My friends Will, Adam, and I went out to a few bars to play pool and have a good time last night. Adam and I are white. Will is black. This quickly became a problem.  The second bar we tried to walk into last night was Swig on Milwaukee Ave. but they wouldn't let us in. Why? Because Will was "wearing a white t-shit, and we don't allow people in wearing just a white t-shirt," according to the bouncer at the door. Adam immediately pointed out all the white men directly behind this bouncer who were wearing white t-shirts. We asked what was different about Will's white t-shirt. We asked why those guys weren't denied entry. The bouncer said, "They got here before I started." But they are white, and Will is black. The bouncer didn't say that; he didn't have to. This is just one way a bar like Swig keeps black men out of bars all over Chicago. They create or enforce arbitrary dress codes that are designed to discriminate against black men without saying a thing about skin color. They don't have to. read more

Came to this place around 12 last night. The bouncer said it was a private event and didn't me and my friend who is black in. 10 min later the rest of our party was able to get in no problem. There was no private party, my friend got profiled and denied entry because of the color of his skin read more

Sometimes, you just need a reliably regular bar. No weird kitschy theme, no unnecessarily hard to pronounce drink names, no ugly souvenir cups, no line out the door.... etc. Swig is just a bar, but in a good way. It's decorated just enough with some red mood lighting. On cold days, there's a fireplace going. The bartenders are friendly without interrupting your conversations too often. There's plenty of stools at the bar, and a variety of other seating. The drink selection is strong, and so are the actual drinks. (I'm a fan of their Moscow mules.) The prices are reasonable, and there might even be a pool table in the back. If you're hopping around Wicker, this place is worth a stop! read more

Unlike most other bars in Wicker Park that try to gouge your billfold, Swig totally goes against the grain, giving you more bang for your buck. With a really solid drink menu, a simple food menu with some great eats in surprisingly generous portions, and a staff that makes you feel right at home (at least on the day that I went), this place will likely become your new favourite watering hole. Swig definitely has a dive bar vibe, but doesn't seem like it at first glance -- until you go to the lav. You'll definitely notice it there. If there was such an award as "Greatest Upscale Dive Bar Ever," this place would win. read more

One pool table, tons of liquor and beer. Which is EXACTLY how I like my bars to be. I'm a fan of Swig because the drink options are great and it's a SUPER chill environment. They usually have decently cheap PBR (yum) and Malort and Fireball (if you're into that) specials on a daily basis. Every time I've gone, it's cheap and you get a nice chill spot to have a conversation. read more

Good place. Like the atmosphere and drinks. Bartender is usually nice. They have good appetizers as well

If you do not care for early 90's hip hop music, you might hate this place. But I came here on a Saturday night with a some like minded Bell Biv Devoe-tees (See what I did there?), and we loved the music. We had the back part of the bar sectioned off for us for a surprise birthday party and our waitress was super attentive. A+ for her, even when we were just ordering waters. We also had some food which was pretty good. I can't vouch for the tater tots, but the veggie and hummus tray was the bomb. Some of the most thick and crispy carrots I have ever tasted in a bar. And the hummus was quite possibly homemade. But that is besides the point... I only had to wait to use the bathroom once during the entire evening!! And I heard Groove is in the Heart for the first time in about 10 years. Ya dig? It wasn't until I went outside for some fresh air did I realize how packed the rest of the place was. A++ for crowd control, Swig. I don't know if I'd come back here on my own accord, because I am more of a wine bar kind of gal, but the service and the way our party was handled could not have gotten much better. read more

After a visit to the mediocre Italian joint next door, we hoped to find an awesome bar. But Swig just did not deliver. The fireplace in the back was nice. And the bathroom was clean. But the nice things ended there. The crowd here sucked. It was a total sausage fest, with half being pretentious hipsters and half being chads. And the music - I have no idea what the hell they were thinking when they put their playlist together. The bartenders were aloof and the drinks were pricey. With so many awesome bars in Chicago, I can't say that I'll be back here. read more

