Popular comedian Nate Bargatze visited Chicago for two comedy shows at the United Center and also stopped at a place he knows all too well. <\/p>\n
Bargatze dropped by Jake Melnick’s Corner Tap, where he worked as a sever more than 20 years ago. <\/p>\n
“Welcome back to Chicago @NateBargatze<\/a> and the #BigDumbEyesTour\ud83d\udc40<\/a>!” the restaurant and bar said in Instagram post. “Thanks for celebrating two jam packed shows at the @UnitedCenter<\/a> with us at your old stomping grounds.”<\/p>\n\n Bargatze, who lived in Chicago in the early portion of his comedy career,\u00a0performed at the United Center on Thursday – and is scheduled to on Friday – as part of his “Big Dumb Eyes World Tour.” The comedian has been hailed as \u201cThe Nicest Man in Stand-Up,\u201d by\u00a0The Atlantic Magazine<\/a> and recently hosted Saturday Night Live for the second time this year.<\/p>\n If you’re not able to catch either of this week’s performances, you’re not out of luck. Bargatze recently added new dates to his 2026 tour, and three are in Illinois. Shows are planned on Feb. 19 in Rockford, Feb. 20 in Springfield and June 13 in Rosemont.<\/p>\n This week isn’t the first time Bargatze returned to Jake Melnick’s since reaching stardom.<\/p>\n In 2023, he also made it a point to return to his “old Chicago stomping grounds”<\/a> when he performed three sold-out nights at the Chicago Theatre.<\/p>\n “Chicago is such a special place for me and never disappoints….” he wrote on Instagram at the time.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t