Storefront City Chicago

Archive for the tag “Wrigleyville”

Crossroads Public House

WHAT: Crossroads Public House
WHERE: 2630 N. Clark St.

OUR RATING: Skip It!

Storefront City felt in the mood for a bar night, so we tried out Crossroads Public house in Lincoln Park, right next door to the famed Weiner Circle. What drew us to Crossroads was our attempt to get as much beer for as little money as possible, with some fun ambiance that didn’t get too ridiculously crazy and obnoxious. Were we successful?

Alicia: Eek. This place is somewhat enticing from the outside in terms of publicizing their nightly specials, with posters advertising a bunch of deals on the windows, and with a standing poster in the middle of the sidewalk listing their daily offerings. And some of them sound like really good deals too, like $2 burger nights on Thursdays, $1 well drinks on certain nights, and the like. But we could tell just from the loud Top 40’s music blasting from within and the sloppy drunks on the dance floor that this probably wasn’t our kind of place.

The bar is relatively large, and comes with nearly a dozen large plasma TVs (obviously playing sports), a dart machine, jukebox, Foosball and what we guessed was a dance floor. One side of the place was pretty populated by a bunch of drunk fraternity-esque guys in their late 20’s, and the other part of the bar was ultimately empty. And it was all sticky, smelly and relatively dirty. We weren’t very hungry, which was good, as I probably wouldn’t have felt safe or clean ordering food their anyways (their menu consists of your typical burgers, salads and pizza), so we just stuck to having a drink or two.

Adam: Crossroads is basically a local dive bar with really cheap beer. On Tuesdays and Saturdays, their house ale, CPH (wow! that’s a creative name) is $6 for a pitcher, and that’s exactly what we ordered. CPH is really not a good beer. Watery and weak, I practically felt like I was drinking a Miller High Life knockoff. But, then again, it’s the cheapest beer you’ll get anywhere in Lincoln Park, so if you need to have a pint and you’re skint, this is the place to be. If you can put up with the service, that is, who are practically non-existent and take eons to prepare your order (literally, you just open the tap and fill the pitcher. It’s not like you need to mash the barley).

cr4My final comment will be this: if another place calls itself an Irish pub, when it is neither Irish nor a pub, I will call out your manager and make him answer for his crimes. A pub is a public house, derived from an inn, which should be traditionally adorned in Medieval or Tudor style and encourage community values and conviviality (for an example, check out my old haunt at The Harrow Inn). Additionally, for it to be Irish, it must at least something pertaining to Irish culture upon its walls: put whiskey bottles along the back of your bar, put some copies of James Joyce out, display a replica of the Book of Kells, or at least put some Bono on. Good gracious! It’s not that difficult to embrace a highly hospitable culture, is it?

Final Thoughts: If you’ve already had a few drinks and absolutely need a place to act drunk and stupid and consume a few more cheap beers, go ahead and go here, but otherwise we suggest you skip it and save yourself the two or three showers you’ll need to clean this place off of you. It’s definitely worth a few more pennies to go elsewhere.

Salt & Pepper Diner

WHAT: Salt & Pepper Diner
WHERE: 3527 N. Clark St.

OUR RATING: Do It!

While the Salt & Pepper Diner location on Lincoln Avenue is closed, you can still celebrate a good ol’ 50’s/60’s throwback retro diner at this Lakeview spot, perfect for Cubs’ fans on game days, and even more perfect for casual brunch fun on any other day. Actually, now that we think about it, this place must be a gold mine for families with kids on game day, with the rest of the Wrigleyville area pretty obsessed with the 21+ scene.

(cityowls.com)

(cityowls.com)

Cheap, delicious food in a really fun, friendly, and laidback atmosphere with chrome walls, faded leather booths, and high boy tables, Salt & Pepper also has your must diner counter to munch at and drink your cup o’ Joe. All it seemed to be missing was some music from the 50s/60s, rather than a current hits list. But like other deli/diner/sweetshops in the city, you can even grab a table and play a board game while you wait for your food…and we suggest you do!

