Nightspot sampler

Here is a look at some of the nightspots visited during the past year by the Daily Herald and Beep. Information in this listing is subject to change, so it's a good idea to call ahead.

LUCKY STRIKE LANES, 100 Yorktown, Lombard. (630) 916-8681. Located inside the new section of Yorktown Mall, this is a classier version of the ol' standard that looks like a swanky club with futuristic lighting and a glowing bowling alley there for good measure. Patrons are greeted with the option to bowl, play billiards, eat or drink. Bowlers waiting in the wings recline on leather couches, while above the pins, video screens display anything from fashion photography and art to movie clips (beware: we arrived just before family bowling time ended at 9 p.m., and the screens were showing photographs of topless models). The full bar offers plenty of televisions and all the necessities as well as their own alcoholic creations. More than the usual finger foods, the menu features a breakfast sandwich, skewers, shrimp, blue cheese steak salad and hummus. The drinks and bowling are a little pricier than you might find elsewhere in the 'burbs, but the motif alone is worth it. Hours: 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. daily. (Featured 9-7-07)

RIZZO's, 6 W. Jefferson Ave., Naperville. (630) 305-4396. This two-level bar presents the choice to head upstairs to the big, wooden dance floor or stay in the downstairs lounge, with tall, black suede booths and tables. The dance floor attracts larger crowds and offers a smaller bar, with sweaty people pushing to get drinks. Loud current rap and pop hits from upstairs tend to consume the place, but it also features live music during the week. A large martini, mixed drink, wine and champagne list joins the usual beer selection. The menu highlights "eclectic American cuisine with an Italian influence," with pastas, steak, fish and more priced from $5 to $30. Best for 20-somethings seeking a high-energy, in-your-face dance party, as the place tends to get crowded. Hours: 5 p.m. to 2 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 5 to 11 p.m. Mondays, 5 p.m. to 1 a.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays; kitchen closes at 9:30 p.m. Street parking is scarce, so try the garages on Chicago or Van Buren. (Featured 7-20-07)

J & T's, 50 N. Barrington Road, Streamwood. (630) 372-2900. Larger-than-normal bar crams in a surplus of darts, TVs and video games without making the place feel cluttered. The large black rectangular bar has seating on all four sides, with plenty of other places to mingle. Drink specials that are actually special complement a menu with everything from pizza, wings and fish to pasta, tacos and hot dogs. Smoking is allowed, and Wednesday nights offer karaoke with prizes. The service is friendly and laid-back for the after-work crowd, but we're sure the staff pumps it up as the age-diverse night crowd grows. Hours: 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 11 a.m. to midnight Sundays, 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. Mondays through Thursdays. Parking is available in an onsite lot. (Featured 6-22-07)

ST. CHARLIE'S PUB & GRILL, 312 W. Main St., St. Charles. (630) 587-4251. Downtown pub offers a two-story outdoor back porch as well as an extensive interior with a large bar, plenty of seats, pool tables, darts and televisions. Fast and friendly service brings the usual mix of beer and liquor to the crowd of local 20-somethings, with drink specials, including 50-cent domestic drafts on Wednesdays. The menu features bar food such as nachos, buffalo wings and mozzarella sticks. Cover bands play occasionally, with no cover charge. Hours: 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. Sundays, 4 p.m. to 1 a.m. Mondays through Thursdays. (Featured 6-1-07)

PINSTRIPES, 1150 Willow Road, Northbrook. (847) 480-2323. Upscale entertainment facility combines bowling alley, bocce courts, bistro and bar/lounge. The tall central atrium has a rustic but posh vibe, indoor bocce courts are furnished with comfortable teak lounge furniture, and glass-enclosed bowling lanes include black leather sofas and stools and LCD monitors showing vintage cartoons. Outside are more bocce courts and a patio outfitted with table umbrellas and a fireplace. The stylish but cozy bistro offers appetizers, soups, salads, sandwiches, pizza, flatbreads, pastas and main courses that can be delivered anywhere in the facility. Bowling is $5 per game per person before 5 p.m., $7 after. Bocce is $8 per hour per person before 5 p.m., $10 after. Hours: Bowling and bocce 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday to Thursday, 11:30 a.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday; dining 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily. (Featured 5-25-07)

