Forget the rooftop rooftop bars with $20 cocktails. Find a place with sticky floors and a pinball machine. Try The Maple Leaf in Lincoln Park or The Owl in Bucktown.
You’ll meet a guy who’s been drinking the same beer since 1998 and a bartender who calls you “hon.” It’s warm, it’s cheap, and the jukebox plays Tom Petty on a loop.
One night I watched two strangers bond over a broken pool table. By the end, they were exchanging numbers. That’s Chicago for you—unpolished, totally unexpected, and full of heart.
