Double Door

It’s a real shame that is place will be no more after October. Last night was the first time that I’ve actually been inside this bar after passing it by countless times, and I must say that I really admired the interior structure of this building. LOADS of space to chill, drink, and listen to music and the sound guys do an amazing job on making the live acts really come out to life. Drinks are a little pricey, but hey, it’s worth it for a fun experience and get a chance to watch some prime live gigs. Here’s to you, Double Doors. See you on the other side.

The Double Door is a longtime iconic Chicago club that helped make Wicker Park a cool neighborhood. Today, it’s still a fantastic club to go to to party, dance, or sing-​along as you watch great bands. The bar is a great volume bar (beer + shots + simple drinks), and there are areas you can sit down and watch from a higher up at a distance if you don’t want to battle the crowd. Everyone I’ve met at DD has been nice and they make sure to treat their customers nicely. Highly recommend.

I went there last night for a show. The venue is great. It has a dive bar feel and a cool upstairs where u can sit and watch the band’s if u don’t want to stand. That is what the one star is for. This negative review is mainly for the door staff. Bottom line they are unhealthy, unhappy and full of anger. I don’t ever want to go back to this venue because of the door staff they SUCK! I hope the GM or owner reads this. I honestly have never been treated worse by anyone in my life. End of the day the door is the front lines they set the mood for the experience the paying customers are having, the mood they set was disappointing and very unpleasant totally unprofessional. I don’t care who is playing here I won’t go back until the door staff changes.

Hadn’t been to the DD for a long time until Chairlift last night. Was very impressed not just by the sound and lighting of the show, but particularly by the efforts they made to make sure a handicapped individual was able to get to a spot in the crowd of this particular show so that he could see it. I’m not sure many venues would go to that extra effort. My beer was pretty cheap and the door folks were friendly.
Please don’t get kicked out to become a Shake Shack. Double Door is one of few remaining institutions of the old Wicker Park. Without places like this, what is a neighborhood worth living in?

This place was awesome! Great beer selection and great prices! We went to see «The Get Up Kids» there and it was packed. Still sounded great.

Came once and my general thoughts were that it was not a great venue, especially on the weekends in Wicker Park. The staff is rude AF (not great to look at either), drinks are bad even for a dirty venue, and the prices are way too high for the shows. Even though I didn’t plan on coming back or recommending this place to any other friends– I did come again and brought a friend from out of town. She was from the US and she showed her ID. Three bouncers looked at it (weird…) said it was fake, took it, and told her to call the cops if she wanted it back. It was obviously a real ID, she even showed her back up, expired under 21 ID, but my friend is a black woman, so they didn’t care how many credit cards or verified IDs/​passports she showed them. They told her to «get the f*ck out.» What was especially weird is that even before the third bouncer finally took her (genuine) ID, they had already given me back my money, leading me to believe this is not only a crap establishment for any music or dancing, but that they are racist AF. Don’t come here if you don’t want your night ruined!!!

This is a really cool and hip bar. I came here for my friend’s show for the first time on Saturday. Walked in and there was good music playing with cool visuals on the wall. Also, it’s a pretty unique place because there were tons of little vendors everywhere. When I walked in, there was a dessert table. Then I noticed that there was cool art and jewelry being sold. The upstairs had more jewelry being sold, as well as freshly cooked food. The downstairs had a separate, calmer vibe and a pool table.
The music is loud enough but not too loud. The drinks were well-​priced. The vibe was pretty laid back and awesome. I would def come back here.

This review is strickly for Door No. 3 the downstairs private bar.
Dimly lit, tall leather backed seating on the outside, very few seats besides so it’s never crowded, but also not billed to the whole public, but most know about it. It’s maybe not as secret as other bars of this nature, but it’s certainly the only one with music, sure Room 13 has a piano on weekends, but to have actual acts come in and play is great. I’m told acoustic sets abound down here and bands will often rent he place for friends and play.
I was not a fan of the pool table which gave the place a watering hold sort of vibe. Having music downstairs after shows is great, but too often the crowds can’t seem to understand this is more intimate and often get too loud killing the lounge-​ish vibe.
Service is great and billed to fit the mood. When the crowd is relaxed the bartenders can make the solid drink menu, when idiots spill in post show or even when it’s crowded upstairs they treat it like a total overflow bar and have no appreciation for what the bartenders are doing then they lean towards the «beer tender mode».
I found it not reaching it’s potential and not educating patrons as to what they are doing. Seems to have lost it’s vision. Prices are good, it’s not too loud. Bathrooms downstairs are nice, the whole vibe is nicer, but it gets muddled out to a wash.

