Bar #40: ZAKOPANE

1734 W. Division St.
10:30pm, Thursday, October 20
Price of Old Style: $3.00 bottles



PART I - THE HISTORY

Zakopane, named after a town in Southern Poland, is the last true Polish bar standing on Division St. (a.k.a "Polish Broadway"), which at one point in the 30's and 40's was the hottest place in the city to catch live Polka music.  Polka was HUGE at the time in Chicago, and one of the best polka musicians in the world, Li'l Wally, played at the bar with his band on a regular basis.  This guy was so good, he was one of the first two people to be inducted into the International Polka Hall of Fame, certifying himself as the "Polka King of Chicago".  The other inductee back in 1969, Frankie Yankovic (no relation to Weird Al), was the biggest Polka musician in Cleveland.  He also wrote the song "Let's Go Go Go White Sox", but honestly, he's no Steve Goodman.

(Side note: Our grandfather, who was an avid Old Style drinker and Polka fan, gave my brother an accordion when he was in high school.  After Frank Yankovic died in 1998, my brother wrote Frank's widow a letter saying he was a big fan.  The woman sent Aaron a huge care package a few weeks later, with stickers and cassette tapes, saying she was so happy he had younger fans...it was awesome.)

Back in 1999, Chicago's favorite punk-polka band The Polkaholics played a legendary show with Li'l Wally back at Zakopane.  Having retired to Florida, Wally came back to play this epic show, which was captured in a documentary.  Zakopane rarely has shows anymore, hiding the stage behind a red curtain, but anyone would be luck to share the same stage as the Polkaholics and Li'l Wally.

PART II - THE EXPERIENCE

If you don't look high enough, you may miss the Old Style sign above Zakopane.  It's actually hanging on the 2nd story of the building.  What you won't miss is the Zakopane sign, along with the sign of the previous bar, Maria's Lounge...yep, that one is still up too.  When you walk in, the bar is on the right and the jukebox on the left towards the end of the bar.  Bathrooms are on the left and in the back is the aforementioned stage area with the red curtain.

The real attraction at Zakopane is Monika.

The blonde, curvaceous bartender worked the crowd with the grace of a ballerina.  One minute she's pouring shots of Zubrowka for a group at one end of the bar, then dancing with some shady old guys on the dance floor, and then outside having a smoke with some more of the bar regulars.  The bar was packed, and she was gone for 5-10 minutes and people didn't mind waiting for her to get back to order their next beer.  As she walked back in, necks turned as she went over and put in a bunch of songs on the jukebox.  G'n'R...nice.  The bar was hopping...it seemed like everyone knew each other and everyone was just having the time of their lives.  This bar had the most energy of all the bars we've been to.  If you walked by, you'd definitely say the bar was "hopping".  Everything revolved around Monika...it was incredible.  More people started dancing in the back as Guns n Roses turned in to Polish dance music...the place was up for grabs.

Li'l Wally would have been proud.

Bar #39: Bill's Pub

4104 N. Pulaski Ave.
10:30pm, Thursday, October 13
Price of Old Style: $1.50 frosted mugs

Rose's, Sunnyside Tap, Western Tap, Sportsmans Lounge, Steve's...we've seen this place before.  Walk in the bar, bartender watching TV...weird regular sitting at the corner stool.

I was excited about Bill's because some of their Yelp reviews talked about how cool the place was decorated for Halloween.  Well, that was then and this was now...there wasn't a single decoration up, just some weak wooden replicas of the Chicago baseball stadiums.  Bill's doesn't distinguish itself as a Cubs or Sox bar, but Cubs fans usually sit on the left side of the bar where the Wrigley replica is, and Sox fans on the right side under U.S. Cellular.

Chris was the regular, who had 70's acid rock on heavy rotation on the jukebox.  He also told horrible jokes and mumbled a lot, mentioning 'heroin' to us a few times (we didn't bite).

The bartender, Sylvia, was a nice woman...she even gave me a cough drop...was getting over a cold.  Not sure what brand it was--it just said "cough drop" on the wrapper.  It could have been 10 years old for all I know.

