In a city where trendy hot spots sizzle, then sputter in the space of a few months, there’s no denying the appeal of these time-tested taps. Some may be a little worse for the wear, but they have the kind of character shiny new “retro lounges” can only aspire to have.
Pump Room
Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall, and Robert Wagner and Natalie Wood toasted their weddings in this 65-year-old spot’s famed Booth One. Judy Garland immortalized it in song, and rockers from David Bowie to Fleetwood Mac have visited the bar. The walls are covered with photos of celebrities, and the place is filled with opulent, old-school charm. These days, the Pump Room is trying to shake its somewhat stuffy image and encourages a new generation of guests to visit. The bar hosts a neighborhood night every Wednesday that’s drawing a young crowd and an industry night every Thursday. On Fridays and Saturdays, twentysomething chanteuse Erin McDougald sings jazz standards. 1301 N. State Pkwy. 312-266-0360.
Rosa’s Lounge
While recent years have seen the close of South Side establishments the Checkerboard and the Palm Tavern, Rosa’s Lounge, self-billed as “Chicago’s friendliest blues lounge,” celebrates 20 years in 2004 with appearances by longtime residents such as local blues legend Melvin Taylor. The bar is run by original owner Rosa Mangiullo and her son, Tony, and is covered with photos of celebrities, blues idols and others, including former Czech Republic President Vaclav Havel, who once visited the bar. 3420 W. Armitage Ave. 773-342-0452.
Berghoff
Berghoff has been serving beer fans for more than a century. German immigrant Herman Joseph Berghoff introduced his brew to Chicago drinkers at the 1893 World’s Fair, and in 1898, he opened his bar one door down from its current location, selling beer for a nickel. A drink costs a bit more these days, but the polished wooden bar still runs the length of the room, with murals above and checkerboard floors below. In addition to the selection of standard and seasonal ales, the bar serves root beer–the mainstay that kept the establishment open during prohibition. And once the sale of alcohol was legalized again, Berghoff was one of the first bars in the city to get a liquor license. 17 W. Adams St. 312-427-3170.
Charmers
This Rogers Park bar opened as a speakeasy in 1929 and was known as Peppers during the ’50s and ’60s when it started to draw a gay clientele. In the ’70s, the bar officially came out and in 1989 changed its name to Charmers. Today, the original decor, red fabric-padded walls and art-deco features remain. 1502 W. Jarvis Ave. 773-465-2811.
Green Door Tavern
Older than the Pump Room–the building even has a slight list–the Green Door may no longer stand up straight, but it’s withstood generations of change in the River North neighborhood. Completed just a year after the Chicago fire in 1871, this was one of the last buildings constructed before an ordinance put the kibosh on wooden structures around the Loop. Inside, there’s memorabilia floor-to-ceiling, with maps, carousel horses, tin signs and tons of junk jostling for space. The clientele leans toward neighborhood condo owners, after-work cocktailers and out-of-towners, but with a draft selection including Sierra Nevada, Urquell and Warsteiner, it’s worth a stop to ogle the decor and soak up the past. 678 N. Orleans St. 312-664-5496.
