Old Town Ale House Reviews

Impressive list of special beers. Nice place, including a beer garden. From the outside it might look a bit shady. Once inside, it's cosy and the staff is friendly.

It is an iconic landmark, photos, great atmosphere. Two things-no food and cash only, but stopped off following a show at Second City. I would recommend a trip to see an inistitution in Chicago.

And it has all the left-leaning images on the walls to prove it. No kitchen. No food. Just drinks and conversation, it's a five minute walk from Lincoln Park, as well as Lincoln Park Zoo.

HAD to visit here because my husband is a huge fan of Anthony Bourdain, but this is truly a dive bar with weird art work (by the owner). My husband loved it, I could have skipped this one

Old Jazz and Blues in the Juke Box, 3 songs for a dollar, cheap beer, great ambiance, great art work, fun crowd! An old mexican guy came in and sold us homemade tamales!! It was just a really fun place to hang out!

We wandered in here on our walk back to our hotel. Beers were cheap and the selection, while not huge, was very solid. The draw of this place is definitely the atmosphere- the inside is literally covered in paintings made by, if I remember correctly, the owner's ex-spouse. The paintings are eclectic to say the least- there are nude paintings of sarah palin and michelle bachmann, among others.

It was good to revisit this old town venue again. A lot has changed since my last visit. Maybe you’ll recognize me in the photo hung on the exit door behind the bar. But, my visit here with the team of Parts Unknown was as memorable as it gets. Revisiting this venue had all of the emotions, memories and nostalgia one would expect. Looking for Chicago’s best “Dive Bar”..? This is it! A must visit!!!

Fun place with risque drawings on the walls (Sara Palin naked with a machine gun and MANY others!) Old time juke box and ice cold beer!

This place was not my favorite. The place seemed very dark and somber. There is some interesting artwork on the wall that might be worth stopping by to see, but be warned a lot of it might be considered offensive. I had a fountain soda which was terrible. The coolest thing in the bar is that they have a "leg lamp" identical to the one featured in the movie "A Christmas Story" with Ralphie!

Classic old town bar with lots of history and excellent cocktails. It’s exactly what we were looking for. A classy dive bar, filled with interesting people. Definitely worth going for a few drinks before hitting one of the comedy clubs, or dinner.

The all draft beer list is great here and the food is pretty good. The atmosphere is great for watching games because there's lots of HUGE TVs on the wall. Beware of long waits to get in during busy times.

Old Town Ale House was featured in a couple of Anthony Bourdain episodes, and also conveniently located right across from the Second City theaters, so we just had to check it out. It's not quite a dive bar, the owner's savvy and humorous paintings cover most of the walls, creating fun and relaxed atmosphere. At night, its warmly lit, almost as if it was a romantic restaurant. There seemed to be a lot of locals, maybe a few tourists. No cover charge. Beers ranged from $6-8, wells gin & tonics $8, making this a very affordable drinking hole. Doorman and bartenders were all friendly, as well as the regulars. Great place to chill before or after your Second City show, or just in general.

The food was delicious. local fare! Like a Cheers bar without Ted Danson! Darn! Beer was cold- wine delicious and wings to die for!

I came here for some after work drinks with a few friends. It’s a very unique bar with some risqué political themed art. The bartender was very nice and handled the bar well. Overall, I had a great time but probably would avoid bringing my grandmother here. Also, it is cash only.

I have been to the Old Town Ale House a few times when I was doing a course with Second City. It was the favourite relaxation point for many of its trainers and therefore students. I guess there are many bars and pubs offering a better variety of liquid sustenance and sophistication. None can match this place for its quaint old world charm and the rowdy pictures on the walls. I guess people who come here always do.

This is a dive bar and doesn't try to be anything else. When it's not packed late night, there is an interesting array of regulars who are pretty friendly. Bartenders are attentive and make good drinks and the juke box is fantastic. The artwork is not everyone's taste but certainly gives you something entertaining to look at.

Never dreamed of finding such a friendly neighborhood watering hole in the middle of Olde Town! Awesome joint filled with history. The owner is an extremely charismatic fellow with absolute political views that he doesn't hesitate to illustrate or articulate. The well publicized nude painting of Sarah Palin adorns the wall behind the bar. Numerous pieces of art work include regulars. As a single guy...I can tell you finding friendly women here is not difficult. This is Chicago's version of "Cheers". The bier is fantastic...the ambiance is REAL.

The Old Town Ale House isn't a bar; it's a museum. It is a Chicago landmark, hailed as "the best dive bar in the city--and the world" by celebrities who helped to make it famous. Located at 219 West North Avenue, at Weiland, across the street from Second City entertainment mecca, it was opened in 1958 at the base of a nicely appointed red-brick four-flat. Open from 3 p.m. to 4 a.m. Sunday through Friday and 3 p.m. to 5 a.m. on Saturday, it reminds of the Old Town neighborhood of the 1960 and 1970s. Its storied past has been chronicled by two Pulitzer Prize winning journalists, Mike Royko and Roger Ebert, who were among its most loyal customers. Along the way, it was a gathering place for other celebrities, including Nelson Algren, Bill Murray, John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, George Wendt, Harold Ramis, Chris Farleyk, John Prine, Michael Shannon and Anthony Bourdain. The cash-only bar features an old-school jukebox, a 60-year mahogany bar, funky art, flat screen TVs, a draft beer list and a limited menu with potato chips, nachos, tamales, carnitas and poke bowls. You don't come to the Old Town Ale House to eat. You come to drink and engage in conversation and soak up the atmosphere. The walls are filled with photographs of loyal customers, past and present. Admire the famous Ale House mural painted by Maureen Munson in 1972, which contains portraits of 50 or 60 (count 'em) old-time customers. Visitors also are enthralled by the unforgettable and thoroughly amusing political pornographic paintings which adorn the ball above the bar. Among the subjects, naked and warts and all, are former disgraced Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich, Newt Gingrich, Newt Romney, Sarah Palin, Michelle Bachman, Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump. There is plenty of ale on tap and in bottles. Martini and Scotch drinkers need not apply.

We loved this pub, it is well placed in the Old Town opposite Second City so you can pop in for a pint after the show or whenever you are near, as we did. They have a good range of draft and bottled beers and a great juke box. Even better, unlike many other bars in the city, there is no television playing sport with the sound turned down and the staff don't have the tiring enthusiasm of so many other places, they are cool and laconic. Finally, the paintings of public figures in varying unflattering poses are very funny, and it is open late. Definitely worth a visit or three.