I don’t normally write reviews, but the Double Door deserves a 5 star all the way. I went for a sold out show and the venue was not packed at all. This gives you room to dance, but also get away from the crowd if you need to. There is also a balcony area that anyone can sit at. Solid sound system and great staff.

Perfect punk rock palace. If you don’t have the time of your life, here, then you probably went to see the wrong band. Cuz this place is perfect.
Perfect for pit.
Perfect for actually getting a beer.
Perfect balcony area for us short guys.
I love seeing great Chicago rock shows, and this is a great place to see just that!
Huzzah!

I love, love, love the Halloween party each year. Everyone gets so dressed up — it so fun — and the bands that dress act like famous band (Tom Petty /​the Cure /​Billy Idol) are all so good. They also have it down with the bars and bathrooms — never an issue — sometimes a short wait but all the patrons are so nice I always meet new people. As long as they keep having this event I will be there!

One of my favorite Chicago memories was seeing one of my favorite bands at the Double Door.
Waiting in line to buy merch, the lead singer is having conversations with every person. While I am third in line, he notices me, waves, «Hi Peggah!» His level of excitement matched my level of surprise. We were able to talk sincerely with the band and opening band without being rushed out after the show.
I was able to convince the singer to take pictures with me in the photo booth. Such a wonderful night.
I cannot imagine recreating a better night at this venue or even in Chicago. Our elation with the experience fueled us for our 5 hour drive back to Michigan.

Enjoyed the small venu! Great show!

Double door is a great venue. Large and plenty of good spots for us short people to gather into so we can see the stage area. The bar area is pretty large which means I am never waiting too long to be served my next drink. They also have a downstairs area which is usually closed off. The green room (s) for the bands are pretty cool, nothing too fancy,; got to explore the downstairs area one time and read all the stuff people wrote on the walls. I like the bar in the downstairs area, seems real old timey from what I can remember.
Good location being at Wicker Park’s six corners so it’s easy to get to. Bonus is Glazed and Infused AS WELL AS Stan’s donuts are literally next to and across the street from Double Door. Yum.

The place is dark and not comfortable. The restroom was really dirty. The servants were rude and I am talking about the coat check man, the security guy and the bartenders. Also the cocktails were not that good.

What a fun place. I have been here a couple times and have always had a great time. Bartenders are relatively fast in my experience, and they have to be, because this place is always packed! My friends and I usually hang out on the little elevated area close to the entrance because you have a little more breathing room there. Good draft list, typically awesome music, and a great spot for dancing. Definitely choose this spot over Flat Iron, Debonair, etc.

I have been to this venue a couple times. Overall, I don’t like it. The women’s bathroom is unbelievably dirty, smelly, and run down. Without question, the most disgusting bathroom I have ever had the displeasure of entering. There is simply no excuse for this. The coat check guy was unfriendly and did not even acknowledge that I gave him a nice tip (which I wished I could have taken back given his attitude). The ticket taker and security were also rude. DD could be a fun venue if it was cleaned up and the staff was told to crack a smile once in a while instead of a sneer. While sneers are sometimes justified, there is no need to be a surely bastard to essentially everyone.

It’s dark, dingy, grungy… it works. Come as you are type of interior LOL. I don’t know why, but I kept feeling like I was going to get a splinter from walking around inside. It just has that «wooden» feeling I guess. Went here for Dr. Dre Day and the music sounded good (gangsta shit) and surprisingly packed LOL. In fact, I was surprised to see it was packed with mostly white people. Nothing wrong with that, I just expected a different crowd. Then again, I’m not from here and maybe the people there didn’t expect to see me there LOL.
Anyway, the bartenders were chill. Attentive and got your shit quickly, no bullshit. There’s a downstairs bar, and an upstairs lounge area. I’d go again.

I actually really enjoyed double door! Went with a couple of friends for Soul Summit. We didn’t have to pay cover which was a plus. Also didn’t have to walk far from the blue line since it’s directly across the street which was another plus!
Didn’t look like much on the outside but once we got in the atmosphere was great, the music was great, and the drinks were great. Diverse crowd & friendly bartenders, but the line at the bar upstairs can get a little long so go to the bar on the lower level. The lower level was surprisingly chill and is good for when you wanna get away from the crowd to have a drink in peace.