Since leaving Chicago several months ago to relocate on the west coast, there are many things that I've fondly missed about the Windy City. Many, many things. However, crowded fratty sports bars that Chicago has such a multitude of, would fall on the list of items I can happily live without. So during my visit home, a large group of us walked in here Friday night post dinner party, and I was bracing myself for the worst given the neighborhood and outside appearance. But I was incredibly happy to find that it's really not that kind of bar. It wasn't crowded at all... I mean, it wasn't empty but we had our choice of tables. And the crowd seemed pretty cool too, not too chad-ish. The bartenders were quick and attentive and they didn't mind at all when we became visibly inebriated and engaged in all sorts of debauchery (what? it was a reunion!). The decor was consistent with that of a typical sports bar, and the prices were on the cheaper end of average. PBRs were $3 (what? I was visiting CHICAGO!) So in conclusion, I would definitely return to Swig when in need of a casual watering hole with room to move around in. read more

Total time spent less than 1 hour. It's a small yet strangely cozy bar. Ordered a PBR with a buddy and a basket of tator tots. I pretty much drench the side cheese with cholula hot sauce for dipping. Based on my passenger 57 minutes spent here it served the purpose and no compliants. Friendly staff too! read more

Second time at Swig the other day, but never wrote a review before. Great spot to sit outside and enjoy watching the traffic drive/walk by. Thursday specials are the tacos and Stella's. Can't beat that! The black bean tacos were seriously delish! Its nice to have a veggie option besides fries and onions rings at a bar. read more

This place had my date and I a little confused. Yes, it's a bar. Yes, it has the standard selection and ambiance of bar in this area. But what is up with the tables? Seriously. Throughout the bar there are three "special" tables scattered among the normal, wooden ones. These tables have black, sparkly tops... and they have this odd vacuum-suck effect on all glasses placed on their surface. You take a sip of your beverage, set it back down, ... and then have to use both hands in an effort to pry it back off the table without spilling it all over yourself in the process. The tables didn't feel sticky to the touch, they seemed to only have this super-glue-like grip on glassware. An engineering marvel. It's like NASA invented these tables. read more

Enjoyed a nice Saturday brunch here with the pug and boyfriend. Interesting menu and I love a dog friendly patio. I enjoyed the BLT with pig bacon and it was quite enjoyable. We shared a side of "steak fries" which are actually potato wedges - even better! They have infused vodka for your Bloody Mary - cucumber was super refreshing but the jalapeño was lacking the heat. Overall, a delicious meal! read more

Swig - Pug friendly. Pug approved. - Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

The first review I wrote for Swig was based on my view of the owner, as gleaned from watching Rock of Love on VH1. The short version of the story is that one of the constestents for Bret Michaels's love dated the owner of this bar - and he came on the show and basically embarrassed the crap out of her and flat out said, "I'm only here to promote my bar." This, understandably, pissed me off. And then my friend wanted to meet there for a drink, and I figured I may as well visit the actual bar so I could make a sound judgment on it. My friend and I sat on the patio and drank Hacker-Pshorr and our tremendously sweet waitress kept an eye on the level of our beers, but stayed out of our way. The bar itself is small and dark, and around 10:40, it belched out about 10 man-boys (30-somethings in button-downs who are mentally still in college) who were wasted beyond belief, and threw themselves into the street to try and catch a few cabs. It was special, to say the least. I did not have a bad time, and my drinks were reasonably priced, and they get points for having nice staff and good beer on tap, but the image of the owner puts a bad taste in my mouth. read more

