Bar: Inner Town Pub
Address: 1935 W Thomas St, Chicago, IL 60622
Score: 9.1/10
Back again with another Chicago dive bar review. This week it is one of my favorite bars in one of my favorite areas, the Ukrainian Village in Chicago, In this area is loaded with great bars and you could easily make a great crawl route without having to walk all too much.
The Inner Town Pub catches the eye with a bright colorful sign that says the name of the bar followed by “Home of the Arts”. The bar has been around since 1983 and was home to nearby Bohemian artists. I did not know what “Home of the Arts” meant at first, but the bartender quickly filled me in. Walking into the bar it was such a unique decor setup that I have only felt a couple of times. The other time was at another great Chicago dive, Old Town Ale House. The two felt similar because of the number of paintings/pictures in the bar, but Inner Town Pub was still different.
ITP had an antique store type of vibe, not of the shit made sense but it all came together so nicely somehow. From a Moose mounted on the wall to bar signs, a massive American flag, and finally tons of Elvis knick knacks. All of it was not cohesive at all, but in a weird way it all came together and fit. I really enjoyed the dim lighting inside the bar and the amount of space that it had. It was almost like three separate spaces, for one the bar was a good size, the leather padding was a great feature, something I have come to appreciate. The back area of the bar was also massive, a nice pool table (that was free, hell yeah). A good area to gather, shoot the shit, and play some pool.
One tell tale sign of an old bar with character is when you see radiators, wood paneling, and checkered floors with red being one of the colors. Of course, this bar had all three. These features are simply not things newer bars can just “add”, it speaks to the rich history of the bar and when times were much simpler.
My time at the Inner Town Pub was condensed because I had other bars to visit. This bar was a good break from just seeing countless Chicago sports signs, memorabilia, and TVs (even though I love all this stuff). This bar will not break the bank and is one of the more affordable bars I visited during this trip to Chicago. $5 miller lites, but make sure you bring your cash.
Price: $5 Miller Lite
Decor: It’s like an antique store that just so happens to serve booze
Service: Great service, even though it was busy, seemed like I was the only one drinking beer. The server was solo making mixed drinks quickly.
Atmosphere: Such a wide variety of people, really enjoyed the atmosphere
High Life Bottle?: Yes they had it
Bonus Points: Cash Only