The Shrine

Not a fan of the Shrine, a lot of people love this club and expect to stand in line for a while. Prices are from $ 20 to $ 100 depending on the night and don’t expect to pay any less if you come after 2pm. If you are trying to walk in and out of a nice club for a nice time, this is not the place to go.

I have a complicated relationship with Shrine. It is one the last clubs that I will even consider in Chicago. Like most clubs in the city, depending on the night cover may run from $ 5 to $ 100. This cost also depends on who is at the door, who’s inside, the day, the time, and god knows what else. As far as a venue, it has two sides that sometimes plays different music. They seems to be primarily rap/​hip Hop/r&b but there are some «African» music nights. It’s easy to get to, has ample street parking, and there’s late night eats nearby. Unfortunately, the staff here can be annoying and disrespectful. They tend to yell at people like they are children. I know working sober is hard around 100 drunk people, but nice words go a long way. Even when you purchase a table for a million dollars, which is what I did for nye, you had to wait in line. The service was good and the bottle woman was impeccable. Overall, we had a good night.
Basically, it’s a nice place but there are too many varying factors that determine your experience. They are not consistent.

Extremely disappointed with this establishment. Egotistical doorman named Ray unprofessional, unnecessary, and rude. Arrived at club with friends and out of town guest and was approached to pay for parking in a public lot. Attendant was told that cash was on hand cash station was needed. We were not allowed inside. This situation was mishandled and present staff needs customer service training asap. I will contact current account prospects regarding this issue.

Zero star. DO NOT GO TO SHRINE. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.
1. Rude bouncers will spit in your face.
2. Cover is 40 bucks no negotiation
3. Sardine can inside. Shoulder to shoulder. Inside smells like sweaty ass cheeks.
4. Drinks are terrible.
5. Décor and ambiance is super ghetto.
6. 1 star for the crop of girls here. And yea the dudes is all in baggies and sunglasses and on some hood type shit.
7. Don’t do shrine bro. Go downtown or wrigglyville to party.

I LOVE Erykah Badu, so I went to Shrine to see her. She was the guest DJ and I had a fabulous time. If you’ve never been to Shrine, it’s a place you should go. It’s clean with plenty of space for dancing. Even the bathrooms were nice. They don’t pack you in like a can of sardines. I felt safe. The bartenders were friendly, the liquor wasn’t watered down, and I didn’t have to wait all night for a drink. I had such a good time dancing; it was a night to remember!!!

This is an urban club. Music is fire, drinks are ok, and the staff is pretty annoying. A local dude tried to fight me in the club because I wouldn’t move out of his way. This club is over-​crowded and impossible to move around in on the weekends. Ratchet AF.

Hmmm… very nice bathrooms and they come with the bathroom attendant who has everything from Edge Control for your hair to suckers for fun on the dancefloor.
The walls are lined with flyers of presumably past performances held there… It seemed rather small, especially after the crowd had completely gathered. I went to see Floetry perform together and it got thick really quickly. I didn’t understand why anyone would sit in VIP considering after the crowd filled in, there was no way to be seated at a snooty table in a roped off area trying to watch the concert on one of the flatscreens that weren’t big enough for you to watch with enjoyment unless you were in the mix of the crowd.
The best part was being in the mix almost guaranteed a great view of whoever the performers on the stage were. The stage wasn’t that big and there is a short walkway that leads out into the crowd just enough for performers to get up close and personal with their audience. Overwall, it was ok. The concert I attended was AMAZING.
The crowd had it’s moments. Some people were cool and friendly, others had a hard time understanding that it might be rude to stand directly in front of someone. But that could just be me. There wasn’t much room to do any dancing. Swaying is your best option for this type of atmosphere. I think I may have saw where the bar was at but I can’t be 100% sure. I will say the venue is small and intimate and there is great potential to have a good time there… but please ladies, WEAR FLATS.
No sense in trying to be foot cute for general admission standing.

