Bob Inn

Its impressive to find a bar that is also a liquor store in such a heavily populated part of Chicago that still has the glare of regulars staring you down as you walk in there unannounced, uninvited, and uninitiated.
Drab, depressing, wood paneling, old games, dingy.

cheap beer, good people, tamale man on occasion, jukebox. ’nuff said.

I write this review as I begin to romanticize and reflect on the countless (I really mean countless) times I’ve set foot in this bar and left feeling whole with the world.
This is a family owned operation. You can feel it the minute you walk in. No frills and always reasonably priced, the ‘Bob’ is my go-​to. The staff is excellent and always attentive. My glass is never empty, and they’re even nice enough to humor me with great, meaningful conversation while waiting for friends.
Annie and Jimmy are terrific people with big hearts. Their kids are great, too!
Go to the Bob. Get an Old Style and Malort. Get another round. Have a good time. Repeat.
Note: For the love of god, please bring cash. Don’t whine about it — just do it.

It was a dark night early in spring when I had the joy of meeting all the cool kids here for a Unilocal unofficial event.
It was fun.
It’s casual– though I did wear a light jacket.
The drinks were fast, simple, inexpensive and plentiful… This made for more fun!
The most fun however was meeting all those on Unilocal that I had not yet met in person, recommended!

Bob Inn is a great bar for cheap drinks, a free parking lot, and is still largely uninhabited by hipsters. I didn’t think that was possible in Logan Square anymore. There’s no «mixology» going on here, it’s a dive bar with a basic beer list and a full bar. If you need a fancy cocktail list and a bar with cache, Bob Inn isn’t it.
I had a great time here with a few friends as we gathered for a UYE (good job, Destry!). On a Friday night, it wasn’t crowded at all, although I left around 11:30 p.m., so I may have missed a late night crowd. There are plenty of four-​top tables and seating at the bar. There’s a jukebox, but the music wasn’t too loud. I was able to hold a conversation and speak and listen without straining.
The bartender was really friendly and polite as well. I needed a minute to decide what to drink, and she was totally cool about it. When she asked what we were up to that night, we said we were meeting some friends, and she then mentioned that she saw on the Internet that a group of people were meeting that night from Unilocal.Congrats, Destry, you’ve made us famous, hahaha. Okay, not really… not at all.
Most of the crowd appeared to be neighborhood folks, as Bob Inn is a great local spot for a cheap drink but not necessarily a destination. I’d definitely come back.

I’ve lived in the neighborhood for a while now and for some reason it has taken me a long time to warm up to and start going to the Bob Inn. It’s everything you’d wish for in a bar: good music, cheap drinks, a pool table, carry-​outs!, a good mix of decent people, and not to mention it is appropriately shitty.
A place you can take your mom, grandma, yuppie friends or hipster friends and everyone would like it.
A place where everyone doesn’t know your name.
I wouldn’t make the trip, but if you are having a night out in the area it is a good stop along they way. If you live in the neighborhood give it a shot.

I recently moved very close to the Bob Inn. I’ve been a regular at a sister bar to the Bob Inn for years, so when I moved to the area I figured I should start giving it a try. This past Saturday I went after their Barathon event, and was having a great time until I was met with some very unpleasant customers (who I assume were also regulars). I did nothing to provoke them, yet they were very rude to me, and I could tell they were talking about me behind my back the whole night. At one point, one of the bartenders even joined in with them. I hate to be so petty, but I definitely did not feel welcomed at what is supposed to be a friendly neighborhood bar, and it will take a lot of convincing to ever go back.

Hands down, one of, if not the BEST bar in Chicago.
My friend and I come here for everything. Blackhawks games, gossip over drinks, shitty day at work? HEAD TO THE BOB!
One of the owners, Annie, is also a bartender and she is just the absolute best. She knows all the regulars by name, remembers things about your life, asks you about something you might’ve mentioned the month before, and is always there to listen if you need to vent. This is truly a neighborhood bar that cares about the neighborhood people. If you come here and treat it with love, it’ll love you right back.

I really love this bar. I read the reviews before going and I was a little nervous about how service would be, given that I am not a regular. There was absolutely no problem. This bar reminds me of the bars in my hometown — the bartenders are friendly, the atmosphere is homey — but also there are biker-​kinda people who would probably kick your ass if you take things too far. Pete (of Pete’s Barber Shop) comes in here to do «dj sets» every once in a while and gets a good mix of classic rock (and such) going.
This bar has what ever good bar needs: good bartenders, the ability to hear the people next to you talking, accessibility from home, and a bar stocked with pretty much anything you’d ask for.

