Fodor's Expert Review The California Clipper Lounge
Lincoln Park and Wicker Park, with Bucktown and Logan Square
After being spruced up by Brendan Sodikoff, one of Chicago's best-known restaurateurs, this 1930s lounge is better than ever. A curving 60-foot-long Brunswick bar still dominates the interior, and tiny booths still line the long room back-to-back like seats on a train. But the look is now cleaner, and the cocktail list is longer (most cost $11 or less, so prices are refreshingly old-school). A tobacco shop has been added in the back room, too. Beloved by hipsters who've begun gentrifying the surrounding neighborhood, the lounge is located in Humboldt Park, just west of Wicker Park.