Paris Cafe on Belmont in Chicago

I have been going to Paris Cafe, which is located a few blocks west of Cicero on Belmont northwest of downtown Chicago, nearly every Friday for the past 2 months. Its actually a cafe (thus "Paris Cafe"), but at night they have a dj there. On Thursdays they actually have karaoke, though since this place is predominantly Polish, most songs are in Polish language so it might be so much fun to go to Paris Cafe on Thursdays if you are not Polish...

On Fridays, however, its like a small club - djs there are pretty good, they play the same house music that big clubs have and also some older techno songs which I happen to really like (it gets Paris Cafe more of a euro vibe).

Fridays at Paris Cafe

It gets busy after around 10:30 - though people don't usually start dancing until after 11:30. And it usually starts with half a dozen of beatiful girls coming out to the dance floor (after they had enough to drink to start the party). Though in the end, only about 30-40 people fit on a dancefloor, I like the fact that this is actually small - makes it more cozy and comfortable. There are often a few tables available so there is also a good chance of getting a place to sit and relax. Food is available and decent. Drinks are $3 for anymixed drink on Friday!!! Which is probably my favorite thing about this place - the drinks taste good, are decently strong, and cost 3 bucks. For seating, there are restaurant/cafe type tables with chairs, or lounge type couches with coffee tables. Though you usually need to reserve the couches.

There are two bars (even though the place is rather small), so there is never any long wait times. There are also waitresses that could take drink/food orders from tables, but they usually take a rather long time to bring drinks back.

Parking at Paris Cafe

There is a tiny cramped parking lot right in front of that cafe. But I strongly suggest never leaving your car there. Since the lot is so narrow, there isn't barely enough space for cars to back out of their spaces... It gets especially complicated when people leave after having a few drinks. I once saw a guy hit another car while leaving the lot (made a hole in the bumper), well, he just sped away. There is a larger parking lot across Belmont from Paris Cafe - this is a much safer and easier place to park. Additionally, there is usually a few empty parking spots on Belmont on the same block.

Overall Impression

Obviously, I like this cafe. Thats why I've been going back here frequently. If you don't mess with the other patrons, they tend to be pretty cool (I'd suggest not picking fights because a lot of people know each other there). The crowd is good-looking and happy most of the time, consisting mostly of Polish people. "Euro" style dominates this place - so black shoes, slimmer jeans and white shirts are worn by half the male patrons. I'd suggest giving this place a try.

The Embassy Nightclub, Former Theatro Ultra Lounge in Chicago

I spent my Halloween night at the Embassy nightclub in Chicago. It is a small/medium size "loungy" club just west of downtown Chicago. It used to be called Theatro Ultra Lounge, but seemed to exists under that name for only a few months.

To be completely honest, I was a little drunk that night. Neither was this a regular night - it was Halloween and it was crazy. We had a corner table there with bottle service, so there wasn't much need for the bar.

Since that place is slightly west of downtown, there was no problem finding parking. Though there is a train line (CTA) above the road right in front of the front entrance of Embassy nightclub, so its somewhat annoying staying in line there or smoking outside because the trains are very loud while they pass. However, there is a separate smoking area which looks like a narrow balkony and is on the side of the building on second-story level. Its probably allright there when its dry, but it rained a little before that night and there were a few small but annoying puddles on the floor (its all concrete without real drains).

Its cozy inside, the whole club is actually at a 2nd floor and there is no basementish feeling that most other smaller clubs have. There is (I think) one long bar against the side of building.

They were playing house music all night, dj was good. However, since this was a special event they might have had a guest dj.

I actually had a blast there - the best time I've had in a club this year. Thus, I obviously loved that place. I just hope that it is comparably good on regular nights.