Cork Lounge

Yes! Finally a cheap, super cool, old school bar! Directly under the Addison brown line, $2 PBR pints daily plus a bunch of daily specials (check small tabs dot com), board games, shuffleboard, darts, decent juke box, chalk in the bathroom if you're feeling artistic. You can bring food in since they don't have any. I like!

Only drawbacks are the influx of DePaul kids on the weekend nights thanks to the cheap drinks, and the night we were there they had only one bartender for a very full bar (which may have been uncommon, dunno) so service was just a wee bit slow the later it got. Their hours claim that they open at 1 but we tried to go on a Sunday and found the joint locked up tight with no one answering the phone even at 5pm - when in doubt, call first. Oh, if you want to play one of the many board games, bring your own dice because theirs have gone missing.

Great specials always(tall boy Schlitz and a shot of Jim Beam for $5). Great beer if cheap beer isn't your thing. Oh did I mention free shuffle board, foosball, and darts as well as $1 pool. This place opened right after prohibition and the current owner Tony sure runs it like a true bar. Affordable, can entertain w bar games, never too crowded... 5 stars

Not sure what there is to complain about here. I'm a little old school so I like my bars to have good service, (yeah I lived in wrigleyville so expecting good service and not bartenders who act like they are stars is not assumed) bar games, and quality whiskeys and beer. Cork qualifies. That earns it a 3 star minimum. Bonus points for not being ultra crowded where you can't get served. More points for not blasting music so I can have a conversation, but still playing music from the jukebox at a respectable volume so you can enjoy it.

The kicker? daily special of tall boy schlitz and a shot of jim beam. I love good craft beers and welcome dog fish, founders, victory, stone, etc and will gladly pay an extra couple dollars for that quality, but nothing makes me feel more american than a shot of kentucky bourbon and a tall beer in a can. Add that to free shuffleboard and this bar has earned 5 stars. I will definitely be back here as it has earned a spot as a regular hang out for me in the city.