It's1938 again as you walk in....awesome neon backed bar,beautiful woodwork and great bands....cool staff and a great art deco vibe makes this one of the finest places in town....martinis and specialty drinks or shots and a beer,it's all good....not fancy by any means but still totally classy...love it!
Review Source:I'm in the area a fair amount. Love this bar. Love the cocktails. Love the music.
It gets kind of loud and as it gets later there's not a ton of seating but hey, if you want to sit down and have a conversation, go to a restaurant or an aquarium or something.
Would give it 5 stars but there's been a time or two when the line has been out the door for a good amount of time. It's a neighborhood spot so on those nights, I'll pass.
First time every coming here and the only reason we did is because friends of ours are regulars and insisted we come with them to try this place out. When we first walked in it looked very cool inside and I really liked the vibe....we sat down at the bar ordered some drinks. My boyfriend realized it was cash only and we were cool with it. After our drinks my girlfriend bought us a round of shots....when reaching over to grab her beer for her my shot spilled. I felt really bad and kindly apologized and asked for another shot....she had just paid for them all and gave a pretty nice tip. The gentleman bartender came over poured me a shot and said " that will be $5. I said but we just paid? He said yea well you spilled it and were low on liquor here...so give me the money or no shot." I couldn't believe how RUDE he was...I was shocked. I gave him the $5 and immediatley we all left. Please if you are not doing well as a bar you should not let your customers know this info. I have let friends know that live in the area this is not a good place to spend your money.....
Review Source:Live music Fridays and Saturdays. Big. Tamale guy showed up. Retro, eccentric vibe.
Nothing about it stood out as special though (everything's weird or edgy these days. Being bland might be the next big thing, good news for boring Adriane) and it's out of the way for me so I would only go back if I was nearby and needed an attitude adjustment.
I really like this bar, I do! I liked it more when it was more active. The last few times, granted maybe they were off days, the clipper was extremely empty.
The band is always great and it's a great place to chill out and listen to some nice country /rockabilly tunes. I love the interior, it's got a nice retro vibe with deep reds and a long bar.
Mainly when I hit the clipper it's for the excellently priced cocktails. They are usually hit-or-miss, sometimes the manhattans are great and other times a stinger can taste like toothpaste. Service can also be a bit slow at times, plan ahead for your next rounds.
The clipper is worth a try, just make plans ahead for your stop after - the area around it is a bar desert.
Visiting the California Clipper also coincided with my first time visiting the Logan Square area of Chicago.
The bar is huge and the (rail) drinks are cheap. Â I nearly fell off my chair when it was my turn to buy a round and $10 was enough for 2 gimlets. Â That's a win! Â The vibe of people at the Clipper was great. Â There was no set demographic of people and everyone I talked to was friendly and cool. Â Bar chairs and booths make up the seating. Â I felt like I was in the 1970s in terms of decor.
A rockabilly country band played on Saturday night. I like that this bar didn't have any TVs. Â AWESOME. Â It's a little gritty. A little old school. But definitely chill and fun for a few cocktails.
The bathrooms have their fare share of "poetry" aka sharpie marker quotes on the walls. Â Who doesn't love when drunk people get poetic.
A cool place to hang while visiting CHI in Logan Square.
How do you say, monoculture?
I used to enjoy the Clipper, but I guess I'm not cool enough for it anymore. Â I couldn't get anyone to server me a drink (yes, I smiled and stood at the bar). Â I asked a bartender if I was standing in the right place, and he completely pretended not to hear me. Â
If you're on a varsity kickball team, or play the jug in your friend's roller derby themed band, and if you're definitely under 32, then you'll probably have a swell time there.
Cool vibe. Friendly yet a little bit stand-offish staff.
I had the Brandy Alexander I believe, and it was perfect for coming in from the blustery elements.
The clientele is nice and friendly, advising me on good food joints around the block.
For an early weekday evening it was what I expected in terms of busyness, probably about 14 people total.
Warning: The day I went it was "trivia night." This is basically bogus. It was hosted by this couple who only created trivia categories about themselves. God awful. I have to admit that I found it very entertaining to keep interrupting them with random stupid questions.
I hope you did too.
Destry walked into a bar.
Did you ask Destry how he is feeling? He just walked into a fucking bar! His face is probably killing him! Wait...its killing you? How dare you!
Now that Im back on track to writing reviews that make absolutely no sense lets get down to business. This is the best bar in Chicago. The drinks are kind of expensive but really well made. If i want a Singapore sling they will make me one. If i ask for that drink at any other bar they usually try to break my arm. Get it? Sling? Broken arm.
