Joe's Bebop Cafe

I must say that some of the Jazz and Blues musicians they get in here are pretty good. Alot of them are veterans of the music scene and play really well. The music is free and is great to hear while you are dining. Their menu features alot of BBQ and Cajun style foods. The Cajun style foods are not all that spicey here which is great for me. I love corn bread, biscuits. ribs etc.. They even sell bottles of their BBQ sauce here. It is at Navy Pier so you do get alot of tourists, but I'm a tourist when I visit other towns, aren't we all! more

My wife and I gave Joe's BeBop Café a try one weeknight after work. We weren't blown away by the food in this touristy jazz club, but it was decent. Burgers and BBQ is standard fare and run about $7-10. If you're coming for the jazz, make sure you find out when the artists are scheduled to perform. As we were finishing up, the performers were just going on stage, but by then our server was doing the "Here's you check, have a good night" shtick. Worth a try if you're in the mood, but you can easily find better live music venues in the city. more

Joe's BeBop Cafe is your typical summer tourist magnet for the crowds that visit Navy Pier. My husband and I visited during a weekday evening in the fall when the Pier was less than hopping. The service was adequate, but you could tell the wait staff just wanted to give us our food and clear our table-- tourist mentality. Our food was okay, but nothing spectacular. For the price, it was expensive, but it's hard to find a cheap eat on Navy Pier. Just as we were finishing up, some musicians took their place on the stage and started up a lovely jazz rendition of the M*A*S*H theme song. Perhaps if they were playing throughout the entire meal, it would have seemed a little more worth the price. I suggest coming and ordering an appetizer or two and enjoying the jazz. more