Adam: Number one of my list of excellent things about Salt & Pepper are the Bloody Marys. At $3 for a massive glass, they are definitely the cheapest ones in town. While more Bloody than Mary, they are excellently prepared with ample vodka, tomato juice, a dash of Worcestershire sauce, a hint of Tabasco, seasonings, lemon, lime, a celery stick and celery salt on the rim: this has to be one of the best Bloody Mary’s I’ve had in a long time.

I paired this with a barbequed chicken (pulled) sandwich. Absolutely tender and juicy with Sweet Baby Rays (perhaps the best barbeque sauce ever?), it came with a great side of tater tots and the necessary pickle, so rather normal diner food. But, for its cheap price and great chicken (and not to mention the substantial and rather large portion size), this is definitely a winning dish!

Alicia: As soon as I saw the Banana Nut Bread French Toast item on the menu, I knew I had to have it, and when it arrived, I was in heaven. In front of me were placed three delicate pieces of freshly baked banana nut bread that had been very, very lightly french-toast-ified with egg, and then topped with pecans, fresh bananas and powdered sugar. And of course, the necessary vessel full of maple syrup on the side along with a dollop of butter.

And those slices of banana nut bread were killer. Sure, maybe I would have liked a little more egg on them and a little caramelization of the pecans, but for $6.50 this plate was gigantic and the bread was definitely some of the best B-bread I’ve had in a very long time. It, of course, didn’t pair at all with my delicious, delicious, delicious bloody mary, but with a few sips of water in between I was able to satisfy both my savory and sweet desires. The only drawback of this place was the service, but I think that was our particular waitress, so hopefully next time we come back we’ll have better luck.

(cityowls.com)

(cityowls.com)

Final Thoughts: We would go back here in a heartbeat, and probably always order a bloody mary. But we’d venture out too, as their pancakes, burgers, omelettes and peanut butter milkshakes do sound pretty tantalizing. A full brunch for two with drinks for about $20? Yes, yes, yes please!

P.S.: If you can’t make it to Salt & Pepper, but still want a Bloody Mary, we’d suggest Demitri’s Bloody Mary Seasoning added to your tomato juice – a bit Russian, but the obvious choice for any real bartender.

Headquarters Beercade

WHAT: Headquarters Beercade
WHERE: 950 W. Wolfram St.

OUR RATING: Do It!

The beer-cade. If you were a kid growing up in the 80s or 90s and you haven’t gotten in on this concept yet, you’re A) Behind the Game; and B) probably going to sh*t yourself.

(hqbeercade.com)

(hqbeercade.com)

Headquarters Beercade, located in Lakeview, offers 37 vintage arcade games and craft beers. Chicago is home to another older beercade, Emporium, in Wicker Park, but now the North Side has realized how necessary this concept is for using the millennial generation’s nostalgia to profit their businesses. Headquarters is not your average Lakeview bar, nor does it cater to the usual North Side/Wrigleyville-esque crowd.

(hqbeercade.com)

(hqbeercade.com)

Alicia: To be perfectly honest, the closest I came to playing in an actual arcade was when I went to the Enchanted Castle or Discovery Zone, where I much more enjoyed playing redemption games like Skee Ball rather than video games, partly for the physical actions required, and mostly for the tickets.

(hqbeercade.com)

(hqbeercade.com)

But that doesn’t mean that I haven’t played arcade games before, even if my memories of Dig Dug are associated with my first real PC, or Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles reminds me of my Super Nintendo set (which, by the way, I still play when I go home). Each of these games, however, is available arcade-style at Headquarters, and I was more than happy to play both – for free! Not to mention Pinball…the mere action of manipulating the spring launcher was enough to bring back a whirlwind of fun memories.

(hqbeercade.com)

(hqbeercade.com)

I really enjoyed Headquarters, with my two major loves being their amazing original artwork all over the place and the FREE game playing. While I completely didn’t understand why sports were playing on their televisions (yes, I understand they’re trying to hit all demographics, but this didn’t seem to fit at ALL branding wise), I’ve heard that when there’s nothing big going on in the sports world they actually do air old episodes of shows like Double Dare and the like. I don’t know…I really think they should be airing Legends of the Hidden Temple. Then they’d have me hooked for life.

