The Tap Root Pub

What a great forum! Just for the hell of it today I did a Google search for the “Taproot Pub”, a favorite place of my wife and me before we married in 1970. And Walla, I found this web site. I read all ten pages of posts. What great recollections!

The Taproot Pub’s steaks were great and they had an excellent Lobster clambake on Fridays. Best of all you could bring your own wine as the city refused to give the owner a liquor license when they were trying to force him out for redevelopment of the area. Here is a news excerpt on its demise that I found:

NBC Evening News for Friday, Apr 14, 1972

Headline: Tap Root Pub
Abstract: Chicago restaurant owner Harley Budd, who fought 9 years to keep urban renewal bulldozers from knocking down his property, lost fight.
REPORTER: John Chancellor
(Chicago, Illinois) Tap Root Pub torn down.
Pub in building built in 1862, survived Chicago fire. Property condemned, sold to private contractor Donald Lebold. Liquor license lifted, customers brought own. Restaurant license lifted. Finally physically forced him out.


As I Worked downtown for many years I have fond memories of these long gone places;

The Bowl & Bottle on Jackson and Michigan- “our bar”.
The Yacht Club on Wabash – excellent pizza.
The Mc McCormick Lounge on Michigan Ave., a.k.a. “The Hole” – great fish & Chips and after work watering hole.
Johnnie’s Steak House on Wabash & Harrison.
The Elm on Van Buren St. – Wonderful Ribs.
The original Millers on Adams St. – great ribs and burgers.

And now another great Chicago place is shutting its doors, Berghoff’s.
We have been away from Chicago for over 30 years now, and there are still many things about the city I miss very much.

More fond memories here as well. I remember going with my parents for all you can eat steamed clams and beer. Well, I had the clams and pop, they had the beer I thought the clam shells were so cool with teir mother of pearl lining so I brought a sack home. It was in July or August and after a few days well, my mom had had enough and out the shells went. I snuck a few back in but she found them through some (magical to me a the time) means.

It was my first real experience with shellfish and to this day I adore clams.

I think it was $9.95 for all you can eat lobster. Real money in 1970, but well worth it.