Brunos Lounge

I returned to Chicago and stopped into Bruno’s coming from the Loyola «L» stop. I swear, one old guy was still sitting on the same stool. I know Tim from St. Ignatius days, but he wasn’t in. I must say, nothing really changed. Still cash n carry and higher prices than they should be in the package store, due to being across from Loyola U. Nothing new. I wonder what the place would become if they sold the bar … something upscale and more accommodating to having women drop by. Naw … never happen. Why ask why???

This is definitely a dive bar, as everyone can attest. There’s a blue collar crowd that keeps to themselves. Drinks are cheap, service is quick, and there still manages to be a good beer selection. Stick to beer and you’ll be ok.

So, this place has been here for decades, but I went here for the first time last weekend, despite also being a former resident of Rogers Park! So, Bruno’s waited patiently for me.
Was set to order a bottle of Schlitz, as is my M.O. for dive bars, but my charming companion was allll «Bloody Mary!» Okay, I’m susceptible to peer pressure, so Bloody Mary it is!
I’m here to tell you (thankfully I lived to tell) that this was the worst Bloody that either of us had ever tasted. I was shocked at how bad it was. I think the mix was old or something, because it looked sorta brownish. Not savory or salty at all, and no garnish whatsoever. We had to ask for olives. And here’s a little PSA: When you take the olives out of the jar — preferably with a toothpick, not a knife — don’t roll them around in your fingers before you place them on the BAR MAT, before you roll them around some more in your fingers and put them in the drink.
I’m not taking off stars for this however, because — my bad — don’t get all fancy when you go to a dive bar, just stick to bottled beer. Which I did — and we did both manage to suck down those bad Bloody Marys, so there’s that. This place has so much more appeal — just DO NOT order Bloody Marys.
Chilled bottles of Schlitz in hand, we spend an hour or so chatting with the bartender (who is fine, but don’t order Bloody Marys) a neighborhood resident for a LONG time.
This place is great (except for those damn Bloodies). Truly a neighborhood DIVE bar — down to the sets of keys. Keys that belong to people who live in the ‘hood in case they get locked out. Super cool idea.
So, go here! Besides those goddamned Bloody Marys the place is pretty clean, and there are many TVs for watching sports, if you’re into that sort of thing, and there’s a package store in the other half.
The place has been here forever, and therefore it is good. But, for the love of dog, just order a Schlitz!

This is a half bar and half liquor store! The bar has never interested me it looks like an older crowd type bar. It’s also a very small bar but tends to be empty majority of the time. I’m a regular in liquor store portion which it’s ok. They have a decent selection of beer and liquor but they over price things horribly. Due to the fact that it’s in a college town with the kids not knowing any better and just trying to score alcohol.

This is a dive bar. Good place to hang out and get a Pabst or an Old Style before a game at Loyola.

WARNING: THIS IS AN ACTUAL DIVE BAR
I am not a dive bar person but understand they hold their place in life.
I have been here twice in the last five years. Mostly because I have a friend from NYC who likes to come here as a refuge from his mother in law when he is in town and that is when I come here.
The beer dont cost much.
some cab drivers use this as their refuge. When I was there last 3 weeks ago it looked like Saddam Hussein’s look alike’s were having a a get together or at least guys that looked quasi related.
I approached them and they told me that they are cab drivers from a certain cab co and come here right after their long shift. Now that makes more sense.
You should not come here expecting great service or to see that many women show up. You are in the wrong bar for that.
This reminds me of a bar that I used to wait at the train station in Hicksville, NY back in the day where everyone was missing at least a few teeth.
A person should go here just for posterity

What a crap-​hole. The only thing this place has going for it is its proximity to Loyola.

Best bar in Rogers Park. Great local crowd, and great bartenders. Great prices for beers and cocktails… old school shot-​and-​beer type of place. Neighborhood joints like this are dying out, but these guys keep the local option alive and well.

Place is a hell hole with overpriced booze and terrible selection. Great location though.

It is what it is. I don’t get the posts whining about the place, especially from those who should know what Bruno’s is (Loyola students, Rogers Park people).
There’s no specials. Or food. It’s an all around decent bar whose bartenders and clientele who are going to change for no one.
There’s always sports on and it’s a laid back place where you can focus on the game or have a conversation with whoever’s with you.
As a bar, it’s not typically on my radar, but if someone wants to go there, it works. The liquor store mainly is a last resort that benefits from its proximity to the el. Prices on average stuff isn’t good, but that’s what you get for a place that caters to Loyola students (many of which are underage).

If you’re an old, white, crotchety, racist, lowbrow goon, you will LOVE this place. If you have at least an 8^th grade education and all of your teeth, chances are this bar is NOT for you.
This place is bad, stay away.

The bar is over-​priced, though the bartender will tell you he can offer you the best prices in the area. He will refuse to tell the you the exact charge until after you have ordered and received your drink. The bar is cash only, dimly-​lit, with bad fixtures and a nasty fluorescent liquor store a room over. No walls or doors separate the two.
Worst of all, the bartender is super racist. When I was there I heard him call a famous black athlete in a Dr. Pepper ad a «monkey», and said that he and the other «monkeys» were going to start «drinking that shit like they do Hennesey». Disgusting

All the negative reviews are right (dimly lit, fuckin weird/​homeless clientele, cash only [WHAT?!], overpriced, racist). But the worst part?
NO BEER ON TAP. WHY THE HELL AM I GOING TO GO TO A BAR WITH NO BEER ON TAP.
NO BEER ON TAP
NO BEER ON TAP.
WHO’S GOING TO GO TO A BAR WITH NO TAP? NOBODY.
IF YOU’RE A NOBODY, YOU’RE PROBABLY AT THIS BAR WITH NO BEER ON TAP.

