A shady oasis on a hot day is as refreshing as a cold beer in hell. In a beer garden you get heaven on this scorched earth, a cool place in which to redeem your tormented palate with a frosty brew.
Might you be better off with water than with demon alcohol? That’s what doctors suggest for replenishment. And might an air-conditioned Bennigan’s do you even better? Sure, if you’re stranded in a south Florida strip mall. But this is Chicago, home of the blink-and-you’ll-miss-it summer and the recommended daily dosage of Vitamin O (that’s Old Style, to you Floridians). All hail the sweating mug. Surround it with decor of the plant and patio variety or a view of the passing urban parade and you’ve got a beer garden.
Following is a bunch of the city’s best beer gardens, listed by community. For details on the venues, check the listings in the Nightclubs Channel; for the ballparks, visit the Landmarks Channel.
Resi’s Bierstube,
2034 W. Irving Park Rd., North Center
Trust the Germans, in this case owners Herbert and Ingeborg Stober, to get the classic beer garden right. Out the back door of this modest neighborhood tavern, two huge maple trees provide a canopy for the patio’s 10 large picnic tables. Cheerful flower boxes trim the surrounding privacy fence. Cool and shady in the dog days, Resi’s is a great place to kick back with a tall, lemon-garnished weissbier (there are several on tap and another couple of dozen in the bottle) and work up an appetite for less seasonal schnitzel and sausage from the kitchen.
Moody’s Pub,
5910 N. Broadway, Edgewater
There are few burger joints that qualify as romantic. Moody’s, with its large, brick-walled, leafy patio, is one. It’s worth putting up with the limited menu (burgers) and bland American beer (Lite, Michelob) to soak up the outdoor atmosphere including weeping willows and a trickling rear fountain. By day the sun-dappled garden draws sparrows in search of spilled crumbs. By evening it flickers with candlelight, virtually the only illumination in the bi-level space. Until your eyes adjust, beware the stairs.
Cork & Kerry,
10614 S. Western Ave., Beverly
A handsome wood-trimmed Irish saloon, Cork & Kerry doubles in size come garden season. All the trappings of an indoor bar are found out in the yard including multiple televisions tuned to sporting events under weather-protective Plexiglas, a sound system, bar-height tables with comfy stools and outdoor phone booths. Many trees shade the large, tiered deck of the patio. Garden gnomes, plastic raccoons, antique implements and flower boxes provide colorful ambience of the Granny-went-to-Kmart kind. A South Side favorite, Cork & Kerry gets crowded in prime time. If you get the munchies, two nearby restaurants deliver food.
Melvin B.’s,
1114 N. State St., Near North Side
To catch the human parade of Gold Coast dog-walkers, celebrities passing through town and Barneys bag-clutching trendoids, pull up a chair at Melvin B.’s front yard patio. The loud, rowdy joint, big with the Oak Street Beach crowd, is a little bit of Division Street at the confluence of State and Rush where boys meet girls with some of the more obvious ploys. Still, you can’t beat the view, decent bar food and outdoor televisions to keep you up on Chicago sports doings.
Ten Cat,
3931 N. Ashland Ave., Lake View
A neighborhood tavern with funky furnishings inside and out, Ten Cat tempts with a cool retro patio. In back of the saloon six tables and an assortment of ’50s era lawn chairs, patio couches with matching coffee tables and other stray pieces outfit the garden in kitschy comfort, a gathering of collectibles worthy of Crate & Barrel remakes. But here are the real things and you get to employ them while you gaze at the lush ivy-covered brick wall of the building or the primitive, peeling garage. Dogs and outside food are welcome.
The Bullpen Bar,
Comiskey Park, Armour Square
No matter where you sit during the game (and it could be safer here than in the vertigo-producing upper deck), you have an hour post-game to check out the cavernous Bullpen Bar in right field and watch the grounds crew sweep up after the Sox. You might even be able to claim one of the outdoor lounge chairs. Picture windows along the adjacent visitor’s bullpen gives you an up-close view of the hurlers, which gets busy when the home team gets hot. History fans will appreciate the Old Comiskey memorabilia decorating the Bullpen from scoreboard pinwheels to old players’ lockers. New Comiskey is there, too, in the form of cheap plastic chairs and industrial architecture but the view wins out.
Upper Deck Patio,
Wrigley Field, Lake View
The Cubs may be in the stats cellar but few people go to Wrigley Field for the team. It’s the stadium that lures fans to Clark and Addison. And for the best view over the intersection, all ticketholders (except bleacher bums) can climb to the south- and west-facing upper deck patio, grab a beer and a dog and relish the happenings. See neighborhood joggers attempt to maintain pace through the crowded corner. Hear the competing peanut vendors. Smell the excitement. It’s the essence of a great day at the ballpark, distilled.
Roscoe’s,
3356 N. Halsted St., Lake View
It’s small and it packs quickly but Roscoe’s brick-paved and vine-walled patio is a charmer. Before the place fills, you can appreciate the carefully tended shade bed of begonias and impatiens decorated with architectural artifacts and Cupid-like garden statues from one of two wire benches. Garden gates lead to sidewalk cafe tables along Roscoe Street. When crowded, a fully stocked outdoor bar opens for business and a disco beat drums through the rustic-gone-raucous patio from a nearby dance floor.
Sheffield’s,
3258 N. Sheffield Ave., Lake View
A classic of Chicago tavern beer gardens, Sheffield’s outdoor attraction is the large cottonwood tree and en plein air pool table (a shelter, and a lot of staff maintenance, keep debris off the felt). A great selection of microbrews is available on tap inside. Nature-lovers should avoid weekends when the place is jammed to the fences with hipster singles seeking soul mates and slamming brews at the outdoor bar. For appreciating the flora, weekdays are more tranquil.
Ranalli’s on Lincoln,
1925 N. Lincoln Ave., Lincoln Park
Yuppie Central moves outdoors in summer to this Lincoln Park patio for beer and pizza in a paved but tree-studded plaza. So the tables wobble and the chairs are flimsy. There’s a certain energy to being crowded in with such a large and lovely set. On hot days shaded tables are as hard to get as the waiter’s attention. Entertain yourself by reading the lengthy beer list and practice meditation.
