Bar #27: O'Malley's Pub

3215 N. Harlem Ave.

10:30pm, Thursday, August 4

Price of Old Style: $3.00 bottles

O'Malley's Pub is the antithesis of the Village Tavern. Hip-hop was blaring when we walked into this place, and it was definitely a younger crowd. The bartender was a younger guy, and he was doing some sort of weird dance for a group of girls so we decided to keep our distance and sit at one of the tables. Our buddy Joe the Cop joined us for a drink, and we just sat back and watched the scene unfold around us: guys desperately trying to hit on girls, rounds of shots being ordered, more bad music being played on the jukebox, lots of swearing.

If you are in your 20's and live in the neighborhood, this is a great bar...Village Tavern isn't for you. All the people in the bar were having a good time...even the three dudes sitting at the table staring at everyone.

Bar #26: Village Tavern

6912 W. Belmont Ave.

9:30pm, Thursday, August 4

Price of Old Style: $2.75 bottles

Upon walking into the Village Tavern, we hear Mr. Roboto was blaring on the jukebox: a good sign? Oh yeah... We bellied up to the bar at the only two bar stools that were open, and start talking to a guy next to us, Ralph.

Over the next half hour, we talked to Ralph about the neighborhood, Chicago parakeets, TV shows, movies that took place in Chicago, Ralph's awesome beach cruiser which was leaning up against the wall, and the Village Tavern.

Ralph was definitely a regular, but was very passionate about this place. He said it wasn't like the other bars in the area...you could bring your wife to the Village Tavern and wouldn't worry about her getting hit on. It was a respectable place with respectable customers. It did seem like that type of bar, a decent blue collar neighborhood place that never has any trouble.

After we passed the "these guys are all right" test, Ralph told us he was a cop...hmmm, so that's why you had a fannypack? We knew lots of cops and firefighters lived in the area, so we weren't surprised. Ralph bought us another beer, and we talked some more, while more great 70's rock played on the jukebox. Ralph also confided that he was the one picking out the music, and we immediately bought him a beer before we had to leave for our next bar. It's the least we could do to thank him for his service to our city, and his hospitality at the Village Tavern.

R.I.P: ?????

3047 N. Kimball Ave.

Not sure what this place used to be called, but you can buy it for $139,000...how much for just the sign?

R.I.P.: Belmont Tavern

3405 W. Belmont Ave.

Bar #25: Maria's Tap

5357 W. Belmont Ave.

9:00pm, Thursday, August 4

Price of Old Style: $1.00 12oz mugs (Tues & Thurs only)

As we were heading down Belmont towards Harlem Ave., we see it out of the corner of our eye: ANOTHER OLD STYLE BAR! And one that was definitely not on our radar--what neighborhood were we in? I did some research and it's in the Belmont Cragin neighborhood...I have lived in Chicago 12 years and have never heard of it.

We walk in, and the bartender is talking on the phone to someone (in Polish, of course :) ). She sees us, puts down the phone, gets our Old Styles and gets right back on the phone. There are 3 other regulars in the bar, just hanging out, not speaking to anyone. There is one older gentleman at the end of the bar who looks like he's either sleeping or dead (I apologize for no picture - I was a little nervous of the man sitting on my left). Anyway, we drink our beer, wave goodbye to the bartender and leave. Not sure the 3 guys at the bar even noticed we were there...

Bar #24: Little Rascals Bar & Grill

4356 W. Belmont Ave.

8:00pm, Thursday, August 4

Price of Old Style: $2.75 bottles

Little Rascal's wears many hats: bar & grill, karaoke bar, sports bar, dive bar, melting pot. We experienced all of these except for the karaoke, which happens on Saturday nights.

The bar was surprisingly large, but everyone was at the bar when we walked in. A Chicago cop talking to an older woman who had her dog, Jasmine, in the bar as well. A middle aged couple, and a younger guy who was chatting up the bartender, who wasn't that busy. After a few minutes the cop was grilling the young guy, asking him what he's been up to. The guy tells the cop that he's been staying out of trouble, away from the gangs, and has a few job leads that look promising...

