The Note

drinks are average priced i think for the neighborhood. there is nothing special about the place … except that every time i have gone to the note its turned out to be an amazing and memorable evening. saw danko jones there, great show.

Boyfriend’s band played here and the lineup was great. Drinks and service are nice too. Cute place!

I’ve been here a few times and always had a good time. It’s a nice little venue for small shows.

I can only give this bar 3 stars cuz i’ve never once been there sober… But, every time I have been here I have had a blast. During my senior year of college I lived two blocks from this bar and I used to find myself coming here HOUSED all the time. It’s a fun bar filled with a TON of Wicker Park /​Bucktown chicks. Its open late as hell, so the drunken-​hookup factor is through the roof… So its got that going for itself, which is nice… One of these days I’ll get to this place sober and i’ll write another review and who knows, my opinion could change, but for now i give it the thumbs up.

The Note can indeed be something special — it just needs the right entertainment and the right crowd. I saw Jeff Buckley and Baaba Maal in this space and it was magic (though this was when it was the Hothouse). The Note used to be the Blue Note on Armitage, and it had one of the city’s best jukeboxes, with blues, soul and jazz. When Hothouse left, it took over its current space and changed its name to The Note. It does feel like a totally different place, its atmosphere failing to measure up to either the old Blue Note nor the Hothouse. The quality of music it books isn’t very consistent, but I do remember having a good time at a Marc Ribot Y los Cubanos Postizos show. Blue Cheer is playing soon. That’ll be interesting. Now if they would become nonsmoking…

I’ve been to a few «events» at this place. It’s sort of whatever.
Nothing special. Not horrible, though. Lots of local shows.

This is the average hole-​in-​the-​wall Chicago bar that is long and narrow with a plain interior and dark lighting. This club is not for the claustrophobic or people who cannot tolerate being bumped into from patrons dancing and walking around tables and chairs.
The performance area for bands is in a corner and the view is obstructed to patrons sitting or standing in the back because of a pillar in the center of the club. If you want to check out the sounds of Chicago local bands, The Note is the club to visit on any given night.