Bottom Lounge

Good things do come from CTA construction: Forced from its former Belmont plot, the Bottom Lounge has been reborn in the West Loop, and it’s swank. So impressively large is this live music venue that lounge seems totally inappropriate as a part of the name. The bar feels like a rocker hangout that thrives regardless of what is happening in the live room, which (with its own absinthe-serving bar) is well proportioned. Slicker, louder indie acts tend to pop in. Kitschy bonus: Upstairs sits the tiki-themed Volcano Room.