Whatever. Dont laugh then.
So this place has good drinks. They also have ZERO televisions. I like it when I want to have a conversation with my friends and half the bar isnt glued to some lame television.
Is this the worst review on the internet?
I hope so.
I was incredibly disappointed by their ID policy. My friend from France and I took a cab to the clipper and she was turned away at the door for not having her passport. The guy claimed they've have problems with foreign IDs in the past, but to me it's like not accepting a particular state's ID because there are a lot of forgeries. Bad bad bad policy.
Their sidecars are a treat but the treatment at the door in this instance was incredibly unnecessary. Other bars don't discriminate, stop being dicks.
Great bar. Amazing interior. Not usually too busy.
Ok, what else? They have a lot of Rockabilly and have Grape Nehi on tap and make a strange Malibu cocktail using the grape soda. It is pretty good, but if you drink 7 you might go into a sugar coma!
The bar itself is amazing. It is as if you enter a time machine here and everything is just as it was when this place first opened as a bar with nice booths along the walls and a great dark wood bar that seems to go on for a mile. You won't find 40 beers on tap here and you might stumble upon a ladies only office party group - for some reason the place is big for girl's night out (did I miss a HGTV episode?). There are not really hipsters here - but I think one or two will stumble in. It is often an eclectic mix of people thrown together.
Open mind? Open the door under the amazingly cool neon sign.
Credit cards: yes.
Good gimlets! Yes, very good.
I like that there's a back room where you can escape the direct blast of the band playing; in fact, I wish the whole bar looked more like the back room (brightly lit, comfortable couches, cheap tables), rather than the dimly lit, red-toned lounge look that the front boasts. Â But that's just my preference. Â Either way, I don't always want loud live music where I drink; some people see it as a bonus, I tend to find it an impediment to a normal-volume conversation.
Ordered a Coke, it tasted pretty nasty. Â Time to clean the gun or something, perhaps? Â Mixed drinks are good, but a bit pricey. Â Decent vibe and generally nice people working here. Â All in all, I'm a fan.
Definitely one of the coolest bars in Chicago. The interior is retrolicious, and looks original, albeit impeccably maintained. Well, it is a dark place, so maybe it's not impeccably maintained, but let's just go with yes, it is.
It's definitely sort of a hipster hive, but I won't hold that against it. There was a cool band playing that night, with a vaguely countryesque, sort of ironic (see: hipster hive) air.
I'd go back.
You know, my license is expired. It's my own fault that I haven't gotten around to fixing it, so I never just expect that a bar will let me in based on my birthday alone. I work in the industry, so I get it. I respect it even. But when I leave for 45 minutes to run home and get my passport, perhaps the door person should say something like, "Wow, you really must have wanted to hang out with your best friend who you haven't seen for 6 months."
Do not say "Ooh la la." That's not clever. It's just a good way to lose business.
Great venue to see live music.
Spent a saturday night with friends seeing a alt-country band from austin.  The  CC has a decent side stage with a dance area that is del used.  I don't know if its a regular practice, but there was no cover charge on this saturday night and the band was great - they could have easily charged $5-$10 per person.
Drink prices was fair and service was good. Â I'll be back!
PRO:
- Cheap drinks
- Live music
- A big space that lends itself to mingling
- You can never been the worst-dressed person there, ever.
- Tamale guy will probably show up
- The crowd is generally pretty relaxed
- The ladies' bathroom is haunted or something?
- The Continental is like, 5 minutes away.
- The back room is even MORE laid back than the front room. And has better lighting.
CON:
- I will never be able to try the famed "Purple Martin" because I hate artificial grape flavoring. :(
- Someone from the band will make a lap of the room with a tip jar and will basically hover over your shoulder with a coffee can full of money until you notice him and give him a dollar or something. (I'm all for tipping, but if I've just gotten there and I haven't heard you play and you're staring me down for money, I'm gonna feel SUPER SUPER awkward.)
- It is a total pain in my ass to get there.
I ventured out to the California Clipper for a friend's b-day get together. When we first got there around 8:30 p.m., the place was pretty empty, but slowly filled up as the band was preparing to take the stage.
Great atmosphere with cozy booths and dark lighting. The cocktails are pretty darn tasty- I went the Champagne Cocktail and then switched over to vodka Gimlets ( my new fav!). The drinks are pretty reasonable at around $6- you know other bars charge almost double for the same cocktail.