Nice spot for cheap canned beer, hardcore drinking and a relaxed atmosphere…
Enjoy Suckas’!!!

Good spot! Inside its pretty dated/​doesn’t look like they’ve done much to it in over 30 years. Standard Dive but bigger than most and a cool little corner location right near California. Gets a good «Local» crowd during the week! Standard prices and bartender was nice… Really liked the outside of building… GTFJD

A dive bar which serves Malort.
What is it? A locally created alcohol. Not something to be sampled or offered as a complimentary shot from friends. Thanks Destry B. and Jaik S. That funky taste of shoe polish will live forever embedded in my mind to never try again. A serious mind stinging, tongue yacking, breath reminder for a solid twelve minutes. Yet, it’s offered as an endearing shot to friends, again and again.
An inn which serves up cheap specials on beer and a charm from the bartenders not equalled at your finest of liquor wells.
I’ve been publicly challenged by others that want to dethrone my status as Duke of Bob Inn. Bring it bitches. Although. my throne may have already been relinquished. Ahh.

I don’t know about you, but sometimes I have a tendency to make broad generalizations. While I don’t make it a habit, sometimes it just happens. For example, north siders may generalize the south side as dangerous, and city-​dwellers generalize the suburbanites all as soccer moms with spoiled children. Well, I have this notion that all north side bars resemble those of Wrigleyville, filled with frat boys and trixies. So I tend to stay in my comfort zone.
Well, this place broke my generalization. This place is a laid-​back tavern, a gin-​mill dedicated to the hard-​working blue collar peoples that made Chicago what it is. Old and musty, but absolutely wonderful! I arrived early to meet some friends, and felt no trepidation about being in the place alone. I chatted with the very friendly bartender, and a few of the regulars.
The best part of it all? They have $ 2 cans of Hamms. I couldn’t ask for more.

Leaving the Bob Inn each time, I feel like I just participated in the sequel to Hot Tub Time Machine. Sitting down at any of the tables here, I feel as though I’ve just been transported back to the 1970s. There are some bars in Chicago that try to revive the decade I was born in a kitschy way in order to feed the hipster craving for irony. This is not one of those bars. Everything seems to be exact down to the letter with no humor value intended. They must perform magic to do this. They must have a *turning straight into the imaginary camera*…
BAR STOOL TIME MACHINE!
First of all, they found a way to transport a White Sox bar into a Cubs neighborhood (Logan Square). The only way I would think this would be possible was if it was at their heyday of popularity in the days of the second coming of the waxed mustache. But, oddly, the televisions show games from modern times and yet the fans in white and black still scream along. Also, this bar’s regulars seems to still worship the Bears like it’s 1985. Though that is a time paradox I’d rather not discuss right now.
Secondly, the music. Seriously. The jukebox makes it seem like the 1980s never happened, let alone the 1990s or the aughts. Every song sounds just like the Allman Brothers. I got punched in the arm for bringing this up on my most recent visit, but it’s true. That is, except for the disco. I have never been here a single time when Abba has failed to play. For anyone who likes their rock southernified, this is a great place. Thankfully they keep it low (even enough so to talk) so my brain doesn’t want to explode from too much twang.
And, finally, the beer selection. Schlitz. Hamm. Pabst. There are brands here I didn’t know still brewed in the modern era, so they must have transported them from the 1970s. Okay, well, I knew about Pabst (and, technically the other two as well), but who can argue with $ 3.00 PBR tall boys in this decade?
In the prequel film to a Bob Inn experience, the main characters were able to go back in time and try to correct their mistakes in the location they were transported from (a ski resort with the eponymous hot tub). And I wish I could correct past mistakes I’ve made at the Bob Inn while sitting on its bar stools. Unfortunately, the Bob Inn is the kind of place where even if I could correct mistakes, I’d just keep making them again.

