bottom lounge - chicago

beesy · 03-24-2010, 04:48 AM

anyone been here?? probably going to hit up the whigs the night before dark lord day. seen them in concert here in c-bus two years ago and seems like something fun to do for a "quiet night" before dark lord day

**Glasfeena** · 03-24-2010, 01:39 PM

The Bottom Lounge is a good place. It's really big--2 floors of dining/bar area, outdoor patio off of top floor, plus the venue that holds maybe 300-400 people. The food is good (Belgian fries with parmesan, garlic, and aioli sauce are great), and the beer menu is formidable. My one complaint about the place is that the volume they set the bands to is a little loud. I go to A LOT of shows in Chicago at various venues and my ears ring only after a show at the Bottom Lounge. So I might suggest you pick up some earplugs.

antiteam · 03-24-2010, 07:49 PM

I agree about the beer selection. They definitely have some stuff that you don't find in a lot of places. They also have Bell's Oberon during the summer, which, although not impossible to find, isn't as plentiful on tap in Chicago as you would think. Sitting on their rooftop deck drinking Oberons is almost like I'm living in Detroit again.

I don't think the food is bad at all, but I thought it used to be better before they changed their menu (that comment comes with the caveat that I'm a vegetarian, so I was let down when they took the vegetarian buffalo "chicken" wrap off the menu).

Overall, I like the place and it's really close to me (I'm just down Lake Street). If you end up wanting to hit up another place, there are a couple of other good bars nearby in the neighborhood:

Jack's Tap (Pretty good multi-tap)
Beer Bistro (I haven't been, but I hear good things about it)

Or you could go to Piece, which is farther away but totally awesome (both beer-wise and pizza-wise), or Map Room.

beesy · 03-25-2010, 01:02 AM

I've been to map room when i was in Chicago last about 1.5 years ago. I was talking to one of my consultants and she wants to take me to a place called the Hopleaf Bar. Seems like a pretty sweet place http://www.hopleaf.com

BraveSirRobin · 03-25-2010, 01:42 AM

I was just in Chicago a couple of weeks ago. I wish I would have known about this place then, it looks like a great place with a solid beer menu.

**jpc** · 03-25-2010, 05:34 PM

Sounds like the name of a gay bar to me.

Just sayin'...