Mother Hubbard’s, River North, Chicago
Coogan’s, The Loop, Chicago
Elephant & Castle, The Loop, Chicago
I never really go out after work in the area that I work in so last night Aaron, Scott and I went to a couple River North/Loop spots to have drinks and see what they were like. Here’s where we were and what I thought of each place:
Mother Hubbards - Sporty, old-school, alright food, seemed chill, but the bartenders were obnox.
Coogan’s - Nice place, had a new wood smell, Irish, big, wasn’t feeling the vibe.
Elephant & Castle - Really good food, British, brightly lit up bar, half restaurant and half bar, didn’t seem to be a lot of space to gather.
What are your favorite Loop/River North after-work bars?
6 responses so far ↓
1 601am // Apr 29, 2005 at 1:27 pm
Rachelle documents our after-work bar hopping mission
url=http://www.rachelleb.com/002255.html
2 Jeremy // Apr 29, 2005 at 2:44 pm
I work right next to that Elephant & Castle. It’s a great lunch spot.
3 Redpac // Apr 29, 2005 at 10:31 pm
We’ve to Hubbard’s hundreds of times after work and never encountered an “obnox” employee. The only draw back to the place is even if no one is smoking you still leave smelling like smoke. The smell is just stuck in there.
4 Ray // May 2, 2005 at 9:48 am
Nick’s Fishmarket is good choice (in the Bank One plaza on Clark and Monroe). They have drink “specials” most nights (I put specials in quotes because the drinks may not necessarily be proced lower, just focused on that particular night). And, although the drinks may be a bit pricey ($6 for a glass of house red…I still think it’s box wine. Not that there’s anything wrong with that), where else can you go to have a nicely dressed server serving free hors d’oeuvres (spelling?) — anything from crab puffs to mini-tenderloin sandwiches — all night long. Just ignore the “suits” that cannibalize the small number of tables and sit at the bar. Staff is friendly and efficient.
5 Mr. Smith // May 2, 2005 at 10:05 am
In MH’s defense, there was really only one employee there that was grating. There was a birthday party there and all of a sudden they cut the music and she started screaming over the mic about how it was time for the birthday girl to do a blowj*b…shot.
6 Tim V // May 3, 2005 at 11:12 pm
Well, for the strong-hearted, you can’t beat Cal’s on Van Buren just west of Wells, attached to the liqour store of the same name. Good beer selection, good music (a CD player behind the bar and a big stack of discs). Oh, and the beer is cheaper than most places.
It would certainly provide you with some photo ops. It is a dive.
A word of warning: the smoke in Cal’s is thicker than pea soup.
Found your blog via coy, right? and think it’s just swell…
Leave a Comment