Sofia's

I used to stop in once in a while, but my last visit is my last. I lost a lot of money there recently. Word of advise watch out if they offer you shots, you will end up paying for yours and theirs.

Stopped in here on the way home (Humboldt) from, uh, another place (near Irving Park).  Cute, clean-yet-somewhat-divey space, though actually larger than it looks from the outside.  Only been here once, so I can't give five stars, but it has all my hallmarks: nice staff (at least the one bartender I met: can't remember her name, shocking though that may be, but she was blonde, tall, attractive, Polish, probably 30-ish), prices are relatively cheap, they stay open til 4, and are stumbling distance from a 24-hour Golden Nugget (though I'm not a fan per se, it'll certainly do in a pinch).  They also have 'real' darts and a pool table.  Don't think they take plastic, nor do they have an ATM inside (at least I don't think so, on both counts), so bring your cash.

The main reason I came here is so I can get an award for reviewing every bar in Avondale.  I know Yelp doesn't give out these kinds of awards.  But I do.  I have a color laser printer and some Microsoft award templates, and something fancy and honorable for Rob R. is in order here when I'm done- and I'm getting close.

The main reason you might want to come here is the hours.  This place doesn't open until 8 PM, but it stays open until 4 AM every night, which I believe is just two hours before the Belford opens and there are plenty of doorways where you can nurse a forty ounce out of a bag in the long two hours in between.

I can't fairly judge the late night crowd ("degenerates," according to one of the regulars) but the bartenders are friendly enough.  This place is just a little bit cleaner than the dives around Milwaukee and Central Park, which is to say, not really that clean (this is a dive), but the dim red lights, red pool table, and the red checkerboard floor give this Polish-run bar a warm glow.

The layout of the place isn't that conducive to socializing in big groups- the bar itself is pretty small and the pool table is in a separate room in the back.  But this place is functional, and maybe a good place to stop and get a drink to cool your nerves after late night karaoke at Bialystok just down Diversey.