I give it one star, but the number two would be apropos (bathroom code).
I woke this morning, started flat ironing my hair and putting on make-​up. In the midst of my primping *record scratch.*
I turned on CNN and checked my cell phone. Ruh-​row! It is Saturday morning. Why did I think I have to dash off to work? Like a die in a Magic Eight Ball, hints swum to the surface. Oh yea, last night was Friday. I squandered it at Bob Inn. Did I actually repress that memory?
Mentally think it so insignificant, non-​weekend-​esque, and try to forget?
After I accepted the reality of the situation, I chilled watching TV, then worked out. Intermittently, thoughts of my time spent there crossed my mind and saddened me. But, I recognize, I didn’t properly vet the venue and was to meet someone there. I could have gone to other events. So, I guess it provides a certain sort of context. You should sometimes taste sour to have sweet. At least, that what Sour Patch Kids commercials say and candy philosophy is dead on. I totes magotes melt in mouths, not hands and taste the rainbow.
I wish I could have that hour of my life back, but to put a spin on the cliché, I’d have to get a little existential. Maybe: drink less, eat cleaner, sleep more, meditate.
I suppose the evening could have gone worse. Given my propensity for skimpy clothing and partying, I could have ended up chained to a radiator like Christina Ricci’s character in Black Snake Moan.
Oh bloody hell, I feel another repressed memory coming.. .

Bob’s have always been good to me.
(1) My dad’s name is Bob and he’s pretty awesome, enough said.
(2) My first guy roommate was Bob (#1) and his girlfriend’s mom used to FedEx us homemade lasagna, cookies, and banana bread. He was also a pretty cool roommate.
(3) Another former roommate/​virtual older brother, Bob (#2), has always looked out for me (even when I prefer he didn’t) and always lets me bend his ear when I need it.
Walking into Bob Inn for Jenny & Craig’s birthday celebration I hoped my good fortune with all-​things Bob would continue; luckily, I was not disappointed. Here are some of the reasons Bob Inn was good to me:
* Reasonable prices, my Miller Lite’s were only $ 2.75 (cash only)
* Letting us use their grill and bring in food for the birthday celebration
* Friendly service
* Clean bathrooms (I can only vouch for the ladies)
* Well positioned TV’s to watch the games of your choice
* Decent jukebox. I heard a few grumblings about the selection, but there were very few songs that came on that I didn’t like or at least know.
Bob Inn is nothing fancy, but I think that’s why I find it so appealing. So next time you’re looking for a no frills, low-​key place to grab a drink, chat with a friend and stretch your hard-​earned dollars as far as possible ask yourself:
What about Bob?

Love it when people say «We’re going to the Bob» as the Bob Inn is high on my list of places just to sit, grab a beer and catch up with friends. I’ve been here for big and small parties and with just a few friends and each time I marvel at the friendliness of the «locals» and their willingness to engage with me from the moment I walk in the front door!
The beer is cheap, the jukebox is ready to go with songs that you haven’t heard in years, and in the warmer months they will fire up the grills and with self supplied meats– you can have a grilling experience second to none!
If you like pool– the lone pool table in the back sees alot of action (I also get a kick out of the huge chunks of chalk which invariably ends up all over people throughout the night!
If you drive– parking is easy as there are actually parking spaces on the east side of the building– a sort of «parking lot». How’d they do that? Cash is king here so leave the plastic at home!
Lots of room to sit so pull up a stool, chat with the friendly bartenders, and just enjoy this little slice of «normalcy» in a world where that is sometimes hard to find.

Ventured over to celebrate Jen & Craig’s B’day on Saturday afternoon. Not sure if they could have chosen a better place! The bar seems to be very family oriented and owner was pretty friendly.
Drinks were not expensive at all. Anytime I can drop 6 – 7 bucks for 2 beers at a time is a steal! Pretty much a dive and has TVs on different angles for you viewing pleasure. Kudos to Craig and Jenny for introducing me to a great place!!!

It’s great that places like Bob Inn still exist amongst encroaching neighborhood change. I’m all for love that’s exciting and new, but the Bob reminds me that a ‘hood is defined by its residents and by where those residents meet up to shoot pool, shoot the shit, drink cheap drinks, and have a B-​Day BBQ Party if they want to!
Happy B-​Day Craig and Jenny! What a great showing of support. Service was so polite and nice I couldn’t believe it. The prices were right and the jukebox took me back to growing up in a working class town that favored its classic rock. But really, who doesn’t know all the words to Boston (one)?! Bob Inn? I just might!

Things I love about Bob Inn:
1. Bartender (and owner) is a crazy Sox fan.
2. On weeknights, the place is practically empty and on weekends it’s never so busy that you can’t find a place to sit.
3. Free Golden Tee.
4. Good juke box.
5. Pool
6. Stickers of Richard Pryor’s face.
7. Free pretzel rods from the bartender.
8. $ 3 mixed drinks
9. $ 3 Becks/​Labatt tall boys
10. Awesome specials.
Is this as good as it gets? Abso-​fucking-​lutely, friends.