I have been to Swig a bunch of times just because it's there, never too crowded, and right by my apartment. I have some wonderful memories of Swig. They used to have some pretty legit fish tacos. They had a really fun new years party that I sort of crashed. Their bartenders love sports and if you are the only people in the bar on a week night when their team wins, they will gladly and drunkenly shower you with free celebration shots. Also, they aren't too conscientious about carding, and if you accidentally pay with a serbian dollar and a check from your grandma that you mistook for single dollar bills, they will come find you and be super nice about it since it's probably their fault you're so drunk anyway. I really thought Swig had the potential to be my go-to place. And, yes, I certainly go to it. But, the once tasty fish tacos became pretty crappy somehow between winter and spring. The music is sometimes iffy. The crowd is sometimes awkward. The red lighting is very red. On any given saturday it could be jam-packed or totally dead. The service is adequate. Drinks and specials are uninspired. Perhaps my expectations were too high, but overall this place is good, not great. And, I don't want to beat a dead fish taco, but if they started off serving quality fish tacos that people really liked, and then suddenly switch to crappy cafeteria style fish tacos with horrendously generic, soggy side veggies then maybe Swig isn't holding itself to a very high standard anyway. read more

Where are all the people ... it's a Saturday night a little after 1AM and this place is dead. Is it because they have Anime on all of the televisions? Maybe it's because the bartenders aren't the friendliest. Could it be due to the fact that they are totally out of Grey Goose? Whatever the reason may be the place was empty. It seems like it could be a cool spot, but a guess it's hard to compete when there's a street lined with bars. Something has to grab you, make you want to stay and enjoy the atmosphere or at least your drink! Unfortunately, Swig just didn't do it for me. read more

Downhill!!!!! Went back here with some friends and was geeked to show them this cool, chill lounge. However, upon arriving we were instantly greeted by a 'door guy' that had a piss-poor attitude. Let me not beat around the bush, he was a jerk!!!! This should have been our first clue to turn around and go somewhere else but the bar was packed and the music wasn't bad so we entered. We went in, went to the bar, and waited and waited and waited. Service was beyond slow. After finally receiving drinks, we all noticed how watered down they were; very disappointing. The crowd this time around was mixed. Most of which were not friendly and seemed a bit stuck up. Yes, I am generalizing here but I am simply stating my experience. The crowd fared better than the staff though; that's for sure. The music was energetic but the dance floor was clear. I started dancing and my gal pal followed. We were having a fun time regardless of the staff. About 10 minutes of dancing and we were bombarded by 10 people that clearly wanted us off the dance floor. Aggressive behavior even. Yikes! So, we went outside to smoke. Ugh! Here comes the 'door guy' again. Still a prick! We sat in chairs but they were stacked. We unstacked 2 of them. He did not tell us that they were stacked for the evening. He just came over and grabbed the chairs right from underneath us and starting stacking them again. I thought he was kidding at first. Nope! He was serious and seriously over the top with his authoritative position. Lol.....you're a 'door guy' dude. Calm down. So yeah, after having the deal with 'The Rock' lookalike a second time, we decided to bounce. Screw this place. Not cool, sirs. Not cool. read more

I imagine a busy Saturday night here would involve yelling over crowd noise to try and have a conversation, and elbowing one's way through throngs of people to wait in line for a drink at the bar. Fortunately, I was here on an empty Wednesday night, when the service was fantastic and the pool table was ours to dominate for a couple hours without any competition around. Reasonable beverage prices, solid appetizers, and I really dig the mid-wall fireplace on a chilly winter night. Everything has its time and place. read more

Pro: The bartender served my friend and I a beer at 1:59 AM on a 2:00 AM curfew night. That gets them a permanent extra star. Con: I want to be more mature than just to say that the crowd sucks, but it's in this weird kind of in-between space between frat and hipster. That's either going to make for some interesting people-watching or just fall kind of flat. The couple of times that I've been here, it has been the later. read more

Come here. Swig. Forget you were here. That's about it. Pretty average bar though I think they have a drink deal where for $25 you can get a wristband for all domestic beers and well drinks, which seems pretty prime if you want to get obliterated. Oh and the bartenders are nice too. read more

This place was cool enough on a Monday to grab a quick beer & a burger with a fellow Maggie. My tab was only $9.36. Plus $2.00 for a tip. Not too shabby people. Not too shabby. Plus--we were the only people in the bar. Yes. The only ones. Where was everyone at? Watching the crappy Sox's game...most likely. read more

