Maybe I didn't get a full experience or a good experience of this place because of the night I went. Â But I just don't get how this place has 4 stars.
I was there Saturday night for a "black metal show" that my boyfriend wanted to check out. Â Not my cup of tea to begin with but I'm usually ok with some drinks and people watching. Â Let me tell you- you see some really interesting people at metal shows. Â Like the couple who would not stop making out right in front of me for at least half an hour.....
I wasn't feeling too hot thanks to my Halloween party the night before so I wasn't feeling drinks. Â My boyfriend had some $5 polish beers and seemed satisfied. Â When we walked in the place was FREEZING. Â Cold enough my boyfriend went back to the car to get his jacket. Â
We sat at the bar all night and suddenly my stomach decided to do some cartwheels so I ordered a sprite. Â I was sipping through the straw but that wasn't enough, I needed to guzzle from the cup. Â BIG mistake. Â The smell radiating from the ice, sprite, and/or cup was terrible. Â Like if someone had mopped with dirty water, or used a dirty rag to wipe down the bar mixed with freezer burn. Â I was done for the night at that point. Â
On a trip downstairs to the bathroom- there was poop remnants on the seat, and other things. Â Dirty toilet paper on the floor. Cmon is it really that easy to miss the toilet??
Also- I'm not sure why, but they had orange juice, cranberry juice, and coke liters sitting on top of the bar to mix drinks with. Â I noticed my sprite though had come out of a drink gun. Â I also saw them mixing OJ in drinks that had been sitting out all night. Â That can't be good, right? Â
I can say though the female bartender was accomodating to some chicks that wanted a tequilla sunrise. Â Doesn't strike me as that kind of beer but she still made them. Â
The bartender asked us if we were cold and said he had just turned the heat on (when we got there) but that the door being opened so much was making it cold. Â How is a bar THAT cold with a ton of people in it??
I know I had been here many moons ago for some kind of techno something or another and I remember not liking it then either. Â I guess I'd be willing to check this out on a normal night, if they have them. Â But so far- haven't been too excited about it.
I do not understand you, Cafe Lura. I've read through the reviews that it is a Polish bar, but that's not the feel I got at all. The entry bar is dark and divey, leading into a room with a small stage, then into a back room that looks like a suburban basement where you'd go to get high that also happens to have a Legends of the Hidden Temple theme.
The music was a DJ that spun reggae, and spun it badly. Transitions and mixing are not concepts he had bothered to familiarize himself with, so after each song there'd be a really abrupt transition to the next. While dancing, people would just stop and stand awkwardly until the next song got underway.
The bartender was...interesting. She seemed annoyed that she had to wait on us, probably because I was with about ten ladies, none of who was going to tip her based on her insanely short skirt or pulled-down shirt. I had to explain to her the term rail (seriously?!), and my rail whiskey was watered-down and cost me $7.
Cafe Lura was dead despite it being a Saturday night, with maybe thirty people total. I didn't mind this so much, as we could all sit in the back room and talk to each other, and later have plenty of room to dance, but the low attendance speaks to the club. There are a ton of high-scoring reviews, but many are several years old - I think Lura has faded from its former supposed glory.
Great place. Â During the weekdays there's not much going on. Â Decor is cavelike, awesome.
Wednesdays - free drum and bass. Â Expect some type of cover most weekends. Â
Awesome place to just chill and shoot some pool or relax on their couches with some friends. Â Tomek (a.k.a. Tom) is a super cool dude.
They mix some stiff drinks and the Polish ales are cheap.
Don't think it's some type of backwoods Polish immigrant watering hole - they play some sick music (cool reggae sets) and I've seen a very wide assortment of people across the racial spectrum go there and party the night away.
Cafe Lura... Â It has all of the elements of a good time. Â Mood lighting, cave like hidden vibe, a neighborhood bar feel, nice flow to the rooms, a real crappy pool table... and i mean, real crappy. Â Sunken old comfy sofas in the "hi, whats your name" room. Â All in all, pretty decent. Â My biggest complaint is that I don't like the staff so much. Â Not the warmest people around. Â But they don't bite, just not friendly. Â The girl bartender is super cool. Â Not so much the guy. Â It's a great place to see live music! Â I've enjoyed many Friday night Hip Hop sets and had my ears blown to bits (and this is a good thing).
Review Source:I love this place. I've been here a handful of times, mostly for dance music events, and almost always had a blast. I would definitely say that it all depends what's going on there as to how good of a time i'd have. But, if you go on the right night, it's an excellent place. I just wish the FUEL crew still did shows there. :(
Review Source:One of my favorite Chicago hangouts.
I've been coming here for years due to many friends having nights here. Â The drinks are cheap and they serve all kinds of polish beers here. This shit is potent and you will have a headache the next morning, so proceed with caution!
The crowd here is so bizarre at times. You get a mix of younger people and old polish dudes that get down to some good music. It's always a trip here.
Good music, cheap drinks, what more can I say?
Cafe Lura is rad. It's pretty big too, cut into 3 or 4 sections with a bar area in the middle, the stage and dancing to the left as you enter and then lounge-y couches and a pool table to the right past the bar. I like the faux-exposed brick look too. The sound there is great also. I agree with Jessica C, the drinks I've been served have been quite potent. I've gone for dubstep, rave and jungle-related events and always had a blast, crowd or no crowd, it was fun. I just wish it weren't so far west.
Review Source:I have no idea how I was dragged to this place. Went on a Saturday and luckily there was no cover(not that I'd set foot in here if there was). Eurotrash sausage fest is my best description. And lots of polish wannabe gangbangers(unless they actually have a gang I don't know about). Wasn't too crowded. The music was decent(not that I'm into the dance scene). Stiff drinks and Polish beers. Noticed a few joints being smoked outside the back door where you can smoke. Oh and these huge couches you can sleep on after you smoke a bit. And the wife caught some dudes doing blow in plain sight on another table.