The guys behind the counter are very efficient at being rude and disinterested in doing their job.

So my buddy and I decided we need to try out a new a bar. So why not go down to probably the only combo bar and liquor store. Seriously it’s split right down the friggin middle one half bar and the other a liquor store… it’s quite comical upon first sight… Anyways, I didn’t find much for this place to offer other than leaving with a decently priced 6 pack… Most of the depressed patrons seemed to be living the Loyola «dream» and when I say this I mean for the past +30 years… Seriously I am not kidding again… Old dudes wearing their vintage Loyola apparel and getting too fricken hammered… don’t expect to find much of a young crowed here… the only person around our age saw was a mid 20 something chick who was eating up what these drunken married men were telling her… oh and the lighting was pretty horrible considering the the bar is dark and you have these intense lights from the liquor store which always blinding a corner of your eye… Honestly one time was enough for me…

The owner Tim is a blatant racist and by going here you are supporting this. Please use your money to patronize a more deserving bar.
A friend of mine overheard Bruno call black people «monkeys» in response to a television ad featuring African Americans.
Before ever even hearing this, I went and got a very, very weird vibe from Tim (I am Asian and was with a white girl) — despite him being polite to others. I actually thought it could have been racism at the time, but I brushed it off– until I heard this little ditty.
Please don’t go here. Also it is just gross and depressing.

This place is hardly ever busy and there’s a few reasons for it. None of which are all that bad.
Número uno: Bruno, the man, is a bit of a sarcastic asshole. Which is refreshing, however, it can be entirely frustrating when all you need to know is how much for a Jamo and water. I am not Irish, I know. I’m American. I bleed Lincoln, thanks guy.
Numero Dos: the bathrooms may as well not exist. It has best been described as «trying to pee under the stairs in a cramped room at grandmas house.» Oh so true.
Numero tres: they just slapped a $ 2 raise on almost all of the booze in the store attached to the bar. WTF? Students are back, I get it, but what about all the loyal alcoholics who have crawled begrudgingly to your humble abode through the cold winter days when no student would have you? You have price penetrated me from behind Bruno, not cool.
However, since I live so damn close, I shall be back. The overall atmosphere of the bar is laid back and sometimes it just can’t be beat. Plus, you can shoot the shit with professors almost any night of the week which can always be interesting.

Great low key place to go for a cold one. I once asked the bartender what beer they had and his reply was «I got a whole store next door, I got whatever you want» which was the best reply.
They have free wifi and are accommodating with the sports on tv. Why go out of the neighborhood when Bruno and Tim’s will take care of you for much cheaper.

The two most important ingredients of my party life at Loyola were 40s of Big Bear and six packs of Schlitz, dutifully purchased in combination here for $ 6 on the dot. Hell, it was so ubiquitous that they even stopped carding me. Good times!
One year after graduating I come back in and there’s no Big Bear or Schlitz cans to be found. The Bill M Loyola Special cannot exist any more and it was like a searing dagger through my heart. Stunned by the total loss of innocence I look through the cooler and see what actually IS there; the 40 of Mickey’s and sixer of High Life, though I guess admirable in their own regard, just don’t cut it. It cost me $ 7.75 (and a flash of an ID) to find out that Bruno’s has moved on without me. Bummer.

After finishing our class meeting for my History Junior Colloquium, one of my classmates (the only one within striking distance of my age) asked me to have a drink with her at Bruno’s. I guffawed and confessed that even in my first stint at Loyola I never went to Bruno’s. But, it was close, so we stopped in for a few beers to celebrate. I ordered us a couple beers and the bartender had a hard time with the total… no biggie. I tipped him 100% on the round (I figure those guys don’t do real well by poor Loyola students) but got no thanks or even a nod out of it. I ordered another round and only tipped him 50%. I know, I’m such a cheap bastard, right?
After a little while, the bartender ended his shift and the old Rogers Park institution, Tim, the owner of Bruno’s, sidled behind the bar to take over. Linda ordered another round from Tim and brought the beers over to our table. Tim and the other old men in the place were watching the news on the TVs. Needless to say, much of the coverage was on the election of Barack Obama. At one point, Tim piped up, rather loudly, «Well, look at that, Barack’s done more work in two days than 99% of the people who voted for him have ever done!» This got a big laugh out of the regulars.
Now, I know that Bruno’s is what it is… it’s and old man bar plus Cash n’ Carry. The only high-​brow conversation in the place was between Linda and I, discussing our grad school plans and the conflicts between different Latin American ethnic groups. I don’t expect much out of Bruno’s, but I was floored by Tim’s open racism, considering that there were two newcomers in the bar. I also know that Tim doesn’t give a flying f**k what I think, but I just want others to be aware of what kind of guy they’re giving their money to by patronizing Bruno’s Lounge in Rogers Park.