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Quenchers Saloon

Hey everyone, I moved! I now live in Logan Square, in close proximity to the Burlington, so my opinion of that fine establishment is only going up. But now that I am mostly settled, posting shall resume.

Quenchers is located not too far from me, at the corner of Fullerton and Western. With a name like Quenchers Saloon, I didn’t expect much, it sounds like a bro-y kind of joint, but I’m always happy to be surprised, especially when it comes to my drink. Quenchers is a beer bar through and through, but while other beer bars class up their love of shitty-hops with booths and quiet dining, Quenchers takes the opposite route, with a stage for up and coming bands, a photo booth for chug-fests, video games for the lonely alkies, and a popcorn machine with bottles of hot sauce. Yes, hot-sauce-popcorn. Fuck yeah.

The service here is always stellar, prompt, knowledgeable and above all, kind. Quenchers gives back to its drinkers too, with planned trips to breweries and distilleries. Building community while destroying your liver. My kind of place.

Quenchers: FTW.

The Hideout

The Hideout is located in the middle of nowhere. Like, seriously. The middle of nowhere. I have cabbed it here more times than I care to mention, stumbled home through traffic more times than I can remember. The Hideout is a blast. Cheap drinks, space to sit/stand and chat, and a nice big dance floor to get crazy on. They have a little fenced in yard out front to bullshit in and the sound system is loud enough. The decor is eclectic and charming and bartenders quick with the cans of Old Style. 2 dollars? Sounds good. 5 dollars for a big ‘ol shot of Beam and can of Hamm’s? Sounds better. Did I mention the dance floor is wild? Cause it is. I have yet to have a bad time inside the Hideout.

The Hideout: FTW.

New Wave Coffee

Christ, I really need to start drinking again. No new posts because no new bars, folks. Recommendations for places to try? Lemme know! If they sound half good or half bad, I’ll check them. That isn’t to say I haven’t been to more bars than I’ve posted about, it’s just that I haven’t been to those bars recently. I don’t want to post about some bar I went to like a year ago and had a crappy night. I want current shit! I’ve been frequenting my favorites as of late, and that’s my fault. I know. I’m sorry, but I keep going back to the FTW’s to get drunk. Oops. So, here’s a coffee shop I’ve been to. It’s like a bar for the 21st century!

New Wave Coffee is located in beautiful and scenic Logan Square. It’s pretty good. They serve Metropolis Redline and serve it well. The milk varies from person to person, but generally really good. Stick to the cappuccinos and you’ll never be let down. The decor is pretty great, seating good, food excellent (But really, who gives a shit, go somewhere else to eat, damnit!), and baristas are top notch. Stop in if you get the chance. They have two front doors!

New Wave Coffee: FTW.

Reggie's Rock Club

I feel like this tumblr should really be called “Chicago Nights Out FTWhat?” because I end up at bars for specific reasons and parties and not just to be in the bar itself. Oh well. I’m sticking with reviewing the bar regardless, I’ve done it for the others, I’ll do it for Reggie’s!

Reggie’s is a rock club. What this means is that they plaster the walls with rock and roll posters, have a stage, and the menu is shaped like an LP. The bartenders were prompt and the cheese sticks were good enough. I don’t like this place though. It feels like a low-rent Hard Rock Cafe. The rock and roll vibe seems forced and pointless, the bar itself is really clean and spacious; everything seems brand new. They have a full food menu and a really standard beer list. I have no reason to ever go to this bar again. For Rock and Roll, stick with Delilah’s. I guess it is still better than Alive One. Shudder.

Reggie’s: FTL.

Delilah's

Delilah’s is loctated at the corner of fuck you and use google.

Didn’t think it would take me this long to get around to Delilah’s, did you? Well, it did. But here we are. Delilah’s is probably my favorite bar of all time, or at the worst, a close second to the Blind Pig in Champaign , Illinois. Delilah’s has great rock and roll, amazing specials, great taps, great bottle selection, and the biggest collection of Whiskey in America, I want to say top 5 in the world. For a bar with such a huge stock in drinking right, there is no pretention. The bathrooms are shitholes , the bar is dark and loud and although I’m not a punk, I’ve never felt out of place. Delilah’s is the best. You should go. Buy their private label 15 year Rye Whiskey. It’s possibly the best whiskey you’ll ever have. Ever.

Delilah’s: Are you joking? FTMFW.

Tiny Lounge

Tiny Lounge is located at Leavitt and Montrose in wonderful Lincoln Square.

I have a quest for knowledge. I like to be well versed in whatever I am doing. This includes drinking. When I go out for good (Sorry, not PBR) beer or cocktails, I want to be able to converse with my server or bartender about ingredients, flavor profiles and pairings. This is why I come to Tiny Lounge. Tiny Lounge is damn near perfect.

