I just moved to the neighborhood in October, and in trying to get the lay of the land, I heard about this bar. None of my friends who lived in the neighborhood had been here, and only half had heard of it, so I decided to scout it out since its only 2 blocks from me.
I instantly saw why so few of my friends knew/heard about this place. It's hidden almost down an alley at the back of a building that appears to have no business containing a bar. Shaking off the feeling I may soon be stabbed, I went in....and I'm glad I did.
The space is small, but didn't feel crowded. Heavy, HEAVY, nautical theme that's aging, but not so in your face as to detract from the experience. Its obviously a place that caters to regulars, but hey, what RO-PA bar doesn't? Half the place was 40-50 yr old gents watching football while the rest was the local hipster set, who actually seemed to mix ok.
The bar is small, but well stocked. A nice mix of mostly German imports and mid level locals were on draft. Bottle beer selection looked ok, and mixed drink options looked respectable. The highlights for me were that the bar tender could actually pull a Guinness pour the way its supposed to be pulled, something that I hadn't found yet since the move. The bartender also randomly ordered a pizza for the whole bar on him, and random patrons actually asked me to have some. How many places have you been of late that do that?
Not trying to oversell the place. Its shabby, and super hole in the wall, but in a good way. Like your favorite uncle's basement den you hung out in on holiday's while the adults had there time upstairs....except now there's beer.
Need sage advice? Meatballs of wisdom? This is the place. A sampling from last night: "Self pity. That's a room with no doors," attributed, with permission, to Ulysses Scott, one of my favorite regulars at the neighborhood gin mill, The Lighthouse, Chicago. Need guidance? Talk to Scotty.
Review Source:This bar is so cool you almost don't want to tell anyone about it. Â Lighthouse is a neighborhood bar with cool regulars and great bartenders. Â Since the new owners took over in the spring they have completely changed the vibe in the bar. Â They have a great live jazz band every other Thursday as well as a great meal they supply for free before the show. Â And I'm talking a great dinner not some dogs and burgers. Â We are talking a home cooked meal. Â They have your basic beers but they have added new taps with a ever changing selection of micro beers. Â They also do trivia and of course the ball games are always on the TV.
Review Source:I had been curious about this place since jogging by it in the summertime. Contending with a severe case of cabin fever one winter evening, I finally decided to 'enter the void' and found it to be pleasantly relaxing. The regulars were colorful, friendly and most curious to know what brought me into their universe. Â Donald was the most skilled bartender, and I not referring to mixology of course, but at being what all great dive bars require: an unlicensed therapist.
Review Source:A nice little place to chill with locals. I have lived in RP for more than 5 years and have seen this place change. Intially (still kinda is) the old regulars but most recently your seeing a younger crowd both working and from a customer angle. Perfect example how this place has changed., When I first started going there they had an beat up Jukebox playing CD's that for the song description, you'd see someone's handwriting describing the song. Now, they have a digital jukebox. Â Yeah, it's Divey but if you want a place to drink for less, you can order food to be eaten there and they have "packaged goods", check this place out!
Review Source:Lighthouse Tavern, you harbor some of the creepiest old people ever. Â Maybe it's just me, but every time I have set foot in this bar, I have had to watch a very old man make out with a middle aged woman. Â Drunk old people making out is not cool. Â Not cool at all.
This bar is mega-divey. Â It really looks like someone's livingroom that they just so happened to put a bar in the middle of it. Â The drinks are cheap, but the beer is limited. Â Also, make sure to bring cash because they don't take credit cards. Â I think the bartenders there are great though. Â They do make you feel at home.
So if you are looking for a small bar where you can find a relatively strange mix of people that may or may not have mullets and make out with old people, this is your bar!
Ah... the lighthouse. This place is the most neighborhoody old man dive bar ever. That's a good thing. How do I love thee? I'll count em:
1. Cheap drinks- not the greatest beer selection, but you can't have everything.
2. Employees- the bartenders are great. They'll remember your drink after your first visit.
3. Patrons- Fun mix of people who live in the neighborhood, people who used to live in the 'hood and people who somehow stumbled upon this little Eden of drunkenness. The last group usually has this delighted little smile on their face as they walk in the door.
4. Location- it's great having a bar nearby that you can crawl home from. Or walk barefoot if you lose a shoe.
Bonus- now that I quit smoking it helps that it no longer has that stale smoke mixed with stale beer aroma. Just stale beer.
One caveat- I have noticed the occasional brazen little critter walking on the bar. Hopefully you're not squeamish.
I first discovered this hidden gem when living just down the street. Get joint for a ballgame, as they play both Sox and Cubs here. The taps say it all, Old Style and Miller, with the team flair to denote the division within this glorious little dive. Cheap and hospitable, this is a nice place to spend a rainy afternoon or happy hour. Juke is solid, mostly due to compilations by the owners and regulars. I mean how often do you put on The Who's "My Wife" and share a drink with a chap who it may really be his theme song that day?
This place should be protected as a landmark. It's the last safe haven to the north.
Lighthouse Tavern, where have you been all my life? I just recently stumbled into this Rogers Park dive with a friend of mine who lives a mere two blocks away. Why we had never discovered this place before, I do not know.
The Lighthouse has been under its current management for 20 years, and it shows. Every poster, banner, or piece of art that has ever hung on the walls is still there, though some have been covered over by other pieces over the years. And all of it has a yellow patina, courtesy of 20 years of Marlboros. There's a lot of old "nautical" stuff -- maps of Lake Michigan, photos of guys in seafaring garb, some carved pieces. More recent additions to the decor include a shitload of sports memorabilia, much of it Sox-based. That's right Southsiders, here's your Rogers Park hangout! On top of that, add a bunch of standard bar kitsch from the 70s and 80s side-by-side with photos of regulars over the years, and you have an idea of the decor.
There are two beers on tap, Old Style and Miller Lite. But they're $2.25 a pint, so how can you lose? Frozen pizza are available for 8 bucks, served piping hot from the pizza warmer. The urinal in the men's room doesn't flush, but it is regularly restocked with ice. And the proceedings are overseen by barmaid Eileen and her crusty old husband (?), whose name I didn't get.
The Lighthouse is the kind of place that if you didn't know where it was, you wouldn't know it was there. There's no name out front (that I saw), just a lighthouse on a red/maroon awning. But now that you know where it's at, you owe it to yourself to go there.
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