Esmeralda's Lounge

I think they remember me from the first visit where after **a few** AMAZING banana old fashioneds, I spontaneously combusted into a hot mess, and stayed all night. I'm a little basic, obviously, after all here I am on Yelp. I brought in friends from out of town this time around and they not only immediately took in stride my doubly obnoxious request for 1. A mojito and 2. FIRE!!!; but they also went out of their way to impress my guests and even gave them a Chicago welcome with malort shots. Which I totally warned them not to do it but they did anyways. Esmeralda's is the coolest little joint. I do not live nearby thank goodness. But I come whenever I'm in the area.

THEY CALL IT *THE FIRE" - @esmeraldaschicago Humboldt Park, ChicagoSo freaking LIT - got shots of rum on the house, and got to see this incredible show filled with fragrance, sparks of cinnamon, and blue + red flamesDefinitely recommending coming here, the music is awesome too with a nice chill house vibe on the weekday and more party on the weekendsDrinks are on the more expensive side but quite good with a Caribbean flare - eg I got the Banana Oaxacan . Alcohol forward which I enjoy banana mezcal, tequila, bitters, chocolate flavor. Really good mix for $16 (without tip)

We had a great time at Esmeralda's Lounge. We came during happy hour and enjoyed the welcoming atmosphere and the drinks. The DJ played a great mix of current hip hop, house, and cultural favorites. Service was fast and the bathroom was clean. Definitely a go to for a great night in Humboldt.

Drinks service and ambiance NICE!Definitely will go back!! So glad social media introduced me to this place!

Enjoyed our drinks here- very interesting flavors! Cute little spot, with cool decor and good vibes. My friends and I enjoyed this spot. Can get a little noisy as the place is small. Service was fine, seems to be only 1 bartender so there was a bit of a wait but overall a cool spot.

Went here with a large group after my birthday dinner. The place was nearly empty for it being a Saturday. The inside decor felt like you were in a jungle, very tropical theme - I love a good theme to a bar. I drank 1 drink which was some chocolate banana colada - that wasn't good. The drinks weren't hitting - we thought since the place was nearly empty at least we can switch up the music get the vibe going. There was a live dj mixing English house music, he was intensely into mixing. My brother and I went up to request Latin music since we were basically the only ones there, we wanted Selena, we wanted salsa, we wanted to DANCE. The DJ explains that he could not fulfill the request because we had to ask the "Resident of the night". Okay?? So we were instructed to walk outside and ask the Resident. We did as we were told, and basically ended up socializing with them for an extended period of time when all we wanted was for them have the dj play Latin music. Our request was never met - no latin music was ever played. All this time, it looked like the dj was jamming out to a prerecorded mix, just pretending to mix? Or was he only mixing a certain genre? Dk. My brother and I ended up getting a free shot from the waitress which was ok, but all in all, my experience there wasn't great. Won't be returning. Sorry. Queremos bailar ! We want to dance. My drink was a fail and so was the music. Thanks bye.

This is the king of all happy hours...old fashion $5 out of this world margarita $5. Listen between the hours of 5-7 this is where you need to be. Easily the best value for drinks in the city. The place is small and the bartenders are usually always on top of what you need. You need something that's not on the menu just ask. See you guys Fridays between 5-7 for happy hour. Old fashion 7/10 and margarita 10/10.

A few friends and I stopped here after having dinner nearby, and I'm glad we did. This spot is small and intimate but cool, it was a vibe. The lighting was dim and they had a dj playing music which added to the ambiance. They feature a lot of tiki style drinks and punchbowls, all of which were pretty good. The punchbowl lost its flavor pretty quickly after a few sips, likely due to the amount of ice inside. I'd likely stick to individual cocktails next time.

Awesome ambiance and GREAT happy hour. 5 dollar mojitos were my go to. The customer service was probably my favorite. They were super social, cool, and helpful. I already can't wait to go back.

Beautiful patio bar well situated on paseo boricua. We heard Salsa and followed the music Esmeralda'sNo food....Delicious drinks. Got me a Grand Poobah. Tajin rimmed vodka mango elixir.Wanted to stay longer Next time for sure.