Elbo Room
WHAT: Elbo Room (Music Venue)
WHERE: 2871 N. Lincoln Ave
OUR RATING: Do It!
The Elbo Room, located in the up-and-coming Lakeview neighborhood, offers live music and an enormous array of drinks for relatively affordable prices.
(Courtesy of indie-music.com)
On the upper level, the cocktail lounge is composed of a small bar, a very tiny stage and a few booths. Meanwhile, downstairs (where the larger bands play) is accessed by a rickety staircase leading to a basement with a larger (but still rather small) stage, another small bar, and a few booths, tables and hi-boys. The entire downstairs area is decorated in bright neon spray, which lends to an underground music feel, most welcome for those of us who relish the other side of the music industry.
Upstairs stage (courtesy of vocalillusion.com)
Perhaps the most frustrating aspect about the downstairs space is a large load-bearing pole practically right in front of the stage in the center of the room, which partially blocks your view from many vantage points. However, this is mitigated by the wide array of original musical styles on offer, whether you fancy rock, experimental or something completely different. Be aware that seating is limited and your ticket does not guarantee you a stool or booth, so arrive early to snag a few chairs if you would rather sit than dance.
Upstairs bar (Courtesy of chicagospaces.org)
Some other fun aspects about the venue are the board games that are around if you need to kill time before or between acts, and even a pacman table at one of the booths! Another cool feature are the delivery menus from local restaurants if you would like to order food or place an order for pickup. As for drink specials, they usually offer a featured drink, a draft beer, a beer of the month and a can special nightly.
For those of you who need to consider accessibility there are several stairs leading up to the cocktail lounge and then down to the venue, which really do hinder those with limited mobility.
By law, all of their shows are 21+ (sorry for this, we’re sure they would prefer to admit anyone, but the law is the law, even if it is a stupid one). They stream all of the performances live from their website at http://www.justin.tv/elboroomchicago so anyone can still see the show from the comfort and safety of home.
Definitely a venue to be recommended if you have a particular band or musical taste in mind and perfect for a group of friends to listen to some beats, play some games and drink some brews.