North Star

as usual on my birthday i was in the mood for some off the beaten path ethnic bar after dinner. this place satisfied a bit of albanian culture.

place was fine, felt more like a private club. and had an element of shadiness to it

The best Cevapi in Chicago !!
Nice little bar, pool table, chess, big screen TV.
Drinks are priced well.

Ok, so the ONLY reason I found this place, is because my 9-ball league team played their team this past Wednesday night, and the address was listed on our APA website. Otherwise, there is no mention of this bar anywhere on the interweb!

Regardless, you should totally go. This bar is run by, and populated with, mostly Albanian men, young and old. It has a very unique flavor- Sports (with a few Albanian/Eastern European pop music videos thrown in for good measure) pool, a good (and cheap!) beer selection, but the best part of this bar is the people- Our pool team was welcomed by everyone. When I first walked in, I felt totally out of my element, but by the time we left, I had made a bunch of new friends, and learned a lot about a country I previously knew nothing about! (and I'm a fairly accomplished international traveler, so for me, it was really interesting!)

In addition to the friendly patrons, apparently they do serve breakfast and lunch, (likely SE European fare) and they have a huge coffee/ cappuchino machine behind the bar- I did get a cappuchino in between beers.

Long story short, if you're adventurous, outgoing, like to meet new people and learn about their cultures, I would totally head to this bar- they will welcome you with open arms. (Apparently, Albania and the US have a terrific diplomatic partnership and I was told all Albanians love Americans) Challenge someone to a pool game or a chess match!

I am deducting 1 star only because the music is Eastern European Club/House music, and it is BLARING at all times. Its really funny to see a table of old men playing chess and sipping coffees, and seemingly enjoying this crazy club music.