We finally got to talk to the bartender after a while...she was a young girl who couldn't have been more than 23 years old, and she was the only one running the bar. Renata moved to Chicago a month ago from Poland to live with her sister...she was able to find a job at Little Rascal's and works mostly days. I swear, 50% of the Old Style bars we've been to are Polish owned or have Polish bartenders.

Renata's friend asks for some food to go, so she goes into the back and pulls out some frozen french fries and chicken tenders. Dumps them into the hot oil and crisps them up perfectly. Renata is a month into the job, and she's already doing it all: The American Dream.

Bar #23: Loafer's

2600 W. Lawrence Ave.

11:30pm, Wednesday, July 27

Price of Old Style: None (again!) - $2 High Life cans

We got to Loafers right before the skies opened again with the third insane thunderstorm of the week. There was a decent crowd, and everyone was DRUNK. Because it was raining so hard out, people were literally standing at the door smoking and blowing their smoke out the door. Unfortunately, no Old Style! WTF? And no PBR! $2 cans of High Life somewhat made up for it, but seriously...

After getting our beers, we hear one girl tell another: “you smell nice…like perfume and SoCo… I like it…”

There was also a guy whose normal voice was like Vince Vaughn at the end of Swingers…

We unwillingly met perfume/SoCo girl who proceeded to tell us that she was a huge Steelers fan, had meet all the Steelers players, went on two dates with Robbie Gould, had a 9 year old son, and worked at two other bars in the city… She also told us that they guy sitting on her other side wanted to date her, but that wasn’t going to happen. Who did she end up walking out of the bar with, yep…that guy!

At least she didn’t leave with the guy who spent the entire evening at the end of the bar watching “Murder, She Wrote”. He even had the remote! I guess he couldn’t get Lifetime Channel at home…

I’ll give Loafers credit…it is a good neighborhood bar, and with the characters that were hanging out there on a Wednesday night, I would have no problem going back for more. Now if they would take care of that Old Style problem…

Bar #22: Sunnyside Tap

4410 N. Western Ave.

11:00pm, Wednesday, July 27

Price of Old Style: $2.50 bottles

See: Sportsmans Lounge.

Once again, we were the only people in the bar… The bar is run by a couple in their seventies or eighties, and they were just hanging out at the end of the bar, watching TV on an old 20 inch tube. The old woman got us our beers – at least they had Old Style – and went back to the end of the bar, not really in the mood for conversation. How do these places stay open? I couldn’t help but laugh at the old 80’s beer posters on the wall, and they even had a Spuds McKenzie poster behind the bar! The only redeeming thing about Sunnyside was the old school jukebox towards the front…don’t see those much anymore.

Bar #21: Leland Tap

4662 N. Western Ave.

10:15pm, Wednesday, July 27

Price of Old Style: None - $3.00 PBR pints

The Leland Tap sits in the shadow of the Western stop on the Brown Line…attached to a liquor store at Leland & Western. It seems like a perfect spot for a drink after work, but alas, no Old Style. We get our PBR’s and notice the sign along the entire back wall that reads:

LELAND HOUSE OF LIQUOR

WE RESPOND TO YOUR SPIRITUAL NEEDS

You have to love a bar with humor. There was a good crowd, and it even had a little DJ booth in the corner, probably for the weekends. With any business, it’s all about location, location, location, and the Leland Tap / House of Liquor has that covered.

Bar #20: Western Tap

2044 N. Western Ave.

9:30pm, Wednesday, July 13

Price of Old Style: $2.25 bottles

Western Tap had the same characteristics as the other two Old Style bars further south on Western Ave. – dive bar, Polish owned, mostly regulars – but this place had something the other two didn’t have: a wonderful bartender.

If you ever are in the area, stop in and say hi to Joe. Or his wife. Or his good friend. They all work at the bar. Western Tap has shown how the neighborhood has changed from Polish/Ukranian to Puerto Rican/Mexican – Joe is Latino, as were most of the customers in the bar, but the bar is still owned by a 83 year old Polish lady.

Joe was truly happy about his job, and opened up about his life and family. Things weren’t perfect, but he was optimistic and grateful for his job, friends and family. We also asked him about the history of the bar and how the clientele has changed, and he just looked at us and said, “this is a bar for EVERYONE! My job is to make sure that anyone who walks in this bar feels welcome and has a good time”.

Job well done, Joe.