cheap food and booze near the house of blues

I'm going to a show at the HOB, it starts at 11:30. This is the plan:

Get to downtown chicago a little early to have a couple beers around town

Go to the show

Get some grub after the show

Head up to rogers park to hang out

is there anywhere can i have a few beers downtown without going broke? the guys i'll be with are used to $1.50 beers in rural indiana.

Any recs on 24 hr spots downtown for classic chicago blue collar food?

Any recs on all night bars in roger's park?

thanks

For before: I'm pretty sure there's at least one divey bar on Clark Street near HOB, but I can't recall its name or exactly location. It's a place I see if I walk over to Singha, a thai restaurant that is about a block away from HOB. (350 N. Clark)

For after:

Off hand I can't think of any all night bars in Rogers Park. If your show starts at 11:30 then by the time it's over and you're back to Rogers Park, there probably won't be a lot of places open.

Heres one list of "4 am bars" I'm sure it's missing a lot of places and it isn't broken down by neighborhood.

Back in the day, the Green Mill was our favorite last-stop place. They're open 'til 5 am on weekends and the live jazz usually goes until about four. It's "on the way" back to Rogers Park, at least. If any of your friends are musicians, they may like the opportunity to get in on the jam session which is how weekend nights invariably end there.

Trying to get closer to RP, a little more googling indicates that Touche, a gay leather bar near Clark & Devon is open until 4 am, and the Top Hat Lounge on Morse.

Now, I'm the last guy in the world to go on about "rough neighborhoods" and such, but I have to caution that the stretch of Morse Street where the Top Hat lies has a bit of a reputation, so if you or your group are not comfortable in that kind of environment, it might not be the spot for you. I've never actually stopped in at the Top Hat.

Not for me to say whether y'all would fit in at Touché either.

The CenterStage.net writeup of Top Hat (linked above) says it's one of Rogers Park's "many" 4 am bars. So maybe I just don't get out enough.

Singha Thai Restaurant
350 N Clark St
Chicago, IL 60610
(312) 467-0300

Green Mill
4802 N Broadway St
Chicago, IL
(773) 878-5552

Touche
6412 N. Clark St.
Chicago
(773) 465-7400

Top Hat Lounge
1414 W. Morse Ave.
Chicago
(773) 465-8255

If the Sea of Happiness were not closed for good I'd recommend that you go there for drinks in the vicinity of the HOB.

So, try Snickers.

It's nearly the cheapest bar in the area. And, hey, even if the beers are a bit pricy by Indiana standards, your pals will forget all about that when they see the bartendresses.

Snickers
448 N State St.
Chicago 60610
312.527.0437

E.M.

The Oasis on Sheridan is open until 4am, 5am on saturday. The joint is a dive full of hard-drinkers, but it is not terribly dangerous. Actually, depending on your state of mind, it can be sort of fun. It has pretty cheap beer (mostly imported from St. Louis). Late at night (early morning for me) there are usually a few Loyola students hanging out there preparing for classes the next day.

Oasis
6809 N Sheridan Rd
Chicago, IL 60626
(773) 973-7788

McCormick and Schmicks on Wacker/between Wabash and State,( just across the River) has a "HappyHour" bar food special- some tasty grub , for quite cheap.
Fish Quesadillas.
Fish Tacos,
Mini Chesseburgers,
etc.
Drinks (quite a selection of Single Malt Whiskeys!!) and a variety of draft beers are NOT so cheap...but -that's the price you pay for the Prime RealEstate.

McCormick & Schmicks Seafood Restaurant
One East Wacker
Chicago,ILL.60601
312.923.7226

Hombre de Acero wrote:McCormick and Schmicks on Wacker/between Wabash and State,( just across the River) has a "HappyHour" bar food special- some tasty grub , for quite cheap.
Fish Quesadillas.
Fish Tacos,
Mini Chesseburgers,
etc.
Drinks (quite a selection of Single Malt Whiskeys!!) and a variety of draft beers are NOT so cheap...but -that's the price you pay for the Prime RealEstate.

McCormick & Schmicks Seafood Restaurant
One East Wacker
Chicago,ILL.60601
312.923.7226

I believe McC & S's happy hour specials end at 6:30, so if you're looking for cheap places, that could throw a wrench in the works, since you'd have 5 hours to kill (which may require money to spend) before the show starts.

A friend of a friend works at the Morseland which Metromix (and, oddly, not their own website) says is open until 2 or 3am. I only have their recommendation for the place, but he says it's really swanky and yet a lot of college students go there to drink. The Heartland Cafe, which we used to live near, lists bar hours as ending at 2 or 3. I haven't been there for 10 years, but it was a kind of artsy, beatnik place back then. Both the above have live music.

There's also a plain old bar on Howard whose hours I don't know, called "Everybody's Place to Drink" which seems less gritty than some of the other Howard St. bars at 2335 W Howard St, Chicago IL. I would not recommend the bars closer to the El along Howard.

We're old. Sigh.

Morseland
1218 W. Morse , Chicago
(773) 764-8900

Heartland Cafe
7000 N. Glenwood Ave., Chicago
Tel: (773) 465-8005

Everybody's Place to Drink
2335 W Howard St, Chicago IL

germuska wrote:For before: I'm pretty sure there's at least one divey bar on Clark Street near HOB, but I can't recall its name or exactly location. It's a place I see if I walk over to Singha, a thai restaurant that is about a block away from HOB. (350 N. Clark)

Are you referring to maybe the Boss Bar and Clark and Kinzie(ish) maybe Hubbard? That's pretty divey.

