Zakopane

These people are absolutely nuts. Cheap is the only upside. The drunks are pretty creepy. I’d imagine folks get murdered in the back area of the bar. It’s similar to the Polish version of Taken was the overwhelming vibe I got. Don’t use the bathroom.

I go here every once in a while with friends, usually it’s a good time. However, last time time I got drinks here, I asked for water and they refused. It’s not like I just came in to drink water (and even if I did, so what? Maybe I’m the designated driver), I had ordered several drinks already. To ask someone to pay for tap water at a bar is both really rude, but also potentially dangerous. I’m probably not coming back here unless I hear their policy has changed.

Well, its one of the last dive bars that are left in Wicker Park. I was always wondering why is this place always empty — it has the best location any bar owner could wish for. Well, last night I found out why — they dont give a shit about you unless you are Polish, the bartender (female) behind the bar really made sure that we don’t have more than 1 beer there and was as rude as possible– we were the only customers there until one old Polish guy walked in and she became a glowing politeness to him. So my advice — unless you are Polish (not some Polish roots, no, actual Polish person that use to live in Poland) don’t go there — their cheap beer really not worth it.

If you are going to complain about the environment on here then it’s your fault you walked in in the first place. This is a cash only dive where what you see is what you get, but it can lead to some very fun times!!! Also a recommendation for the gentlemen here:
The Juke box has a lot of great music (Clapton, Stones, Johnny Cash, Beatles etc…) and a lot of shit (90s pop etc…). Take a girl there that you think may have some potential give her 5 dollars to put in the juke box and tell her to pick all the songs! Depending on her choices you will know if you want to take things any further!

Absolutely my fav dive bar in Chicago! I have lived in the neighborhood for ten years and by far, best watering hole in the city. The bartender pours warm shot of vodka as your enter the door. Ambience is key as is the company you keep. Could not recommend more. Trouble at its finest.

Went here once for my sister’s birthday party years ago with a large group of friends. We were the only ones in there at first, so we gave them a solid amount of business for an hour or so. Then some shit when down when I was in the bathroom and this hulking middle aged Polish man started threatening to beat up a bunch of us. As we were heading out, a band was heading in starting to set up. I commented to one of our party guests that I found one of the band men attractive. He then told me that he knew him and that said man had a «serious coke problem». Oh well, just a fleeting observation.
Probably won’t be back. There are other bars in the city that remind me of my beloved European grandparent’s basement that don’t have gross old Polish men threatening to beat me up.

This place smells like a dead grandma’s basement. But you can bring in your own food (pizza from Pizza Rustica down the street is highly recommended!) and drinks are super cheap. Cash only and the waitress was really friendly and quick with the service. That smell though. I just can’t go back.

This place is a cool dive bar. Small and a little dirty… just the way I like it. Some of the customers in the bar were super creepy. I came with a group of 8 people after work and the bartender was ok when it comes to service. She seemed to have a lot going on. Drinks were super cheap! Well vodka was Ketel and well whiskey was Jack and it was $ 4 a drink. Small glasses but well worth it.

This is the coldest meanest bartender I have ever seen. This is a small bar with Polish flags and I assume maybe they are bitter it is no longer a Polish bar or something. The service was colder than the bad beed on tap and bottles were highly over priced. The seats are so old and ruionous from the thirties maybe. One bad pool table too close to the bar even though they have plenty of space. This is just a bad bar that trieds to be bad on purpose.

Pool table across the street at Gold Star is free, this one is a dollar a game and covered with more stains than a blanket on a frat house couch. But the bartender hates you. But this is a quiet place to come and drink cold Budweisers. And watch the ESPY’s. Chill neighborhood vibe. But since the pool table charges and it slopes downward, I knock off a star.

dive bar, one person behind the bar, no food i think? selective list of beer especially their polish beer, which i did not like (not their fault, i’m picky)
only ended up staying for an hour or so, we kinda got sucked into coming here

I like dive bars and I remember Zakopane fondly. The polish gal behind the bar wore cloths that verged on stripper and I always had fun.

Malort, it’s like kicking your mouth in the balls.

ended up here and the lovely polish bartender hooked me up real nice.
that’s an easy win in my book.

Definitely not the best tavern around.
Although I went 11 years ago, Probably hasn’t changed much.
The bathroom was beyond horrible. Unsanitary, Isn’t the word.
One grouchy alcoholic or drunk from the old country was less than welcoming. Complaining about his life.
And he was madly playing a Polish tune on the juke box which had practically the same electric guitar beats from the 1965 Who’s «I Can’t Explain» tune at the beginning of the song, Then sounding like some Eastern European pop of the 1980’s-2000’s.
Yet the jukebox is rather unusual with lots of Polish tunes, One with a CD label of a Patrick Macnee look alike lying on the floor, Raising his derby or bowler looking at the woman’s bare legs. Plus somewhat obscure cornball tunes of Culture Club’s «I’ll Tumble 4 You», etc.
Yet if the Polkaholics perform, Maybe it should get half a star extra or so.
But I wouldn’t wish any harm on this place.

