Favorite Bars (Chicago, Lincoln: high school, restaurants, food)

[Libertine]

What's your favorite bar in Chicago and why do you like it? Or what's your favorite stretch of bars (like on Clark or Milwaukee or Rush or whatever street)?

[Avengerfire]

I will not mention any of my favorite bars that have yet to be tainted by hipster interlopers. To do that would betray my very soul.

[jdiddy]

Originally Posted by Avengerfire

I will not mention any of my favorite bars that have yet to be tainted by hipster interlopers. To do that would betray my very soul.

I'm on your trail. There is no escape.

[Tanya1521]

I really like national 27 for mambo, salsa, bacahata, merenge dancing on the weekends, really great food and mojitos with fresh surgar cane.

[Lookout Kid]

Whatever bar is closest to my front door is my favorite one. Okay, maybe not. But soon my favorite bar will be the one I can take a young baby to at 5:00 p.m. for a casual dinner. Since the smoking ban went into effect, I've never seen so many babies in bars during the daytime--particularly in Lincoln Square. It seems kind of crazy to me, but I guess it works.

[Avengerfire]

Babies in bars? God this country is doomed.

How about go to a restaurant that serves alcohol? Who would bring a baby into a bar? I sure would not.

No offense to you but a baby in a bar is in direct clash of why bars exist.

[Lookout Kid]

Originally Posted by Avengerfire

Babies in bars? God this country is doomed.

How about go to a restaurant that serves alcohol? Who would bring a baby into a bar? I sure would not.

No offense to you but a baby in a bar is in direct clash of why bars exist.

Well, at least Lincoln Square is doomed. I'm talking about places like the Daily Bar, Feed the Beast, etc. They all have babies in them during the day and early evening now that the smoking ban is gone. Lot's of them. I guess they are "restaurants that serve alcohol" as well, but they seem more like bars to me. It's the strangest by-product of the smoking ban I've seen so far, but it's nice for the parents.

The other day I sat on the patio of the Daily Bar for lunch, and there were six strollers parked next to tables. I went to Feed the Beast last weekend with some friends who just had a kid, and there were four babies in there around 5:00 p.m. And we're not talking about low-class trailer park babies here (who you might expect to see in a bar). These were the yuppie fancy aluminum stroller types drinking craft beers and bottles of wine.

[87vertgt]

I like to go where the Hoes are .....boot leggers = easy women ;-)

[Libertine]

Thanks for all the terrific suggestions... Just to clarify, I'm not a hipster, I'm a high school teacher who hasn't really found any bars that aren't too hipster or too yuppie. I'm looking for bars I can go to this summer and have a couple of beers with friends without feeling like I have to dress or act a certain way.

But I also really like going to obscure hipster bars, fancy River North dance clubs, and the heart of Wrigleyville on a Friday night in mid-July b/c all those places are hilarious for their over-the-top eccentricities.

Thanks for the nacional 27 tip, sounds cool, I'll have to check it out. But really, any tips would be helpful.

[Drover]

I like the German bars in Lincoln Square and North Center/St. Ben's, particularly Laschett's Inn, Resi's Bierstube and Huettenbar. They are casual hangout places and generally yuppie-free zones, though Huettenbar is starting to pick up a bit of a hipster following. But Laschett's and Resi's in particular are old-school. When I'm really serious about my beer-drinking, I head to the Map Room.