I am really trying to stick to one post per day slash only reviewing bars that I go to within like a week or so but since I didn’t get in a post for the 31st of March, I’m going to double post.
The Whistler is a tough one. Located in beautiful and scenic Logan Square, it’s half hipster hangout and half neo-coctail powerhouse. Or so it seems. I see it more like half hipster hangout and half-assed lazy hipster take on the neo-cocktail movement. They have this real, “Whatever, we don’t have to have class to make good cocktails,” but the whatever ‘tude seems to go farther than just their vibe. To me, it spills over into their liquor selection and thus, their cocktail menu. Granted, it seems to be growing, but their whisky selection alone is criminally small, especially when this bar is continually placed second to Violet Hour. The cocktails are for the most part professionally mixed, if a bit limited and delivered with really stellar service.
The bar itself is tiny, with a rather large stage in front. Not much seating, but a nice atmosphere and a pretty great decor. Prices are terrific, specialty cocktails are 8 bucks but they go the extra “whatever” to have Pabst priced at 2. It makes for a really nice combo, a (sometimes) solid cocktail to start followed by cheap shitty hops and barley to get a nice drunk on.
The Whistler: FTW.
9 months ago
I rarely have a good time here.
I guess I should elaborate. Danny’s is a shithole. The bartenders are pretty rude (I’ve seen them throw out a kid for not tipping. Not that that is outrageous, but where else would a bartender do that?), Pabst costs 3 bucks, the bathrooms are filthy, it’s always way too crowded, I get way to drunk here, and everybody dances. Everybody dances at Danny’s. EVERYBODY.
Danny’s: FTW.
“You tip a buck on every drink. If the beer costs two, you pay three. Three, you pay four. Four, you pay five. If the beer costs five, you’re in the wrong fucking bar.”
9 months ago
Oh, L & L. Many a night I have spent here, emptying bottles of PBR and wailing about the shit smell that explodes from the bathroom anytime anyone opens the door. The L & L is a dive; the ceiling is cracking, the bar-stools are repaired with PBR stickers and they have a really silly selection of Irish whisky. The Jukebox is stacked and the bartenders are friendly enough that on occasion, a free beer has been handed out. I’ve heard that they used to host punk shows, and a good portion of the clientele looks like that could be true; Chicago punk-rockers the Lawrence Arms even featured this mighty tavern in one of their songs. On the weekend the place gets packed with hipsters, but during the week it’s a selection of young people and old drunks.
My favorite L & L memory begins like most of them, I arrived to the tavern after work for a few beers with coworkers. While sitting at one of the few round tables, we notice a strung out looking gentleman leave the bathroom, in one hand is an Aldi bag, the other a small skinny glass filled with beer. Suddely, the bartender rushes around the bar at him, grabs his arm in one hand and his shirt collar in the other. He slams the beer to the ground and heaves the drunk towards the door, shouting that no one brings their own beer into his tavern. The drunk spits in his face as the bartenders heaves him out into the street, while screaming “I’m going to cut your throat!” The bartender yells back, “Fuck you, try it!” and slams the door on the inebriate. He rushes back to the bar, grabs a sawed of pool cue and goes after the drunkard down the street. He left us and a couple of regulars alone in the bar for a good 7 minutes.
L & L Tavern: FTW.
9 months ago
I had a good time at Smart Bar once. It was my 21st birthday. I saw the Field dj and I don’t really remember buying a drink. I do remember that there was some Bushmills special that wasn’t outrageous. Those times, sadly, are gone. I am now 23 nothing at Smart Bar costs less than 5 dollars. That isn’t entirely true, I’m really 22 going on 23 and a bottle of Heineken Light is 4 dollars. So that means, if tipping on every drink, you can spend 20 bucks and get a whopping 4 Heineken Lights. Until of course the bar runs out of this elixir and you are force to buy 5 dollar High Life. 5 dollars for a High Life? Come on.
This also brings up the fact that you have to pay to get into Smart Bar. So, last night I spent 10 dollars to get into the bar and then another 20 to get buzzed. All the while waiting for a dj to come on. Chicago bars close at 3 on Saturdays. Your clientele is sobering very fast. What time should you start the music? I would say before fucking 2 am.
This isn’t an isolated incident. Everytime I go to this bar it’s the same thing. High cover, high prices, buzzkill, late dj. I don’t care if I can see Frankie Knuckles here, I’d rather get my dance on somewhere else where I can also get drunk.
Smart Bar: FTL.
9 months ago
