Fremont (15 W. Illinois St., River North) is definitely the kind of place where dudes dance on the silver couches, where cocktails come out under a shower of sparklers, where the roof can slide open and let a spring breeze inside to cool the partygoers. This may make it sound pretty clubby, and in some ways it is. But there's more going on than just a massive, DJ-backed dance party.

That's really only happening on the second floor–the first floor's far more chill and caters to a dinner crowd. If and when you make your way upstairs (and you can, even if you're just planning to eat and aren't gussied up in your cutest garb–there's no real dress code here), the goal is to make things a little more casual and welcoming, which means friendlier-than-average staffers and a solid musical mix.

Here's what we saw when we stopped in.