This place ain't like Swig in Milwaukee, that's for sure. And not in a good way. (I like the Milwaukee Swig better, and there is no relation) Nice sidewalk seating somewhat away from North Ave. Didn't like the lady who parked right near our table and left her 3 dogs in the car to bark at us while we ate. Had a bloody mary while eating, $5 special, although it was nothing special. One gripe was I had to fish my olives out with my fork. Boo on that. Started off with the chips and salsa, and while I do appreciate freshly made tortilla chips, I don't appreciate greasy chips, well, unless they're from El Asadero, because their salsa verde sticks to the chips, grease be damned. The salsa at Swig fell right off the slippery chips so instead of dipping, I was scooping. Had a Cobb Salad which had a lot of water in the bottom of it. Noone likes watery hard boiled egg yolks. Or maybe someone does. I am not that guy. Otherwise, it was okay, the bacon was crispy. My wife had the Taco Salad, which had barely any lettuce in it. $40 after tax and tip, I was slightly saddened by the empty feeling of throwing my skrilla away on a meal that I wasn't exactly thrilled with. Womp womp. read more

I have a hard time finding anything good to say about this place. Terrible service. Overpriced food. Dirty Bathrooms. We wandered into this place on a Saturday afternoon seeking quick and easy bar food. Despite the lack of patrons, it was not quick. Our waitress was unfriendly and seemed more interested in chatting with friends at the bar. It took ages just to get our order in. Once we got our food, we were once again disappointed. A portobello melt came with NO cheese and an $8 taco salad the size of my hand. One watery coke later, I headed to the restroom only to be met with what I'd expect from a packed bar bathroom at 11pm. Except, it was only 3 in the afternoon and the bar was far from busy. Needless to say, I won't be returning. read more

Have a blast here everytime we're in the area! The staff is always the most welcoming on the block! Seems like this bar has stood the test of time for this reason! read more

Good vibes. Good people. Good place. Check it out if you're in the area you won't be disappointed... and most definitely order the Buffalo wrap! read more

A couple of weekends ago, after leaving the overly packed and loud environs of the Emporium arcade bar down the street (they were having a rap show that night), I liked the relaxed vibe when my friends and I walked in. It turned out to be a so-so kind of place with interesting drink selections but crappy service. I imagine if you went early in the night it would be fine, but I really take issue with how aggressively they were kicking us out well in advance of 2am on a Friday night. At like 1:30 they announced last call, which is annoying, but I could deal with that since admittedly the number of customers was dwindling. A few minutes later the music turns off and the other group of people there left. A few minutes after that lights are on and they're shooting daggers at us with their eyes, not-so-secretly hoping we will leave. It is true that we were the last three people in the bar, but can't they at least wait until it hits 2 am, the actual closing time, to kick us out, or maybe 1:55? My friends still had half-full drinks when it hit 1:45 and they forced us to leave and locked the doors behind us. Not such a relaxed place after all. I haven't been hustled like that at a bar around closing time since I was a college kid frequenting the crappy campus dives at U of I. read more

I really like this bar. It's far enough removed from Six Corners that you won't have a problem finding parking, they have a decent selection of craft and seasonal beer, and on the two occasions I've been there, they had great djs who didn't play top 40 or Hip Hop! Pool table in the back is cool, not many places in the area have one. read more

Yes people, I have entered Swig's doors. Am I proud of it? Heck no! The food is not so good and the drinks are expensive! The only good thing this bar has going for it is the friendly staff, nothing more. read more

"Special"- would not be the word to describe this place, but that doesnt make it bad, as there are so, so many places that are not "special". I dont mind this one as much as others, its not as annoying as a lot of bars tend to be, and they have a pretty good thrusday drink special (vodka lemonades for $3.00) The food looked alright, the crowd kept to themselves and the waiter was pretty on top of it. Yes- i'm giving this place a break. read more

Best bar in Wicker. Great food, GREAT FOOD! Awesome music and DJ's. Friendly staff. Fast service. They have an outdoor patio for summertime watching, and great specials. If you want to have a good time anytime of the week, hit this place up! read more

