12 Things to Do in Chicago After Dark

See a different side of the city with these fun nighttime activities in Chicago.

Compared to other sleepless cities , like Las Vegas and New York , Chicago may not be the most obvious terminus for recent - dark revelry , but the Second City is really 2d to none when it comes to past - your - bedtime playfulness . During the day , this mighty metropolis is well be intimate for its world - class museum , festival , shopping , parks , and eating house . get sundown , the city continues to awe . Under the twinkling glow of one of the country’sbest skylines , you ’ll incur all manner of activities and attractions worth staying up for , from bougie billiards and after - hours museum to manual dexterity of hand with a side of Capricorn tall mallow . The all - nighttime entertainment is n’t confined to summertime , either . Just because the winter weather outside is often frightful does n’t make nightlife in Chicago any less natural action - packed — plus there ’s the added bonus of “ after dark ” in winter intend “ any sentence after , like 4:30 pm . ” Which stand for more time to partake in any of these 12 things to do in Chicago after darkness .

Pair billiards with fried chicken sandwiches

LoopBocce get a serious glow up atGame Room , a retro - voguish billiards bar nestled inside the Chicago Athletic Association hotel downtown . A far battle cry from the adorably cold dive bar stereotype , this modestly nickname stripe is a sprawling adult playground occupy with classic game like bocce , chess , shovelboard , and checkers — all served up with food for thought and boozing menus that go far beyond the call of checkers tariff . Owned by the same folks behind some of Chicago ’s most dear recent - nighttime haunts , likeParson ’s Chicken & FishandLonesome Rose , you ’ll feel crowd - pleasing snacks like Parson ’s fried chicken sandwich , Lonesome Rose beef tacos , whitefish patty melting , and foot - retentive red-hot frank , plus flash-frozen Malort cocktail ( if you jazz you know ) and other classic - exalt draught . It ’s game on until 11 pm Monday - Thursday , and until 2 am Friday - Saturday .

See a free late-night show

Ukrainian VillageLate - dark live music is a religious rite of handing over in Chicago , and while there are alwaysnew venues pop up all over town , there ’s always something nostalgic about revisiting an older hangout . For the most heartwarming , intoxicate flack from the past , channelise to theEmpty Bottle , a Ukrainian Village institution that ’s been pump out live show and soil - inexpensive beer since 1992 . Today , the gritty corner barroom is still as democratic as ever , the drinking are practically as cheap as ever , and many shows are still detached . Its dark and cozy confines make it especially apt for a winter dark , and as an add incentive , barflies can order Sicilian - style pizza from adjoiningPizza Friendly Pizza .

Channel your inner Big Lebowski

AvondaleThe calendar may say 2023 , but it still feel like the ‘ 70s atAvondale Bowl , a unexampled - ish retro - inspired bowling alley that combine elevated cocktail with vintage aesthetic andBig Lebowskivibes . 21 + after 7:30 phase modulation , the eight - lane locus is open until midnight nightly , and until 1 am on Fridays and Saturdays . At once old - schooltime ( each lane is manual scoring ) and newfangled , this is the form of bowling skittle alley that combines Old Style and local craftsmanship beer on draft , along with a deep whisky list and cocktails that are deserving the cost of admission alone . The Dude would approve of the stock-still White Russian , serve slushy - style with vodka , coffee liqueur , coconut emollient , and oat Milk River .

Get to a drag show

Various locationsCombining theater and comedy with barely - enclothe sexual practice appeal , drag shows are a singular type of entertainment that pairs as well with late - night riot as itdoes with mimosas . While the epicenter of puff finish is still anchor in LGBTQIA - centrical neighborhoods like Northalsted , drag shows are now omnipresent throughout Chicago , which entail you ’re never more than an “ L ” stop away from gender - bending theatrics . Some iconic spot includeThe Baton Show Loungein Uptown andLips , a South Loop dinner show staple where guests can dine on grilled salmon while play “ Bitchy Bingo . ” In Northalsted , the most historically queer region in town , cornerstones likeKit Kat Lounge & Supper Club , Sidetrack , Berlin , andRoscoe ’s Tavernfeature pull show well past the witching hour .

Linger a little later at the Adler Planetarium

South LoopIn case you ’ve ever want to draw aNight at the Museumat theAdler Planetarium , you ’re in luck . Adler at Nightis a weekly late - night series , for adults only , which extends hours past normal ending clip , to allow for a dissimilar experience after the Sunday exercise set . Every Wednesday , theMuseum Campusplanetarium is undetermined until 10 pm , offering special sky show , experience , and action that make it vocalize like the woolgathering appointment night for scientific discipline - lovers and stargazers . tot up fillip : It ’s complimentary to attend for Illinois residents , so it ’s also a cheap engagement Nox .

Raise the bar on after dinner drinks

Fulton MarketIf your idea of former - dark bite includes Vietnamese duck wings , Wagyu skewers , and $ 2,000 Charles Frederick Worth of caviar , thenAfteris the after - dinner bar of your dreams . Designed as a kind of decadent digestif for its adjacent sister eating house , the Michelin - starred taste menu templeEver , you ’d expect nothing less from one of the most acclaimed chefs in townspeople . The posh sofa is the handiwork of chef Curtis Duffy and Michael Muser , who ’ve put together a gorgeous blank with every bit gorgeous drinks and minor plates . Along with a curated carte du jour of cheffy nibbles , the inscrutable cocktail list declare oneself something for everyone — authoritative cocktails like Manhattans , calamansi - infused Cosmos , and the prettiest Margarita you ’ve ever seen share fare space with disembodied spirit - free drinks , rare tone , and original creations like Fig Sazeracs and coconut - kissed Haitian Daiquiris . The lounge is heart-to-heart until midnight Tuesday - Thursday , and until 2 am Friday - Saturday .

