PitchFork Food & Saloon

Avondale / Irving Park, Chicago –

Whiskey and ribs is the name of the game at PitchFork Food & Saloon, which has nothing to do with the famous music festival but a lot to do with down-home grub and grog.

The venue is certainly more polished than the average road house – two cavernous rooms with lots of hardwood and exposed brick – but daily specials make it an urban oasis for cowpokes and Irving Park yuppies alike in the market for everything from domestic buckets to a stiff belt of mash.

Although there are a few ranch touches like fake steer heads and wagon wheel chandeliers, the rarely overcrowded space looks and feels like a typical neighborhood joint, with lots of high-top tables and flat-screens tuned to sports.

The typical crowd is more likely to don Cubs caps than cowboy hats, as collegial groups gather for the popular trivia nights and bag toss tournaments out on the patio. But that doesn’t mean they aren’t down for a bit of country, as is evident on Thursdays when DJs spin nothing but twang.

Patrons not into ribs will find plenty of other choices on the small but hearty menu, including mac & cheese, burgers, and chicken, while those who don’t dance a jig when presented with over a hundred whiskeys can opt instead for fruity cocktails like strawberry margaritas and the signature Pitchfork Punch.

Although this busy stretch of Irving Park is more concrete than countryside, PitchFork Food & Saloon helps patrons feel like they’ve just dropped in from the open prairie.