jmc wrote:Geez...I didn't realize Rainbo was so polarizing....it is a hipster bar, I'll give you that. I like that they put on records because vinyl to me represents a way of listening that seems extinct now, it requires more investment from the listener.

Come on over, we can listen to vinyl at my place and the bourbon is free.

jmc wrote:Geez...I didn't realize Rainbo was so polarizing....it is a hipster bar, I'll give you that. I like that they put on records because vinyl to me represents a way of listening that seems extinct now, it requires more investment from the listener.

Rainbo's always been polarizing.

fyi: vinyl's far from extinct, or a niche market

but, you know...there were always cooler bars...like Sweet Alice...

Wow, thanks for bringing up that memory. I vaguely remember a psychedelically painted sailfish mounted behind the bar and twisted videos playing on the few tv's. And then there was Danny's of the very early 90's as well.

Was in the Long room the other day and I really like that place great list of tap beer and pretty good selection of bottle beer. Good music playing too, Jenny Lewis. It was the middle of the week so it was not at all crowded. It was just the place I needed. I used to go there 25 yrs ago to get beer to go never stayed in for a drink as it was such an old man bar. But I really like what they did with it.

Went to Wee gees a few weeks ago on a friday night and felt the place ( well nore the bartender) had a lil bit too much attitude for my taste. Is it just me or do you just want them to serve you a decent drink and leave the hipster attitude out? Maybe too that night I wasn't in the best mood, but dont know if Ill go out of my way to get back there.

I've been to most bars that Giallo mentioned above, and I gotta say that Clark Street Ale House is my favorite out of them.

I can't believe that Sheffield's isn't mentioned as one of the best beer and food bars. They were among a handful of bars that STARTED the micro-trend in Chicago, long before Hopleaf or Maproom (which I love too, just pointing out that Sheffield's was ahead of the curve). Their food is great, they have a kickin' tap line up and one hundred plus bottles that run the entire range. It does get a little crowded in the summer with the beer garden, but go on a week night or the off season. Them's my thoughts and I'm stickin' to em.

Actually, since we're talking movies and rainbo club. The movie 'Straight Talk' starring Dolly Parton had a scene shot in that bar also.

Stopped going to that bar in '93. Never missed it

For quite a while, the Rainbo, Phyllis Musical Inn and the Northside were the only bars to go to in Wicker Park. And the photo booth at the Rainbo is legendary. It was there before almost anything else and for that reason alone it's still a good place to visit every now and then.

Chicagoric wrote:For quite a while, the Rainbo, Phyllis Musical Inn and the Northside were the only bars to go to in Wicker Park. And the photo booth at the Rainbo is legendary. It was there before almost anything else and for that reason alone it's still a good place to visit every now and then.

I'm not yet a Chicagoan, having been here less than two decades, but hasn't WP been lousy with bars for, like, a hundred years. Wasn't there like a Sinatra movie that touched on the scene?

Yes, there were alwasy bars, but back in the late eighties, early nineties, there were very few places left you'd go into. Division and Damen, right where Rainbo is, was called D & D by the heroin crowd and was, at one time, one of the highest violent crime areas in the city. The artists and urban pioneers started to creep back in in the early nineties, but it wasn't until the last five to seven years that all the activity really started to roll to it's present yuppietrification. It was a very shady place and the Rainbo was THE hang for anyone in the neighborhood. The Charleston was there, and Northside came in early. There was Club Dreamerz (now Nick's beer garden) and Estelle's was a jazz club. The guy who originally rehabbed Rainbo died of an overdose on the roof one night, as I recall. So, yes, there were bars, but like Old Town in the sixties, not ones that you would ever go to.

You might be thinking about The Man with the Golden Arm, starring Ole Blue Eyes, based on the book by Nelson Algren. Algren would be a great read, especially this novel, if you want an idea of what Division street looked like eighty years ago.

Chicagoric wrote:So, yes, there were bars, but like Old Town in the sixties, not ones that you would ever go to.

Speak for yourself, ric.

I know what you mean,though.

You're right, of course, becuase I would have been at the front of the pack, going to those places that I, often incorrectly, assume no one would go to. I'm trying to edit toward the average and perhaps this isn't the right place for that.

thefoodsnob wrote:I am looking for really cool, well-balanced bars in Chicago: enough local feel, enough character, really (really) good pub food, but also a lot of fun and original things to do (games, promotions, bar snacks, events, etc.).

I'm also a huge sports fan, so a good number of TVs is a must; but I don't like super-loud places but rather well-managed sound. Oh, and if I can get a decent glass of wine once in awhile, it would be a huge plus.

Ideas? What kinds of places/things have you seen, forum?

Matilda's. On Sheffield, a short walk from the Belmont red-line stop.

I like to drinfk beer after work with my friends in Long Room!

stopped at quenchers saloon for a few cold ones fri. afternoon. great place great range of beers from around the globe.*****

I've heard good things regarding The Globe pub, can anyone vouch for / elaborate for us on this place?

The Globe is a nice place, especially if you are interested in watching international leagues for Rugby and Football (soccer) and/or hanging out with people who share those interests. The food and beer selection is good, the staff is nice.

Check out this website. Lots of info on Bars in Chicago.

http://www.chibarproject.com/WholeList.htm#Gone

If only there was a bar that didnt have a menu and only served high life in 24oz quantities...

leek wrote:The Globe is a nice place, especially if you are interested in watching international leagues for Rugby and Football (soccer) and/or hanging out with people who share those interests. The food and beer selection is good, the staff is nice.

just don't look too closely at any of the surfaces

I'm a fan of the Globe too. It's not especially dirty, for a pub. Maybe I need a new prescription for my monocle.

Kennyz wrote:

leek wrote:The Globe is a nice place, especially if you are interested in watching international leagues for Rugby and Football (soccer) and/or hanging out with people who share those interests. The food and beer selection is good, the staff is nice.

just don't look too closely at any of the surfaces

KZ -- Don't you know, alcohol kills everything... germs as well as brain cells... And in any event, I believe a little managed filth helps develop the immune system*...

Antonius

*Having survived many years of Jimmy's for the main course and the Tiki for the night cap, I am living evidence to what good properly managed filth can do.

This message itself written in a bit of a dive; netbooks are dangerous but amusing.

When it comes to my drinking establishments, the dirtier the better. That goes for my bartendresses too.

I like the Globe for football and a coupla pints of Boddington's.

Kennyz wrote:When it comes to my drinking establishments, the dirtier the better. That goes for my bartendresses too.

I like the Globe for football and a coupla pints of Boddington's.

dirtier the better sounds good , i'll have to check these place's out thanks kenny

The Touch of Class Lounge...

Silas Jayne wrote:The Touch of Class Lounge...

on 63rd st?

my basement,the price is always right,always serve my favorite foods,and always have people i like!

parnellsf wrote:Here's our two cents on the best bars in Chicago for the year ended 2009:

http://www.chibarproject.com/Features/Best/Best2009.htm

Let us know what we missed!

No Bar DeVille, no Whistler, no Tiny Lounge tells me all I need to know about this list.

Does anyone have a list of good bars that are television-free? Now that Celtic Crossing has a television, I can only think of The Duke of Perth, which even advertises itself on its front window as being television-free. I can't think of anything more vulgar than being surrounded by televisions when trying to have a conversation. Cheers!