ELGIN PUBLIC HOUSE, 219 E. Chicago St., Elgin. (847) 468-8810. Up front, the Elgin Public House looks and feels like a restaurant. Walk through to the surprisingly large bar area in back, and you'll find darker walls covered with mirrors and alcohol signs, dartboards and other games. This is a neighborhood pub, where young and old are welcome to gather. It has a respectable beer list as well as wines, liquors, martinis and better than average "pub grub" including wings, salads, burgers, melts, kids meals and desserts. The friendly service makes you feel like you've been living along the Fox River your whole life. Hours: 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 11 a.m. to midnight Sundays, 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. Mondays through Thursdays. Street parking is available, as well as a large garage across the street. (Featured 5-18-07)

CHEF PAUL'S BAVARIAN LODGE, 1800 Ogden Ave., Lisle. (630) 241-4701. Resembling a German mountainside lodge, the wood-paneled and dark beige-painted walls feature German and Belgian beer memorabilia as well as deer heads amid other stuffed animals. Patrons can choose the bar area or a larger dining room, both with plenty of large, wooden tables and booths. The restaurant serves homemade German food and varied American fare, and the incredible selection of German and Belgian beers (each served in a glass suited for it) is so vast that trying them all would require multiple visits. Recorded pop and lounge music play for a good mix of young and old patrons, and service is fast and friendly. Parking is available in an onsite lot. (Featured 5-11-07)

LANDMARK INN, 1352 Shermer Road, Northbrook. (847) 559-1919. Formerly known as the Cypress Inn, the Landmark Inn is not particularly flashy, but little things like windows behind the wooden bar and historic pictures of downtown Northbrook give it character. The bar includes a dining/sit-down area and an outdoor patio overlooking Shermer Road. Early crowds are composed of anyone from children to senior citizens, but as the day draws on, 20-somethings show up. Live music occurs every now and then on Saturday nights. Bathrooms are very small. The bar visibly flaunts its surplus of liquors, along with the usual assortment of drinks on tap. The restaurant's standards include burgers, wings, sandwiches, soup and salads. The service isn't always the quickest, but overall what one would expect from a neighborhood tap. Hours: 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Sundays through Thursdays, 11 a.m. to 3 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays. Cover: None. Free street parking is available. (Featured 4-20-07)

THE FUEL ROOM AT AUSTIN'S SALOON, 481 Peterson Road, Libertyville. (847) 549-1972. This concert space with a top-notch sound system and a sophisticated lighting system draws both national acts and local cover bands. It's a well-appointed room adorned with bad-boy props such as guitars autographed by rock musicians and custom motorcycles. The rest of the Austin's Saloon complex bears little resemblance to The Fuel Room, with the main bar area exuding a sports bar ambience and the comfortable restaurant (with good eats) seeming to have taken its design from a Wild West theme park. The crowd varies according to the musical performers, although between concerts, graying gents in sport coats who turn out for Vegas-style shows peacefully co-exist with the hoodie-wearing 20- and 30-something rock crowd. The Fuel Room's drink selection is stacked toward bottled beer, although at the large bar just a few steps outside of it, you can find a broader range of beverages, including an array of martinis, and a swift, attentive staff. The main bar's kitchen serves pizza, nachos and other snacks until midnight. Hours: Fuel Room hours vary depending on concert schedule. Restaurant and bar open at 11 a.m. daily and close at 2 a.m. Mondays through Saturdays, at 10 p.m. Sundays. Cover: None for restaurant/bar, varies for concerts. Free parking is available in the adjacent lot, with shuttles assisting on busy nights. (Featured 4-13-07)

QUIGLEY'S IRISH PUB, 43 E. Jefferson St., Naperville. (630) 428-4774. Authentic Irish pub boasts multiple rooms, including a main entry room set with wooden tables and booths and a fancy cigar room in back, with an outdoor patio in warmer weather. The crowd is a mix of young and old, so don't expect a dance floor or a place to stand around and ogle. Drink selection includes the usual beers, Irish brands on tap and a seasonal drink menu. Sandwiches, burgers, wraps, soups and salads make up the majority of the menu, but there are authentic Irish foods like fish and chips, lamb stew, or bangers and mash. Speakers play recorded pop and traditional Irish music, while cover bands tend to perform on Thursday and Friday nights. Hours: 11:30 a.m. to 1 a.m. Mondays through Thursdays, 11:30 a.m. to 2 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays, noon to 11 p.m. Sundays. Cover: None. Free parking is available in the garage across the street. (Featured 3-16-07)

