Never-Ending Night

1. Jiang Niu BBQ House

Hop off the North/Clybourn Red Line stop, and you’ll find yourself a few blocks from your first destination, Jiang Niu BBQ House.

Step inside and enter what feels like a giant kitchen. The air is filled with a sweet, smoky, and spicy aroma that makes up this Korean-Chinese barbecue fusion cuisine.

At one table, a group of friends share a three-liter personal tap of beer, while at the following table, a diner quietly reads on a tablet while enjoying a bento box. Food sizzles on each tabletop grill as staff maneuvers the dining room with plates of meat and seafood ready to be cooked.

Immediately upon being seated, you’ll be served several side dishes like kimchi, pickled radishes, eggs, and other accoutrements accompanying the main meal. Once you order, don’t expect to wait too long before the staff starts bringing you platters of raw meat, seafood, and veggies to cook up. And don’t worry — the staff will completely set up the grill for you, so no prior set-up knowledge is required.

For those not interested in barbecuing, Jiang Niu also offers an extensive menu of prepared dishes.

Korean barbecue is a promising start to a long night. Still, you should resist the urge to order another serving of bulgogi because you’re heading out to refresh your palate with experimental craft beers up next.

2. Off Color Brewing

Leaving Jiang Niu, walk down North Kingsbury Street for about a block, and you’ll see Off Color’s taproom, Mousetrap, kitty corner from you. Mousetrap makes its atmosphere known before patrons even enter the bar – barrels littered with custom, black-and-white art adorn the outside patio.

Inside, it’s hard to say exactly what will grab your attention first — it might be the fridge near the entrance fully stocked with absurdist art-covered six-packs to take home, or it might be the window on one wall of the taproom that gives patrons a small-but-appreciated view of the brewing tanks used to create these brews.

Once you’ve taken it all in, head to the bar to grab yourself a drink and peruse the many awards the taproom has won on display. As the name implies, Off Color’s specialty is making unusual brews. Initially opened in 2017, this space was designed for Off Color’s small batch experiments.

So, you’ll find beers created using various fermentation techniques, vessels, and ingredients. The beer menu changes frequently, but a common theme across their beers is that they’re often named and created with a specific situation in mind. You’ve got Beer for Lounging, Beer for Dealing With Your Family — now we just need Beer for Hanging Out At An All-Night EDM Dance Party and Then Waking Up and Regretting Your Decisions To Only Do It All Again.

For those who don’t drink, Mousetrap is generally good about having non-alcoholic drinks, but look up their menu beforehand just to make sure.

For seating, pick a table that offers a clear view of the massive brewing tanks or one of the longer stool/table combos in the middle of the room that provides a full view of the establishment. The saisons, barrel-aged drinks, and sours are best enjoyed over a long period, so you’ll need time to soak everything in. Once you’re ready, close your tab and head out; the next place is likely where you’ll spend most of the night.

3. PRYSM

Head back towards Jiang Niu BBQ, but keep walking past it, and before too long, you’ll run into a seemingly nondescript, gray, box-like building.

Here lies Prysm, the main event to the “never-ending” part of this guide’s title. With a 4 a.m. liquor license (5 a.m. on Saturdays), nights at the club tend to go into the early morning. The managing partner described the club as nonstop and “a great party after 11:30 [p.m.], 12 o’clock,” so get ready for a long night ahead of you.

From the outside, Prysm is discrete – don’t expect a giant neon sign sporting the club’s logo. Walk to the side of the building, wait in line (if there is one), and when you get in, you’ll be greeted by a large projection of the Prysm logo on the wall before you walk onto the main dancefloor.

Right before the doors open at 10 p.m., the lights flip on, and the club awaits its first guests of the night.

By 11 p.m., the DJ is playing slower club music, and the dancefloor is about half-filled, but by 1 a.m., the music progresses to fast-paced, bumping house music before a packed dance floor. Like the other establishments, there are a couple of ways you can experience Prysm. Whether you want to be dancing the night away in the center of the dancefloor, ordering bottle service in the more exclusive areas of the club, or enjoying the music from the second floor in a less energetic environment, Prysm can accommodate each of these experiences.

Unique, stylized visuals light up the area behind the DJ booth, keeping the dance floor lit with neon strobe lights and making the light mist emanating from the club’s fog machines easily noticeable. Time is just a concept when you’re inside. It’s easy to lose yourself in the music and forget just how much sleep you might be missing out on.

Things to note:

– Be sure to order your tickets for Prysm ahead of time in case they sell out.
– There is a dress code, and whether you’ll be let in is up to management. Let Prysm’s guidelines help dictate your wardrobe.