Old Town Ale House

Old Town Ale House is a cash-only dive bar in Old Town, Chicago, where small groups meet for birthday drinks and late nights after a Second City show. It has stood at North Avenue and Wieland since 1971 and has poured drinks since 1958.

The bar is one small room with a long bar, wooden booths along the walls and a few small tables. It suits a casual group party that takes a booth or a stretch of the bar rather than a separate party room.

A get-together here is drinks only. The bar pours drafts, bottles, cans, ciders, classic cocktails and mixed drinks, and Time Out notes there is no food to speak of. The room is dim and wood-paneled, with Bruce Elliott's portraits of regulars, politicians and celebrities on the walls and a jukebox heavy on jazz.

For planning, the practical details are simple. It is cash only, with an ATM on site. It opens at 3PM and stays open until 4AM Sunday to Friday and 5AM on Saturday. Second City is across the street, and the Sedgwick stop on the Brown Line is nearby.