aliveOne

Can’t believe it’s taken me so long to finally get to this bar, it was such a good time. Went on a Thursday night for drinks after a show and there was a lively crowd. The back room had a funk jazz band and front room had a classic jukebox (bring your cash). The bartender was super friendly and had a fun time sitting by the bar.

Words can't describe how much I love their Thursday night resident band, Bonzo Squad. Anyways the bar is great, service is quick no matter how busy they are. The beer is cold and the malört is strong. There's a convenient bike rack out front, and coat hooks inside.

Pretty chill bar, good music, cool decor. Went on a Sunday afternoon and it was enjoyable. The bartender was nice and friendly. Recommend checking this place out.

Awesome neighborhood bar with a backroom for either private events or different performances. Very local with a good mix of visitors. Tyler was the bartender and he makes a very good Old Fashioned. The pool table, jukebox and the wall art makes Alive One a definite go-to bar.

The place is awesome, it's live music on Wed. & Thurs. Weekend (Dj'S), sun comedy. Mon trivia Tues. Music bingo

Such a great local bar, staff are super friendly, a lot of locals, with a small pool table in the back area. I'd you are in the area and aren't sure where to go then you should come here, drink menu is good and they can make whatever you want. The biggest plus is that it's super affordable.

If you love the 80s then you will love this place. dim but vibrant. good service here too. they have a wide range of live performances in the back room.

The place is amazing! Awesome bartenders. Great game host! A perfect hangout spot

We go here almost every Thursday to watch the free live music from Bonzo Squad. They bring incredible energy every week and get everyone dancing. If it's too loud, you can easily go to the front bar where it is a very calm and relaxing vibe. Great place to converse and relax with a drink. This spot is perfect for a date night or simply to just listen to great music with a friend. Highly recommend

This neighborhood bar is fantastic, with an incredibly friendly staff and a cozy atmosphere frequented by many locals. You'll find a small pool table tucked away in the back area. If you happen to be in the vicinity and are undecided on where to spend your time, this is the place to be. Their drink selection is top-notch, and they are more than willing to whip up your favorite drink. The cherry on top is that the prices are very budget-friendly.

Huge aliveOne fangirl right here! This is one of my favorite bars. I like that it's divey but sometimes high energy- you can play pool and groove on a lit danceflo' all in one night. They have all kinds of goings-on that I honestly didn't know about until my last visit. Half price happy hour (every day 4p-6p), $4 beers on Tuesdays, free shows on Thursdays... plenty to do. The front space is a funky dive vibe w. cushioned barstools, hanging glass lamps, ornate decor above the bar and a jukebox complete with all kinds of oldies. Throughout the bar you can sit on vintage couches and armchairs and admire the gallery-style wall art. They host shows and private parties in their back room, which has its own bar and some dancin space! The dance floor gets pretty lit on weekends around midnight/1am. Get over to aliveOne stat for a Chicago Handshake and a vibey hang! And don't forget, Kingston Mines is just a short walk down Halsted... have fun!

Stephen Mackey - greatest bartender I have come across so far since I moved to Chicago 2 years ago. Stellar service, amazing sense of humor. Asked if he was single but I guess he has a wife. If he is working when you go to aliveOne, definitely order his Gin Fizz.

Went to AliveOne for happy hour recently and had an awesome time. Chloe behind the bar was such a vibe and really took care of us. Great service and great atmosphere.

Bartenders know how to get down, Stephen Mackey gave 10/10 service and knows how to make a mean gin fizz. Rumor has it he was one a famous stand up? Definitely can envision it. Will definitely visit just for him!

I can't say enough good things about this place. Zach was so the highlight! He was like my best friend I hadn't seen in months. He made a custom drink order for me from a friend in Texas. It was perfect and then he exceeded perfection by. Making the house margarita which probably had 3x the alcohol!! I left with friends and so so happy!!

Love going here with my friends for a fun night! The drinks are not expensive and are decently priced! The live music was wonderful and the atmosphere is gorgeous. My only issue with this place was the bartender being very greedy. He would yell at us very often about tipping when we would tip online and more that Id rather not get into. The service from the back bar just really ruined my experience here and I hope to not have the same experience if I do return. I do recommend coming here for the music though !

This was a very nice local bar. Definitely seemed like a place that many people like to go to hangout. If you come early it a nice place to chill and talk. Later in the night definitely very packed with lively vibe. There is one pool table and they have another room at the back for live music/DJs with a separate bar. The vibe in the back room was energetic with a lot of people dancing. Plus there was a dico ball.

