Great club, as a Smartbar regular, this would make a great backup in case the DJ sucked there, though some more garbage cans would be nice, I'm used to seeing a good (somewhat) lit locations there, here, I just found one, and it got me confused and worried a bit. Everything was great overall but not quite perfect. Some things I do like VS Smartbar aside from the inclusion of Knob Creek Bourbon (my favorite alcohol when mixed with diet coke) is a full serviced restroom, as well as great audio quality throughout the club, whoever said that this club was too loud clearly doesn't know Chicago house lmao. I do love the 20% gratuity tip automatically added to my checks. It makes it easier to mathematically calculate the bartender's performance. The music was outstanding this night as I'm reviewing now. My heart was unlocked with the constant stream of sexy drums being aired out of the speakers, standing in front of the loudest part of the club outside of directly listening through the speakers, my body felt numb from the DJs performance throughout the morning, all in all, a fantastic experience with a few quirks, but otherwise excellent.
Price per person
$50–100
Food: 5
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 4

Sweet little underground venue, lines were nonexistent when I arrived at 11:30 or so. This was the only club I went to the two nights I was in Chicago, and I was not disappointed. Bouncers expedited the entry process without any issue. Bartender was nice, recognized me and greeted me on my second night there. Water is $5 per bottle, but I do recall seeing someone get his empty glass filled with tap water and ice free of charge. They also have the comfiest sofa to chill at which does not require booking a table and yet still has a great view of the dance floor / DJ booth. Additionally, worth noting is a nice old man who attends the bathroom sink and squirts soap in your hands, who then provides you with a paper towel. Finally, ventilation and cooling are adequate; there are several spots on the dance floor where conditioned air blows down from above, but if you need, there’s also a fan in the back with a lot more space to chill. However, of note is their no-reentry policy, regardless, there is a cordoned off outdoor zone immediately outside the venue in which you can chill and reenter from I think.

I recently attended the NTO event at Spybar and as someone on the spectrum that loves techno it was a really nice event to attend. Nobody made me feel weird for sitting around for awhile until some of my favorites came on. It was nice to attend a event alone and the crowd there felt very comfortable and inclusive. It was a great space to dance in and move around in. The security was also really nice at check in and just in general around the event noticing them interact with people. The staff was really warming too and friendly. Personally I loved the vibe but I know it's not like anything seen online or overseas. I've seen a few different styles but so far this club was most "user friendly" I've been to. Personally think it's fantastic for Chicago's crowd and first time clubbers. Highly recommend finding out if a favorite artist you love is playing there.

Easy entry. No line. $4 for coat check. Restrooms were very clean with an attendant. Bartenders super quick and efficient. Drinks are at least 30% cheaper then any other night club around especially soundbar that is across the street. Not too spacious but it never got overly crowded. Nice thing is they have seating outside of the vip area that is for everyone so you could rest your feet or back at anytime. They also have a merchandise booth. And security does their job at keeping everyone safe. One complaint would be the sound system. The bass was not adjusted so it was not really pleasant. Thankfully they fixed it a bit but it was still problematic.

Friendly staff, affordable prices in comparison to many other River North bars, and upgrades to the bathrooms, lighting and sound, along with it's late closing times make this the perfect spot to end-up on weekends. It's all about the music! House, techno and their offshoots are the main genres of music with a nice balance of superstar DJs and up-and-comers you'll see gracing bigger stages in the future. Pre-sale tickets are always more affordable than door prices, but they sometimes sell out quickly due to it's intimate size. Security isn't overt, but responds quickly to complaints of drunk pests ruining the vibe.

Favorite club in Chicago. No frills - the tables offered are off to the side and not the focus of the club. Bookings have their finger on the heartbeat of up-and-coming artists. The majority of the artists play house and techno. There is a small amount of seating at the back of the venue available first-come-first serve which becomes available on and off throughout the night since most of the clientele actually dances. Low lit basement vibes but still a great A/V production infrastructure in place. Price points for tickets and drinks are some of the best in River North.

Visited this place while in town for a weekend getaway. Music was five stars. Location was five stars. Not overly crowded. Dj did a great job of mixing up tunes. Only negative thing i would say is, drinks were over priced and were deluded IMOP. For $16-18, give me some good stuff. Other than that, it was a great location. Cover was $20 for men, ladies free.

Love this venue, when the artist is good it’s the one of the best places to be. Great vibe, great setup. BUT these guys have one of the WORST sound systems in the city, not only that the volume is low so you can’t hear it unless you push up, the quality is that of a loud JBL speaker. Get funktion ones and become the best venue the city, come on guys?

Decided to come here for the first time as tourists after hearing good reviews on a good house music bar to go to. We came at around 11pm on a Friday and were surprised with the high cover charge to come in. We were there for 1 hour and a half and it was not lively, empty, music was not great and it was not getting any better so we left.

Disgusting. Has no right to exist in the city that birthed house music. $30 cover and $10 canned beer. Crowd is just a bunch of white straight men wearing sunglasses fist bumping to soulless techno. If you actually care about dance music, steer clear of this supposed “dance club.”
Food: 1
Service: 3
Atmosphere: 1

This bar is just completely cringe. We went here willing to spend $ and have a good time but its like everyone showed up with a mandate to pretend they were in one of the douchiest music videos ever made. Major comedown vibes and bad drinks. Avoid.
Price per person
$50–100
Food: 1
Service: 2
Atmosphere: 1

The best nightclub in Chicago from an electronic music fan's perspective. Good music and fun fan experience. The focus here is NOT on bottle service, but rather on a spacious room hosting both headlining DJs and talented locals. The only other Chicago club that comes close to Spybar is Smartbar.

It's a nice small/intimate club. I prefer this to the "warehouse" type of clubs with huge rooms (like a certain nightclub across the street). It reminded me more of a European club. The DJ I saw played good house..... The bar had limited selection though, so don't expect "craft" cocktails.

$30 cover for what? A poor sound system and meh vibes. I feel like the cover only exist to keep people from leaving this low tier club. First time and last time. I wish I could leave anything positive
Service: 1
Atmosphere: 1

Been going to this club for years... late nights and always a great time! For River North the prices of drinks are fair and since they re-opened after covid they've def done a ton of work on the lighting and re-did the bathrooms

great underground venue with a relatively relaxed dress code. cover charge gone up recently but still a nice place to zone out. The headliner DJs usually come on nearly 2:00 a.m. so be aware of that

Dead spots of limited sound in the room, sound only coming from the front, just bass traveling to the back of the room. Makes it hard to enjoy the music. Security and service was otherwise good.

If you’re a fan of techno + house music; vodka sodas, and $1 lollis in the toilets, this place is for you.
Price per person
$100+
Food: 5
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 5

Great atmosphere, top talent. Awesome sound system. Great place to dance if your a electronic music lover.

One of the best clubs I've ever been to, from sound system to staff, great place