Schubas   

One of Chicago's oldest and most-celebrated live music halls, Schubas Tavern is a great place to catch an intimate folk, country, blues or indie rock performance. The back room at Schubas has played host to music stars such as Meredith Brooks and Freddy Johnston and is still the Chicago home to bands like Local H, The Guffs and The Clarks. Built in 1900 as one of many Schlitz Breweries, the structure is one of a handful of the former Schlitz buildings that are still dispensing suds today. The front bar is cozy and slender and, with respect to its past, still serves ice cold Schlitz in bottles. The real draw, however, is the back music hall, a cozy space that holds about 70 fans, has great sight lines and boasts excellent acoustics. After seeing a show in the intimate confines of Schubas, it's easy to understand why dedicated music fans prefer it to bigger venues such as Park West and House of Blues. To fill out the other half of the "bar and grill" equation, owners Chris and Michael Schuba knocked down the wall separating an adjoining building to create the Harmony Grill in 1997. It keeps patrons fueled with a menu of classic American bar food (try the pizza). The stained glass windows and folk art in the 80-seat dining room mesh nicely with the folk ethic of many of Schubas, performers. In the summer Schubas opens its sidewalk patio and for one weekend each season hosts its own music festival on Southport.