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Review by Maggie Anderson
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Bar Chicago is the newest addition to the wet and wild Gold Coast bar
scene... and it actually belongs to a chain. Ever heard of Bar New York
or Bar LA? Same owner. Bar Chicago just opened the weekend of May 5th - 7th.
Automatically, I assumed that Bar Chicago would have a long line, an outrageous cover charge and a strict dress code. (More like an UNDRESS code!) However, Bar Chicago turned out to be different than the rest. No line, no cover charge. So you'd think the bar was lame. But actually, it was probably the most hoppin bar that Saturday night. I spoke to Tony Pottinger, a Marketing manager, age 26, and asked him what the appeal was, after finding out it was his second time at Bar Chicago. "My friends and I normally don't hang out in the Rush/Division area. We'd just as soon wear jeans and a sweater and go somewhere with pitchers and a jukebox. But we have been to Bar Chicago twice since it opened. It's not your usual tourist and suburbanite bar like so many of the others. It's well-priced, has a fun crowd, and great service. Better yet, not one time did they play YMCA." A personable midget stood at the door, greeting everyone who entered the bar. Girls in tight shirts and tight pants and tight boots were dancing on the bar and around the stage. Actually, there was a boy who stripped off everything at one point. But not everyone was showing cleavage and styling leopard print. Some were dressed very casually in khakis and flannels. Bar Chicago is most comparable to a tourist attraction in Mexico. A good mix of people who don't give a shit about rules and are ready to party until 5 AM. The DJ played everything from Naughty by Nature to Bon Jovi to Blink 182. It was tough to get a beer, but isn't it always? A wonderful view of Rush Street makes the wait worthwhile. The girls' bathroom was big enough and clean enough and doggoneit, I liked it. There were different levels of platforms, so that the drunk girls could still be on display, even if they were too dizzy to go up high. The entire place was black and white, and it had an aura of sophistication -- even if the behavior didn't match up. I was there the second weekend it was open, so the owner may decide to start charging a cover and the lines may grow exponentially. The owner might get in trouble for allowing public indecency. But right now, Bar Chicago is definitely an incredible new bar to check out. |