Lila B. Lounge (at Comedy Works South)

Named for her beloved grandmother, owner Wende Curtis's Lila B. Lounge at the Landmark is an effort to class up the comedy scene. Located next to the south-suburban outpost of Curtis's Comedy Works, this high-gloss cocktail lounge breaks free of the light-beer-and-mozzarella-stick monotony that standup clubs are known for. Like Curtis's other Landmark spot, the Southern-inflected restaurant Lucy, the Lila B. eschews the fried and frozen in favor of fresh bar snacks like spicy grilled corn on the cob with cotija cheese and lime, and scampi skewers with garlic butter. But comics can also work up a mighty thirst on the stage, and the bar at Lila B. offers affordable shots and martinis nightly.