Tag Archives: dive

Return to Rose’s | Lincoln Park, Chicago

I’m back after a long lull given the hype of my last post, and I order a Guinness.  $2.50, the bartender says.  My friend orders a Jack and Coke.  It’s $5, but ice is low, so the bartender knocks the price down to $4.  We put money down, he doesn’t take it.  Fine. Bartender rummages [...]
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Dragonlady Lounge | Logan Square, Chicago

When the Chaser invites you for a drink, you ask what time. You do not decline. The Chaser wanted to check out Dragonlady Lounge, and I couldn’t resist. So, there’s some residual Stadium West decor (including the sign out front), and the place is definitely a dive, but it was a lot of fun. There’s [...]
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Stocks and Blondes | The Loop, Chicago

Ceilings are 7-footers, tops. And up until the smoking ban the place smelled like shit. But it still smells like shit, thanks to the fryalators. Which also give the menus a nice sticky sheen. This is one of the best bars in the loop. They always seem to have good beer, something unusual, and compared [...]
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The Flat Iron | Wicker Park, Chicago

Graffiti on the walls (or is it street art?), a cavernous feel, patrons with piercings and serious eyeliner, and two pool tables, all behind a discreetly-labeled door that has ‘The Flat Iron’ spelled out in the exact same letters you’d use if you had an aluminum fishing boat in Wisconsin and needed to display your [...]
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Rose’s Lounge | Lincoln Park, Chicago

We arrive and there’s a elderly woman in the back muscling a huge trash bag out from behind the bar. Attempting to muscle is more accurate. There’s one other patron at the place. He notices what’s going on and says, “Rose, let me get that.” He grabs the bag, takes it out the back door, [...]
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Burwood Tap | Lincoln Park, Chicago

I hate this place. I cannot be more clear. I hate it more because it should be great. It should be a neighborhood bar with regulars in overalls and cheap beer and jovial, coarse barmaidens (with ample cleavage). It should be the place where your usual is getting poured as you walk in after work. [...]
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