The only gripe I have about this place is the ladies' room. Seriously, invest in some stall DOORS! The makeshift curtain is grody and tacky.
All in all, the Clipper is a good time and I''d make a trip back for the cocktails.
Remember Ren and Stimpy? Â
"Happy, happy, joy, joy, happy, happy, joy!!!!"
That's how I felt leaving the Clipper on my first visit. Â Well, the happiness was not for leaving, the happiness was for my $6 champagne cocktail and my man's $6 manhattan with a whiskey-soaked cherry that nearly took out one of our friends. Â I was sad to leave. Â But while there, nothing but happiness and joy.
After a marvelous meal at Rootstock, we ventured across the way to the Clipper to chill with some cocktails and to some alt-country music...not really sure what that meant, but we were game. Â We snagged the perfect cozy booth for four and ordered up a round. Â It took a bit to get our cocktail server's attention, but once we did, it was smiles all 'round.
The alt-country band? Â Pretty great, actually. Â I'm not really a country fan, but their music made me want to get up and do the old two-step. Â Granted, the bottle of cava beforehand at Rootstock MAY have had something to do with that. Â But they played their instruments well, and rocked the sh*t out of their cowboy hats. Â Made me wish I had worn my c-boy boots. Â (Maybe not, cuz then I most certainly would have been up there two-stepping and looking a fool.)
Good service, lovely drinks at the right price and walking distance of my apartment? Â We'll be back for some more happiness and joy.
(Whatever happened to Ren and Stimpy!?)
The Clipper, aka the adjacent waiting room for Rootstock. Â
Quoted with an hour wait, my dining companion and I headed over to the Clipper to wait it out. Â It ended up being perfect because it was quiet and they can whip up a really tasty champagne cocktail. Â It was like the discount version of Violet Hour. Â I likey.
Also a plus, the bartender was a cutie and didn't make fun of my girlie drink choice. Â I wouldn't make a special trip to Humboldt Park to hang at the Clipper, but if you're in the area, it's a good option.
Bars are such a foreign place for me and I think I have stepped foot into more bars this past year than I have in my entire life! Yes, it is true, AND I grew up in Wisconsin! Â So, when I go into a bar and feel completely at home in the place, or it has a cool vibe to it, I will immediately want to come back again, and that was the case for the Clipper. Â
The decor was great, the music was swanky and eclectic, and the drinks were tasty. Â I mean, really, who does not enjoy grape soda with coconut rum in it? Â And a strong whiskey sour to boot? Â Good drinkies all around, my friends! Â I would love to come back again for some live music but honestly, I hope to come back soon no matter what!
Based on the red light decor this place must have either been a Chinese restaurant or a whore house at one time... or maybe a Chinese whore house? Not that I have a problem with Chinese whore houses... as a matter of fact I remember this one time in New Orleans...
Where was I? Oh yes, the clipper... it definitely fits right in with the divey side of my nature, but they don't carry Bud Light, they carry Bud but not Bud Light... weird. Hey Mr Clipper Owner Dude, Bud Light is the number one selling beer brand in America, and for good reason.
Love this place! Â When you walk in, you imagine it to be a stale old bar that your grandpa might hang out in. Â Great 50's style booths, super long bar, and lighting that only a child of the 60's would appreciate. Â
There's a drink list, and they have grape pop here. Â Come on, that alone deserves 5 stars! Â
Staff was very friendly, and even with a mob of Yelpers, I didn't have to wait long for my drinks.
I dig.
Hot bartender pouring up cheap Jameson shots? Check.
Strawberry AND grape pop? Â Check.
Kitschy decor? Check.
While I know I need to come here on a weekend to catch some live music, The Clipper is solid on a weeknight. Â
Granted the door guy did yell at me for bringing my High Life outside (oopsie), which didn't make me feel warm and fuzzy, but I WAS breaking the rules. Â Yes, I'm a rebel.
Eh. What can I say... The Clip was a'ight. I think we can all agree that I'm likely not the target demographic of this bar anyhow so my opinion is rather moot to begin with. We're not fooling anyone to say I'm no hipster, but on occasion when putting away my heels and frills, I do dig a nice divey spot with cheap beer and cheap surroundings. And props on keeping things on the cheap, Clip... 'sheet curtains' instead of stall doors in the ladies loo? Nice touch. Yeah, I'm kidding.
No apologies, The California Clipper is what it is... a spot where the very bar itself - and its clientele - all look in dire need of a good scrubbing. Mmmm... let's play dirty tonight, shall we??
