Room 13

I was looking at google maps last week for cocktail spots near the Vic. I wanted to be prepared if my daughter and I got to the theater early. She’s wanted to go to a speakeasy. An hour before the show we were walking down Sheffield. A small sign (RM-13) grabbed my attention and reminded me of my early due diligence. We went down the nondescript stairway and saw two unmarked doors. One was open about an inch. I peaked in, not sure if I was going to see a bar or someone’s living room. What I found were patrons waiving us in, anxious for someone else to experience this new establishment. The warm lighting produced a radiant glow on the elegant decor. The music is an eclectic mix of 80’s alternative creating a relaxed and inviting atmosphere. The owner, a distinguished gentleman whose name escapes me, moved gracefully through the room, greeting guests with a kind smile and ensuring everyone feels at home. You can tell how much pride and passion he has about this venue. Presumably his wife and business partner, was speaking comfortably with other patrons. She was just as kind, and talked about live music that they will be having soon. The cocktail menu is a blend of classic and innovative drinks, each crafted with precision and flair. I went with the Old Fashioned with ice infused with bitters and cherry. It’s the first one on the menu and exactly what I wanted that evening. This is a fantastic place that I look forward to visiting again.

Got recommended this place by friends about their old fashioned and it was phenomenal. The most creative and inventive drink I’ve ever had (no spoilers). Chris and Rachel make every drink with intention and skill and I would recommend them to anyone coming to Chicago. I cannot wait to come back.

We tried to come here a few months back and were sent away, but we came by tonight and were greeted Chris and Rachel who were both so welcoming and inviting! You can really tell they put the effort into curating an experience of comfort!

The new owners are so nice! If you like a real cocktail and a speakeasy vibe, this is the place for you. The building is over 100 years old. The entertainment was amazing! Fantastic singer! Needs to be experienced to be appreciated!!!

Rachel and Chris - the new owners - are so warm and lovely and they make the best drinks in Chicago. Great area. Also absolutely beautiful decorating. I can’t wait to see what more they do with the spot!

We were treated with kindness, and acceptance by Chris and Rachael. Fantastic people. The ingredients are fresh and no shortcuts are taken. The atmosphere is so relaxing! Will deffinetly come back here.

The entire staff/family working here were so beyond personable and inviting to my partner while celebrating our anniversary - came upon it on a whim and they were super kind and shared so many great stories with us. 100% recommend!

This place is under new management and it. Is. Awesome! Great vibe. Phenomenal cocktails and god AC lol. Grab a Blind Tiger and have a great time.

Superb cocktails. Great service. Appreciate how they improvised a spicy margarita and long island ice tea

Incredible service! Locally owned and owners are incredibly welcoming. Come here and talk to the bartenders and you will have an amazing time

Went here to hear a talk by the group Chicago for Chicagoans about the streets of our city. It was a great space for a discussion about Chicago history, it's a speakeasy! Walk down the hall, knock, say password through peep door, wander in. It is a small space with the bar right there. They had a menu of 4 drinks to choose for our evening. Delicious An array of seating choices are spread out and there is a piano in the back corner. Would like to come back to check it out on a regular night.

Nice place. Was very no-frills, with one man serving as bartender, doorman, and processing payments. The cocktails were good, especially for the price, but it took a while to get them. VIbes in the place were odd, but we were there in the middle of the day so definitely not their peak hours.

Very racist experience. 1st they told us it was full but there was nobody in there. Then we came back and he said my friend was filming. He lied. It was very racist experience and I will be reporting them. Like I said. We had proper attire and attitude. Attitude wasn't given until it was directed towards us. Also if it was "our attitude"..then why were we initially told that it was crowded first!? If that was the case why weren't we told that we couldn't film. We wanted to record our experience. And the door was literally slammed in our face. Also as a non-person of color, you can never tell a person of color how they did or didn't experience a racist encounter. And that is how a lot of racists behave. This invalidates our (people of color) experiences. You were rude and belittling. So for that reason, I will always protect other people of color by sharing my and my friends experience with this business. Thanks for your ignorance though, you are just adding to the huge problem with the world and this country. People like you are why we have the problems that we do today. Do better.

