. So if you ever bring a date, you had to go to the bathroom, you can check out if she is flirting with another guy or not while you weren't there. Kind of cool I thought.
I tried to play ping pong drinking game, wasn't that good at it with my coordination slacking with alcohol, gave that up.
I probably visit here for special occasion with my ping pong skills touched up but not a frequent visitor. Wonder how this place is like during the weekday?
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