I got catfished by all the hype this place gets. I cannot believe how much people talk this wack place up. The Shrine is terrible! It’s insanely overpriced. They charged $ 40 at the door. I came to see Lil Kim but I felt the price was a bit steep. Doors open at 10pm. People were lined up outside when I got there at 9:30. In the rain. By 10 there was a super long line and they still hadn’t opened the door. Someone came outside at around 10:25 and told people to take 3 steps back from the door. He disappears for 10 more minutes then comes back out to tell people to take 3 more steps back and to form 2 separate line. One for cash only, the other for people with tickets. By the time I got inside it was after 10:40. Why advertise you open at 10 when it’s more like 10:45?
Security was ok. They had 1 person check your bag and another person doing stop and frisk.
They had plenty of bars. I didn’t get anything to drink so I can’t tell how the drinks were.
The floor is extremely sticky and dirty. It felt like the floor hasn’t been mopped in months. There was a water leak from the ceiling directly above the bar near the stage. They had a couple of employees pretending to care by shining a flashlight on it but not doing anything else about it.
Music was so-​so. I enjoyed the mix of 90s and 2000s R&B and hip hop along with current day trap music. However, the DJ’s records skipped a few times and there were a few repeats. I heard Partition, 7/​11, and F*ck Up Some Commas 3 times.
They pack people in like sardines. By 12 everybody was standing shoulder to shoulder, booty to booty. It’s extremely musty because of how close everyone is. Fire hazard much? There’s no room to dance. You can only bob your head, snap your fingers, and 2 step.
It is standing room only unless you get VIP bottle service. Then you get to flex on cheap couches on stage.
Do NOT take them seriously as a concert venue! Lil Kim was scheduled to perform. The DJ kept saying Lil Kim is on her way every 15 minutes after 11:30. I heard someone say she was going on at 12am. By 12, she was nowhere in sight. Crowd was starting to get a little restless. By 1, the majority of the crowd looked pissed. They brought out a go go dancer as a distraction. Then had Porscha from Empire perform. Lil Kim didn’t hit the stage until 1:45 am and performed like 4 songs in 12 minutes. From what I hear after going, this is commonplace at the Shrine! They bait you by putting a celebrity on a flyer, have the celeb come in 3 hours after doors open and perform for 15 minutes and that’s it. WTF? $ 40 at the door for 15 minutes of performance is not a concert! They false advertise and scam people out of their money. The DJ was having technical difficulties with Not Tonight so Lil Kim had to do a one verse acapella of that song. This entire place is a joke! Don’t waste your time or money.

Now Presenting the 26^th and California cook county class of 2015!!! Drum roll please dun! dun! Duuuunnnn!!!
First let me say the bouncers take their jobs way to serious and do not discern between paying upscale clients and people who save their paychecks to party on the weekends. I get to the door for my best friends birthday and they tell me my code to enter is invalid now because it’s too late and will be $ 40 (ok whatever) then the tone that they speak to you in is completely trashy and ghetto and I’m looking like why does it take all that to speak with a client with respect (refer back to the 26^th and California quote) once you enter you get to see an array of eligible wives and mother material that any man would not pass up. If you want to experience the definition of ratchet and non professionals then this is the place for you. Don’t forget to take your Durag off before you get to the door btw just a tip

Ummm… I only went in because my classmate was alone and drunk for her bday and had a promoter set her up with free entry.
1) I stood in line for over an hour as multiple groups of people pushed their way to the front and security did nothing to help us from being pushed and crowded.
2) Bald white (sorry but this is your identifier) security guy is a dick and doesn’t know what he’s doing at all
3) Whoever is directing security from inside needs to be slapped because even the good security guys were complaining about operations.
4) They were charging guys almost 40 girls around 25 – 30 to get in (I’m too old and wise for that ish so my friend was lucky she got us both the free entry deal otherwise I would have left)
5) When we finally get in the building at almost 12:30, there’s almost nobody there… HUH!!! Like seriously it’s nearly empty, most of the bodies were in the vip section because those who bought bottles had 10+groupies/friends in the section with them. These are not celebs, they are people paying 50 – 150 for a bottle and splitting the tab with their average and/​or ugly friends and their girlfriends… smh
So like I said I was only in there because of obligation to make someone else’s night a better one but luckily she got too drunk to function properly and I was able to drag her out by 3:45. I won’t be back even though my first experience with them last year was nice and I was sorta looking forward to trying the African music nights or an event. (I’ve heard from a reputable source that this place is becoming desperate for business and that’s sad that they can’t pull their ish together but oh well)
OH YEAH, the music is good hence the two stars instead of one

The staff at this place is pretty solid, never been to a club where the club seemed to have a guy (s) so on top of spills, drops and topples. Attened on a Friday and a Saturday. Friday was perfect, full but not overcrowded. It was easy to get around and roam if that’s your thing but cool enough to just lay back with a drink and take in the atmosphere.
Saturday was horrid, it was way over capacity and the crowd was much less civil. It’s already a younger crowd (21 – 25), but the amount of pretenders and riff raff doubles on a Saturday. The bottle price is average but the don’t put a limit on people per bottle so you’ll literally have 10 people in the VIP section sharing a bottle of Ciroc or whatever it was. If the club tightens up that issue it should cut down on the traffic in VIP and those who are really there to spend some money can have a more enjoyable experience.
I doubt that I’ll ever go back but if I do it will be on a Friday.

Security is way too full of themselves. It was absolutely ridiculous!!! I should not be cussed out by security for asking a simple question regarding a party. Smh. Going into this place, I was not comfortable at all. They have no people skills. I want to support black businesses, but they need to understand that there is a certain way to deal with people if you want to gain and maintain club goers. Leave that ‘hood attitude at home.

