Chicagos Favorite Dive Old Town Ale House

old town ale house

In fact, The Old Town Ale House has seen a shift in ownership over the years, before finally finding its place in Elliot’s hands. Old Town is home to one of four Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams, the chain with a cult following out of Ohio. Jeni Britton Bauer is a Beard Award winner, and her creative ice cream flavors are served in fresh waffle cones. “The Old Town Ale House is as close to the Old Town of the 60’s and 70’s that you are going to find, making it a neighborhood landmark, classic Chicago joint and generally a pub that you’ll not want to miss”. Open since 1958, the Ale House has had plenty of time to develop into the best dive bar in Chicago. He's also witnessed some of the greatest moments in Philadelphia sports history and served customers as they celebrated the Sixers NBA Championship, the Flyers Stanley Cup, the Eagles Super Bowl and the Phillies World Series victories.

Tuesday: Pint Night

Old Town Ale House is one of the most-unique bars in Chicago, keeping a part of the city’s history alive until at least 4 a.m. The spots evokes Chicago greats like Roger Ebert and Mike Royko. Several famous performers from Second City have tipped a few back at this dive. The artwork is quirky and obscene, the characters sitting the barstools have stories, and the bar attracts drinkers from all over the city.

Historic Chicago dive bar Old Town Ale House…

The front room feels like a fancy den and provides a refined spot to hang out with friends. It’s also good for sports fans who want more than typical pub fare. The Old Town Ale House boasts an array of beers, ranging from craft brews by breweries like Revolution Brewing and Half Acre Brewing Company, to our favorite cult brands like Guinness, Stella Artois, Corona, PBR Tallboys, and more. The pub is also known for bartender Tim’s cocktails, including the classic Michelada.

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“My latest one is Trump in a straight jacket with naked Melania and Ivanka,” he said. Bars and restaurants in the city are still required to restrict capacity to 25% and maintain 6 feet of social distancing. Now, the bar is in the hands of Bruce Elliot and his wife Tobin and is like a second home to many locals. If you’re in this neck of the woods, then you definitely cannot miss out on a pint at the Old Town Ale House. Roger Ebert, a well-acclaimed film critic deemed the Old Town Ale House to be “the best bar in the world that I know about”.

Menu

If you’re looking for something off-the-menu, then feel free to ask Tim for one of his ‘signature secret creations’. Over the years, the Ale House saw many partners come in and go, but Art Klug always remained. Eventually, Art’s ex-wife Beatrice bought the remaining shares and the two took over. After the death of Art and Beatrice in 2005, Tobin Mitchell, Bruce’s wife, took over the bar, on one condition iterated by Beatrice - no blender, no credit cards.

Once the painting took over the internet, Elliot was interviewed by major TV networks and over a hundred radio stations. That’s where the idea of ‘political porn paintings’ came to Elliot, and many now adorn the wall above the bar. For more than 30 years, this Old Town landmark has graced Wells and served Italian-American cuisine.

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The art all over the walls includes pictures of Vladimir Putin as a ballerina and Kim Jong Un and Dennis Rodman together. It’s the total opposite of everything else you’ll find near it on Wells St., which makes Old Town Ale House the perfect escape for a low-key couple of drinks. Old Town Ale House, the historic dive bar that the late film critic Roger Ebert once called “the best bar in the world that I know about,” quietly reopened Wednesday night on the North Side of Chicago.

Dive Bar Power Hour: Old Town Ale House

A newcomer to the area, Forastero is a fast-casual spot along North Avenue that mixes Mexican food with Korean flavors. The chef-owner worked at Jane’s in Bucktown, and the BYO spot features tacos, rice dishes, and spicy “Kung Fu Wings” with habanero and apricot. "I met Chase Utley, Moose Johnston came in one night," Doyle recalled. "When I first started working here, I didn't know how long I'd be here. Then I got the job as a doorman, eventually, I became a bartender," Doyle said. SoNo Wood Fired is a casual Italian restaurant and pizza restaurant that’s always reliable. Two Lights is a seafood-focused restaurant in Old Town that's good for drinks and a light bite.

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Drink and eat at The Old Town Ale House

SteakBar carries some of those traits (they serve a Fireball Old Fashioned for the refined bros), but inside a gorgeous multi-level space with huge windows on the second floor that overlook Wells Street. Brendan Sodikoff’s team developed the menu for the space, which is run by Four Corners Tavern Group. Doyle earned a "Best of Philly" award in 2010 when he was named the city's best bartender, and his wife, Laura Doyle, said all these years later she doesn't mind sharing him with the rest of the city. One of the most sought-after paintings at the pub is one of Sarah Palin naked, holding an assault rifle while standing on a polar bear rug with harlot red high heels on. Elliot painted the piece right after the Republican Convention in which Sarah Palin was made the Vice Presidential nominee. The painting was first put up as a joke, but in less than 24 hours it went viral on the internet.

One of Chicago’s oldest sushi spots (it opened in 1967) has found life at their new location. While other sushi spots may be more inventive with ingredients, Kamehachi has become a party restaurant for older customers. There’s karaoke and other themed nights to cater to more of the Old Town’s nightlife. While a younger crowd fills this Element Collective space on weekend nights with music pulsing and a make-shift dance floor emerging, Old Town Social has one of the best beer and cocktail lists in the neighborhood. The charcuterie is made in the kitchen, and the burger (get it with an egg) is a force.

old town ale house

Nookies has locations in Edgewater, Lincoln Park, and Boystown. While Old Town doesn’t have an abundance of quality diners, Nookies fills the void. This article related to a building or structure in Chicago is a stub.

Victorian architecture, Second City comedy, and brick alleyways are some of the traits of Old Town, one of Chicago’s most-affluent North Side neighborhoods. Wells Street tends to get packed during fall weekends, with college football fans, shoppers, and tourists crowding the neighborhood’s main drag. There’s plenty to eat and drink in one of Chicago’s most-historic neighborhoods. Here are 15 best bets for food and drink, listed from west to east. The beloved McGillin's bartender is credited with being a matchmaker, saving marriages and pouring countless drinks while working at Philadelphia's oldest continually operating tavern.

As Doyle gets ready to turn 80, he's scaled back his schedule to one day a week, but he's now worked for three generations of owners, and his tenure has spanned eight Philadelphia mayors. He's also served then Vice President Joe Biden and many other national politicians, athletes and celebrities. Now the bar plans to open weekdays at 5 p.m., weekends at 1 p.m., but their hours may change, said Polk. Per city rules, all in-house alcohol sales must end at 11 p.m. The food menu at The Old Town Ale House consists of small plates and bar food like nachos, tamales, carnitas, and even poke bowls. Over the years, the pub has become a staple spot for many, including those coming straight from the Second City theatre across the street.

After taking over the bar, Tobin started sprucing the bar up and decided to extend the famous Ale House wall mural which was painted in 1971 by Maureen Munson. The mural contains the portraits of fifty or sixty old-time customers. With the help of Elliot’s talents, soon enough, every corner of the bar was covered in pictures of a present or former regular.

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