La Calle is downtown DeKalb’s newest spot for music, nightlife, promises owner

The music and bar venue, located at 263 E. Lincoln Highway, opened its doors last month just in time for DeKalb Corn Fest.

Yesenia Galindo is the owner of La Calle Bar & Music Venue in DeKalb.

DeKALB – A new nightlife venue dubbed La Calle has taken over the site in downtown DeKalb formerly occupied by The House Café and is bringing with it a plethora of music vibes for people to enjoy.

When it opened its doors last month, La Calle’s owners promised to bring new energy to the nightlife scene in town.

“There’s definitely a need for this type of venue in our community, and we’ve seen that mainly Thursday through Sundays,” said Alex Galindo, head of operations for La Calle. “People are showing up.”

Owner Yesenia Galindo said the venue has been well-received by the community.

“A lot of people are excited this place reopened,” Yesenia Galindo said. “We’ve had a lot of people from the community that used to hang out here. This was their stomping ground for so many years, and then it closed down for three years. So, people are excited that they can come and hang out here again.”

La Calle has a variety of music and bar entertainment options to offer patrons who frequent the venue, 263 E. Lincoln Highway, DeKalb.

Open mic on Monday nights is already a success, Yesenia Galindo said.

La Calle strives to set a tone as a welcoming establishment without straying from that ideal.

Alex Galindo said he believes the venue is making good on its promise to patrons.

“The vibe is very welcoming,” Alex Galindo said. “They really like it. You have the opportunity to sit at the bar and watch a game, or drink and converse. You also have the opportunity to go in front of the DJ and dance. Dance is a big thing. Being a Latin-themed bar called ‘La Calle,’ a lot of people are coming to dance. It’s not just the Hispanic culture. It’s very diverse. It’s all kinds of shapes and sizes, and they’re coming here to dance. They really like what we have to offer.”

La Calle has hosted several DJs since the establishment opened its doors last month. But this weekend, the venue will welcome Howard and the White Boys, a blues band that formed in 1988 at Northern Illinois University.

The show starts at 9 p.m. Saturday, and tickets cost $10.

Yesenia Galindo said it’s exciting knowing that they’re able to make the band’s return to town happen.

“I used to watch them when they performed at Andy’s Tavern down the street here,” Yesenia said. “When I was first introduced to them, I was like, ‘Oh, my gosh. These guys are really good.’ I actually reached out to their manager. I explained them what was going on and everything. I said, ‘I used to watch you guys at Andy’s. I love you guys. I didn’t know if you guys were still performing or what was going on with them.’ The feedback from the community has been great. People are really excited to see them this Saturday.”

Alex Galindo said La Calle intends to focus on bringing in more regional acts of a variety of music genres to grace the stage.

“We want to bring in the people that are going to really pack the place,” Alex said.

Yesenia Galindo said she feels she has a responsibility to bring nightlife back to DeKalb in a safe manner.

“We’ve gotten a lot of feedback, and we’re taking it all into consideration,” Yesenia said. “We’re not booking everybody that wants to play, but we’d like to accommodate the community.”

Alex Galindo agreed.

“One of our big things is that we’re really owning is safety,” he said. “We want people to come here, drink responsibly, get home safe but also be in a safe environment when they’re here. We haven’t had an issue, but we understand what comes with the territory. Our staff is trained well to be ready for situations that can arise.”

La Calle operates from 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. Sunday through Wednesday, and 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Thursday through Saturday.

Have a Question about this Daily Chronicle article?