Where should I drink on my Chicagoland date?

December 8, 2010 7:54 PM

Looking for Chicagoland bars that aren't sad. I live in Lombard, in the Western suburbs of Chicago, and my gentleman friend lives in Hillside, and all the bars around me seem to be for sad people and/or older people. I have a date (well, sort of) coming up, and I want to find bars that are geared towards young 20-somethings that I do not have to take the Metra to get to.

Loud, dance-y bars are great, quiet, sexy bars are great. I even would take recommendations for in Chicago for in the future, but I do want to boost the local economy as well.

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posted by anonymous to Food & Drink (8 answers total)

I rarely ventured that far south and/or west, but I can't believe there's nothing on 22nd and/or Butterfield. Somewhere along that corridor, especially in the general vicinity of Oakbrook Center, is going to be your best bet for many miles, most likely.
posted by dhartung at 8:33 PM on December 8, 2010

Downtown Naperville is where you want to go. Lots of different kinds of bars and clubs, depending on what you're in the mood for, and many of them do draw a younger crowd.
posted by SisterHavana at 8:44 PM on December 8, 2010

Seconding downtown Naperville. You could also try downtown Downers Grove. Another Round opened up recently and seems aimed at 20-somethings, and there's also Ballydoyle's and one of the locations of Emmett's Brewing Company.
posted by bassooner at 9:05 PM on December 8, 2010

D.O.C. Wine Bar Lombard looks promising.
posted by me3dia at 9:36 PM on December 8, 2010

FitzGerald's in Berwyn. If you go this Saturday you will have a hell of a good time.
posted by hydrophonic at 10:03 PM on December 8, 2010

hydrophonic: "FitzGerald's in Berwyn. If you go this Saturday you will have a hell of a good time."

This looks like a great club, for sure. Anne Hills, on 12/15; that'll be a good show. She's a great singer/songwriter and a fine performer, too, and warm as can be, her smile reaches from her heart and into her eyes and she gives it to you, she's really got it going. I've seen her at Kerrville a few times; I recommend her.

Lombard is a tomb, no pulse at all that I've ever found, I spent my teen years there and have gone back any number of times over the years, visiting family and friends. And yeah, those years are long in the past but I've friends still there, I've kept up, seems it's not much changed; I think there's still that tacky dive on Main Street, and that other tacky dive on St. Charles Road, both of them real wrist-slitters, no doubt about it. I was in Naperville two years ago or three, in that downtown area, it does look like it'd jump.

Good luck.
posted by dancestoblue at 1:59 AM on December 9, 2010

There are bars on Madison just west of Harlem.
posted by gjc at 2:34 AM on December 9, 2010

Elmhurst resident here. Ballydoyle in Downer's is always fun. So's Quigley's in Naperville. Closer to home for you and your guy, Doc Ryan's on Spring Rd in Elmhurst always has an interesting mix of people. Charlie's is fairly new in town, just south of the tracks on York where McNally's used to be. Haven't been myself, but hear good things. Also, highly recommend the York Tavern on York Rd just north of Ogden, near Graue Mill. That place is always hoppin'.
posted by johnvaljohn at 8:38 PM on December 10, 2010