The Owl

Recently, I was in Chicago for 4 days and came here two nights in a row.
TL;DR: Slow to warm up, but overall I liked this place. Unique ambiance, good beer (a whopping THREE craft brews from my hometown!), interesting people, and the tamale and polaroid man.
Thursday: Chicago friend suggested we wander down the street around 2 after Slippery Slope closed because she and fellow San Diegan friend weren’t ready to call it a night. CHI had mentioned that it was very divey and hipster — two things I snootily like to avoid.
— First impression, place was «meh,» mostly because it’s not really my scene and I’m a grandma+was already tired.
— Grabbed a table alongside the wall at the bar, and I liked that they had a waitress grab us drinks. Candlelight at the table made it feel more intimate, and I appreciate that the music wasn’t so loud that we couldn’t hold a conversation.
— Was sooo pleasantly surprised to see they had my all time favorite San Diego beer — Alesmith’s Speedway Stout. Super weird because they don’t really have it outside of SD except in bottles and at their tasting room! I called it FATE and my night was made better.
— It got exponentially better with the Polaroid Man ($ 5 for 1 snap but yolo) and Tamale Man (munchies ftw). This intrigued me because they’re basically soliciting and I’ve never seen that in my life lol.
— 4 stars for chill vibes, good drinks, and good company.
Friday: Round two, and this place was totally different. Packed compared to Thurs, more clubby vibe.
— Bar was poppin but for some reason the guy bartender helping us was SO slow, like literally measuring his shots out and pulling bottles off the shelves one by one and putting them back lmao. Made wimpy drinks. Also took 5ever to pour a beer.
— More people = more diverse crowd = new people to talk to! Refreshing compared to California, where people chat you up just to bone you.
— Dance area was SO crowded that people were just bobbing up and down lawls, didn’t even bother to check it out. Stuck around bar area.
— 3 stars for friends and that’s about it.

Asked if the bartender would like to make something unique, and got an Old Fashioned type with Mezcal= delish. If you like sweet drinks, offered menu is great, but feel free to challenge them, it will be in your best interest.

Last time I came here, about a month ago, the drinks were weak, the music was unoriginal despite there being a DJ, and the dance floor was just a grindfest. It was a very weird vibe between trying to be Trendy yet it seemed so juvenile, not sure what the deal was. Also the bartenders seemed irritated when I asked for a stronger drink and they said they’re not allowed to add shots to the drinks, it was odd… mind you I was sober not like I was drunk and demanding more booze just because.

Came here last night and it was really fun. Cheap drinks, cool atmosphere– DJ was killing it! We danced until they kicked everybody out
Good times!

I came here because it is the spot you end your night but I guess I wasn’t drunk enough to deal with the shitty DJ– seriously, the worse. I have no idea who they are playing for, maybe cats on acid, I dunno. I won’t be ending my night there again and urge people to stay away if to care about music. Of course you’ll be kinda drunk but man you gotta be really drunk to enjoy the crappy music here. Fire those DJs ASAP.

Cavernous space in Logan Square with a plain-​looking exterior features a gorgeous interior, with a huge and well-​stocked bar, a decidedly retro decorating theme, and, yes, a waterfall. All that’s enough to draw you in, but there’s also live music on an old-​school interior stage, an excellent menu of craft cocktails, and a skillful bartender dedicated to doing your drinks right. The beer menu is no great shakes, and the crowd can be on the self-​parodically hip side, but those are pretty minor quibbles; find a night when it’s not too crowded and spend a few hours having a good ol’ time.

The best aviations. It’s a hipster haven. But hey its open late, great selection of beer’s and they make good drinks.
It’s nice to go in during happy hour (6pm-​8pm) half off drinks and it’s super chill don’t have to bump into so many plaid shirts, mustaches, beards, or year worn beanies, oh can’t forget the obsession of thrift store gear, oh oh bad haircuts or bed head or sex hair, or a collection of «socially awkward» people (apparently it’s the new in thing, to be socially awkward) people who write run on sentences, with so many commas. Yup its a good spot.

Before entering «The Owl», I thought that the owl theme was limited to the outside of this establishment, but I was wrong. Inside you will find countless owl figures and pictures throughout the place. The owls and indoor waterfall make for a unique bar experience, and also the size of this place. The Owl is actually a pretty large bar, but this is not obvious from the outside.
If you want a seat or to avoid a line, it is best to come a little earlier in the evening. Even at 10:30pm/11pm there still wasn’t any line or huge crowd yet, but I heard that around midnight, that changes.
I enjoyed my speciality rum cocktail from their menu, but I kind of wish they would add a couple more speciality cocktails to their menu to pick from. Our bartender also disappeared a lot outside and to other areas inside, so I wouldn’t say the service is top notch, but it is what it is I guess. I still think this is a neat place to check out in the Logan Square area.

Large draft selection
Dark mood, reminded me of the california clipper before it was remodeled
Came in on a weeknight with a couple friends, nice and chill
Cheap tab, good time
Will return

I almost didn’t check this place out on my recent visit to Chicago based solely on most of the reviews that say the DJ is terrible and they don’t play good music. The most recent of those reviews was 10 days ago. I don’t know if they got a new DJ or what but Saturday night was absolutely bumping. The dance floor was packed and the DJ was playing some of the best music I’ve heard at a dance night. 60s soul, funk, disco… dancehall reggae…90s-00s hip hop… all heaters.
The place is dimly lit and is more or less a hipstery dive. It is true that it has a slight funky smell. But the service was quick, the waitress and bartender were friendly, and the beers and drinks were cheap.
I’ll definitely be hitting up the Owl on my next trip to Chicago.

