Detail for No Exit Cafe- The : Restaurant, American

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A neighborhood cafe, and the local patrons want to keep it that way. - sys, 12/26/1999

It's back, thank goodness. In this day of the Incredible Shrinking Acoustic Venues List, any new acoustic music club is welcome; and the resurrection of this landmark comes as good news indeed. Good PA, decent coffee drinks, most of the atmosphere of the previous incarnation preserved intact (note: bring back the burlap, armadillo and cow skull!). Miss the sightlines, funkiness and bathroom graffiti of the Lunt Ave. location--but that was over a decade ago. One unfortunate feature that *has* survived: the extreme dearth of parking. It was never a snap to find a decent, legal parking spot at either the Lunt or Glenwood locations: now it's darn near impossible to find one at all--legal or illegal, close or not-so-close. And since the Rogers Park neighborhood--the last place on the N. Side to accept victims of gentrification--has gotten even dicier than in the 1980's, proximity of parking is a big factor--especially if you're a performer toting a valuable instrument (and riding the L to Morse, hauling a Martin or other premium guitar, is riskier than ever). But it's still a nice listening room, with decent ventilation to offset the ubiquitous tobacco smoke (back in fashion, alas). Many of the old guard have been booked here of late, as well as some of the best of the newcomers. The owners are facing a watershed: do they keep this little gem a strictly Rogers Park institution, or revive its glory days as the city's premiere folk club? If the former, the locals may rankle at the influx of suburban and downtown audiences; if the latter, something will have to be done eventually about parking--certainly, the neighborhood isn't going to become safer anytime soon. - Sandy Andina, 03/28/2000

Tell us about your experience at No Exit Cafe- The
1 planet: Below par, skip it.
2 planets: Has redeeming facets.
3 planets: Decent, worth checking out.
4 planets: Excellent, we'll be back.
5 planets: Stellar .. out of this world!
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