Probably one of the realest speakeasy vibes out of all the ones I've been too. Very unique in that it's membership based. Membership is reasonably priced and your first visit you don't have to be a member. You do always need a password though which you can get by emailing luke@oldchicagoinn.com. Cocktails were simple, but delicious. Decor really transports you back to the prohibition era. Loved the antique cash register and phone booth. :)

I'm honestly not someone who really ever leaves Google reviews (maybe once? And I think it was positive), but I had an awful enough time here that I thought it was warranted to type out. Again, not something that really ever happens. Came here with a group of friends to celebrate a birthday on February 11th. Was quiet, if a little dull, with nice drinks. We stayed until 1AM, at which time everyone was told to start packing up. As we waited by the doors for everyone to put their coats on and get their tabs settled, I started to open a door that led down a lit hallway to the right of the entrance, which I mistakenly thought led to the restrooms. A A man with long hair (and I think glasses, no clue if he was the manager or a bartender) immediately started loudly cursing me out, calling me a pendejo, growing furious that I tried to walk down that hallway. We all quickly and awkwardly shuffled out. It was pretty humiliating, and very unnecessary and uncalled for. To be completely straight with you, we were not in any way acting like a wasted obnoxious bar group, and there was barely anyone else in the basement. This wasn't a stressful end-of-night situation, in any way. As I said, I'm not really the type of guy who would tend towards leaving negative reviews at any establishment, even if the service or food wasn't the best. Every place and every worker has some bad days, and unless you pay a huge amount for something--like a house or car--the service or product might not be #1 every time. It'd be obnoxious to assume it should be. But when I go out for the night, I'd really like to not be loudly cursed at as I profusely apologize for an honest mistake. It was just pretty humiliating and an outrageously over-aggressive response to a totally honest error. There were like 12 mildly-buzzed people total in the entire bar, not exactly a stressful crowd where you might expect someone to get angry. This place already doesn't seem to have great reviews but idk, again, I'm just feeling bad enough about the entire night out because of this that it felt worth tossing my anecdote in. Hope that guy chills out a bit.

Stopped in for a drink after lakeview taco fest... Gary was late to open. The doorman was rude. Said we couldn't enter due to dress code. Said we can't count on Yelp for accuracy. Hoooooray for acceptance of all people. Who knew an open toed shoe in 70+ degree weather would be a no go. #nonbinary

Gary (the owner?) is one of the rudest human beings I have ever encountered. Very condescending and shut the door in our faces. The Yelp reviews say how you don't need a membership for your first visit.... That can't be true bc when we told him we didn't have memberships he said "well I can't help you then" he also claimed there was a dress code in which we couldn't wear open toed shoes? It's the dead of summer I can't imagine people aren't wearing sandals.. whatever I guess too exclusive for us..... lol this place is trash don't even bother..

Clearly, I think I am missing something... it's cute, but not sure why anyone would pay $100+ membership to hang out in somebody's basement-turned-bar. My boyfriend was visiting from out of town, and he's obsessed with going to speakeasies. I could not give a crap if a place was a regular bar or speakeasy, but I do enjoy dressing up every so often...lets just say that this place is not worth the trouble, let alone a nice outfit. After reading reviews and descriptions on other media sites, I guess I had high expectations, particularly because of good reviews and the "strict dress code." Clearly, it was just building hype because my boyfriend and I arrived in nice attire whilst the other guests looked like they rolled off a booze cruise... But seriously, one lady was wearing a purple Cancun beach hoodie over a moo moo and beach flip flops (not nice sandals). What also bothered me was that the other guests were super loud and every other word out of their mouths was a profanity... I guess I was hoping for a more peaceful experience... Why do I have to dress up to sit in a dark, dank, and mildewy basement? Okay, so the owner is super nice, but the drinks weren't very tasty... maybe I'm just not into the old school mixes. If you come out of here disappointed, I highly recommend the karaoke bar next door! Super fun place with random crowd of people from all walks of life that are super social (and some of which have amazing voices)!

