The Cordial Inn

I'm with, well, everyone on this.  I loved the vibe, the cheesy furniture, the hole in the wall feel, the glazed eyes of the old guys playing video poker in the back, the kitschy smoking area seating outside, the 1980s hairstyles, a lot of cammo and sports insignias on the locals, and the surprising cleanliness of the place.  Not clean enough to ruin it's rep, but certainly hygienic enough to linger.  

I was loving it even more when I took a sip of my first (and second) bloody Mary...homemade, no mix.  I was adoring it while devouring one of the best cheeseburgers I've had in a long while.  When the bill for 4 drinks and two burgers came to $20, well, then it was just into the slam the panties on the bar and whoop whoop heaven delight zone.  

I will be back.  May actually move in.

Upon arriving at this bar, one would easily assume that it is indeed also a gas station. It is not. Instead, it is a very weirdly shaped long skinny bar that is built of cinder blocks, good times and broken dreams. It is your typical dive bar.

They have karaoke, plenty of seating, a giant fish tank and from what I understand, some fantastic food. People rave about the burgers. The drinks are also well priced and a decent selection available for a gas station bar.

The best part of this joint however are the incredible people that come here. By incredible I mean incredibly entertaining! This is a bit of catch all for the local population. As this is the closest 4am bar, everybody comes. From the creepy old men, the "friendly" women, everybody from high school and everybody in between.

I hope this place and it's strange dive bar decor never goes away.

Looking for a good place to grab a quick drink I found the Cordial Inn on yelp and I was surprised at what I found, probably one of the oldest building on 31st street, in Brookfield it would not surprise me if it dates back to the north gate of the Zoo, it is a very thin yet long building so keep your eyes peeled or you might miss it.

You have to park on the side and walk around to the front door, at some point a foyer was built on to help keep the elements out, I personally think it takes away from the charm of the place but who wants hot or cold outside air blowing on them every time the door opens.

The Clientele were pretty trashy I recall (people wearing 1997 bulls championship shirts) when I 1st walked in, but they where nice people who where regulars and where actually quite pleasant. The wall had some random taxidermy and other things to keep your eyes occupied while you wait. The beer selection on bottle here is really good something like 60 choices on bottle, I wanted to try a random beer I had never tired (hey when in a new place try new things) and the bartender was really good sharing her knowledge about the all the brews, Not long after sitting down the 1997 bulls fans left and a fresh group of regulars came in for lunch they cook and everything right there behind the bar while it did not look like anything really special I have no doubt it is a good old 100% beef American made burger, the kind that Tony Stark would order after spending a few weeks in a cave.

Even though I never order burgers out (I make some pretty sweet burgers at home)when ever I am in the area again I will stop by for a beer and maybe even a burger or some other grub this place is that cool.