Oh, and considering the clientele that frequents Bill's Pub, this is probably a good thing:

Bar #38: Home Tavern

2828 N. Lincoln Ave.
8:00pm, Thursday, October 6
Price of Old Style: $2.50 bottles

The Home Tavern has the most accurate name of any bar we've been in...golf clubs in the corner, plants everywhere, and a huge bag of dog food sitting next to the pool table.  I think we warped into some dude's basement when we walked in the door.  The dog food belonged to a nice black lab named Potato who never moved the whole time we were there.  Also, there is a very creepy collection of stuffed toys that hangs from the ceiling (no picture, which I will describe why in a minute).

The highlights of the evening were this exchange between two regulars:

"Hey Nancy, what's new?"
"Well, I saw that 'Craigslist Killer' movie the other night, and it really reminded me of you..."





Also, there were a couple of locals hanging out, and these guys were true locals.  They grew up and have lived in Lincoln Park for 40+ years...never left the neighborhood as it has changed over the years.  These were some tough mofos too...one guy, Mike, decided to tell us his entire life story, and it scared the shit out of me.  I didn't want to break eye contact in fear that he was gonna bust his beer bottle over my head.

Mike told me about his four daughters, and how his oldest one was dating a real degenerate, and that their car was just repossessed.  He also then told me that he might have to deal with the situation himself (like this guy), and then tells us about his time in prison (stealing cars) and shows us the scars from when he got stabbed (was hanging in Mexico with the wrong people).  Then he rants about how technology is ruining the kids nowadays...needless to say my iPhone stayed in my pocket the whole time.

I did my part though.  I listened.  Mike and I hugged it out when we left.  I survived.

A warning to all you Lincoln Park-ers with the popped collars, texting your buddies non-stop, drinking Bud Light Lime and doing Jaeger shots.  Don't go to the Home Tavern, because if Mike is there, he will mess you up...

Bar #37: Peacock Liquors - UPDATED

11:45pm Wednesday, May 18

If you thought the Old Style Bar Project was all about those square signs, think again. We celebrate all types of Old Style signage...no discrimination. Further down on Montrose is Peacock Liquors, with an amazing sign that says "Old Style Lager" underneath.

"Is this just a liquor store?", we wondered... We walk into the store and are surrounded by boxes upon boxes of beer. Shoulder high, but it's a pretty small place. We make our way through the beer maze and come across a cute cat, and then meet the owner (of the store? Cat? No idea). We look beyond them and see a bar that looks transported from a basement in Wisconsin. There is a man behind the bar who couldn't have been less than 70 serving beers to a few customers who didn't bring the average age down much lower. "Bars closed," the owner says. Our watches say 11:45pm, but we won't argue, but we will be back. Oh yes, random bar in Peacock Liquors, we'll most definitely be back.

**UPDATE**
8:15pm, Wednesday, September 21
Price of Old Style: $1.50 12 oz mugs

So we finally made it back to Peacock after our first "visit" a few months ago.  They actually let us in this time, as it was still early.  There was a good group sitting at the bar, and we loved our options on tap!

We chatted with the bartender, Sal, who had been working there for over 30 years and was part owner of the place...he said that this location has been Peacock Liquors for almost 80 years, right after prohibition, and that the neon sign has been up since the 50s or 60s.

Sal was an old guy, probably in his 70's, and was decked out in a nice vest...he kinda reminded me of Lloyd the Bartender from The Shining, except I had to pay for my drinks and well, Sal was very much alive...  He also told us that the cats name was Garth, and I immediately thought of "Wayne's World", but my brother informed me what kind of music that was on the jukebox..."both kinds".

Peacock Liquors is a one of a kind, with a one of a kind sign.

R.I.P.: Andy's

3601 W. North Ave.

Andy's must have recently closed...I took this picture about a month ago and it was still open.  It's in a good location so I bet something will open up there soon.

Bar #36: Jadran Liquors

3025 W. Irving Park Rd.
7:30pm, Wednesday, September 21
Price of Old Style: FREE
Price of Hennessy: FREE

Most people are afraid of something--heights, the dark, public speaking, calculus...  With me, it's spiders.  I hate em...make my wife kill them...  Other bugs, snakes...I'm totally cool with them, but not spiders.  People say if you want to conquer your fear you need to take it head on.  Well, I'm not going to jump into a tub with tarantulas, but I did end up conquering a different fear last week.  My fear of Jadran Liquors...

