Nisei Lounge

Best dive/​neighborhood bar on the face of the entire earth. Coolest staff (door guys and owners included) and regulars hands down. Thanks for making Wrigleyville not suck.

Diamond in the rough. Came here before a Wrigley Field concert and it was perfect as far as ambience. Decent beer choices yet the bartender was none too pleased to be working on this night. Sat at the window table and enjoyed the views of Chitown. Enjoyed our company and then on we went. It is amazing how much a bartender can change your mood. I want to go back and experience this place on a different night.

Can’t stress enough how great this place is! The staff is super friendly and its a great chill environment. They have a wide variety of beers and apparently a shot of Malort is a must there. They also have a juke box, a pool table, and darts. How can you beat that?! Seriously an awesome neighborhood spot to go to if you don’t wanna deal with the usual «wrigleyville crowd.»

Off the beaten path, very few tourists, easy access to the Red Line Addison stop. Fun crowd, laid-​back atmosphere. Great alternative to the usual Clark St madhouses.

Let’s just say not everyone is welcome here. It’s a dive with no air condition. We sat down and the bartender told us we had to leave if we weren’t ordering before we had the chance to make a decision on what we wanted.
So, we decided what we wanted was better service and we left.

The once great dive bar no has fallen. It used to be welcoming and friendly, now feels hipster and snobby.
Staff were total pricks to our group who had been shooting pool for awhile no one was in there except us and we finally just left.
If you are trying to have a nice relaxing time with your friends go elsewhere.

I recently had the privilege of taking part in a guest-​bartending event at Nisei Lounge. Not only did I have a blast, but the staff at Nisei couldn’t have been more helpful. I look forward to working with them in the future and highly recommend any organization looking for a fun fundraiser event to team up with Nisei.

Not a bad place. Small. They didn’t have a whole lot of TVs and the bathrooms didn’t have enough space to even breathe in! But they have cheap beer and a pool table, so really you’re all set.

I love this bar. I live on the corner. So it never feels like I’ve left home. Such a warm atmosphere. Being welcomed by the bartenders and the bar regulars alike. All of the bartenders remember my drink of choice. Even if it’s been weeks since they’ve seen me. I base my bar schedule around the bartenders. TJ, Lou, and Doug are the best. Pamela, Dave and Andy are all wonderful too. It’s just hard to make it in on their nights. I look forward to any night I get to spend at Nisei with my friends. This bar will be a long lasting part of my drinking and relaxing career.

Nisei Lounge is one of the few non-​dbag bars on or near Clark and for that, I love them. Bonus points for big Jenga, free darts, and a serious dedication to Christmas decorations.

Best bar in Wrigleyville, by far! Best bar ever!

Free pool and darts, cheap beer, and they allow you to bring in food– doesn’t get any better than that! My friends are regulars here and I sometimes tag along for a fun night. Walking distance from the Addison Red Line stop and always fun to people watch after the Cubs games. There is a jukebox and photo booth that you can plug money into. There are also a few board games, Jenga is always one of my favorites. Bathrooms here are relatively clean compared to most places! Oh and for the ladies, there are purse hooks on the counter walls, how awesome is that?!
*** DON’T FORGET: TIP YOUR BARTENDERS WELL! ***

A great alternative to the tourist trap Pre-​Cubs game bars. Great beer selection (Floyd’s!) and a shot of Malort is all you need here. Bartender was great to talk to and the place was a mix of locals and ballgame goers. This is my go to next time I’m in Wrigleyville.

No complaints about the Nisei. Came here on a Sunday afternoon post cubs game. Very chill environment. We watched the US vs Portugal World Cup match while throwing down Old Style cans (they eventually ran out) and doing shots of Malort.
It was a great change up to the regular bars in the area — more space — cheaper — and just as fun in my opinion.
I shall return… more Malort? Not so sure about that though.