Polish beers + Horrible jukebox + Scantily dressed bartenders= great dive bar

I’m about to do something that I’d normally consider a no-​no on Unilocal– I’m giving a few bars the same review. Friday night began innocently with drinks at a local neighborhood bar. Around 11pm our waitress told us that our table was to be turned over to the DJ and that we could move to another table or pay our tab. We chose to go across the street to Phyllis’ Musical Inn and check out some of the «hole in the wall» bars in my neighborhood. I’ve walked and driven by these establishments a lot but haven’t been in all of them. And let me tell you– I was missing out. Now I have been to Phyllis’ Musical Inn and Gold Star in the past, but the other stops of the night were new to me. And YES, I’ll return to them all. In fact, a spring time ‘hole-​in-​the-​wall’ pub crawl is already in the planning phases.
Phyllis’ Musical Inn: As I said I’d been here before. When my friend and I arrived Friday night it was a full house. But we still managed to get two seats at the bar. I LOVE that they had a live blues band playing. I loved even MORE that while we sat there they pumped out ‘Sweet Home Chicago.’ Not going to lie, it really made me smile from ear to ear. This was the sort of bar the Blues Brothers would love! We each had a (cheap!) PBR. A kindly patron bought me a shot, the bartender was awesome– explained that many in the crowd had just come from the wake of a young man that had been a regular at Phyllis’. The place may be a bit of a hole-​in-​the-​wall but it also has a welcoming atmosphere. I like this place lots and shall be back– especially if the live band returns!
Gold Star Bar: This is another one I’d been to once before. Last time I was here it was the middle of the day in the summer and it was empty except for the bartender and a random man at the bar having a cold one. It was a bit boring on my first visit. This time however the place was packed. We lucked out (again!) and found two seats at the bar. One of the bartenders was hot which helped. We enjoyed some more cheap beer… then things started to get fuzzy. I just remember smiling a lot… I will absolutely return. It’s a GREAT Friday night crowd– totally different experience from my previous visit.
Zakopane: Being a nice Polish gal, I had to try this bar. I loved it. Immediately people in here recognized my face as being that of a nice Polish girl. Immediately people were buying this nice Polish gal shots. And I found a $ 5 bill on the floor– and $ 5 bills are my favorite bills, so that was a happy moment! The bartenders were two awesome gals as well. There was nothing about this bar not to love.
CAN’T RECALL THE NAME OF THE 4TH BAR: Cheapest beers of the NIGHT!!! Unreal how cheap the beer was! I think it was $ 1.50 each! AWESOME! I feel so bad that I can’t remember the name. Again, things were fuzzy– plus it was late!
Rite Liquors: The evening ended here– when they turned the lights on and ushered everyone the heck out. We had a blast here! This was my first slashie ever. Yes– it’s a liquor store– situated inside a bar. I’ve never seen a bar with more bottles in my life. The wall of bottles of booze was endless. But it was also a liquor store. We loved it. Who even knew these establishments existed? I plan to return. It was so much fun! It was the most diverse crowd of the night which added to the experience! Some people had all their teeth, some people had no teeth. Some people were young business professionals such as myself, some people haven’t had a job in two decades. It was fabulous! I MUST return!
Friends– keep your eyes peeled for a ‘hole-​in-​the-​wall’ pub crawl invite once the weather warms up. And in the meantime, you’ll likely find me frequenting my new favorite watering holes. God I love my neighborhood!

Truly a hole in the wall! This place is almost dead every single time I go there. It does have a back area with seating and a pool table, but it’s always empty and almost no lights on.
It is a Polish bar for sure, and I have actually been corrected by the bartenders on how to pronounce the names of the Polish beers before being allowed to order.
Did I mention that the pool table doesn’t really work? Well it doesn’t, at least the times I’ve been there. The owner had to come out with a screwdriver and fix it somehow.
So what could possibly make this bar worth going to? It opens between 6 and 7 AM on most days to let late night workers in. That’s really all there is to it. And I must say, I tried that on a Sunday morning once and the owner turned my friends and I away saying it wasn’t until noon. We got dicked.

A friend wrote a book about Chicago and every time he drives down Division, he calls it «Polish Main Street» which it was alongside Milwaukee Ave.
This bar dates back to this period and is one of the few (Czar Bar is now gone) places that was here when the place had ethnic character.
People call this area Ukranian Village now, but most of the area between Division and Milwaukee was actually Polish and places like Zakopane are original. These are the bars where people actually drank PBR and Schlitz without giving a damn about shopping at Urban Outfitters. Back in the day they hosted concerts in the back– the velvet curtain is still there!
There is a cute 30 – 40 something Polish woman bartender here who is a riot, and yes there are 2 – 3 old Polish regulars who sit at the end and… oh my gosh, they actually speak Polish! On a Saturday night when the other bars are full of frat boys and annoying girls in riding boots you can actually get a beer here, and take a wild gamble on some Polka on the Jukebox. Drink cheap beer or Polish beer and don’t bring your annoying suburban-​bred friends. Do the suburban-​to-​city kids have to run every business out of business? I hope not.
Fun fact for ya: The Zakopane mountain region in Poland is «the winter capital of Poland» and the center of «Highlander» culture in Poland. Most of the Poles in what used to be called «West Town» were highlanders. Note the mountains on the sign.

$ 5 cover to hang out in a tacky, dilapidated, dark and dank place, complete with actual holes in the walls and 1970’s style faux wood paneling.
Cheesy reggae.
Casy only.
Weak drinks.
The bartenders dress like prostitutes… I don’t say this to be disrespectful, and yes I know they are Polish… but seriously: late 80’s-early 90’s spandex mini skirts, ‘thigh highs’, knee high boots, and low cut wife-​beaters? Seriously? (For an example of what I am describing, watch the music video for «Addicted to Love» by Robert Palmer).
All in all, this place is a dump. (And I say this as someone who loves dive bars).