save Old Town Ale House

219 W North Ave, Chicago, IL | Map it  

60610 41.911001 -87.635200

(312) 944-7020

  • Hours

    Sunday To Friday From 12:00 PM To 04:00 AM Saturday From 12:00 PM To 05:00 AM
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KatieHolland

Member since Apr, 2012 View Profile
13Reviews
13Photos
Joined 1 month ago
5.0
May 07, 2012

Classic Chicago dive bar. Best part is the hand painted portraits of political figures and celebrities on the walls. Cash only!

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WanderingWanderer

Member since Sep, 2008 View Profile
2Reviews
0Photos
Joined 4 years ago
1.0
September 30, 2008

If you're wondering where ptomaine goes to die. Then wonder no more. The service is terrible, the drinks are watered down and what passes for food wouldn't be attractive to a starving dog. As well - the walls are lined with this crappy art, and it's a hang out for old hippies who didn't get being a beatnick right the first time around.

Honestly, if you're deciding between going here and staying home, stay home.

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rgk

Member since Sep, 2005 View Profile
1Review
0Photos
rgk
Joined 7 years ago
5.0
September 13, 2005

Affordable and quaint. If you are looking for a place to take a moment and unwind with good music and an affordable cocktail, then the alehouse is the place. Nothing fancy about it, but a place to feast your eyes on strange memorabilia, unique art and interesting conversation.

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joandrone

Member since Sep, 2005 View Profile
1Review
0Photos
Joined 7 years ago
5.0
September 07, 2005

A great tradition. The Old Town Ale House is a neighborhood treasure, has been there for many years. The clientele is as varied as it gets and always interesting. The juke box has always been one of the best and most eclectic in the city. All the greats from nearby Second City have frequented it. Hope that it will continue in its unique tradition.

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littlefeather

Member since Sep, 2005 View Profile
1Review
0Photos
Joined 7 years ago
5.0
September 06, 2005

Outrageous regulars - great prices. Unbelievable evening in Chicago's Old Town neighborhood. I watched the passage of construction workers, professionals, editors & writers, Second City actors, bartenders and neighborhood families visit this bazaar art-ridden haven. Not to be missed....they surprise me every time I visit - even after 3:00am

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mitchellt49

Member since May, 2005 View Profile
2Reviews
0Photos
Joined 7 years ago
5.0
August 28, 2005

Great Art - Great Prices - Funky Customers. Love the permanent sexually explicit art collection....incredible value on ale....every time I went in ....completely different atmosphere...always crazy...always fun....a legendary DIVE bar.

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Contributor

Member since Aug, 2003 View Profile
1k+Reviews
0Photos
Joined 9 years ago
3.5
April 06, 2004

One of the weirdest and most entertaining cross-sections of Chicago humanity.. The Scene
Walls are a jumble of knickknacks, Halloween masks, old Chicago photos, discarded toys and found artwork. More than 100 friends are immortalized in the portrait mural and in the head-shot collage of lesser-known Second City grads behind the bar. There's even a lend-one-take-one library of paperbacks.

The Draw

Everyone's here. Grizzled regulars heatedly arguing movies at one end, a young couple chatting in the front window nook, a few frat brothers playing pinball near the back, the lone visitor swapping stories with the bartender, the eccentric playwright nursing coffee in a corner. More Second City alumni have wound up face-down here than in any other bar in Chicago. Everyone from John Belushi and Bill Murray to well-known TV barfly George Wendt have awakened in a daze, vowing never again to be lured by the Ale House's grimy siren song.

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megd

Member since Jun, 2002 View Profile
11Reviews
0Photos
Joined 10 years ago
5.0
June 13, 2002

classic. Old Town Ale House rocks. The crowd, for the most part, has been frequenting the place for years. The jukebox rocks with old jazz and blues. You can always find someone to talk to here.

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jpanderson_citysearch

Member since May, 2002 View Profile
137Reviews
0Photos
Joined 10 years ago
4.5
May 17, 2002

What a cast of characters!. This is truly a Chicago classic, from the beehive-haired bartenders to the crusty regulars. Dark and smoky. Great pinball, and big shelves full of books for browsing. Second City types hang here after their shows.

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