Chicago Bars - Summer 2022 (Part 2)
Big Joe’s Pub
Turtle Racing!
Yes - this is a thing and it packs the house. Located in Northern Chicago, this bar has turtle races on Friday nights. The way it works is that you get raffle tickets as you buy drinks. The more you drink, the more tickets you get. They then pick tickets for several races during the night. If your ticket is chosen, you get one of the 5 turtles that are racing. If your turtle wins, you get a t-shirt, if your turtle comes in last, you get a free drink. At the end of the night, all the winners race again and the winner of that race gets an entry into a race in November for a trip to Las Vegas.
It’s actually hard to see the actual race live as you would have to fight through a bunch of millennials to get a view (which I was not going to do) because the actual space is pretty small. Luckily they show the race on their bar TVs. We stayed for a few races but didn’t win anything but was a ton of fun.
Spiteful Brewing (dog friendly)
One of the true dog friendly places we found in Chicago as breweries in general tend to be the places more accepting of your pup. Low key local hang in the north side of Chicago, Spiteful has great beer and a chill atmosphere. They have outdoor and indoor seating.
Judson & Moore Distillery (dog friendly)
Another truly dog friendly place, this distillery has made a beautiful space in a renovated old warehouse. We sampled the wares and also got some cocktails after the tasting. Ronin got the baller tour as he was able to see the barrel storage as well as the distillery operations.
Long Room
This is a great bar with, well, a long room. It has a lively atmosphere inside with a pop up kitchen in case you get the munchies (hours vary). Their whiskey selection is also respectable but the harder to find stuff sells out pretty quickly. They also have some cozy outside seating in the back as well.
Replay
This is a fun bar in the north side of Chicago that has free arcade games that you can play. Great meeting place with very good food, but what is up with the “market price” guacamole? I guess “swordfish” in Chicago is spelled “a-v-o-c-a-d-o.” They have a large outdoor area so your dog can hang out with you.
Monk’s Pub
We stopped in this place in downtown Chicago on a whim while strolling by and found a huge beer selection. This would be my recommendation to go if you are trying to locate some hard to find beers. You go online to scan through the large beer menu probably because a book would be too heavy. They have a big space inside with old world decor. Solid food menu as well here.
Rossi’s
The “Open at 7 AM” on the sign pretty much says it all about this place. Classic dive bar in downtown. That is a Maker’s in that shot glass by the way so it’s not a Chicago Handshake. It’s also kind of a bottle shop as you can get your beer from the fridge as well and pay for it at the bar. I think it was cash only as well.
Half Acre Brewery
Very popular spot in North Chicago with great beers on tap. Their Daisy Cutter is distributed pretty widely. They have a large outside seating area for the nice days where your dog can hang out. The inside is pretty spacious and they have a kitchen for snacks as well.
Koval
I have seen this whiskey in stores but I’ve never had it until I visited their distillery. The whiskey is actually very solid. It doesn’t taste too young as many products from micro-distilleries do. They are able to put out a refined whiskey in this small outfit. The tasting room looks like someone’s penthouse modern living room with the comfy couches and tables. They also offer cocktails made from their liquors.
Lady Gregory’s
We stopped in here mainly because we wanted to catch the games from the first weekend of college football on Chicago’s northside. They had a good layout for drinking and tv watching. Standard fair for a nice Irish bar in terms of food and drink.