This is a letter I sent to the Shrine to resolve this issue. Got no response so this will be my review of that place: During my many YEARS of attending and paying for concerts at the shrine I have never had such a horrible experience as I did Sunday night. My friend, myself and another young lady (who happens to be white) were all enjoying ourselves at the bar and talking to each other. We turned around to watch the commotion behind us because we were trapped in a corner after a fight broke out but were carried out of your establishment for absolutely no reason. The fight that broke out behind us had absolutely nothing to do with us three. We are owed an apology by the bouncers who wrongly grabbed my friend and I. In my almost 35 years of living I have never been removed from anywhere, ever touched by a bouncer, and treated so recklessly. My friend calmly asked to go back in to close out her tab and she was allowed to but when it came to her asking to retrieve the keys she was told to walk away from the door and treated very rudely. I was treated like a criminal and grabbed by your male security for absolutely no reason. I don’t understand. Please work on efficiently diffusing fights in the future.
Sincerely,
Kristen
Over the years I have gone to the Shrine and paid good money to see Richie Spice, Serani, Kindred, Jill Scott, Bilal, Rahsaan Patterson, Mr Vegas, Ledisi. And there were never fights when I went so I always felt safe. And Most recently I paid for a concert that I refuse to attend because of all of this. To be swept up off my feet and grabbed by my neck for no reason I really feel I deserve an apology. Its really unfortunate that my friend and I were treated this way. But it wont happen again. Chicago has other places that I can patronize and be respected as a human. Their employees seem to be out of touch with customer service. I havent even touched on how they pack people in like sardines. At some point you have to STOP selling tickets.

Its time to shut this place down. Someone took out a gun last night.

Came here Saturday because my buddy wanted to hear good hip-​hop, like other reviews, that the Shrine does have. On one side is the nightclub, the other is the concert venue. Kool G Rap was performing, I’ll pass on that. Crowd at the concert venue was a little sketchy, same could be said a couple of weeks ago when they had a reggae artist was there. Everybody looked like Bob Marley or Shabba Ranks, lol. The bartenders are attentive though, and friendly.
Couple of negatives, they automatically add a 20% tip to your bar tab. I usually tip more than 20% anyway, but obviously that policy is in place because people were not tipping, so I get it. But I still don’t like it. Also they search you, another turn off. Like an FOI meeting. Bouncer was like, «turn around.» An eyebrow went up. There to help, but made me more aware of my surroundings. The crowd genuinely looked to have a good time, but some of the women, uuhhhhh you probably should’ve looked at the full size mirror before you walked out the door.
Will be back just have to «prep» myself before I come.

This is a nice spot that has the space for a large crowd. Went to a «police» party and it was pretty spacious in the VIP area. The security is tight (which is okay… it is for protection!) the dj played some great hits. It’s a nice spot if you want to dance. The crowd is pretty young.

The venue is great. The customer service needs a little bit more work. Right off the bat they will charge you $ 5 bucks for a non-​optional coat check. Then my family decided to buy a bottle and they didn’t even want to give us a booth. We had to fight for one. Other then that it was a good night !

I love this venue. I decided to celebrate my bday somewhere fun but lowkey and The Shrine was perfecto. Everything ran smooth from entry to get bottle service, being seated, having the VIP hostess being attentive, Dj playing great music from old school to new hip hop and giving Bday shout outs all night!
I’m surely a fan so whenever I’m in town I will make sure I get my Dose of The Shrine to feed my addiction lol. I wanna thank all of you for making sure I had an amazing experience.
*Sidenote* they have crazy reasonable bottle specials. Coming from Miami I can appreciate a club that doesn’t charge the same amount as someone’s rent. Lol. Also I hear they have live shows as well.
This place is #BarbieApproved

Came here for the C2E2 after party. I’d been here before for a birthday party, and it was a decent experience. The venue also hosts artists from time to time, with a stage that overlooks the bar so they can get up close and personal with their fans.
If you’re looking for a straightforward, no hassle night out with mostly hip-​hop and R&B playing, this might do it for you.

You have to know what to expect when you come here. It’s only a 2 star location because yeah I’ve experienced better. BUT shout out to Sheri! She’s the best bartender… remembers your name and makes great drinks!
As a club venue: It’s not an upscale, grown and sexy spot. It’s a «I’m trying to have a no fuss, no frills type of night». Expect to see some ratchet and ridiculous here as well. But if that’s the type of mood you’re in… enjoy! It’s actually a good size for a club. There are two sides of the house with two DJ booths. Depending on the night and the music sets, both sides will be opened.
As a concert venue: I like smaller venues for concerts so I really like the Shrine for that. Shows are on the right side on the house, which has a stage for performances. They bring in some good acts so don’t sleep on this place. The best part is… you don’t have to stay for the club afterwards if you don’t want to ;-)
The last time I was here was for a special event (day party). I wasn’t sure how that was going to work out since the Shrine is really dark inside. They have a back patio area that I call the smokers section that was open for the day party. Since it was a bright, sunny day outside so it worked out decently well. It’s not a large space though so it mainly offered daylight into the rest of the venue which helped the experience.