Unless you’re waiting for car parts from a nearby dealership, you’ve just wrapped up a visit to Rosehill Cemetery across the street or you live in the neighborhood, there’s little reason to drop into Mike’s Ale House, the newest incarnation of an old bar on a barren stretch of Western Avenue in west Edgewater. So it’s a good thing that owner and beer-lover Mike Hirsh–of Mike’s American Ale House in Portage Park–knows how to sweeten the deal: Buy three drinks and you get one item from the burger-laden menu free. If that doesn’t get your taste buds pumping, well, you’re not much of a drinker, then, are you?
Inside: Thanks to a now-outdated sign that reads “Edge Inn” overhead, Mike’s is easy to miss. (New sign coming soon.) According to Hirsh, the small, 70-year-old room has served as a bookie bar and was once called, among other things, Rest in Pieces.
Hirsh has given the place a paint job and egg-shaped light fixtures, but his frat house-style framed posters–Marilyn, Scarface, Ol’ Blue Eyes–do little to shake off the bare-bones divey ambience.
Sounds: A jukebox plays classic rock and pop faves such as Norah Jones.
Food: The menu boasts a gimmicky 101 burgers, which breaks down into nine types of cheeseburgers served 10 different ways: with guacamole, “shrooms and onion,” spicy chipotle and more. (You can also get a burger 10 ways sans cheese or a patty melt.) The half-pound burgers are $5.95 and come with tater tots. There also are a couple of other options, including crab cakes and salad. Food is served until 9 p.m. (Fridays and Saturdays until 10 p.m.).
Drinks: Once the draft system comes in, there’ll be 10 microbrews and imports on tap, like 3 Floyds and Warsteiner. For now, take your pick from a growing roster of more than 20 bottled beers. Domestics are $2.50, micros and imports $3.50-$7.50. There’s a Sunday special ($2) on microbrews. Mike’s also offers a full bar.
Crowd: A smattering of neighborhood types and Eastern European regulars. Expect upcoming beer tastings and beer school to lure in hop-nerds.
Bottom line: If you already drink at least three beers per sitting, a big, free burger is the best kind of bonus. If you don’t, well, there are worse incentives to order another round.
