FOUND: An Awesome Rooftop Bar in Edgewater (yes, Edgewater)
Edgewater, a lakefront neighborhood in North Chicago, might have plenty of beaches and the best ethic restaurants and grocery stores in the entire city. When it comes to the bar scene, however, thereʼs not much to choose from. Sure, there are a few dive bars with the usual assortment of bland domestic beer and the occasional sports bar with enough TVs to furnish an entire city block. But if you want something trendy or unique, you have to trek a neighborhood over and hit up Andersonville.
Luckily, this is changing.
Pearlʼs Southern Comfort
As a harbinger of better things to come, Pearlʼs Southern Comfort recently opened its doors to the neighborhood. The site, previously vacant for over ten years, has been transformed into a gorgeous, newly renovated building with a facade of giant glass windows. The downstairs dining room offers delicious Cajun Creole fair that fits right into an area boasting some of the best Ethiopian, Vietnamese, and Indian food in the city.
But itʼs the rooftop bar that makes Pearls a truly unique environment. Perched above the bustle of Broadway Avenue, the rooftop bar is small enough to feel cozy. At most, it seats about forty people. With an open sky, however, the bar somehow manages to feel infinite. The view of the “L” tracks is the only reminder that, no, you are not, in fact, floating in some alternate universe. The wooden floors and bar counter create a feeling of beach town luxury while the blue-haired bartender looks hip enough to be serving cocktails in Wicker Park or Pilsen.
The rooftop bar boasts several handcrafted cocktails. The Barrel Aged Gin Old Fashion gives your usual Old Fashion a make-over. Want something fruity and summery? Try The Raspberry Beret or The Hurricane, a rye-based cocktail featuring citrus, passionfruit, and pomegranate.
The draft beer list is mostly for IPA or Lager drinkers, but on a hot summer day, who really wants a Guinness? Chicagoʼs favorite, Revolution Anti-Hero makes the cut, along with Three Floyds Gumballhead, 21st Amendment Hello or High Watermelon. If, God forbid, these are too fancy and esoteric, you can always sip on a Stella Artois. For the die-hard dive bar beer fanatics, fear not. You can still get your cans of domestic beer.
And the best part? You can drink as much as you like up here in the sky. Plenty of yummy small plates are available to help with the alcohol absorption. The Applewood Smoked Wings and Four Bone Rib Sampler offer a more substantial snack, while the Creole Cornbread and Pimiento Cheese Spread and House Pickles are perfect for more casual snacking.
The rooftop patio at Pearlʼs Southern Comfort might be a novelty for the neighborhood, but itʼs a boon for the city as a whole. While we Chicagoans tend to joke about how we never leave our neighborhood, the nearby “L” line stop makes it a fairly easy bar to get to. While neighborhoods like Logan Square and Wicker Park might house the trendiest bars in the city, Edgewater has just provided some competition to the market. And for the people like me, who usually have to make do with opening my fridge and grabbing a beer from the grocery store, itʼs a downright miracle.
Drink in the sky at:
Pearlʼs Southern Comfort
5352 N Broadway St
Chicago, IL 60640
Edgewater
Pearlʼs Southern Comfort Facebook
A creative nonfiction writer who occasionally needs a beer.
THANKS FOR READING :)
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