I just bought a couple of beers with a friend, so I can't say that I've had their food to rate them. Watch out for your credit card; I think I'm a good tipper, but upon reviewing my bank statement, they charged me two $2 more. I'm not sure this is a mistake (I'm also a pretty neat writer), but on top of a tip, someone's trying to make fast cash. While I know it's just $2, I'm not going to make a fuss over it and demand my money back. I just won't be coming back. read more

Girl-crushworthy artsy/ nerdy waitress. *sigh* Dishes hovering under 10$! "Blister in the Sun" and other songs from my teens blasting on high! This place looked pack, but when I asked the waitress if all the tables were full, she happily consolidated the diners there to make space for us! Even more reason to crush on her. The food was tasty, nothing out-of-this world but good food and GREAT price. While I might be a tad biased (remember? crushworthy?), service was very attentive and friendly. read more

Oberon on draft makes Mama a happy girl any day. The end. read more

Great local bar and grill with awesome food and drinks. Bartender, wait-staff and owner Josh Brown are very personable and accomodating to me and my friends. Weekend night life has great house music for the younger hip crowd. Id definitely would refer this establishment to tourist and locals alike! read more

Solid place for a cocktail! It looks pretty divey but the atmosphere inside is nice and the Aperol Spritz and Moscow Mule we ordered were very well made. They also have large windows which make it feel like you are sitting outside when opened. Definitely recommend this place as one to hang out with friends and grab a few drinks! read more

Love this place. It's the one place left in wicker park that isn't a shit-show most nights. The food here is awesome as well. Whoever they've got in the kitchen is killing it. They're willing to go off menu to fit with your dietary needs. They just refelted the pool table, and it's really nice. I'm not sure what all of the "racist door guy" talk is, though. My girlfriend is a POC and so are many of our friends that we come in with. We've never had a single issue, and no off-color comments were made. It's always been a safe space, with many different kinds of people. If you need an escape from the hell-hole that Wicker has become, come to Swig. You won't be harassed for your race or gender here, contrary to what some publication (a Trump supporting one at that. Do your research kids) may say. read more

There were seven of us this past Saturday evening. We had reservations...and I would make sure you have reservations...the place was hopping! We had Mallory as our server and she was fantastic! She made great reservations and we all tasted a little bit of everything. The Black Bean appetizer was awesome! Also, the tomato basil soup was a meal unto itself. Some of the table had the Salmon Tower and another patron stopped over from her table to ask us how it was because her table was thinking about ordering. The clientele in the place was friendly and everyone was having a great time. Definitely give it a try if you are spending time down in the Third Ward. Their brunch menu and drinks looks amazing and we will try that next time. Mallory Rocks! read more

A small dive bar I went to because I was meeting up with my friend on her birthday. Not really a place I would seek out on my own. The bar is small and kind of lame. The music selection is not very good and they play some really old songs. The drinks here are really weak and not priced accordingly. The special on Saturday was $3 Soco lime shots... however, they were almost all lime and no Soco.. it was hard to stomach. The bartenders were really slow and did not make very good drinks. I also got kissed by a random sleazy looking guy. Not really a place I intend to return to. But, maybe I went on an off night and should give it another chance? read more

Swig is a decent bar. Can't say it's outstanding, but isn't necessary horrible. The food wasn't the best, but it's a bar so my expectations weren't very high. It's a chill and low key which is nice. A good place to meet up with friends and visit. Would definitely go back. read more

If this bar is a hipster bar, then I don't get why people have a problem with hipsters. They have a great menu, lots of different beers, knowledgeable and polite staff, a fire place and a pool table. What else do you want? Somewhere to hang your scarf? Take it down to Flat Iron. I play pool here often now, and this is one of my favorite bars in the area. Relaxed spot, and I love the $5 burger and tots, paired with a $5 Bell's oberon out the tap, makes for a good place to chase away the Monday blues. Arrogantly I would assume that if I owned a bar, this is the kind of place it would be. read more