I love this place. So versatile. You could go there for a nice quiet drink during the week, or dance your heart out on a Saturday night. Zach is the best ever! Also super easy to rent our their back room! I rented it for my boyfriend's birthday, and you can rent it for FREE (have to hit a certain minimum), but so great for birthday parties, small group gatherings, or even formal dances. Really really love this place.

Bartender dropped my friend's credit card in the trash, proceeded to avoid eye contact with us as her coworker tried to find it, eventually the second guy found it in the trash. We asked if we could get a free drink as like a "oops sorry for making you think you lost your credit card" and they could not be bothered. Boooooo. Lame. Not nice at all. Also def lots of underage kids here.

It's one of my favorite spots in the city. The front room has a more typically dive bar atmosphere with the pool table and the rock music. The back room is my favorite, with the live DJ and the hip hop or throwback hits. Well drinks are reasonably priced and the staff is super cool, especially Thomas. He's the best!

Love the Tuesday happy hour music. Thomas the bartender plays his selected favorites instead of the jukebox....great way to unwind after work. Thanks Thomas!

This place is super fun to go to. I've only been here twice but the bartenders are super friendly. Happy hour everyday for the first two hours which is amazing. Pool table is decent. There is nothing super flashy about this place which I like, it's just a good bar.

We love alive one it is our favorite bar in chicago! shoutout to everyone that works there! especially my girl anne!

anne behind the bar was PHENOMENAL. great service, great conversation, and the BEST old fashioned i have ever had. i'll be back later this week!

So I resisted reviewing this place for the longest time because I wanted to keep the crowds away. Now that they are reopening after COVID, I figured they will need every bit of business we can bring them. Here is the short story - this may be the best bar in the universe. Want proof? Friendliest bartenders around - I often come alone to chill after work and have become friendly with half the staff just by being around. Half off EVERYTHING happy hour MONDAY THROUGH FUCKING FRIDAY 5pm-7pm/ drink specials all night every night. Enough said. Best low pressure dance parties on the weekends in the back room. Drinking and people watching on the couches in the back room. Live music played by their resident band and guests every Thursday (like who has a resident band anymore!). No TV. Hate TV in my bar, gives me ADHD. Badass dingy art everywhere. Clean bathrooms. Multiple bathrooms. You can bring your own food. Please pick up after yourself when you bring your own food. Random conversations with total strangers. Zach! Did I mention no TV?

Great place for a Saturday night in Lincoln Park. Great music, reasonable drinks, fun crowd.

Came here for my sister birthday and she was able to rent out the back room for 4 hours. Perfect amount of space for our friends and family. The bartenders were so sweet and we were able to play our music over their speaker system. Everyone had a blast. The only downside was that we kept having random people come into our party even though there was a sign saying the room was reserved until a certain time. That was pretty annoying, but overall we had a blast.

Low key spot with great specials. Live music in the back and free pool. Muisc in the ft was pretty good and bartender super nice . very welcomed.

Hands down one of my favorite bars in Chicago! Everyone and I mean EVERYONE that works there is amazing! It has a super awesome atmosphere where you can go to hangout with friends or bring a date. It has pool, music, and very reasonably priced drinks for the area. Perfect place in my opinion!

So this place looks cool, but . But u put money at the Jukebox and bartender skips all the music U play . I wEnt to ask what happened ,she told me that music I played is not what she likes so she just skipped it, offered money back, I told her it's kinda weird. If u have jukebox and take money for it, how can you skip what ppl play. Just don't go to this bar., experience was not pleasant at all. And by the way that bartender girl is a manager now, so it will get even worse .

I love this little place. It's such a great find in the neighborhood. Nice little divey-ish bar with live music. The staff is nice. The venue isn't tiny, but has a significant amount of room. There's plenty of space at the bar. There's also a few high top tables and the back area has a pool table and some couch seating. Also, the very back-back room plays live music at night. Great find indeed and no cover. They got drink deals, as well. I can't really make this review any shorter, but cool vibe. Great spot. Free live music. Good drink deals. Definitely worth checking out.

