Things to do in Chicago for $1

Especially since happy hours became legal again in Illinois starting in 2015, there are dollar beer specials to be found all around if you know the right times to look. A few options: Get $1 American cans at Delilah’s Punk Rock Mondays; $1 cans of PBR at Longman & Eagle every weekday from 3 to 5pm; $1 Kirin, Sapporo or Asahi with a signature ramen purchase at Kizuki during happy hour (Mon–Thu 5–7pm, Fri–Sun 3–5pm). You can even get $1 craft drafts like Lagunitas Pils or Revolution’s Eugene Porter with lunch at the Franklin Room (11:30am–2pm Mon–Fri, with a minimum $12 lunch purchase).

As its name suggests, Pilsen’s Xocoatl Churro Factory specializes in the cinnamon-sweet fried pastries, and most varieties (plain or with flavored fillings) are just a buck a piece. Add a coffee for just $1.14 more.

Plenty of places around town offer $1 oysters at happy hour or as a weekly special. Let’s be honest, you’re not going to stop at one, but it’s a start.

Record shop Logan Hardware has a stock of $1 45s that’s worth digging through; after all, two songs for a buck ain’t bad. Also check out the dollar bins at Hyde Park Records and Dave's Records for everything from metal to country.

You’ll have to lay out a $5 cover to get into Monday night “Dollar Daze” at West Lawn’s Lawn Lanes. Once you’re in, though, you can bowl for just a dollar a game, and shoe rentals are $1.50.

Friendly LGBTQ haunt Big Chicks fires up the grill every Monday from 5pm to midnight for $1 quarter-pound burgers or veggie dogs, served with your choice of salad or fries.

Open Books in West Loop and Pilsen have a “pay what you want” section and a dollar section. And you can feel good about spending that dollar—all proceeds benefit literacy programs in the city.

Most nigiri are just $1 a piece at Lawrence Fish Market in Albany Park—that’s cheaper than grocery store sushi and far better quality to boot.

Lincoln Park tapas staple Café Ba-Ba-Reeba! offers $1 pintxos—bite-sized appetizers like deviled eggs with crispy jamón or olives stuffed with anchovy and pepper—during happy hour at the bar, 4–6pm daily.

Chicago still loves zines, and 25-year-old Wicker Park bookstore Quimby’s is the capital of the zine world. Stop by and rifle through the stock and you’re likely to find something handmade and fascinating for a buck or so.