(hqbeercade.com)

(hqbeercade.com)

(hqbeercade.com)

(hqbeercade.com)

Adam: In actual fact, I haven’t really frequented that many arcades, nor do I think I would have wanted to when I was younger. Similar to Alicia, I too have fond memories of playing arcade-type games on the old Windows 95 or Nintendo, but having rarely physically visited an arcade myself, Headquarters was a bit like a blast from someone else’s past. Not that this mattered: the games are myriad and absolutely fun, while the atmosphere is laid-back, with friendly doormen and patrons alike.

(hqbeercade.com)

(hqbeercade.com)

I got a chance to play (and complete) their Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles game, located on the slightly raised upper level towards the front window. This is a four person game, so great to play with friends and, since it’s free, it doesn’t matter how many times you’re KOed. Other games on offer seemed extremely interesting and I’d love to return to play some more! In terms of the bar, I was slightly less impressed on this front. Somewhere between a craft beer spot and a regular joint, beers start at $6 for (supposedly) craft varieties, even though their craftiness is questionable. I would perhaps get the beer flight in future, but there’s no need to blow money on the bottles.

(hqbeercade.com)

(hqbeercade.com)

Final thoughts: A great group hangout spot, with many games available for multiple players simultaneously. On Tuesdays you can build your own flight of 5 craft beer tastings for $11, and on those days there are even Sitcom wars where they show two different sitcom episodes. Headquarters offers a sweet variety of arcade games to fill your need, whether you are a pinball fiend, a racer, a sports fan, or just want to play table space invaders with a beer in hand. A great place to bring out and really celebrate the kid inside of you, who’s just been waiting to pounce.

The Burwood Tap

WHAT: The Burwood Tap (Bar)
WHERE: 724 W. Wrightwood Ave.

OUR RATING: Chance It!

(burwoodtap.com)

(burwoodtap.com)

Living only three blocks away from The Burwood Tap means that you would think we would have visited already for a review. Unfortunately, it was only recently that we set foot in this unknown, woodclad pub. We should have got there sooner to give you the full story.

Claiming to be the oldest neighborhood bar in Lincoln Park (founded in 1933), we certainly saw a dedicated crowd and friendly atmosphere. We think we’re going to have to come back a second time to fully appreciate the bar, but here we go–

(burwoodtap.com)

(burwoodtap.com)

Alicia: Give a girl free popcorn, free pool, a cozy aesthetic and some fun, intimate but low key lighting and you have her hooked. I may not be a fan of The Burwood Tap’s top-40 and pretty loud music selection or their numerous sports-on-TV screens, but you surprisingly don’t have to be a sports-loving DePaul frat boy to enjoy this place. Sure, there’s a lot of them here, but when a group of a few dozen current students and alumni from Geek-central University of Chicago can feel at home at this locale neighborhood bar, you can pretty much be anyone to come here. But you’ll definitely have to be in the mood to really try when socializing with others, as the music is pretty darn-loud (but then again, I’ve been to much louder spots in Wrigleyville, by far).

(burwoodtap.com)

(burwoodtap.com)

Adam: The Burwood Tap has a lot of pros: the previously mentioned free pool and popcorn, the friendly staff and a lovely interior. Unfortunately, certain aspects did not sit well with me, though they would have probably been tolerated by others. Drink prices were quite steep ($8 for a (small) Guinness draft) and bar staff, while attentive, took time chatting to patrons while fixing my pint (not a pint, by the way). I like efficient service with minimal time wasted. She was quite lucky I gave her the dollar tip at the end, but I felt that her convivial demeanor probably deserved a token of appreciation.

(burwoodtap.com)

(burwoodtap.com)

Other than this though, I thought this bar was pleasant and classic, and I’m sure that with frequent attendance a good relationship could be built with both patrons and staff. I’d come back for the drink specials and free buffet, but perhaps only order a domestic draft next time.

(burwoodtap.com)

(burwoodtap.com)

Final thoughts: We’ll definitely want to come back here on a Monday-Thursday night for a free buffet, and to check out their acclaimed Wednesday trivia night, but this may not be the best weekend-night out. You might be safer trying out a more well-known location, but the adventurous can experience Lincoln Park at its most authentic at this local little spot.

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