Cons
It always smells funky. Not sure what that is about but its so not okay.
I have never heard good music here. Last time the DJ was more interested in getting a book light to clip to his hat then change the song although people were yelling at him to.
Bartenders suck here. I’ve had to remind the bartender to give me my drinks before
Pros
Waitresses are very friendly and helpful
Great beer selection
Has a type of dance floor… now they just need to get the music figured out.
Would have been three stars, but last time we went up and ordered 4 or Beer A and a 1 of Beer B. We ended up with 5 of Beer A, two beers we didn’t order, and never got Beer B
We told the bar tender we did not order them did not take the beers they refused to take them off out tab insisting we ordered them. We paid and left and probably will not be back because of that.
I wanna note that this place is a few places down from the Rocking Horse, also reviewed by me, which seems to smell the same way only worse.

Great dive bar to go if you’re looking to dance to some great oldies and 90’s music! The ambiance was hippy, but hippy is the new fad.
The crowd is pretty diverse with your people socializing at the bar, people dancing and people lounging out talking.
Haven’t had a drink when I went there but I trust Logan Square bartenders, so they’re probably good. (You can trust that claim, ha)
I would definitely go again just because of the music and I love to dance; plus it’s the only 4AM bar in Logan. Catch on Slippery Slope!
Get to this place, guys!

I’ve been here a few times. The service is good, that’s what keeps me coming back. The atmosphere is very relaxing.
I love that they have Ace’s Pear Ale! So yummy!!!
The one thing I dislike, the smell. It smells like a bathroom. :/.

Laws of gravity do no apply to whiskey shots here.
This place will steal your 20’s and pickle your childhood dreams in regret.
It’ll teach you what a 3 day bender feels like.
Then proceed to teaching you how to count to ten, in the language of the bender.
The staff is give or take a good attitude, but the drinks flow till paw used to get up for work.

My friend was determined to hit up the Owl after a long night at Emporium and Slippery Slope. As soon as Slippery Slope closed, we headed over and waited 30 minutes for the Owl since they open at 2AM.
Worth it? I’m not sure. But it is refreshing to dance to 90s music without pretentious drinks and their prices. The atmosphere is different, but what do you expect in Logan Square?
All in all, it’s nice to have a super late night bar option that doesn’t involve going to Boystown.

One of my favorite bars in the city! I can come to The Owl any night of the week and have a good time. It’s laid back and chill but with bumping funky beats that will have you groovin’ on the dance floor.
The drink pricing and specials are exceptional and the bartenders and staff are all friendly.
It’s a clean environment with a cool ambiance (that waterfall behind the bar and cute little owl theme) and everyone that goes there is looking to have a good time so you end up meeting a lot of cool people!

Aww, I love going to The Owl.
It’s the perfect place to get drunk and shit faced. I don’t have to worry about who I’m going to run into because none of my friends go here.
So I’m basically sloppy drunk in front of strangers.
And that’s ok because we all have to drink in anonymity sometimes.

Magnet for creeps, only at The Owl, they have beards instead of striped shirts and fauxhawks.
Music is hit-or-miss…usually more on the «miss» side. Once, the DJ played Donna Summer’s «Love to Love Ya» despite cries of protest from the dance floor. 39 years later and people still don’t want to hear 18 minutes of moaning.
Late at night, it’s a freak show. A collection of fresh-​faced Chicago transplants trying to be as hipster as possible coupled with mentally-​unstable creeps makes an average night here incredibly annoying.
Inside is filthy and getting a drink is not easy.
Not worth the wait in line.

This bar gets a bump of a star because i had just gone into rocking horse expecting an ambiance like the owl so when i walked into the owl I was like yes… this is what i was looking for.
The owl is a chill bar with a nice water feature behind the bar. You don’t see that very much in Logan. Or at all really.
They had a nice drink special menu and the bartender was very attentive even with a butt in every bar seat. We were in on a saturday but it was actually v chill and didn’t start to fill up until we left around 11:30.
They had a cocktail on tap which I believe is a seasonal rotation. This one was very fall themed in flavors.
They have a room in the back with no bar that I assume is for dancing.
Bathroom was clean and well maintained.

Like a beacon of hope on a stormy night, The Owl sticks out in the overcrowded, overpriced spots popping up in Logan Square. I’ve passed by The Owl many times and never thought much of it. I finally stopped in this past weekend and am happy to say I will be stopping in much more.
We grabbed a seat up at the bar and were taken care of right away, checked in on often, and just felt like we got the proper attention the whole night. Beer prices are completely reasonable and we were really happy with their beer list. They had a great draft list, even better list of bottle & cans, plus had some specialty cocktails. I ordered a Clown Shoes brew and thought it was super sweet that the bartender not only warned me about it being 12.5% but also brought me out an ice water along with it.
Minutes earlier, a girl of no more than 110 lbs plummeted to the ground in a thunderous thud that I would never have imagined a tiny thing that size could produce. Her drunken stupor of a fall shook the entire bar and required three men pulling her pancaked body up off the ground. The girl got up and started gyrating vigorously, I’m assuming, in an attempt to dance along to the music. So… based on those events, I’m on board with the warning on the alcohol content & water from the bartender.
Bonus points for having a cassette tape vending machine — word up. Inside track… My first tape was either Jon Secada, Green Day or En Vogue… one of the three for sure. I mention that because they actually played Free Your Mind the night I was in! Super random music selection ranging from 90s R&B like that to punk rock Bikini Kill.
If it’s Saturday night in Logan Square and you’re looking for somewhere chill, don’t care about being in ‘the scene’ and are up for some good drinks, I highly recommend The Owl.