I'm not a fan of techo or dance music. I can only hear their blarring and repepative bass lines for small intervals. This underground (literally) club has it's share of devote's obviously and... More

I'm not a fan of techo or dance music. I can only hear their blarring and repepative bass lines for small intervals. This underground (literally) club has it's share of devote's obviously and that's cool. Hey whatever you are into, just keep it real folks. They used to get some serious Punkers and Goth types (fish net stockings, mohawks and all) that hung out here which made it more interesting visually at least. It was modeled more after clubs in England years ago.
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The pros of Smart Bar are highlighted by the fact that there is seating available - the kind that you can actually sit on, not just watch others on as you stand around! The place is not big, but... More

The pros of Smart Bar are highlighted by the fact that there is seating available - the kind that you can actually sit on, not just watch others on as you stand around! The place is not big, but just big enough, and it doesn't get so crowded that you're like sardines. Just enough people crowd the dance floor so as to not make you feel self conscious with too much space around you, but you're not bumping into people either. No one here seems to mingle and hit on each other the way most wrigleyville bars/clubs are. This could be good or bad depending on your motivations for going out, but overall it seems like a good thing if you're sick of getting molested when you're just trying to dance. However, at least on the night that I was there (Saturday) the music was just not happening the way I'd have liked. It was straight techno, which is fine, but the baseline or beat never changed - hours later it sounded exactly as it did when I first got there, and a little variety would have been appreciated. I felt that without a change in the music, my dance moves (already severely and embarrassingly lacking) wouldn't change and that alone made me self-conscious. But maybe I'd feel that anyway, who knows...as it is, Smart Bar attracts some very good dancers - expect a danceoff or two with some fierce (yet friendly) competition. It's nice to watch, even if you don't have the skills to join in!
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When I was in college, my buddies and I loved to go here to dance the night out. This place is your ultimate dance club. They have awesome DJs here and they play all the cool techno and clubby... More

When I was in college, my buddies and I loved to go here to dance the night out. This place is your ultimate dance club. They have awesome DJs here and they play all the cool techno and clubby music. The crowed is super cool and energized so be ready to dance, dance, and dance. The cover charge here is pretty low so it attracts a lot of students. They also have a bar area which is a great place to take a break from the music and grab a drink and chat it up with a few people.
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To be honest, all the trendy dance clubs downtown give me a mild headache—way too much posturing, dress coding and see-and-be-seen pretension for my taste (except when I’m in the mood for being... More

To be honest, all the trendy dance clubs downtown give me a mild headache—way too much posturing, dress coding and see-and-be-seen pretension for my taste (except when I’m in the mood for being pretentious, of course). Enter the Smart Bar (located underneath the Metro), which offers the same cool club beats with a bit less snobbiness. Sure, you’ll get your share of hipsters (it is in Wrigleyville, after all), but for the most part, people are there to drink and dance first rather than look pretty. It has the typical “walk down a basement into a dark club” ambiance, and the music is smoothly custom-crafted by very good DJs who as a general rule avoid any tracks that might have gotten Top 40 airplay. This is the bar revelers congregate to after other bars nearby close at 2 a.m., so expect a very late-night rush around that time (in other words, try to get there before 2 a.m. to beat the line).
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