Have you ever felt like you were involved in a clandestine meeting? This Speakeasy gives you that feeling. With the expert Bartender/Manager making Prohibition era drinks... Prohibition era music... Decor and a Dress Code... walking up the steps when leaving makes you feel naughty... but it's ok! The cops are busy taking care of Rahm!!! Will be back again and again!!!

This place was super cool! I loved the vibe and the cocktails were delicious. You really do have to have the password to get in which I think is fun :-) We had a seat by the fires place which was so cozy and comfy. My only qualms with Room 13 is there is a membership fee after your two preview visits and they really just focus on prohibition era drinks so if you just wanted like a vodka soda, you won't find that here. But still great place and love the concept!

I bought an $11 drink here and got a fraudulent message that evening from my bank stating I had been charged $11,004 at Room 13. Very frustrating and time consuming to correct. The bartender also had a bad attitude.

Luke, the bartender at Room 13, prepared perfect cocktails for both my fiancée and I last night. My fiancée didn't know what to order but told him her go-to was cran-vodka. He then displayed an all-too uncommon skill among the craft. He realized her go-to meant that she didn't like the taste of alcohol, and he fashioned a very tasty, powerful cocktail that was completely different from her go-to, allowing her to explore new drinks. Just what we look for in a cocktail bar. For me, I couldn't choose between two drinks I've ordered numerous times elsewhere. He offered a twist on the sazerac by adding cognac and using Woodford Rye. The resulting cocktail was superb in taste, smell, and effect. Aside from the phenomenal mixology, Room 13 offers perfect speakeasy ambiance complete with 1920s period-authentic music. We emailed for the password and reservation the night before we went.

This place was very neat! Quiet with a great mood, this is a great place to talk with the bartender and learn more about drinks! He was super knowledgable, and the drinks were very authentic 20s! Very cool.

This place is amazing! We had a birthday gathering here last night--EVERYONE had a great time! Authentic Prohibition-era decor, live music, deliciously crafted classic cocktails, and yes you MUST have the password to gain entry. The intimate, chill vibe is exactly what we were looking for. Luke, the bar manager, provided us with excellent service. We'll definitely be back!

The best quiet hidden spot in Chicago for a good drink. Luke is the best bartender I've ever known, and makes incredible drinks.

An authentic 1930's speakeasy, from the hidden location, password at the door, and the drinks. It's a private club so make sure you join before going.

Was staying at the hotel upstairs. Came here for drinks two nights in a row. Great cocktails and friendly bartender, Gary.

Just tried to get in, did not have password.very pretentious woman opened the window.suggested we come back tomorrow. Place looked empty, doubt they can stay in business with the attitude.

Love being a member of this spot! I've had private parties here where they literally rolled out a red carpet. Just recently I had the nicest bottle of wine while my husband knocked back several old school cocktails. The ambiance is wonderful and I just love the sexy exclusivity.

LOVE this place. This is a true speakeasy and yes you will be turned away if you don't have the password to get in. That's why it's a speakeasy ;) I've been here about 4 times and love it every time. Friday's and Saturday's there is usually a live jazz pianist. This is definitely Lakeview's hidden gem!

Lovely atmosphere, easy access from public transit, and members are always good company. All that said, Luke is the best part of this place. He's a consummate bartender and manager - he keeps prices reasonable, he's a charming host, and if you don't know what to get, he will steer you the right way, whether from the menu or something else interesting.

This bar was our first stop for a Chicago! themed bachelorette party and it was a major hit! Everything about this place was amazing and completely exceeded our expecations. The drinks were delicious, the bartender was awesome, the decor/seating arrangement was conducive for a large group, the music was beautiful and the clientele was a blast. I can't say enough good things about this place, thank you so much for kicking off our event in the best way possible!