On the ups, keeping me plied in alternating icy cold $3 High Lifes and fabulously retro grape soda from the bar gun doesn't suck in the slightest. The spacious booths were nice for lounging comfortably with my peeps all aglow in the red lighting and the boppy jazz we heard last night made me especially happily. Play on Piano Man!!
As a music venue, I can't comment (yet)... but as a bar, it gets the A-OK (but nothing spectacular) seal of dive approval.
Rolled over last night in honor of the Godfather, Destry's b'day celebration. What a great choice (my compliments to Mandi) for a party. nice amount of space and cool seating against the wall. They have another room inside, which I did not have a chance to explore. I noticed they did not have any televisions inside which is not a bad thing. Every bar should not be transformed into a sports bar
I heard they have pretty creative drinks here. I had the honor of buying Destry a Purple Martian which he said is great! I myself had Makers and diet coke, which was great as well. The bartender really knew how to pour a great drink. I had two and they really did the trick for me. Lets just say I was pretty "nice" once I left.
Good time at the Clipper and I look forward to returning again and trying the purple stuff.
I've only had 5 star times here in my experiences. It great for singles, couples, groups, of age family gatherings, etc. It's just perfect!
Cheapish booze, great bands, singers, Bingo nights, booths, great crowd, and friendly staff. It can get pretty crowded on Saturday nights and I believe they may charge a cover when certain bands play... I'm cheap but I have on occasion broken down and paid to get in and I'm still not disappointed.
It's easy to find parking in the area though I wouldn't venture much further towards Humbolt Park without witnesses.
The deco is cool and vintage and simply cannot imagine anyone not being a fan of this place... no friend of mine, that is.
Wow....what a nice place. I like it!!! I used to walk past this place, drive past this place all the time back in the day...............It never occured to me it was what it is, which is aaaawwwwesome!
I mean growing up in the hood you see a place like this and usually its full of  old drunks and winos who havent shaved in years and or are sleeping at the bar.
BUT this place is nice and retro for no other word to use, BUT Authentic retro! Like al the original stuff, furniture looks to be there.
nice dim atmosphere. And the music was soft old 30's 40's music.....im speechless.
I mean seriously folks, I have been to a hell of alot of Bars, Pubs, etc......
This one might be in my top 5, IF my next couple of planned trips are as good as the one yesterday night.....
they have Movie nights!!!!!
For now my dear Clipper you have impressed, Im coming back and getting drunk on your drinks......to be continued ohh yess
THis place makes me WANT to get drunk here!
Shake & bake seal of approval.
I love wearing cowboy clothes. Â At weddings, at funerals, at executive board meetings. Â In bed. Â When swimming in the lake. Â This may look out of place, but it's not because I'm a dork. Â It's because my environs are usually not properly adorned to match my clothes. Â At least in Chicago, which I still consider to be part of the wild west once you cross California- minus the horses and six guns.
The environs are not an issue at the Clipper. Â Dim red glow over a curved hardwood bar, Lone Star and Anchor Steam in bottles, real old-fashioned jazz era drinks- sidecar, manhattan, grasshopper...
This place has live music. Â I mean, real, raw, Americana, no distortion, just plugged in acoustic instruments, upright bass, singers with cowboy hats, lap steel meowing like a mournful cat... can't go wrong on any given show.
On Mondays, there's bingo; on Tuesdays, there's movie night, and this place relives its former glory as a neighborhood movie house.
One time, a woman from a few seats down, who was a complete stranger (and full of beauty) bought me a drink. Â Once in a lifetime! Â Since I'm not used to that happening, I couldn't think of anything to say so I gave her a bear hug, without appropriate warning (in retrospect). Â I think this might've creeped her out and she left without finishing her drink. Â Sorry- I'll get it right in the next life!
Worth a forty five minute walk for me, even in the winter.
I've been to the Clipper a couple of times, and each time it's been fabulous -- the 40s decor never seems to get "old" and someone always seems to be buying me a drink. Once we accidentally ordered PBR next to a PBR rep, and he put all our orders on his tab. Pity he didn't represent a more exciting beer... but hey, we weren't complaining. Then.
THIS last time, however, was an exception. I've known the odd bouncer in Chicago to look a little skeptical at my Australian drivers license, after all, it has weird flowers and holograms on it.... but having lived in Chicago for a year without ever being refused service using it, I don't bring my passport out with me.
(who the hell brings their passport out with them out at night?)
Anyway, this time I had a friend with me from Australia - she was in the US for work and had only 1 day free to play, and wanted to see a classic old American bar, so I took her to the Clipper.
