Cal's 400 Liquors

Stopped in on a Wednesday at around 5:45pm with a pal before a show at the Chicago Theater.

This was exactly what I was looking for on this evening. A shoddy atmosphere where two guys could sit down and casually pound as many PBR's ($2 bottles) and shots of Jim Beam ($3 shots in large shot glasses) as possible in 1 hour and 15 minutes.

Bartender who was there to give you drinks and not give a F if you are there or not. Same goes for the crowd. There is sh!t on the walls that looks like a 5th grader decorated it and it works. Tables from the 70's. Floor that probably hasnt seen a hot mop in 15 years.

Also, there is a liquor store in a co-joining room which works if youre looking to crotch a bottle of whiskey into a concert.

When a relationship begins with the exchange, "Chimay?" "Chimay!" you know you have yourselves more than a one off... then consider that Chimay is in Cal's 400. Yeah, sure, my order was driven out of ordering the opposite of what'd you expect (PBR and a shot of Jameson). But really... it was inspired by the same anachronistic take that Cal has inside The Loop. Surrounded by all things that aren't Cal, Cal has cut out a niche that I love: a bar in a liquor store. A well-established bar in the back of a liquor store that has a stack of CDs, a CD player, a tubed tv with jeopardy on, a smattering of posters like, "What Would Neil Young Do?" and ramshackled seats and curiously they figure out a way to hold live concerts in the space.

A haven for bike messengers is a haven for me -- a kid raised on the admiration of the Jif-swabbing Puck -- which I'm not ashamed of at all, especially when you consider I've never been a bike messenger.

They serve cheeseburgers & double cheeseburgers & fries from the place next door 'til 3pm (or whenever that place closes).

Completely laid back, completely perfect and it's completely mind boggling that there are only 50 some odd reviews here. Chicagoans! Penetrate the bubble that is The Loop. Out of towners! Take a layover from Union Station. "Okay?" "Okay!"

Anyplace that uses poster board and a magic marker to write up the beer list is someplace that I'm going to love. I'm a big fan of dive bars, and Cal's is at the top of the list.

I was thinking about how I was going to write this review last night went I went to Cal's to see my friend's band play. The didn't go on until well after midnight, but I arrived right around 11:30pm and the place was pretty crowded. Which, honestly, wouldn't be that hard to do considering it's a munchkin of a room to begin with.

Yet, I fell instantly in love with the filthy and crowded atmosphere. And I hadn't even ordered a drink yet. When I made my way to the bar I ordered a High Life; $2.50 and my standby beer of choice. Imagine my surprise when I was told they were out of it. How does a dive bar run out of the champagne of beers? That in and of itself was enough to want me giving the place 4 stars.

So, I ordered my standby cocktail of choice, a Cuervo and Redbull. In any other neighbood this cocktail would have run me a good $8, $10, or possibly $12. Not a Cal's. $4.00 for a Cuervo and Redbull that was poured like a double by the heavyhanded bartender. It wasn't an accident. They poured them all like that...all night long.

Back to the 5 star rating!

As for the live music side of this joint. Don't get your hopes up. It's tiny. Super tiny. I like that kind of thing though...so close you can touch-the-dummer-kind of close. The sound quality is all dependent on the kind of band playing, the volume of their music, and of course - whether or not the band actually sucks.

The only downside? How far it is from where I live! The trek from Andersonville to 400 S. Wells is a long one, but easily managed via LSD. I'm sure the train is a viable option; but I don't do public transportation unless absolutely nessesary.

I'll go back though...probably this weekend.

It took my friends' show to get me in here - before that I had never even heard of it.

I like the...
1) divey-ness
2) gritty crowd
3) off-the-beaten-path-ness and
4) strong drinks.

If I was ever actually down in this neck of the woods I think I would find myself here more often than not.

Tried to call - no answer, no message. Went there on a Saturday night - closed, no sign in the door, desolate.
I had heard good things about this bar and have been told good Detroit bands play here and that it is similar to popular Detroit dive bars. I'm from Detroit - the popular dives here are open during their posted hours or they have an answering machine with a message explaining why they are closed (sometimes a human even answers!). I would have been happy just getting a beer... Very disappointed! Have they shut their doors for good?

You can almost feel your probability of being mugged increase as you walk up to Cals, but don't judge this book by its cover. Cal's is run by two of the most down-to-earth and congenial proprietors ever, and the know their spirits.

I went all over town looking for Iron Horse's Red. I was told over and over that it was impossible to get, nobody carried it, and best of luck. Nobody except Cal's that is... who sold me two bottles.

My first memory of Cal's was playing there many, many years ago in a galaxy far, far away. ] I think Mike was just getting started making this a regular music venue and no one (us or him) promoted the event so we ended up just jamming most of the night (Mike included). We actually invited people who did come (walk-ins off the street) to sing or play. I also think we made about $100 passing the hat. I count it as one of my favorite nights of playing music.

Since then, it has become one of my favorite bars in Chicago and I'm sorry I didn't go more often when I was there and am sorry that it is now 1,000 miles away. You never know you are going to miss a really good dive bar until it's not close to you anymore.

A treasure. And Mike books some kick-ass shows.

I generally hate drinking downtown, but Cal's is one place I don't mind having a few pops.

Most Loop bars live for happy hour, and they mostly live for the two hours of solid business they can expect at that time. This usually results in a massive consumer shakedown. A $10 watery margarita here, a poorly poured $7 Guinness there. You will not find that at Cal's.

Drinking with the locals is the best way to get to know a city, and Cal's may be the best place to do so in the Loop. Saddle up to the bar alongside bike messengers, traders, and average working stiffs, and you'll get a better feel for Chicago than you could ever hope to find at the chains and hotel bars that abound in the Loop.

You know, at first I was a bit hesitant because I thought Cal's was going to close at 8p and we had gotten there at 7p and that is not efficient time to get as drunk as I had planned... But my friend and I decided to take a seat at the bar to strategize where we would go next.

Ordered two shots, two PBRs all for $13! DEAL!! For downtown that is a steal.

For awhile it was just us and the bartender. He was polite and even talked to us about music and movies (although he didn't seem to be down with Transformers... neither were we so it worked out) he also let us choose the music which I really liked.

Around the end of our second beer the bartender asked if we would like another round- we asked in a frenzy "WhhhhAT?! Aren't you closing at 8?" We pondered. "No," he jested, "I close whenever I want! I'm the owner!" The three of us laughed, but we went on our merry way because I was a tad hungry.

All and all, I loved Cal's. I will be back. I want to check it out on a Friday or Saturday to see the music.

Cal's is currently my favorite bar in the loop! I spend basically all my time around this general area, and after trying half a dozen other loop bars, Cal's takes the cake. It's CHEAP, which as an underemployed minimum wager earner, means a lot to me.
But it's also chill and unpretentious. Cal's is a place to go to hang out and drink. It feels more genuine than any bar in the loop that I've been to.
Did I mention that it's cheap? I was charged less for a PBR & whiskey shot as I was for just the whiskey at Exchequer (which for the record, I also like).
To sum it up, Cal's is the only bar in the loop I've been to where I've left excited to go back.