The most quirky piano bar in town, Zebra Lounge has a loyal following despite (or maybe because of) the campy decor. Just as you would expect, black-and-white stripes are the unifying element at this dark, shoebox-size Gold Coast spot, furnished with black vinyl booths, a small mirrored bar, and zebra kitsch galore. Bar lore has it that the Zebra Lounge opened December 5, 1933 -- the day Prohibition ended. Since then, it has passed through numerous owners, but the name, a tribute to a long-forgotten tavern in New York, has remained. For the past quarter-century, it has been a raucous piano bar, attracting a multigenerational crowd of regulars. The place is relatively mellow early in the evening, though it can get packed late into the night on weekends.

Copyright: Excerpted from Frommer's Chicago 2009, (c) 2008, Wiley Publishing, Inc.

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