Review Source:Did someone turn off the heat?
No, seriously. Â I went here at around 2am on Saturday night with some friends and it was ice cold in there. Â They had DJ Slacky J spinning that night with a whole crew of reggae heads. Â Girls in this spot were good looking and dancing. Â Being what I suspect is a Polish bar, they hooked it up with bottles of Okocim (the tap was not working). Â We got there a little late so the other room was closed, but it was huge with lots of couches. Â
Good atmosphere, great music and probably a good place to bring a bunch of friends. Â It's a little bit off the beaten path as it's on Milwaukee and Belmontish, so if you are not driving it may take awhile to get out there. Â If you live in the neighborhood, there's no reason you shouldn't check Cafe Lura out!
note to self: do not wear black cardigan sweater because it easily shows all fuzz and dirt making you look and feel like a scumbag under the party black light. Â oh just face it, you are a scum bag, just dancing away to friday night's drum and bass night. Â i suggest that you pregame it at some other bar that is far cheaper then this place is for mixed drinks. Â we are talking about $7 for a fricking well drink, no kidding. Â oh ya and the door guy is probably gonna kill me but if you are a cutie girl you should totally bargain for the cover charge, $10/person is totally bogus on a Friday night. Â there is a bunch of secret weird cave rooms. Â makes me feel like batman. Â the ceilings in the bathroom are low to the ground and make me pee all over the floor and the toilet seat. Â sorry, i didn't just admit that.
Review Source:I always appreciate any bar that gives me an honest answer when I ask "what's cheap?" (you can take the girl outta college, but you can't take college out of the girl am i right?) The bartender at cafe lura gladly served me potent Bacardi/diets and cheap beer throughout the night as i mingled with the 8 other people in the bar (ok, fine, so I only stuck to the 2 other people I was with).
It was a Thursday, I was looking for a cheap thrill, I got my kicks. I enjoy the 1960's basement feel with the old couches and dusty smell. The open space is good for dancing, I'm guessing, but I didn't see anyone dance. A few cocktails in, I would have danced like Tony Manero in "Saturday Night Fever," but I didn't want to be the only one, since, you know, it was well lit enough for people to see me.
So, what I'm saying is, this place is pretty decent.
My quota for Cafe Lura is about 2-3 times per year and that's it.
I used to hop in here for the after party at Summerdance and they have a great "Free Food & House Music" night on Saturdays. It's a fabulous eastern euro-style bar that has an extensive collection of headache-inducing Polish beers. Man, that stuff goes down so smooth, but probably the culprit of some of my worst hangovers.
I've met many a strange person there, some nice, some mean but it's always the same the next day..."Well, I'm not going back for awhile." It just does something kind of icky to my soul when I go there, but I can't help but go back.
Ladies night led us to Cafe Lura for some awesome dancing. Â Seriously it's like a dance club inside a cave. Â A beautiful castle-like cave full of booze. Â I loved that people were having fun but it wasn't crowded and gross like any other club on the planet. Â I'm a bit shy when it comes to dancing, but not here. Â I kicked all my shyness to the curb. Â Or maybe it was those vodka lemonades I drank at Relax before coming and the gin and tonic I downed when I got to Lura. Â Either way, I had a blast with some awesome gal pals and I want to come back ASAP. Â Actually, I kinda want to live here.
Review Source:Cafe Lure is one of those places which, in a slight bit, give you a taste of a European underground hangout spot. It's laid back atmosphere, and the mixture of friendly Lura-goers, makes it one of my favorite places to grab an ice-cold, full-bodied, and deffinitely strong Polish beer. Cafe Lura offers a variety of imported and domestic beverages (great beer selection), and an above-average food menu. If you're in search of some live entertainment, many great bands take the stage at Lura almost every weekend. I deffinitely recommend the place if you want to spend some time with your friends, while sipping a cold one in warm and moody surroundings
Review Source:So, the music was TOO loud, the beer was a bit expensive and the bartender was pretty unfriendly but I loved the ambiance of this place. Â Great lighting, friendly patrons the basement roof (where the restrooms are) was tailor made for folks my height. Â Mind you, I am 5'4"ish. Â My friend and I sat in the back of the bar near the Polish triad and truly enjoyed our evening.
Review Source:Pretty cool place as others have mentioned before me. Â They usually have something going on, Â from jazz concerts to hard core concerts, and sometimes they have a movie nights where they usually play old Polish movies or indie art films.
 Pretty cool place to get a beer or drink and just chill , unless there is a party going on then you can even dance the night away.
 I believe they serve food now in one of the rooms, not sure if its good or not.
Supposedly this place used to have Czech food, karaoke night, and jazz bands during the week. Â It seems those days are over, but this place is still nice during the week.
Like a lot of bars in urban Poland, there's really a lot of attention to creating a warm atmosphere. Â The bar has dim red light and carved wooden heads and brick walls. Â Behind the bar on one side is a decent-sized dance floor. Â On the other side is a brightly lit lounge area, with sofas, maroon curtains, a pool table, and brick walls.
On the weekends, it's pretty clubby, if that's your thing. Â Live music Friday and Saturday.
Great Polish bar, located on Milwaukee and Belmont.
I had a couple of my bands play this venue, so you know they offer live music... usually decent bands. There is no cover, unless the band playing is charging at the door and thats usually about $5-10.
Drinks here are not pricey whatsoever. I dont recall if they have appetizers or food though.
Always good looking Eastern-European crowd here.
Mind the parking lot next door, they will tow your car and that parking is not for Cafe Lura, although it appears to be.
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