What a great night!
Met some friends as they were finishing a meal at a nearby Sushi joint; wasn’t sure what to expect for the rest of the night. We followed a Spaniard across the street and walked up to Double Door; osted signs showed no cover with the guy from the B-​52s DJing. Walked inside ordered a boiler maker and we were off!
The night was a cool mix of funk, disco, early hip hop etc. We danced all night long and it was a ton of fun. The bar was big enough to get drinks in a reasonable amount of time and they even had a check in deal for a free beer!
From seeing upcoming & old shows signs I can tell they have a WIDE variety of entertainment so as long as the act and the crowd are right I can’t imagine having a bad time here.
Note: If you’ve never been to this area of Chicago or Brooklyn or Art School you might experience hipster overload and vomit a little. (Don’t worry it wasn’t the tequila; keep drinking that.)

I don’t think I’ll ever see another show here.
Cons:
— People talking incessantly so you can’t hear the band. Never understand why people can’t keep their cakehole shut for 2 hours after they’ve paid $ 20 to see a band. This place was the worst for this I’ve ever experienced. If you have an extrovert friend, please smack them right in their mouth when they open it.
— Got VIP tickets to sit behind the bar. There are no speakers that point that direction so you get a muddled sound of the band and have to go up to the stage to hear well anyway.
— VIP seating is awkward. It’s a tiny ‘bar’ and you kinda want to lean on it from your seat, but you can’t scoot the seat up far enough so you end up leaning painfully or just sitting straight up on your stool. Kind of a dumb complaint but if you experience it you’ll see what I mean.
— Drinks were mixed with flat soda.
Pros:
The only real pro here is that the band we saw was amazing (Afro Beat Project). I wish we had seen them somewhere else though.

Usually there’s a $ 12 cover to go in. It’s cheaper if u buy tix online ahead of time ($ 10). It’s very convenient located, right across from the damen blue line el stop. They have decently priced drinks and serve them in clear plastic cups. The live bands are a hit or miss. You’ll also find people dancing in the area right in front of the live band. Pretty loud as expected. Not to big of a place. Fun love to hang out in wicker park

Double Door is great for when you don’t have any solid plans for the evening but you want to see a great show. I’ve only been a few times but every time the music has been great. Their latin dance night was AMAZING! Although after all of that dancing, I was practically drenched with sweat along with everyone else.
I can’t speak much for the drink options as I’m usually just there to dance or hear a new act. But it’s a great venue, the crowd is always diverse and there for the music.

I haven’t updated my review in almost 4 years! Holy moly. Looking back at my old review, the only negative thing I seemed to muster up was the obnoxiousness of having to get a smoker pass to go out and smoke (if you are a smoker-​I am not). However, GOOD NEWS SMOKER FRIENDS! That whole thing, doesn’t exist anymore. Feel free to step out and have a cigarette at your liking.
Why do I like the Double Door? There’s a couple reasons. The bartenders are always super speedy and make a good, stiff drink. The drink specials have improved over the years, and you can drink at a pretty decent price here :)
I love the beer selection — that’s always a plus!
The downstairs bar is my favorite secret — usually during a really busy show, you can get a drink at the downstairs bar without waiting (I will probably regret sharing this secret).
The downstairs is also now equipped with some bathrooms and is great for a comedy night or small show some nights during the week — so keep your eyes open for that.
The sound is always great here for shows — It’s apparent they care about the music… and it’s refreshing to go to a music venue that isn’t just «doing their job,» but instead doing their best to make your musical experience great.
After shows– I have to say– the music is awesome. Dance party USA.
Love it here.

Alright. Yes, the Double Door is drowning in history. But I’m pretty sure it’s also drowning in sewage, or something obscenely stinky. Either way, this is a great venue that everyone must go to at some point, at least once. It reminds me of Mississippi Nights (STL represent) back in the day, without all the smoke. Just be prepared to either A) smell farts all night, B) smell sweat all night, or C) smell sewage all night, because all of these smells are just mixing together in a big cloud of grossness that will smack you in the face every once in a while.
Aside from the olfactory freakshow, the sound system is pretty decent here when up close, your ears don’t get terribly blown out if you’re near the front of the stage, which is always nice. When standing farther back though, near the entrance, it is kinda hard to hear IMO. I’m a shorty when it comes to concert-​going (Literally, I always end up behind the dude that is 6’7″), so sometimes it can be hard to see as the floor is 100% flat, and beers are far too expensive. Also, $ 3/​coat coatcheck on the main floor.
However, great bands + small setting + affordable tickets = happy Karen.