MCM Pub and Eatery

This unassuming spot was so much fun! A true hidden gem in Portage Park. The bartenders were very polite and attentive. On Fridays and Saturdays they have Karaoke and I was truly amazed by the talent! I will definitely be back!

I used to work here for about 9 months when it reopened.

The crowd is ok, your average neighborhood drunks. Lots of union guys, mostly friendly, a couple mean assholes though. This one guy (Buddy, I think) is a complete dick. Always angry, calls female servers cunts, starts fights with customers. Makes life miserable.

For a bar, the food isn't bad. Pretty decent actually. They had french onion soup when I was working there, rare for a neighborhood dive. Decent eats.

The guy who runs the front register, an old dude, is pretty nice and soft spoken. Liquor prices up front are decent. If you're wondering how they have a permit for the bar and liquor store together, it's because the owner bribed one of the local politicians (who would come in and drink free Beck's all night long.)

On to the owner. What a piece of shit this guy is. His name is Tommy, and he couldn't be a worse boss if he tried. He'll treat you ok if you're a customer, but you should know going in that he's a crooked motherfucker. During the 2006 Bears super bowl, he ran a square pool at $50 a square. That comes out to $5000 in payouts. Rather than pay it all out, like you're SUPPOSED to, he kept a grand for expenses, without ever telling anybody who chipped in. Needless to say, he lost a ton of customers that night. Soon after I quit.

There are much, much better bars in the area. This place attracts a lot of lunatics with the liquor store up front. Shady characters. If you don't mind going up the road a mile, The Ham Tree Inn on milwaukee is one of the best neighborhood joints around.

The food here at this place was pretty good. The people drinking in the bar were polite, and friendly. Kind of crazy going through a store to get to the bar but whatever, a little diff. The 3 bartenders there on a Saturday night where RUDE! I stood there for 10 minutes IN FRONT OF ONE OF THE BARTENDERS WASHING DISHES, and he NEVER LOOKED UP! Never asked me "Can I help you" NOTHING! Not even the other 2 said anything. The service for the bartenders was sad. The prices for the drinks are HIGH. So be prepared to bring lots of cash! But you might save a few bucks because you don't have to tip the rude bartenders! :-)