5 places to laugh out loud in Chicago

Wednesdays are open-mic nights at this neighborhood bar, self-proclaimed as one of the best in the nation. The proof is in the performances: many locals who got their start testing out material at Cole’s have since struck success as grand as Saturday Night Live. Bonus: open-mic night is free to attend.

This unassuming storefront is a delightfully cozy space to take in the city’s up-and-coming comedic talent. Budget-priced shows run five nights a week and showcase students from the spot’s improv classes as well as ringer improv troupes, stand-up comics working out their material, and more. BYOB.

As founders of Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind, the longest-running show in town, the Neo-Futurists are in a class of their own. In this black box space, thousands of two-minute plays (aka 30 plays in 60 minutes) have been performed since the late 1980s.

Situated in an anonymous mixed-use building, this little nonprofit black-box comedy theater offers programming six nights of the week for affordable prices. Improv is the primary form of entertainment here, but variety shows blend stand-up and sketch comedy, and there are even a few musical comedy showcases.

For a dinner-and-a-show experience, this polished club upstairs from Gino’s East’s Mag Mile location makes for a delicious night out. Stand-up acts take residency for a few nights of shows, and locals rotate into weekly tight-five showcases as well as a hosted talk show spinoff called the The Late Nite Mic.