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Cardozo’s. Saveur‘s Terry Sullivan writes, “Cardozo’s is a rarity: a neighborhood tavern right in the Loop, Chicago’s downtown core. The nearly 90-year-old basement pub offers a full menu of hearty fare that includes everything from burgers to shrimp de jonghe. The place is open only on weekdays and, in true Chicago saloon tradition, serves free appetizers (buffalo wings and sausage and peppers, among others) during happy hour.”
The Charleston. “Amid the gentrification that’s transformed the Wicker Park neighborhood into one of the city’s trendiest districts, this popular bar has retained its quirky, unpretentious feel. It has an honor system pool table (you plunk 50 cents into an old coffee can) and a taxidermied goat in the window (a gift from a bartender’s friend).”
The Chipp Inn (the only place I’ve found City Brewery‘s La Crosse Lager in Chicago)