Do you ever have those days when you want to listen to great music, but don't want to bourdon of queuing up songs? You've found it! Great atmosphere full of a friendly staff and great drinks. Generally a younger crowd. I can take my friends here or relax by myself and have welcoming conversation with Zach or any of the other team members. You like Gwen Stefani? Go. You like Grateful Dead? Go. You like CREED? Maybe not the place to go.. 5 Stars

This place is a great neighborhood dive. It's good for smaller group gatherings, it works out pretty great as a date spot. Originally I picked this place because my boyfriend likes rock music. I don't care much for rock, but second time I came to this place I found out about the hip hop. One of my friends who is best described as the Gandalf the party wizard from friends, wanders to the back of the bar and comes back telling us we have to go check it out. Full on hip hop in the back. Chill in the main area of the bar to ice break, then head on over to the back.

aliveOne was the perfect place to host a private party and the back room was such a cool space. Everyone had a blast and Thomas was the best bartender. Highly recommend for a private party and be sure to ask for Thomas as the bartender!

Went there for Back Room Comedy. Was a really great show laughed so hard! Service was good as were the drinks. And I liked the front bar so a win win !

This is someplace I might have frequented in my 20's. A kind of dark, divvy, hipster bar with a pool table. Their drink prices are a bit steep for the place, cocktail choices etc. They also got some shady business going on behind the bar. Two drinks first price $24. Second round same drinks $21. It's called bartenders choice and it's shady business. All in all this appears to be a local hangout or hideout for the "cool" kids ie 20-30's crowd with an affinity for all things from the 80's.

Overall: Great not-so-hole-in-the-wall place that offers a dive-y feel while still being professional and overall awesome. The good: Great beer selection and a great dive bar atmosphere that's still "clean" if that makes sense. You come here for the vibe, good music, and humble atmosphere. The back room can get kickin' too which is always fun. The bad: Some taps are more expensive than they probably should be. That's about it! Atmosphere: 9/10 Service: 9/10

Janet is the most disrespectful bartender I have ever met. We tipped her a lot and were very understanding of her having had a busy night, but then she cussed out my friend for absolutely no reason. We tipped her much more than we should have and then still spoke to us in the most unreasonable manor. I will not be returning as long as she works there. My friend tells me he goes every week and she is always so disrespectful. I wish I could leave a 0.

I've lived in the area for awhile and have been coming here for long time. Every bartender has been so welcoming! Janet, Steve, and Zach are beyond accommodating! My wife and I love coming in when Janet is working, because she knows exactly what we want the moment we sit down. This is a great spot any night of week!

This place is super cool on how it is decorated. With the shape of the curved bar, all the different drinks they have on there menu. I don't think they serve food, but we just popped in there for 1 drink and didn't see anyone eating. They have a pool table, and they actually have 2 sets of bathrooms in a small bar place. Don't see that very often will go back again someday

This bar has something for everyone. Up front is a laid back, pool table, long bar with classic music and drinks. However, walk through the back doors and you're automatically transported to a dance floor with great bands and music. The drinks are strong and half off during happy hour. Service is good and everyone seems friendly. I'll return to this bar time and time again.

Tuesday nights! Drink specials! Friendly faces! Great tunes! Retro concerts on the tube! It's the best

A group of about 25 friends and I went to Alive1 to hang out in the festivus spirit. The location has a front part where the bar is with plenty of seating and a pool table then the back area has another bar and a DJ. We had sooooo much fun! The DJ played great music and the bartender was so nice. She had awesome drink combinations for those of us who were confused about what to drink. Prices were pretty reasonable as well! Great dive bar with an old school feel to it!

I'm a jukebox fanatic! Being a musician I like to entertain people. I like to see people having a good time. This place has one of the best, most unique jukeboxes in the City. With the majority of selections being live recordings and bootlegs, your favorite songs now have a new life with versions you may not have heard! The front room is decorated with rock posters and memorabilia, a huge American flag type art sculpture streams out over the bar calling you in...give me your tired, your poor, your thirsties! The place is casual but not crappy. Service is good and seats are plentiful on weeknights. There is a tiny room in back with its own bar for private parties and they even have bands once in a while.

Cool little dive bar and on Tuesdays there's draft night ($2-3 draft beers). The interior is dark and pretty sexy. The crowd is pretty cool too. The bar has some awesome decor and the staff is attentive and personable. The back room is where you can get down to a dj who only spins on vinyl. Which is super cool because that's a rare and dying art. The music ranges from who ever has the decks but it's usually pretty good There are two single bathrooms in the back as well and it can get F'ing hot. Otherwise AliveOne is a place every local should check out.

It was a decent place for locals but for a tourist it's a bit boring. There wasn't any music and not many people there. The bar is very out dated but there is a pool table. The bartender was super cool as well

Excellent late night bar. Wide variety of quality micro-brews on tap, pool table, juke box playing good music, cool people, place gives off a good vibe.. Dance floor / DJ area in the back. There is something for everyone here.

