It is what it is. I don't get the posts whining about the place, especially from those who should know what Bruno's is (Loyola students, Rogers Park people).
There's no specials. Or food. It's an all around decent bar whose bartenders and clientele who are going to change for no one.
There's always sports on and it's a laid back place where you can focus on the game or have a conversation with whoever's with you.
As a bar, it's not typically on my radar, but if someone wants to go there, it works. The liquor store mainly is a last resort that benefits from its proximity to the el. Prices on average stuff isn't good, but that's what you get for a place that caters to Loyola students (many of which are underage).
The bar is over-priced, though the bartender will tell you he can offer you the best prices in the area. He will refuse to tell the you the exact charge until after you have ordered and received your drink. The bar is cash only, dimly-lit, with bad fixtures and a nasty fluorescent liquor store a room over. No walls or doors separate the two.
Worst of all, the bartender is super racist. When I was there I heard him call a famous black athlete in a Dr. Pepper ad a "monkey", and said that he and the other "monkeys" were going to start "drinking that shit like they do Hennesey". Disgusting
All the negative reviews are right (dimly lit, fuckin weird/homeless clientele, cash only [WHAT?!], overpriced, racist). But the worst part?
NO BEER ON TAP. WHY THE HELL AM I GOING TO GO TO A BAR WITH NO BEER ON TAP.
NO BEER ON TAP
NO BEER ON TAP.
WHO'S GOING TO GO TO A BAR WITH NO TAP? NOBODY.
IF YOU'RE A NOBODY, YOU'RE PROBABLY AT THIS BAR WITH NO BEER ON TAP.
So my buddy and I decided we need to try out a new a bar. So why not go down to  probably the only combo bar and liquor store. Seriously it's split right down the friggin middle one half bar and the other a liquor store...it's quite comical  upon first sight....Anyways, I didn't find much for this place to offer other than leaving with a decently priced 6 pack....Most of the depressed patrons seemed to be living the Loyola "dream" and when I say this I mean for the past +30 years...Seriously I am not kidding again....Old dudes wearing their vintage Loyola apparel and getting too fricken hammered....don't expect to find much of a young crowed here...the only person around our age saw was a mid 20 something chick who was eating up what these drunken married men were telling her....oh and the lighting was pretty horrible considering the the bar is dark and you have these intense lights from the liquor store which always blinding a corner of your eye....Honestly one time was enough for me....
Review Source:The owner Tim is a blatant racist and by going here you are supporting this. Please use your money to patronize a more deserving bar.
A friend of mine overheard Bruno call black people "monkeys" Â in response to a television ad featuring African Americans.
Before ever even hearing this, I went and got a very, very weird vibe from Tim(I am Asian and was with a white girl)- despite him being polite to others. I actually thought it could have been racism at the time, but I brushed it off- until I heard this little ditty.
Please don't go here. Also it is just gross and depressing.
This place is hardly ever busy and there's a few reasons for it. None of which are all that bad.
Numero uno: Bruno, the man, is a bit of a sarcastic asshole. Â Which is refreshing, however, it can be entirely frustrating when all you need to know is how much for a Jamo and water. I am not Irish, I know. I'm American. I bleed Lincoln, thanks guy.
Numero Dos: the bathrooms may as well not exist. It has best been described as "trying to pee under the stairs in a cramped room at grandmas house." Oh so true.
Numero tres: they just slapped a $2 raise on almost all of the booze in the store attached to the bar. WTF? Students are back, I get it, but what about all the loyal alcoholics who have crawled begrudgingly to your humble abode through the cold winter days when no student would have you? You have price penetrated me from behind Bruno, not cool.
However, since I live so damn close, I shall be back. The overall atmosphere of the bar is laid back and sometimes it just can't be beat. Plus, you can shoot the shit with professors almost any night of the week which can always be interesting.
Great low key place to go for a cold one. I once asked the bartender what beer they had and his reply was "I got a whole store next door, I got whatever you want" which was the best reply.
They have free wifi and are accommodating with the sports on tv. Why go out of the neighborhood when Bruno and Tim's will take care of you for much cheaper.
Question: What do you get when you combine one of the best dive bars in Chicago with a neighborhood liquor store? Â Answer: A little bit of heaven on earth. I've never seen the bar crowded and the patrons are a nice mix of old man drunks (age about 40 +) and Loyola college kids. The bar is dirty and cluttered but the beer is cheap and the bar tender is attentive. The liquor store has your basic selection and because it is right there it is a great place to get that last six-pack at closing time and/or for the walk home.
Review Source:came here with 5 other girls on a Tuesday night - had the entire place and jukebox to ourselves and drank the night away and had one of the most fun times at a dive bar. there's a couple loners there on some nights but it's not depressing. i've been there to pre-game before getting on the train...pretty convenient. they have a solid selection of liquor at reasonable prices and convenient location on campus. affable staff who've been in the area for long.
Review Source:Love the store portion, the selection is pretty decent. Never been to the bar and to be honest I am too afraid to go to the bar portion; everyone there is over 40. The awkward small talk with the two guys ringing you up is the best, I always wonder which one is Bruno and which one is Tim (or maybe none of them are). Random side note, they hired two new guys recently, a young dude and an old guy, it definitely shocked me seeing the usual guys there.
