Best Bars in Chicago – Unique and Quirky Edition

When it’s Friday night (or maybe even Tuesday; I won’t judge) and you’re looking to have a good time in Chicago, you can’t go wrong with any of the standard bars and clubs in the area—when you combine music, alcohol, and fun people, it’s hard not to have a good time wherever you may be.

But sometimes you just want to do something different. Sometimes you want to escape the same old Top 40 songs and play arcade games like you’re 10 years old again. Luckily, there are a number of places in Chicago that let you do just that.

Emporium Arcade Bar

Emporium has 20+ beers on tap, dozens of whiskeys, and 41 different arcade games all under one roof. Need I say more?

Tokens are 25 cents each and every game only costs one token. Stop by and relive the glory of your childhood years with the increased level of difficulty that only alcohol can provide.

Big Joe’s Pub

On the surface, Big Joe’s may just look like your average bar. And on most nights of the week, you might be right in making that assumption. But one night a week, Big Joe’s Pub hosts an event that you’ll want to be a part of at last once before you leave the city: turtle racing.

Every drink that you buy on race day comes with a raffle ticket, and throughout the night, the bar picks tickets to participate in the races. You even get a t-shirt if your turtle wins, and a consolation drink if it comes in last.

The Beauty Bar

Part salon, part bar—now there’s a genius combination. Every day starting at 5 p.m. you can pay $10 to enjoy a martini while you get a manicure, and they host other events throughout the week as well (don’t miss their Sunday special: 50 cent beers and free pizza while supplies last). This is definitely a great place to unwind at the end of a long work week.

Richard’s Bar

A trip to Richard’s Bar is like a trip back in time. With a wide selection of cigarettes for sale behind the bar, a jukebox stocked with Rat Pack-era music, and plenty of old timers hanging around, this is a great place to let loose and get to know a lot of people from all walks of life.

One thing to note is that the drinks are kept simple here—two-ingredient cocktails are about as fancy as the bartenders at Richard’s will probably get, but if you’re looking for a reasonable tab and a unique atmosphere, they definitely have what you need.