Green Mill Cocktail Lounge, Jazz venue and cocktail bar in Uptown, Chicago, US
Green Mill Cocktail Lounge is a jazz club and bar in Uptown, Chicago, housed in a historic building from the 1900s. The interior shows curved woodwork, brass lamps, and wall mirrors in Art Deco style that shape a narrow space with a stage at the back end.
The venue opened in the early 1900s as a music spot and became a key gathering place for organized crime in Chicago during the 1920s Prohibition era. After Prohibition ended, it stayed active as a jazz club and survived the following decades without major renovations.
The name dates back to the golden age of jazz, and today musicians perform every night on the same stage. The audience sits in the old leather booths and follows the tradition of keeping quiet during sets and giving performers full attention.
Entry requires cash payment, and no reservations are accepted for the daily concerts. The door opens at 4 PM, and arriving early makes it easier to find a spot close to the stage.
Behind the bar sits a trap door leading to underground tunnels that once connected to a nearby hotel. These passages served as an escape route during Prohibition when police searched the venue.
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