A haven away from the brauhauses and sports bars, Tiny Lounge seems rather out of place in the family oriented neighborhood of Lincoln Square. The lounge is super trendy looking, with dim lighting, modernest furniture and frosted glass everywhere. But the pretension that exists in the decor does not carry over to the staff. They are friendly and courteous with a knack for remembering names. As knowledgeable as they come, when we asked about a bisongrass vodka, we were presented with a sample.

Beyond the waitstaff, Tiny Lounge still wins: a solid and well priced beer list, delicious cocktails, and a intimate setting. You can’t go wrong with Tiny Lounge.

Tiny Lounge: FTW.

Flat Iron

“Oh, hey Matt, what’s going on? I haven’t seen you in like forever!”

“Yeah, I know. I hate this fucking place.”

Flat Iron. Guh. Flat Iron is one of a few 4 am bars serving the Crotch of Chicago. It’s a huge space with two bars, 4 or 5 pool tables, a ton of seating, a digital jukebox, and everyone you’ve ever met ever. And, as far as I can tell, no one really wants to be there.

Seriously, every time I go there I run into everyone I know in Chicago. And everyone bemoans the fact that we are meeting in Flat Iron. Why do we come here? What’s the point if we all hate it so much? My guess is that the drive to come to Flat Iron stems from the fact that at 2 am, you are at that perfect state of drunk when you don’t want to go home because you think that something wonderful could happen. It could, but it won’t, and it most certainly won’t happen at Flat Iron.

I can count on one finger the amount of times I have had fun at Flat Iron. And that’s really only because I had just came from a dance party started by a fart and we had sharpies. Yet I keep going back to this dump. Every week. Again and again.

My favorite story from Flat Iron happened a couple of weeks ago. After the bartender finished hitting on my friend, I asked for a PBR. She walked to the end of the bar, opened something, peered around, then meandered back to where I was standing. She looked at me and wandered to the other end of the bar, found a PBR and walked back. She pops it open, sets it in front of me. “2.50” she says. I hand her a 20 and turns around. She turns back and slurs, “What did you have again?” I show her my PBR. “Right,” she says. She turns around. Back. “How much did you give me?” “A twenty,” I respond. “Right,” as she turns around. Once more she turns back. “I should get 17.50 in change.” “Right.” She turns around and I get my change. God, I hate Flat Iron.

See you next Saturday.

Flat Iron before 2 am: FTL.

The walk to Flat Iron at 2 am: FTW.

Flat Iron after 2 am: WTF.

The Hungry Brain

The Hungry Brain is located on Belmont just east of Western.

Going to the Hungry Brain feels like coming home. I love this bar. Dark enough for magic, comfy enough for long nights, quiet enough for conversation, loud enough to rock out, and cheap enough to get wasted. They stock little but they select well; there is usually a Three Floyds and a Dogfishhead on tap and they’ll never run out of cheap Pabst. The bartenders are friendly and quick, the crowd is never rowdy. They offer Pac-Man, Galaga, and Arkanoid, and a really kick ass jukebox. I’ve sunk more dollars into that thing on a night than tips, and I tip every drink. The Hungry Brain might be perfect. And it’s just steps away from Underbar. Never go there.

Hungry Brain: FTW.

The Burlington

Located on Fullerton just west of Kimball.

I almost always have a good time when I go here. Granted I’ve only been here for Oldies Night which I do not think is representative of the bar, but it’s still a great time. Plus the bar is on Fullerton west of Kimball. How often am I going to end up here?Sheesh.

Burlington on Oldies Night is great. 2 Buck PBR, Gumballhead specials, cheap mixed drinks and super friendly slash efficient bartenders. Tons of people, really great music. The bar gets a little crowded, but there is usually dancing and lot of carrying on. I don’t think I’ve left this bar before 2. Maybe once, when I was sober and needed a ride home. Otherwise, what’s the point? Where else is the party going to stay this strong until close?

Burlington: FTW.

Rainbo Club

I like the Rainbo Club. I like the Rainbo club when it is packed to the gills and when it’s you and the bartender. I like that it’s a quick place to stop of for a pint of cold PBR for 2 bucks or a place to get eyed like a sale item at H & M. I like the Rainbo Club.

Rainbo is somewhere between a dive and whatever is slightly above dive status. I don’t think anyone but hipsters ever frequents this place, so I don’t think it’s a dive in the truest sense of the word, but it doesn’t have anything else going for it. The seating is minimal but comfy, big booths line the back of the space, with a large clover shaped bar in the front. The bathrooms are shitty and dirty, and the bartenders are not the nicest in the city, but the bar has charm. Cheap, strong drinks, a great photobooth, good music, and what is probably my favorite part about it, Nelson Algren used to get drunk here. Plus if you are in your 20s and feeling down, go her on a Friday or Saturday. You’ll get enough eyes to get that confidence back.

Rainbo Club: FTW