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I walked into Polly Esther’s knowing that it was one of Chicago’s hottest clubs, and I quickly realized why: it is not just a dance club, it is a time warp back to the glory days of the 70’s and 80’s. I was immediately having flashbacks of childhood memories and started wondering if this is what it was like to go to a hip Carter/Reagan era nightspot, when Material Girl was a hot new song and Miller Lite was a popular new beer to drink. Polly Esther’s has everything a gen-xer would love, great old songs from our childhood, memorabilia from years past, and of course a good selection of alcohol. |
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The club itself is divided into two floors, the upper level is the shagarific 70’s and the lower level is the gnarly 80’s. The 70’s floor plays all the old disco favorites and has two dance floors on opposite sides of the room. The greatest achievement in the 70’s room has to be the recreation of the dance floor from Saturday Night Fever. The floor lights up underneath, crystal balls hang from above, and to top it all off there is a painting of John Travolta dancing away. For a brief time, I felt like I was a Bee Gee taking part in a bad disco film; my mother would have been so proud. |
| The 80’s room plays a wide variety of 80’s hits, some that I haven’t heard in years, but has only one dance floor and it gets crowded. I had to throw my elbows around like Bill Cartwright in order to just survive, let alone attempt to dance. While you are dancing you can enjoy several video screens that played videos and 80’s films like Suddenly Seeking Susan and Blade Runner. The background of the 80’s dance floor featured prominent drawings of Pac-Man, Star Wars’ Millenium Falcon, and Smurfs. My girlfriend’s head started to merge with a giant drawing of Smurfette’s head until the two became one and I became the envy of all smurfs. Some crazy-ass 80’s dancing was always taking place, with some people trying out moves that they have probably long forgotten about (especially during Michael Jackson Thriller-era songs) and it felt like I was watching Breakin’ 2:Electric Boogaloo. |
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Esther’s is worth checking out alone for it’s collection of memorabilia. Not
only does it feature excellent 70’s and 80’s music, but there are displays
everywhere of old products like Rubik’s Cubes, Battlestar Gallactica wallpaper, a
Charlie’s Angels lunchbox, and a box of Fruit Loops with a Josie and the Pussycats
mail-in offer. In addition, the club also features a full size Herbie the Love Bug,
working Space Invaders and Pac-Man video games, and a replica of the Partridge
Family’s tour bus. There are a ton of small details that make the club interesting
and worth checking out every inch of the place. The club also features a groovy selection of mixed drinks with names based on 70’s icons; names like the Johnny Bravo, the Captain, the Tenille, and the Sea Monkey. The standard beer selection is also available at the clubs two large bars and assorted beer tubs, so despite large crowds, alcohol is easily accessible and readily available. Prices are similar to other premier Chicago clubs. Overall, Polly Esther’s is an excellent club. The 20-something aged crowd is fun, the look is great, and the retro feel that you come away with afterwards brings back a lot of nostalgia. This club is perfect for everyone who grew up in the 70’s and 80’s and enjoys taking a flashback to the good old days. The only negative aspect I encountered at the club was that getting to the men’s bathroom took a stampede through the ladies room line and coat check line; but a long bathroom line is pretty standard at the best of places. So the bottom line is that Polly Esther’s is a lot of fun and I highly recommend it. |
 Take a picture with the family |
Polly Esther's is located at 213 W. Institute
Place at Chicago and Wells