Danimal wrote:I'm going to a show at the HOB, it starts at 11:30.

Sorry no help on the actual topic, you've got some of that above anyway. But the show, I'm assuming it is the DKM show? It's the only think I know coming up that starts that late, my only curiosity is if SOIA is playing a second show as well, sometimes they are listed, other times not.

Anyway, I'll be there, and I've got class @ 9am Saturday morning. It's good pretending to be 17 again.

SSDD

The Food Diva wrote:

germuska wrote:For before: I'm pretty sure there's at least one divey bar on Clark Street near HOB, but I can't recall its name or exactly location. It's a place I see if I walk over to Singha, a thai restaurant that is about a block away from HOB. (350 N. Clark)

Are you referring to maybe the Boss Bar and Clark and Kinzie(ish) maybe Hubbard? That's pretty divey.

The Boss isn't divey...blue collar-ish, devil-may-care...maybe. The Boss is actually a longtime favorite of professionals in the vicinity. You want divey...well...let's have the poster go to Touche' as suggested above. I'd love to hear that write up(or perhaps I wouldn't).

The Boss offers not bad steak sandwiches, competent staff, and a popular pool table in a "broken in" atmosphere. Not what I consider a dive by a longshot, but your mileage may vary.

And you can get your porn(and educational aids) next door. That's cool, right?

Oh...but while we're mentioning gay bars: The downtown Gentry is right thereabouts: I wrote it up on my recent Bin 36 post.

The piped-in music's bad. The piano bar/cabaret performances can be entertaining(it's been quite a few years since I took one of those in)
and the clientele is pretty de rigueur old school, burned out guppie, skanky hustler(relative to ehhh...hustler), and groupies downtown for a specific performer. Drinks are expensive. Waitstaff is surly(unless you're a regular), and the environment is pure Holiday Inn hybrid military bunker cheese replete with ugly chandelier over the main bar. What's not to love?

Another 4am bar in Rogers Park is (was) the Mark II on Western. However, the last time I was on that stretch of Western, it looked like it had closed. I would try to call before heading up there. It is (was) not a bad place to hang out in the wee hours. It has pool tables, foosball, darts and cheap beer. It was obviously last remodeled in the 1970s.

Mark II Lounge
7301 N. Western Ave.
773-465-2113

The Food Diva wrote:

germuska wrote:For before: I'm pretty sure there's at least one divey bar on Clark Street near HOB, but I can't recall its name or exactly location. It's a place I see if I walk over to Singha, a thai restaurant that is about a block away from HOB. (350 N. Clark)

Are you referring to maybe the Boss Bar and Clark and Kinzie(ish) maybe Hubbard? That's pretty divey.

I think I was referring to Snickers, which Erik M. noted above. Clearly I was off on the location, but that rung a bell when I read it.

Re d4v3's suggestion, I thought Mark II was the place up closer to the Candlelite which is now a bank. From the address he posts, maybe I misremember where the Mark II was, but I would second the suggestion to call.

germuska wrote:Re d4v3's suggestion, I thought Mark II was the place up closer to the Candlelite which is now a bank. From the address he posts, maybe I misremember where the Mark II was, but I would second the suggestion to call.

You know, I think you are right, Joe. I got that address off of Metromix (wouldn't be the first time they were wrong), but it is completely on the wrong side of the street for the Mark II. As I recall, the Mark II was next door to Siam Pasta. I think the address Metromix lists is actually for Mullen's. However, when you go to the Mullen's website, it also has the Mark 2 listed. They must be owned by the same people. Now that I think about it, I am pretty sure it has closed.

Mullen's
7301 N. Western Ave.
773-465-2113
http://www.mullensbarandgrill.com/

Mark 2 Lounge
7436 N Western Ave,
Chicago, IL 60645
(773) 465-9675

d4v3 wrote:

germuska wrote:Re d4v3's suggestion, I thought Mark II was the place up closer to the Candlelite which is now a bank.

You know, I think you are right, Joe. I got that address off of Metromix (wouldn't be the first time they were wrong), but it is completely on the wrong side of the street for the Mark II.

Well, I'm way off then, because this place which is now a bank is on the east (odd-numbered) side of the street.

I think I'm talking about the lot-formerly-occupied-by-

Angus
7555 North Western Avenue
Chicago, Illinois 60645-1510
773.262.8844
which therefore makes a lousy place for a late-night-beer in Rogers Park. Sorry for the diversion from the thread...

headcase wrote:

Danimal wrote:I'm going to a show at the HOB, it starts at 11:30.

Sorry no help on the actual topic, you've got some of that above anyway. But the show, I'm assuming it is the DKM show? It's the only think I know coming up that starts that late, my only curiosity is if SOIA is playing a second show as well, sometimes they are listed, other times not.

Anyway, I'll be there, and I've got class @ 9am Saturday morning. It's good pretending to be 17 again.

SSDD

yeah its DKM, their myspace says deadly sins is playing the midnight show, not SOIA. I hope i don't get beat up by 17 year old oi kids

anyways, i looked up snickers and the boss bar, they sounds pretty cool. I'm into the no-frills drinking spots. How much is a beer at these places? That will probably be the factor in what time I come up there.

my buddies were talking about a pizza place right by HOB that they always go to, does anyone know what it is? Any good? when I say right by it, i'm almost completely sure its the closest place that sells food. they aren't picky.

If you can make your way three blocks west to Wells, there's a Lou Malnati's right there. There are a ton of pizza places in the area, don't know which one is closest.

Rossi's is approximately a block from the HOB, on Clark.

Rossi's
412 N. State St.