Bar #12: Phyllis' Musical Inn

11:00pm, Wednesday, June 29

1800 W. Division St.

Price of Old Style: $3.75 bottles

We had planned on seeing some live music at Phyllis’s, but we ended up playing a game of H-O-R-S-E instead. The band that was supposed to play that night didn’t show up, so the bar wasn’t that crowded. The stage was a good size – they could definitely fit 100+ people in there for shows. There was also a Galaga and Ms. Pac Man machine towards the front. Arcade games while listening to live music...that sounds like a good Friday night. Apparently they sponsor a softball team, because there was a bag of bats in the corner...I guess that is one way not to lose them--keep them at the bar. The team was not very successful...there were only 3 trophies above the bar and the bartender told us that the players of Gold Star (bar across the street) come by every year showing off their softball trophies they win.

We sat at the bar for a little bit, there were only a few regulars there this night, including an older guy drinking a can of Hamms. Impressive… We also noticed there was only one beer on tap--Moosehead--which came out of a tap sticking out of a huge old blue cooler.

We then realized there was an outdoor patio, and walked out to one of the biggest beer gardens in Wicker Park. And, to top it all off, there was a basketball hoop attached to the brick wall. We hooped it up for a bit, but at 11pm a guy came out and said he was closing down the beer garden. It was Hamms guy! We complied with his request, understanding that it was late on a Wednesday and there are residences around the bar, so we went in and chatted a bit with Mike, aka Hamms guy. Mike is originally from Milwaukee, and has been running the bar for 17 years. He also told us Phyllis’s has been around since the 1950’s. Although we didn’t see it that night, the bar has definitely benefited from the gentrification of Wicker Park. The place is always packed on the weekends, due to the fact that the live music is usually free and they still have cheap beer (for the area). It seems like Phyllis’ Musical Inn will continue to be a Wicker Park fixture for years to come.

Bar #10: Wrigleyville North

8pm, Wednesday, June 23

3900 N. Sheridan Rd.

Price of Old Style: $3.00 bottles

Over the years, all the bars near Wrigley Field have morphed into one type of bar: Lots of flat screen TV's, over-priced domestic beer, loud pop music, and filled to capacity with 20-something year-olds that may or may not be rude, obnoxious suburbanites. It's all part of the "Wrigleyville" atmosphere. Every bar is the same, except for a few exceptions: Guthries (board games), The Gingerman (hipster), The Piano Man (dive), and Wrigleyville North (another dive).

Wrigleyville North labels itself as a "sports bar", but it looks like nothing has changed there in 30 years. It's in a prime location, less than a block from the Sheridan Red line stop, a few newer restaurants across the street. I'm sure it gets busy on game days because the beer is so much cheaper, but I would prefer The Piano Man as my cheap pre-game destination.

We purposely went on a day when there was no Cubs game, to get a true feel of the bar. It was Thursday, and it was pretty slow...only a few regulars were in there, and they were gone pretty soon after we sat down. It also didn't have much character...it just looked like they said yes to every beer distributor who offered to put up a neon sign...they were everywhere!

There is a house band, Justus, that plays every Friday and Saturday night...they seem to be a country/Skynyrd band with a somewhat loyal following. What they may be, is the only band in Chicago who plays behind the bar - now this is an interesting feature!

I hit up the restroom before we left, and was greeted with this pearl of wisdom - if you can't read it, it says "Prison Sucks! And the sex is overrated...." Good to know...

Bar #3: Montrose Saloon

11:50pm, Wednesday, May 18

Address: 2933 W. Montrose Ave.

Price of Old Style: $2.25 drafts

Now this is the type of bar I thought we'd see all night. We walk in, grab two seats at the bar and get to O.S. drafts from the bartender, Gretchen. It is live blues night, and the band is winding down their set, and ask Gretchen to join them for the last two songs. Gretchen proceeds to KILL IT singing some Janis Joplin and "What's Going On" by 4 Non-Blondes.

Montrose Saloon had such a great vibe, and a lot of that had to do with Gretchen. She has been workimg at the bar for over 10 years, and she started up the live Bluegrass and Blues

Wednesday nights a few years ago, to much success. This is definitely a bar that Chicago beer drinkers and music lovers need to know about.

Here is a great review of Montrose Saloon by Sean Parnell on his website, Chicago Bar Project.

Here are the Yelp reviews, as well.