21st in Chicagoland

July 13, 2007 9:39 AM

Weekend in Chicago, one of us is under 21: where to go, or how to get him in?

Three friends and I are going up to Chicago to celebrate my 21st birthday and catch a Cubs game. We want to go out Saturday night, but one of us won't be 21. Where can we go that he'll be allowed in? Or, how can we get him in otherwise, assuming he doesn't have a fake ID?

Also, for our purposes, he will be considered our DD, if that makes any difference on getting him into the bars. We plan on taking the El, but we will have a car in the city and can drive/nominally call him the DD if need be. Thanks!

posted by TheFuse to food & drink (14 comments total)

Catch some late-night theater. Chicago's got tons of improv shows. Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind is perennially popular.
posted by hydrophonic at 9:49 AM on July 13, 2007

You could just go to any old sports bar that serves food. He can eat, you can drink, and you all can watch the game.
posted by greta simone at 9:50 AM on July 13, 2007

Also scan the listings for all-ages concerts. Any of these at larger venues like the Metro will serve you alcohol after you're carded and wrist-banded.
posted by hydrophonic at 9:53 AM on July 13, 2007

If you're dead set on drinking, it would be much easier to buy some booze and go to a BYOB place for dinner.

Calling him a DD will not work, most places in Wrigleyville, you won't even be able to get in the door without a valid id.

And please, don't get silly drunk and piss on my lawn.
posted by corpse at 9:54 AM on July 13, 2007

Carding at the door seems to be the norm for bars in Chicago, particularly on weekend nights, so you should probably cross any serious bar hopping off of your list of possibilities.

I think the closest thing to a bar that you're going to be able to get into is going to be a brewpub/restaurant, such as Piece, Goose Island and Rock Bottom. Rock Bottom is a mediocre chain and Piece despite its excellent beer & pizza is filled with douchebags and plasma TVs, so my pick would be Goose Island: good beer, mellow pub atmosphere, and three convenient locations, including one near Wrigley.

Following on hydroponic's recommendation for improv, IO (formerly Improv Olympic) is close to Wrigley, and has a bar in the upstairs theatre, so you could probably catch a show and a couple drinks there if you wanted.

Another, pricey option is to go catch 500 Clown Macbeth or 500 Clown Frankenstein upstairs at Steppenwolf. They've got booze there you can drink, and the shows are among the most entertaining things a human being can perceive.
posted by tsmo at 10:35 AM on July 13, 2007

Brew & View at the Vic?
posted by kittydelsol at 10:55 AM on July 13, 2007

Check out some of the ubiquitous Chicago Street Fests. As a resident, I grow weary of them, but I think they can be fun for out of towners.

Here's one, right down the street from Wrigley.
posted by cusack at 11:03 AM on July 13, 2007

The last time I was out drinking with a crowd in Chicago, I noticed that the Club Foot was, shall we say, credulous in regarding those who wished to procure alcohol at their establishment.

No warranty expressed or implied, but it's a pretty dece bar that wasn't carding on a Saturday, though it was filled with asymetrical haircuts and people rocking their hipster flair costumes.
posted by klangklangston at 11:03 AM on July 13, 2007

IME (I live at the edge of Wrigleyville) your under-21 friend will not get into a single bar within stumbling distance of Wrigleyville on Saturday night--especially not if there's a home game. Bars in Wicker Park & Bucktown used to be more lax, but I don't know if that's still true.

I second hydrophonic's suggestion of going to an all-ages show and kittydelsol's suggestion of Brew&View (which is walking distance to Wrigleyfield).
posted by crush-onastick at 11:15 AM on July 13, 2007

Just as an update, we won't necessarily be near Wrigley on Sat night, although we can certainly get there. We will be staying closer to Navy Pier, but I have no problem hopping on public transportation. The game we're going to is on Sunday, where beer + ballpark frank = only way to watch a game. So, we're just looking for a bar on Saturday night.

As for improv, I'll definitely look into that. It wasn't something that we thought about, but could be fun.

Finally, I'm not looking to get wasted, just to have a good time being at a bar for my first time...
posted by TheFuse at 11:32 AM on July 13, 2007

Being near Navy Pier opens you up to Hotel Bars, which will certainly let you all in, but not necessarily serve all of you. The W (both Lakeview and Loop locations) are pretty hopping and the bar at aria usually had a good scene going a few years ago when I worked near there. And, though I'm loathe to say these two phrases in the same sentence, the Hard Rock Hotel at the Carbide & Carbon building was still bringing out the weekend eye candy this past fall.

More downscale, you can go to the beer garden at Navy Pier or in Millennium Park or to the Exchequer in the Loop, where you can all be seated, but not all be served.
posted by crush-onastick at 12:12 PM on July 13, 2007

Seconding Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind... all-ages, great fun, different every time.

I'll be there tonight, actually!
posted by twiggy at 12:37 PM on July 13, 2007

Old Timers is the best dive bar in the loop. It's on Lake, just east of Michigan. If you look like a grizzly old Union dude, I'm sure they'll serve you.
posted by corpse at 1:23 PM on July 13, 2007

billy goat tavern might be ok ... that is, the one on michigan.
posted by lester's sock puppet at 6:58 PM on July 13, 2007