The bouncer was fine with her passport but would under no circumstances let me in with my Australian drivers license, even though I presented it with multiple other forms of ID (student card, bank card, health insurance, etc.) to prove that my name was indeed my name. This was at about 8pm on a Wednesday night too, so the place wasn't exactly packed.
We didn't bother arguing much, he wasn't going to budge. It's a real shame. He was also a bit of a cock about telling me off for not bringing my passport, I felt like I was being lectured, "well next time you'll know Miss..."
yeah, mate, bugger off, next time I probably won't come here, so you can shove your attitude up your jumper.
So remember, if you don't have a state issued ID, bring a passport!
The Clipper doesn't exactly take me "back to the 1940's" as they claim but it DOES take me back to days when I liked hanging out in bars...
The lighting is dark and seemingly red and there are booths...ooh, comfy!
I've generally gone on Fridays when Susie Gomez is playing and they let me swing dance...BEWARE of the tiny, Napoleon-complex having waitress that swore at me and my dance partner and then PUSHED me for being in her way...I'm sorry, tiny girl, but I live in a world where human beings say "excuse me, would you mind not dancing right here? Â I'd really appreciate it". Â I was so livid about this unnecessary roughness, that I mentioned it to the manager and he was kind and listened and apologized on her behalf. Â Right on..!
Next time I go, Tiny better watch out or I'll clip HER..!
I've always liked this bar. Â Nice vibe, generally uncrowded, good staff, and the patrons are of the mellow sort. Â Also, good music, I come here a lot to see friends play and they are very good to the bands, so props for that.
That being said, after being charged TEN DOLLARS for a tall whiskey ginger ale (what?!) last night - with the bartender swearing it wasn't a joke - I'm only coming back here if someone else is buying.
Ten bucks? Â Seriously? Â Did I blink and miss something here? Â Am I at Le Passage and I didn't know it? Â Good grief, when a simple drink at a divey neighborhood bar costs more than a steak at Paulina Meat Market, something is terribly wrong.
I went to the California Clipper for no particular reason other than that I wanted to try a drink made with grape soda. Well, that and the need to get out of the neighborhood and try a new place. Their signature drink, the Purple Martin, is pretty good, but it is a bit sweet for my taste since it's made with coconut rum.
But the people here certainly know how to pour drinks, so it's not too much of a loss. If I want any named drink, or even if I want to know the name of a drink which I usually order by listing the ingredients, I'll come here, because the guy who runs the place is super nice and knows stuff like this, which I appreciate.
The bar itself is fairly spacious and has a nice atmosphere, helped by the lack of glimmer boxes (although there is a projector screen, which was showing some monster movie, but that's different) and by the presence of nice lighting and functional furniture.
I have discovered a new vice - grape flavored crack.
No, I'm not kidding. Â They have a drink here called the Purple Martin which is grape soda and coconut rum. Â One sip and I was hooked. Â I could drink those things for the rest of my life. Â Our server loved my name for them. Â
Other than the grape flavored crack, the California Clipper was awesome. Â Considering it's in bufu Humboldt Park, it was PACKED. Â But it had a great vibe - lots of late 20's - early 30's types hanging out. Â The honky tonk band was awesome and everyone was dancing in the back. Â
I'd come back even if they didn' t have my sweet, sweet grape flavored crack. Â It's just that awesome.
Oustanding bar with a great vibe, strong drinks, grape soda on the gun, hot tamales, Irish car bombs, and sexy red lighting. Â In a neighborhood with real people, limited pretention (for now) and Blue Line access - or easy parking if you're car-dependent like me.
I almost knocked off a star for the smoke, but since I think the city-wide smoking ban is bunk, I'm going for it.
What a fine establishment.
Monday night bingo is tops (and the "callers," or "bingo guys" or whatever you want to call them, are hilarious!).
Live music on the weekends is an added extra.
The crowd is eclectic. Though not neccessarily diverse.
The drinks are good.
I like the bartenders.
And the interior is sweet.
Good times.
This place is the best bar in town. The bartenders are all well-versed, I tend to order lesser known drinks with bourbon in them and they have yet to drop the ball on any of them. For this, I give them kudos galore.
The people that go aren't those pretentious and belligerent annoyances that frequent all the chode bars around Lincoln Park and Wrigleyville. Instead they are eclectic and down-to-earth people seemingly from many walks of life.
They have live music many nights out of the week and they serve bourbon (and the good stuff to boot) so I give them 5 Stars for awesome.
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