The Dive Bar Tourist loves a good, old-fashioned bar that doesn’t pretend to be something it’s not. In our opinion, there is nothing better than a dive bar that owns it. Give us good drinks, fair prices, and great people, and we’ll go home happy.
Open before work!
That’s why we love Rossi’s Liquors near North Side in Chicago, Illinois.
Rossi’s is almost literally a hole in the wall. It’s a liquor store and bottle shop in the front, and a party (a.k.a. dive bar!) in the back. This joint is cash only, so make sure you hit the ATM before you come through the door. We promise it will be well worth this minor inconvenience.
Listen to music on the juke box—that’s right, a juke box—and sing along to some popular songs with the locals. We’ve all been in dive bars that feel “clique-y”, where newcomers are given the side eye and made to feel out of place. Don’t worry about that here! Everyone’s welcome.
Don’t believe us? Rossi’s is well-known in the pub crawl circuit because they love new faces! Just not too many. Seating is limited to around thirty people.
Are you hoping to find out more about Rossi’s on the internet? Too bad! Word on the street is, even the current owner isn’t entirely sure of the bar’s history. While they have a Facebook page, the website link provided will take you to a page with a picture of an emu and information you can only understand if you’re able to read Japanese.
If anything, we feel that this only adds to the mystique.
Cash Only!
If you want to know everything Rossi’s has to offer, you’ll just have to trust all the fabulous reviews readily available in every corner of the internet. Including thiscorner.
Rossi’s is everything that’s great about a good dive. They aren’t out to impress, and they aren’t trying to make a mint off of unsuspecting tourists. Your drinking buddies for the evening won’t be pretentious suits (thought there may be a few unpretentious suits); they’ll be regular people. Maybe you’ll get sucked into a bachelor party or a celebration of life!
You know it’s a good place when, even in death, people want to hang out there.
Does this mean you’re settling for watered-down drinks and poor service in this dive? Not a chance! Rossi’s selection of craft beers will surprise you, and the bartenders will treat you like family. Sound cliché? One happy patron said he compares the joint to Cheers. A good bar can’t hope for much more than that.
Be sure to include a trip to Rossi’s Liquors the next time you’rein Chicago. It might not look like much on the outside, but on the inside it’s one of the special, beating hearts that reminds you exactly what makes the city of Chicago so special—its people.
Rossi’s Liquors
Location: Chicago, Illinois
Be sure to try: wide selection of bottled craft beers
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