Jadran Liquors is this little bodega-looking place on Irving Park that I had been scouting out ever since I started The Project.  It looks like one of those sketchy corner stores that you can buy the essentials and not much else, and the two times I have scouted it out there have been older men hanging out, sitting in folding chairs, drinking bottles of strange liquor, yelling at each other.  Why would anyone want to go there?  If I lived next door, I'd rather drive 20 miles to a Wal-Mart than buy toilet paper from this place.

Anyway, my brother and I needed to get this done.  They have an Old Style sign out front so we had to go in...  We got to the corner across the street, and we see 8 gentlemen sitting down all looking at a guy standing up, speaking and pointing...he is very animated in whatever he is trying to get across.  What was going on here?  Was this a local CAPS meeting?  Was that guy an undercover cop finally busting the joint?

We were pretty nervous at this point, so we ended up walking one block away on the other side of the street, crossing the street at the light (Sacramento), and then walking back down towards Jadran.  When we were getting close, I turned to my brother and said, "I'm just gonna go in...".

"You are?"

"Well, you had better be right behind me...", I responded.  The whole time I have this picture of Biff Tannen in my head (What are you...Chicken?).

I walk in, everyone stops talking and this guy immediately grabs my arm... "$2 to enter the bar," he says with a menacing look and this death grip on my arm...  What the hell is going on?  Are we gonna leave this place alive?

Everyone else then starts laughing and I realize this crazy man is just joking...  They then ask us where we are from, and they don't mean what neighborhood...  "Um, well, we're American...uh, German, Scottish..."  They didn't care, but they did care to tell us where they were from..we met:

• Joey, a Serbian who worked downtown and used to be on Blago's campaign team.
• Some guy from Croatia who referred to Joey as "the enemy" and told us two of the most racist jokes I have ever heard.
• A younger guy from South America who was talking about his time in the army and mentioned the term "friendly fire" a number of times.
• Edgar, who was from Montenegro and the guy who greeted us at the door.  He paid for our Old Styles, and then asked if we wanted a shot...I wasn't going to say no.  Shot glasses?  Nope.  He just put a bottle of Hennessy up to our lips...still hoping I don't get mouth herpes.

We spent the next 15 minutes talking to Joey, who proceeded to tell us that the other guys playing cards at the table and not speaking English were also from the former Yugoslavia.  I didn't get around to ask him how the hell this place stays open, while looking at the rolls of TP on the shelf that had "99¢" written in ink on each individual roll.  We also saw Joey kill two cockroaches that scurried across the floor (I would have totally got that).  Disgusting.

Once 8:00pm hit, the old man sitting at the door who hasn't said a damn word starts motioning towards the door, saying something not in English.  Joey tells us that the place closes every night at 8, which is probably a good thing.  As we walk out, Edgar gives me a hard slap on the back and says, "Thanks for coming in, guys...", which I think was his way of saying, "Don't come back anytime soon..."

Bar #35: Steve's Sports Bar & Lounge

3524 W. North Avenue
8:30pm Wednesday, September 14
Price of Old Style: $3.00 cans

Steve's door was locked when we tried it, but after a few seconds, a younger man in a wheelchair came over and unlocked it.  He said they were open, so we walked in, went through the saloon doors and grabbed a spot at the bar.  Steve was just finishing up some food so he cleaned up and went to the other side of the bar to get us our Old Styles.

Did I mention that this place had saloon doors?  Freaking awesome.  Unfortunately, that was the only awesome thing about this place.




After Steve got our beers he was nowhere to be found...I had read that Steve also owns the laundromat next door, so maybe he was over there.  That's when I noticed the security camera in the corner, pointed at the bar.  Seriously?  Also, wheelchair guy was just hanging out right behind us...not saying a word.  We felt like Walter White and Jesse Pinkman in the meth lab...was Steve watching us?  Also, the show "Cops" was on all the TV's...fitting.

Another thing I didn't like about this place...it was the most cluttered bar ever, even more than Rose's, and at least Rose just had odd collectables and couches everywhere.  Behind Steve's bar there were stacks of paper, receipts, empty liquor bottles, random pictures, books, and who knows what else.  You know that friend you have in grade school who never lets you in their house because it's too messy and he's embarrassed?  Well, I bet it looked like the inside of Steve's bar.  Ugh.  We drank our beers, waved to the camera, and left.