I opened a tab at this bar. I went to close my tab, after several minutes of searching, the bartender admitted he had accidentally given my credit card back to the wrong person. It was a really not fun surprise. As a follow up, I called the GM and he returned my call in less than 24 hours. He gave me a detailed explanation of what had occurred and offered different resolutions. It was a bad experience, but made better by the phone call with the GM.

My favorite bar in Chicago, hands down. I can't love this place enough. If you love good music, good people and good vibes, this is your spot

Great neighborhood dive! Downbeat spot that draws a variety of crowds, and really friendly and attentive bar staff. Pool table, board games, and a jukebox. Always fun to stop in on a Tuesday and try a few $2 or $3 beers before heading to the back for karaoke.

Such a great little neighborhood bar! Here's why I think this place is pretty great: 1) Their happy hour special is unbeatable. From 5-7 pm the whole bar is 50% off. This means drafts, bottles, wine, cocktails, you name it. When I need a happy hour spot, this has become a go to because you just can't beat it. 2) On Tuesdays, the draft beers are $3-$3.50 all night long. 3) On the weekends (or maybe week days too, when I'm in bed), they open up the back room where there's a big dance party. They usually have pretty good DJs and it's one of the few places I've found that plays good hip hop. Other things you should know: - It's kind of a dive bar. If you're looking for a fancy night out, this isn't the place to go. - They don't serve food. But, there are lots of places nearby in the neighborhood.

I have had some one the best times at this bar. The back played 90s hip hop and was packed every Friday/Saturday night. Unfortunately, the past two times I have gone the DJ's are not self aware enough to realize that their record collection is destroying this place. You would think that if the vast majority of people are on their phones that the music would be changed up. Please bring back the old dj and stop playing your vinyl that you only care about...

This is the perfect dive bar. Great specials, I went on a Tuesday and there were 2$ beers, which definitely within budget. If you are interested in getting on the pool table you will want to leave a quarter within the holder on the table to hold your spot in line. Oh wait there's more. This unassuming dive has another bar and dance floor in the back. On most occasions I they have a mixture of music to dance from hip hop to pop. Me and my lady were able to have cheap drinks and dance to good music. My two step was particularly exquisite that night.

I have to add a star for the consistently good service and fairly cheap drinks, especially considering the area.

The Mr. and I were early for a group dinner reservation across the street at Sapori Trattoria so we decided to head across the street to aliveOne for a drink while we waited. It was Saturday night around 7:30... and we were the ONLY ONES IN THE PLACE. It was heaven. I had a flashback of being a drunken 20-something and being with a big group of people that got ourselves kicked out ages and ages ago... But that was a younger, less intelligent Natalie S. My guy was thrilled the Blackhawks game was on and we chatted up the super friendly bartender. He was accommodating and even let me have a mostly full second glass of wine on the house, just so he could get rid of the bottle. THAT'S service. Now that I am the mature, more intelligent Natalie S. that is far too old to be kicked out of a bar (ahem), we need to head back and check out the live music. I'd definitely go back.

Aliveone was my first dive bar experience in Chicago, and I had a great time with the locals. The front room has tables along with wall, seats along the bar, and a pool table in the back of the room. Some girl offered me a seat at the bar just because I was "so pretty"... even the girls are incredibly nice here!! The reasonably priced drinks, which are not watered down, make the place even better. The back room secretly hordes all the fun music... where you can dance dance dance to the hippity hop.

Came here with friends on a Friday not long ago, expecting hip-hop in the back room and was extremely disappointed. We asked the bartender what happened to the hip-hop and that DJ, and got a very short and rude response. The new DJ wasn't any more polite. We went back to his booth to ask the same question (we were genuinely curious as to what happened), and found him making out with someone. Very professional. That said, the music wasn't necessarily bad, just not what we were expecting/wanting what night.

Used to love coming here for some underground hip hop music and was very surprised and disappointed with my last visit. As stated in another post, the DJ was completely unprofessional. He was caught making out with someone under his booth when we approached him asking to play hip hop. When we finally got his attention he asked why he would change the music if people were dancing. We turned around and counted five people dancing and he said he didn't care. He did not change the music, but continued to play all the music at the request of his hipster make out buddy. There were plenty of people coming in disappointed and expressing their expectations of hip hop music (as advertised) but nothing changed. We would've stayed but between the unprofessional DJ and rude bar tender, we will not return.