Nightlife in Lake Zurich

Chicago Limo Net ushers its office-, nightlife-, and airport-bound clientele about the Chicago area in a fleet of luxurious, custom buses and limousines. Twenty-four-passenger party buses bedecked in low-level lighting, leather couches, dancing poles, and mirror-laden roofs bestow a nightclub-like feel minus the acute stares of gargantuan doormen. Smaller 6- and 10-passenger limousines present many of the same creature comforts in a more aerodynamic package for airport or around-town trips. Each party conveyance is piloted by a professional chauffeur with extensive knowledge of downtown Chicago, who will gladly take the fastest or most scenic route and can offer unique insights into the city, such as how to differentiate between the Willis Tower and the pier's ferris wheel.

From within Ding Dong Dang’s variously sized private rooms, drifts the sounds of singers living out vocal dreams previously unleashed exclusively in the safety of the car or shower. As crooners belt out popular songs or fill in forgotten lyrics with their social security numbers, the bar concocts drinks to lubricate parched windpipes, drawing heavily upon the dulcet notes of a Korean liquor called soju. Against the soundtrack of newly proud singing and clinking glasses, dishes clatter against tables, laden with Asian options including breaded pork donkatsu, crisp popcorn chicken, and pingsu, a dessert that combines red beans, fruit, and ice.

Founded by an Italian immigrant love-struck by the blues, Rosa's Lounge gathers minor-key maestros and their fans into a rollicking joint celebrated by Frommer's as "one of the best joints in town for spirited, authentic Chicago blues." Throughout its cozy, low-lit caverns, guests rock to the soulful strains of the guitar, the impassioned wail of the harmonica, and the haunting tinkle of the baritone glockenspiel. Since 1984, performers from a wide spectrum of styles have strode across the stage, from traditional Delta musicians such as Pinetop Perkins and David Honeyboy Edwards to the latter-day Chicago-school of blues folk such as Billy Branch and Sugar Blue.

Market restaurant and sports bar caters to a wide audience, courting die-hard sports fans with numerous flat-screen televisions—both indoors and out—and a complimentary shuttle to all United Center sports games, as well as wooing trendy diners with a menu of artfully plated eats. Its starters and entrees combine American classics with fun and elegant ingredients, such as popcorn shrimp mixed with actual popcorn and a drizzling of truffle oil, mini Kobe corn dogs, or hummus crafted directly in the Market kitchen. In warm weather, its nearly 5,000-square-foot rooftop bar exposes patrons to a dazzling view of the Chicago skyline and allows for easier spaceship boarding.

Lively jazz tunes bounce off the brick walls, exposed rafters, and blue-tinged décor of Close Up 2 Jazz's South Loop location. Bartenders shake cocktail mixers in syncopation with smooth jazz that flows from a floor-level stage. Up-and-coming artists mix R & B and classical jazz in the loft-style lounge, whose music and ambiance have attracted numerous mentions in the press. Just steps from the LaSalle/Van Buren Brown Line stop, the chic club leaves its doors open from 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. on weekdays and 9 p.m. to 3 a.m. on Saturdays to catch the postwork crowd and recently retired "L" train cars.