A grade «A» dive and often a great escape from the rest of the scum and villainy in and around Wrigleyville. On nights where there’s no Cubs game you can get a special with Hamm’s and a shot of whiskey or Malort. They got darts, Pool, board games, & more often than not — a friendly bar staff. On Fri/​Sat or Cubs (or other local sports) nights it can get packed but otherwise an oasis in the sea of Wrigley.

A Cubs Game Dump but that’s Cool
This will be a short review. This a a genuine dive bar with super cheap beer deals and the game is on.
Cooler then most of the overpriced bars on N. Clarke. Why spend 3 times as much to get drunk before a Cubs game?
Hit up Nisei, get drunk, play darts, and play some tunes.
Thanks

Absolutely disgraceful place.
If I got the name of the bartender with glasses that was there Friday night the 27^th, I would have reported her to the manager– and I will. So I sat down due to an injury and was just waiting around since I did notice that the people who were sitting down at the bar where I did were outside taking a smoke break (that lasted 10 min+) so in the mean time I decided to wait and sit— the minute the bartender comes to me– she completely is a bitch and said it in such a nasty tone that was not only rude, but unprofessional– she could have simply told me that there was someone coming back– so this bitch decides to talk shit to the group of people on the other side of the bar. What pissed me off completely is that she is talking to them as if I cannot see/​hear her. The minute I said something, it shut her up.
I have NEVER experienced such unprofessional behavior from a bartender. I am a regular visitor to Wrigleyville and I will be sure to report this and let others know of this incident. There are WAY better bars out in the area than this dump.
Also– very dim, smelly, sticky place with dirty bathrooms— YUP, save yourselves the time.

I braved the wilds of Wrigleyville last week to attend an event at Nisei Lounge. Going in I knew what to expect, as I had heard that this place is a no-​holds-​barred dive bar that hosts weekly charity bartending nights:
The place is definitely tucked away. With the red line being torn up indefinitely, and given that I was toting a large pillow for the charity raffle, I decided to cab it. I was glad that it was still light out, as there is no way I would have found the place, seeing as how it is tucked between two other storefronts. It is definitely not a sports bar, although the sets showed all of the major sports in play, including Game 4 of the Hawks. Whille this place is too out of the way to become a regular stop, I will say that the hosts/​bartenders were accommodating to our event, allowing us to bring in pizzas (Nisei is BYO food) and call out raffle prizes. Word of warning/​cautionary tale: do not rest your drink on the game table. I did, briefly, to take off my jacket and was reprimanded – oddly enough by one of the patrons, and not a bartender on staff. Go figure!

Nestled in in Wrigleyville I had a a great chance to truely dislike this place. Gladly I didn’t. We walked in to this low-​key place with blacked out windows. Blacked out windows means not having to see wrigleyville sloppy messes walking by. Thank Goodness.
Barkeep made sure I was well hydrated. The bar istelf is a big area with seating. They have tables strewn about. The have a 2 dart board with giant chalk board to keep score… or write «lulu waz here»… or something else witty. They have a pool table that runs because it isn’t leveled right (for the pool snobs).
The do not serve food but the do let you bring food in. Beer in bottles or beer drafts… whatever you fancy, they have both. This feels like a weekday hangout to meet your homies to kick back a few and not deal with the typical Wrigleyville crowd.
I can see myself coming back in the future.

I like you, Nisei.
You remind me of my favorite college bar. Minus an overwhelming 18 – 22 population. And your bathrooms are much cleaner. And there isn’t as much writing on the wall. However, I did see one number in case I wanted to «get lucky at 3:15PM» (I wiped it off, though. I didn’t want anyone else sharing in my new discovery).
Your staff is friendly and actually socialized with the patrons. Not that I want to spill my life story to bartenders (even though I usually do after a few more than I need), but it’s nice to know that you not only make strong drinks but also have a kind heart.
And what a soundtrack! «Sweet Freedom» by Michael McDonald? It may not be everyone’s party song but sign me up as a HUGE FAN.
And your cheap. Not like my college roommate… but easy on the wallet.
P. S. Thanks for letting us play beer pong. You’re now my new friend. Yay! See you soon.