Review Source:The two most important ingredients of my party life at Loyola were 40s of Big Bear and six packs of Schlitz, dutifully purchased in combination here for $6 on the dot. Â Hell, it was so ubiquitous that they even stopped carding me. Â Good times!
One year after graduating I come back in and there's no Big Bear or Schlitz cans to be found. Â The Bill M Loyola Special cannot exist any more and it was like a searing dagger through my heart. Â Stunned by the total loss of innocence I look through the cooler and see what actually IS there; the 40 of Mickey's and sixer of High Life, though I guess admirable in their own regard, just don't cut it. Â It cost me $7.75 (and a flash of an ID) to find out that Bruno's has moved on without me. Â Bummer.
After finishing our class meeting for my History Junior Colloquium, one of my classmates (the only one within striking distance of my age) asked me to have a drink with her at Bruno's. Â I guffawed and confessed that even in my first stint at Loyola I never went to Bruno's. Â But, it was close, so we stopped in for a few beers to celebrate. Â I ordered us a couple beers and the bartender had a hard time with the total...no biggie. Â I tipped him 100% on the round (I figure those guys don't do real well by poor Loyola students) but got no thanks or even a nod out of it. Â I ordered another round and only tipped him 50%. Â I know, I'm such a cheap bastard, right?
After a little while, the bartender ended his shift and the old Rogers Park institution, Tim, the owner of Bruno's, sidled behind the bar to take over. Â Linda ordered another round from Tim and brought the beers over to our table. Â Tim and the other old men in the place were watching the news on the TVs. Â Needless to say, much of the coverage was on the election of Barack Obama. Â At one point, Tim piped up, rather loudly, "Well, look at that, Barack's done more work in two days than 99% of the people who voted for him have ever done!" Â This got a big laugh out of the regulars.
Now, I know that Bruno's is what it is...it's and old man bar plus Cash n' Carry. Â The only high-brow conversation in the place was between Linda and I, discussing our grad school plans and the conflicts between different Latin American ethnic groups. Â I don't expect much out of Bruno's , but I was floored by Tim's open racism, considering that there were two newcomers in the bar. Â I also know that Tim doesn't give a flying f**k what I think, but I just want others to be aware of what kind of guy they're giving their money to by patronizing Bruno's Lounge in Rogers Park.
I loved going to this place when I live in Rogers Park! Â It was actually a great place to go on a date after dinner, you could carry on a conversation without shouting, and the obnoxious college student crowd was kept to a minimum. Â Calling it a "lounge" is a bit of a stretch, it's just a great dive bar.
Review Source:I go here out of necessity.
The scripted "Lounge" name painted on the windows always makes me laugh...it's the kind of lounge you'd find in a bowling alley...will peeling floor tiles and an "eclectic mix" in the jukebox. Â But the fact of the matter is, it's just freakin' convenient, especially after a night class when you want to continue to debate the merits of Karl Marx and/or Max Weber with your favorite group of nerds...I mean friends.
They have a full bar, beer in bottles, and 4 tvs that play a variety of nightly games. Â The regulars are welcoming, the bartenders good at what they do, and it's seen many an excellent conversation in my experience.
It's cash-only which can be irksome to some, but an ATM is right there in the building...and the women's bathroom is the most awesome shade of hot pink I've seen in a long time.
This place just does the job and it seems to revel in its "okay"-ness. The fact of the matter is, they could care less if you come or go. Â But when you're there, they take care of ya. That's why I gave it 3 stars and not 4. Â I had the feeling that if they knew I'd given it 4, Brunos would be angry. Â And I couldn't do that to them.
I give Bruno's 4 stars because I am an "irregular" (have been there enough times to know the bartender and patrons, but the regulars are there almost everyday), otherwise, if it's your first time there, I would probably give it 3 stars. Â Bruno's is a bar on one side and a package liquor store on the other. Â The liquore store is always busy with Loyola students, but the bar is not usually as busy. Â You can always count on being in good company and in good service from the bartender. Â It is dark and smokey (until now) and has an interesting crowd - a few students, a few alum, a few neighborhood regulars and a few randoms) Â I find it particularly amusing to watch the students go past the windows in the fall, when they travel in packs of about 20. Â However, Bruno's is just a comfortable, come - as-you-are for a beer kind of place. Â They have several TVs and they watch any type of sports possible. Â They have a wide variety of beers and mixed drinks, but none of the beers are on tap. Â If you want a laid-back evening with some very reasonble drink and beer prices with no attitude, Bruno's is the place. (did I mention that the drinks get stronger as the night gets longer?) Â PS - If your bartender is named Marty, he'll take good care of you!
Review Source:You would think a bar that is directly across from the Loyola campus would be filled with Loyola students. Â This is not the case at Bruno's. Â
Bruno's is an oasis for those Rogers Park locals who don't want to deal with stupid drunk college kids. Â
Although, they do have a liquor store attached to the bar that almost never cards.... go figure.
Slashie.
Oh yes.
Great selection of cold beers and lotsa liquor.
All reasonably priced (if I do say so myself).
Oh and the bar side is pretty wonderfully divey. My friend and I, just passing through at the time, vowed to return. Its been a couple weeks and we haven't made it back but I'm postive it will be entertaining.
And I'll be sure to update my review like a good little Yelper.
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