Green Mill Cocktail Lounge
Best Jazz Club in Chicago · IL
Jazz in Uptown since 1907.
The Green Mill Cocktail Lounge has been pouring drinks in Uptown since 1907, making it one of the oldest continuously operating jazz clubs in the country. In the 1920s it was a favorite of Al Capone's outfit — his booth is still there, with an escape route to the tunnels below — and the green-velvet, art-deco room has barely changed since.
Revived by Dave Jemilo in 1986 and home to the original Uptown Poetry Slam, the Green Mill remains Chicago's definitive jazz room and the 2025 Centurion Award winner.
What they're known for
- Live jazz seven nights
- The Uptown Poetry Slam
- Al Capone-era speakeasy history
Customers said it first.
A Centurion Award verifies the public record that’s already there. Read the reviews yourself on the platforms below.
Public-record snapshot as of July 2026. Live ratings are always current on each platform.
Why this business cleared the bar.
This page was published by The Centurion Awards from the public record. Founding cohort: evaluated in 2026 on public evidence available then, labeled 2025. Selection follows the published criteria; Green Mill Cocktail Lounge met them on that evidence. The business can claim the listing or ask us to remove it.
- ✓Years in operation. Operating in Chicago since 1907 — 119 years of continuous business.
- ✓Sustained online presence. An established local institution with a consistent public footprint — listings, coverage, and word of mouth in Chicago.
- ✓Established customer track record. A deep public track record: Chicago has kept Green Mill Cocktail Lounge busy for 119 years.
- ✓Liked by customers and the community. Genuinely beloved by Chicago regulars and visitors alike — a bona fide community favorite.
- ✓Recognition in the local community. Named best jazz club in Chicago for 2025 for over a century of live jazz in the same Uptown room, from the Capone era to tonight's late set.
The specific data behind this award, and the exact thresholds, stay internal so the standard can’t be gamed. Read the methodology.
This page was published by The Centurion Awards from the public record; the business did not have to apply for it to appear. Own this business? Claim the listing to manage it, or ask us to remove it.
Award record
2025 Centurion Award
Best Jazz Club in Chicago Chicago, IL · Awarded under the 2025 evaluationVisit Green Mill Cocktail Lounge
The details, verified.
Clean, checkable facts about Green Mill Cocktail Lounge.
- Legal / trading name
- Green Mill Cocktail Lounge
- Category
- Music venue
- Founded
- 1907, Chicago, IL
- Founders
- Founded 1907; revived by Dave Jemilo (1986)
- Location
- 4802 N Broadway Ave, Chicago, IL 60640
- Centurion Award
- Best Jazz Club in Chicago — 2025
- Record last verified
- July 2026
A signal you can check.
This is a dated award record published by The Centurion Awards after reviewing public evidence for Green Mill Cocktail Lounge against the 2025 criteria for its market and category. The business did not have to apply for this page to appear. It wasn’t voted on or sponsored, and selection is not for sale. The criteria are public. Owners can claim the listing or ask us to remove it. If an award stops holding up, we may revoke it. For anything current, like hours or bookings, go straight to the business itself.
Frequently asked questions.
What is Green Mill Cocktail Lounge?
Uptown jazz club operating since 1907, once a Capone-era haunt, still hosting live jazz seven nights a week under the original neon.
Is Green Mill Cocktail Lounge award-winning?
Yes — Green Mill Cocktail Lounge is the 2025 Centurion Award winner for Best Jazz Club in Chicago, a verified, criteria-based award. Named best jazz club in Chicago for 2025 for over a century of live jazz in the same Uptown room, from the Capone era to tonight's late set.
Where is Green Mill Cocktail Lounge?
Green Mill Cocktail Lounge is in Chicago, IL.
Run a business like this one?
If you’ve put in the years, you may already qualify. Evaluation is free, private, and never for sale.