Gingerman Tavern Dive Bar

WRIGLEYVILLE, CHICAGO –

Founded specifically for Wrigleyville heretics who don’t care a lick about the Cubs – or at least don’t care about rowdy sports bars – Gingerman Tavern attracts everyone from hardcore bikers to skinny-jeaned rockers who couldn’t tell a Hail Mary from a Bloody one.

A true dive, the space features a dusty décor of old photographs, paintings, and an assortment of scuffed wooden furniture where regulars kick back for some low-key conversation.

The more energetic hipster crowd tends to stop at the bar to grab one of the hundred beers offered before heading to the larger back room, where two pool tables, a pinball machine, and Ms. Pacman provide entertainment.

Weeknights see a laid-back bunch of theater fanatics and improv actors huddled around child-size tables sharing take-out pizza and a few PBRs, while gruff older regulars nurse their pints and stare at the TV.

Although a tattooed contingent of indie kids and punk music lovers stop in before or after concerts at next door Metro, the bar tends to stay relatively calm even when crowded (at least compared to its Cubs-crazed neighbors further south on Clark).

The epitome of easygoing, Gingerman Tavern is a real haven for the anti-sports league looking to escape the wild Wrigleyville bar scene.