BLUR, 22W613 75th St., Naperville. (630) 985-2220. The site of teen dance club Zero Gravity has grown up into a rocking hot spot with strong but tasty drinks and several rooms with different decors on Friday nights. The chill, couples-friendly room near the front includes several booths each equipped with its own TV set, while the bar area has its sets mostly tuned to music videos. A pair of dance floors feature revolving DJs spinning music to serve tastes from top 40 to house. The owners closed off part of the massive club with the correct idea that when people go clubbing they want to be around people, not wide-open spaces. A lot of the crowd has graduated from Zero Gravity, getting dressed up to party. Recommended drinks include the Mud martini, sour apple martini and brightly colored test-tube shots. Hours: 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. Fridays. Cover: $5 for men. Parking is available in the free lot. (Featured 2-23-07)

ALUMNI CLUB, 871 E. Algonquin Road, Schaumburg. (866) 906-4841. Classic 1950s and '60s movie posters and flat-screen TVs beaming out sports and music videos adorn the walls of this suburban nightspot. A dance floor and two pool tables are also part of the mix. The pub grub menu is basic American staples, but the portions are large. The crowd of 20- to 30-somethings tends to be well-dressed (sports attire is discouraged). There's no cocktail menu, so be inclined toward a variety of beers. DJs spin Tuesdays and Thursdays through Saturdays starting at 9 p.m. Hours: 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. Mondays through Thursdays, 11 a.m. to 3 a.m. Fridays and 6 p.m. to 3 a.m. Saturdays. Cover: $5 after 7 p.m. Tuesdays and after 9 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. Parking is available in the free lot. (Featured 1-05-07)

LEGENDS MUSIC CAFÉ, 700 W. Lake St., Addison. (630) 458-9201. Old-fashioned, dimly lit, smoky bar, primarily dedicated to live music (classic rock) with bands playing every Friday and Saturday night. The crowd is mostly 30 and older. Wednesday nights is karaoke. Sunday is sports night. The menu is typical pub grub: Buffalo wings, shrimp basket, cabbage rolls, potato skins and chili dogs. The drink selection includes domestic beer, imports, cocktails, martinis and bombs. Hours: 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday to Tuesday; 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. Wednesday and Thursday; 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday. Cover: $5-$6, depending on the band. (Featured 11-10-06)

BLURAZZ LOUNGE, 558 Randall Road, South Elgin. (847) 468-0500 or www.blurazz.com. Named after their signature martini, the lounge primarily is composed of a spacious, open room, offering a wide range of food and drinks. BluRazz attracts a diverse crowd of hip 20-somethings and older couples. Hours: 4 p.m. to 1 a.m. Monday to Thursday; 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday; 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. to close Sunday. Music: Upbeat jazz during dinner, then the music and mood become more reminiscent of a nightclub. Crowd: All ages. After the dinner hour, tables and chairs make way to reveal a large, well-lit dance floor. Cover: $5 after 10 p.m. for Tuesday Salsa night. Libations: More than 50 signature martinis; full drink menu. When to go: Anytime. What to wear: Nice casual. (Featured 10-20-06)

CODY'S, 2330 N. Main St., Wheaton. (630) 665-2639. Western but not too country, this Wheaton nightspot is a rustic-looking, spacious club where 20-somethings drink specialty tequilas from bullet-shaped glasses. Cody's also offers big-screen TVs, karaoke and live music. Hours: 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. Monday to Thursday; 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday; 11 a.m. to midnight Sunday. Music: Open mic on Monday; DJs play dance music Tuesday and Thursday; karaoke on Wednesday and Friday; live bands on select Saturdays. The crowd: 20- and 30-somethings. Cover: None. When to go: Anytime. What to wear: Casual. (Featured 9-15-06)