Bars
Celina’s Corner Celina’s is a no-frills corner bar with a Latin flavor, decorated sparsely with year-round Christmas lights, spiky houseplants, and photos of bygone days. That’s not to say there’s any lack of ambience here—some regulars having a bro-down by the pool table were more than happy to chat with a stranger. One gentleman in a sheriff’s jacket advised me to try having sex in a swimming pool before “hinting” that I should marry my drinking buddy. The drinks are cheap but the beer selection’s perfunctory. 11 AM-2 AM daily, 900 N. Western, 773-486-8737. —Bianca Jarvis
The Fifty-50 New three-level sports bar/lounge/restaurant that tries to do a little of everything (see Restaurants for more). Lunch Fri-Sun, dinner daily, open till 3 AM Sat, 2 AM Sun-Thu, 2047 W. Division, 773-489-5050. $$
Innjoy This spacious spot can’t quite figure out what it wants to be. It’s set up like a restaurant (see Restaurants for more), with dining tables lining the walls and a great menu, but it feels like a lounge, owing mostly to the pop-music soundtrack and the armchair-style seats and curtained booths. Either way it’s a pleasant experience: the waitstaff is friendly and the daily drink specials are inviting. Beware the Vodka Banzai, a jumbo vodka and Red Bull that guarantees you’ll wake up with a headache. Sat 11 AM-3 AM, Sun 11 AM-2 AM, Mon-Fri 4 PM-2 AM, 2051 W. Division, 773-394-2066. —KR
Rainbo Club The gorgeous Rainbo is hallowed ground for successive generations of musicians, artists, writers (Nelson Algren among the earliest), and hangers-on, all of whom vie for position on the annual photo-booth calendar—the nonconformist’s equivalent of the high school yearbook, issued every New Year’s Eve. Over the years the reception to new faces has veered unpredictably between warm and chilly, but no matter your position in the hierarchy there’s nothing quite like quaffing a cheap libation in the chill dark, listening to a rigorously tasteful selection of vinyl and peering around for ghosts. The tiny stage behind the horseshoe bar very occasionally hosts a musical act; watch the cases at the front of the bar around Christmas for the annual over-the-top dioramas using owner Dee Taira’s extensive collection of Godzilla and Ultraman toys. Sat 4 PM-3 AM, Sun-Fri 4 PM-2 AM, 1150 N. Damen, 773-489-5999. —MS
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Tuman’s Tuman’s once proudly declared its dank dissolution from its front window. But then the neighborhood changed, and the motto previously painted on the glass, alcohol abuse center, was removed so it wouldn’t scare the newbies. Now Tuman’s offers cask-conditioned ale, free WiFi, and turkey-and-Brie wraps, and patrons are well groomed enough to be permitted to drink chardonnay alfresco. These days Tuman’s has about as much character as a cracker factory, and only well-financed alcoholics can do themselves any real damage, what with the stingy pours. Live DJs spin on a regular rotation (see Music). Sat noon-3 AM, Mon-Fri, 3 PM-2 AM; Sun 11 AM-2 AM, 2159 W. Chicago, 773-782-1400. —MS
W Cut Rate Liquors Tinted windows make this place look forbidding from the outside, but inside, with brightly colored walls and balloons hung above the bar, it looks strangely clean-cut for a slashie. The racially and ethnically diverse clientele is mostly male, over 40, and friendly—our neighbor at the bar offered his strong views on a variety of subjects, from the smoking ban in bars (“No smoking. No good.”) to the lack of a pool table (“No pool. No good.”). The bartender’s response to “Got any good cocktails?” was, without hesitation, “You like beer? Not too expensive.” She wasn’t lying: Pabst, the only thing on tap, is $1.25 and bottles of Miller Lite are $2.50. There are also close to a dozen $1 shots, mostly schnapps and cheap tequila. Fri-Sat 7 AM-2 AM, Sun-Fri 7 AM-midnight, 1656 W. Division, no phone. —JT