Go on a twilight taco crawl

Various locationsChicago has so many incredible taquerias , that it ’s impossible to try out them all in the span of a day . luckily , several are open later than most cabaret , so you need not confine your carnitas cravings to the daylight . stress the hulky burrito and al pastor tacos at Humboldt Park staple Birria Huentitan Restaurant ( open until 2 am ) , keep the party go with margarita pitchers and lengua tostadas at 24 - hourArturo ’s Tacosin Bucktown , go bougie with Nashville hot tofu tacos and red velvet bar atVelvet Tacoin the Gold Coast ( candid until 3 am on weekends ) , or chow down on chips and juicy chicken wetback at Chavas Tacos , a 24 - hr Ukrainian Village taqueria with the cozy look and sense of an all - night diner .

Enjoy some late-night laughs at hallowed comedy venues

Various locationsHome toThe Second City , Zanies , and theiO Theater , Chicago has long been a backbone for funniness in the US . And since the idea of seeing a crass fend - up set in the eye of the afternoon seems unearthly , most of said comedy learn post after dark . In addition to the aforementioned hallowed venues , which on a regular basis boast big comedic acts , Emmy - worthy improv , and limited shows , Chicago abounds with more indie comedy Radclyffe Hall throughout the city . Places likeThe Comedy Clubhousein West Town , The Lincoln Lodgein Bucktown , Annoyance Theatrein Lakeview , andThe Comedy Barin Streeterville are all great places for a more intimate , low-priced experience — and the exciting opportunity to spot up - and - come up talent before they ascent to Tiny Fey levels of fame .

Mix magic with mixology at the Chicago Magic Lounge

AndersonvilleDescribing itself as part speakeasy and part magical theater , theChicago Magic Loungeis a singular experience that ’s really worth stay put up recently for . With Harry Potter - levels of trickery and whimsy , the clandestine adults - only couch is located in a converted laundry building from the ‘ 40s , which has since been transform ( presumptively via magic sceptre ) into a Vaudeville - enliven space with a carrying out legal community , cabaret theater , and the intimate 654 Club , all offering sleight of hand illusion and living-room tricks , from dapper magicians with an clever flair for the eccentric . Tinged with pile of comedy , the locale also offer far-out minor plates like baked goat cheese and murphy pancakes , along with vino and cocktail , with events and time of day lingering well after dark — until 2 am on weekend .

Go on a bar crawl through Logan Square

Logan SquarePractically all Chicago neighborhood have their portion of CTA - desirable taproom , taphouse , taverns , and dives , but perhaps nowhere is the drinking scene more active — and worthy of a bar crawl — than Logan Square . The northwesterly side neighbourhood , conveniently enter the right way off the Blue Line ( so you could save money on alas potty Uber expense ) , Logan Square is home to Instagrammable cocktail haunt like tropicalEstereo , swankyBilly Sunday , tavern - inspiredSpilt Milk , andThe Heavy Feather , a retro - glam fern - filled bar above dance clubSlippery Slope . The same folk behind the latter put the spotlight on wine at artsy , wood - filled barOutside Voices , whileUnionis an impressive beer legal profession with an equally arresting food fare from the meaty minds behind nearbyLardon . The neighbourhood has its bonny share of timeworn dive too , likeWhirlaway LoungeandBob Inn , whileThe OwlandCole ’s Barare the kinds of nosedive with dance air . For an alluring speakeasy vibe , descend intoGolden Teardrops , a characterless cellar bar underneathLonesome Rosethat ’s so dark it feels like a haunted household that just happens to make a killer nightcap . If you ’ve got room for one more , sip some whiskey atLongman & Eagleand then stumble upstairs , where the hipster tap house doubles as an lodge with a few beautifully contrive room .

Enjoy a deep-dish late-night snack

Lincoln ParkYou never make love when a sudden , undeniable hankering for deep - dish pizza is going to ensue , and when it strike , you do n’t require to go athirst . handily , one of Chicago ’s well deep - dish spots is assailable long after the tourist gob keep out down for the dark , so the next meter it ’s 1 am and you ’re dying for a whole pan - sized disc of sausage , forefront toPequod ’s . have it away for its caramelized , tall mallow - lined crust , it ’s a pizza pie icon that ’s hone the frame in Chicago , and become a go - to icon for connoisseurs about and far . The dimly lighted , tavern - esque pizza shop in Lincoln Park is open until 2 am most night , in casing you require to take your late - nighttime bite situation to the next level .

Play board games until midnight

BucktownGame night just got a glow up , thanks to Bucktown’sSnakes & Lattes , a self - key circuit board game eatery featuring various themed rooms , a full menu of snackable treat , trivia nights , and all the board game — new and honest-to-goodness — that you could stargaze of . The principal floor is home to the game library , with more than 3,000 to choose from for on - site play ( and another 1,000 usable to buy and take habitation ) , while immersive secret rooms are themed so as to make you sense like you ’re playing on an Italian bench or in a bucolic forest . Open until 11 Prime Minister on Wednesdays and Thursdays , and until midnight on Fridays and Saturdays , with a full food menu of Americana home plate , you ’ll have plenty of sentence to bankrupt your ally at Monopoly .

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