Bar #34: Windy City Lounge

4735 W. North Ave.
7:00pm, Wednesday, September 14
Price of Old Style: $2.50 cans

Windy City Lounge is the first bar we have been to that has been in a predominately African-American neighborhood.  It's in the Austin neighborhood on West North Avenue, which if you've lived in the city, is near some pretty rough areas of the city.

Some of you may wonder why we bring up race or nationality in the bars we review, and we think it gives you, the reader, a good gage of the different neighborhoods we are going to.  And if you ever feel like going to any of these bars, I think you may want to know what types of people will be there: white, black, Latino, gay, firefighter/cops, or even frat-boy douchebags...

So we walked in and no, this didn't happen...  There were just two guys in there playing pool.  We ordered an Old Style and started chatting with them.  It was Mark, the bartender, and Sam, a guy who has always lived in the neighborhood and has been coming to this bar since he was underage.  He also told us that back in the 80's this place was a big biker bar, and then eventually turned into a hang out for African-Americans.  It was called Shorty's for a while, and then about 10 years ago turned into Windy City Lounge.  They were telling us about how crazy the weekends get at the bar, about the free food the offer during the football games on Sunday, and were trying to convince my brother to have his bachelor party there.  We then got to playing pool, and my brother, who if you remember cannot beat me in darts, proceeded to hustle me, Sam, and Mark.  He was playing the best pool of his life, got a few breaks, and took our money.

Sam headed off to work (yes, work), and Mark asked us where we were going next.  Basically, he wanted to make sure we weren't going West...nope we were going back East, so we were okay.  Mark did say that he would be willing to take us around to other places in the 'hood if we ever wanted.  Sounds fun, but I think we'll just be back for that free food on Sunday...

Bar #33: Sovereign Liquors

6202 N. Broadway Ave.

9:00pm, Wednesday, August 17

Price of Old Style: $2.00 cans

So...is the Sovereign sovereign? In the realm of serving cheap beer, very strong drinks, and having the best jukebox we have seen so far on this journey? Hell yes. The Sovereign rules.

We walked in and had the pleasure of meeting Matt the bartender, who has worked at the Sovereign for the last six years. As the last of the regulars shuffled out, we were the only ones in the bar. After pouring us each a shot of Jameson, Matt explained that there usually was a lull after the happy hour folk leave and the younger people show up at night. It seems like they do a good job avoiding each other. He informed us that the bar is popular with musicians, artists, and writers, and many of them live in housing walking distance from the Sovereign. Based on how freely the booze flows here, it doesn't take long for one to find inspiration.

Before the Sovereign was the bar it is today, it was a deli/butcher shop. Currently, the back of the bar has a jukebox (more on that later), a cooler with interesting board games, and pool table, but in the deli-days, that area used to be a large walk-in cooler. It's boarded up now, but there was a secret door that was in the back of the cooler that led to the frame shop/art gallery next door. Hmmm...why would someone need to sneak through a cooler to the store next door? I think we might have to talk to the owner to get some more details on that.

Guess which two games I haven't played...

So about this jukebox...it's one of those small jukeboxes that doesn't take much space on a wall, but it was stocked with some great music. It was about 25% 70's rock, and the rest were mix CDs made by the Sovereign staff and regulars! My brother spent about 20 minutes going through the options, yelling "WHO is 'Packer'? I have to meet this Packer guy...he has the best mix CD's!"

Around 10pm the bar got quite crowded, with hipster-types, and some Loyola students, and some younger regulars, including Justin, who also bartended at the Sovereign but was just grabbing a couple drinks. Justin was a great guy who filled the Packer void and chatted with my brother about music and Old Style. We kept on Matt assured us that Packer would probably be in later in the evening, but we didn't see him before we left. Packer - who ever you are, we will meet soon!

SIGN NO MORE #4: Granville Anvil

1137 W. Granville Ave.

Before we go to these Old Style bars, we usually do a little research...usually on Yelp. We were a little anxious about going to the Anvil, not because it was a gay bar, but because it was an "old man" gay bar that occasionally showed gay porn on the televisions.

We get to the Anvil, and no Old Style sign. Oh well. If anything, it would have made a good blog entry.