Ed and Jean's

 

0

26

Sam J.

Evanston, IL

This bar feels like home.  Granted, it's probably not for everyone.  

Most people would probably be quick to call this a dive bar, but I beg to differ.  Ed & Jean's falls into a rare subcategory of the dive bar genre.  It doesn't have the dirty wet floors, cheap draft beer, and perfectly grimy decor.  Instead it has carpet, no drafts or even a soda gun, and really intricate decor.  It looks more like your grandma tried to open a bar.  And it's perfect.  

Free pool.  $1 shots.  $2 cans.  Very fair bartenders.  Count me in.

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3

14

Justin C.

Chicago, IL

stopped by on my bday with a group of people and experienced the following:

intoxicated crazy man in stained wifebeater greeting us from behind the bar yelling GET A DRINK OR GET OUT!

nice little old lady named Jean watching us with a crooked wig/grin

old man in coke bottle glasses asking us to please move while he drunkenly pretended to vacuum the place with a mahogany over sized dinosaur of a hoover circa 1945.

kitchiest puppy dog eye art

filth

boxes everywhere with that "im trapped in a trailer park living room/basement" feel

wow, simply too good to be true.

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1

10

k B.

IL

Five stars is not irony, it's not "yeah, this place is so kitchy, all right!" -- It's just fair.

Now, no one is going to dispute that the place looks like a shit-hole (or maybe just your pack rat of a great aunt's tchochkie-laden basement) and per square foot it probably has more health code violations than a Victorian-era meat packing plant. Still, five stars because while it doesn't have everything, it has enough of what I want (coke, whiskey, rum, beer for the friends), it's low-priced, the service alternates abusive and adoring, but I always have a good time going there. And Miller, their dog, is pretty cool, too (though I'm convinced some patrons must wipe their hands on his back after eating peanuts).

It closes whenever Ed or Jean feels like packing up for the night, so if the crowd is thin, they might just turn the sign over after you leave: don't count on it always being open until the latest posted time. There isn't food here, and Ed prefers cans of Coke for a mixed drink over new-fangled contraptions like a soda gun. He might mix your drink by swilling his finger in it, or his dinner spoon, or a Slim Jim from the box in the corner, but it'll be mixed, it'll be a stiff pour, and it will cost you less than a cheap beer at most places. I also suspect some of the prices might be pretty liberal (example: two rum and Cokes and a beer cost a total of $9, even Stevens all three ways...I myself have never purchased a drink for $3.33-repeating).

Come here when you grow weary of the slick excess of trendy bars. Or if you just want to endeavor alcohol poisoning in an anonymous setting.

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2

144

Andrew P.

Chicago, IL

What a shithole. I have a high tolerance for dive bars, but they have to have a few things:

1) interesting regulars
2) a modicum of cleanliness
3) some kind of atmosphere
4) crotchety, yet kind, middle aged bartender/maid

This place has none of these. I killed like two bugs on the bar, it feels like you are drinking in the backroom at a supermarket (fun if you a ganking beer at 18; not when you are finally legal), the bartender was surly and suspicious, and everyone there was just silently watching the 6 o'clock news. If you want a good dive bar 'round here, try "The Web" or "The Corner" (a.k.a Rich's First One of the Day)

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Elite '08

56

192

Ingrid G.

Chicago, IL

Ed and Jeans.

Bartender--remember Deliverance? I'm serious.

Nice chill atmosphere if you get there before 11, otherwise it will be crowded.

Expect the unexpected.

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Elite '08

33

149

Gina S.

Chicago, IL

Jean is a very sweet, very old lady that has been in this neighborhood since before it was a neighborhood. Her establishment is a 'shot and beer' kinda place, just ask her. In fact, Jean has a lot of stories to tell about herself, her family, and her neighbor. If you ever wondered what Bucktown and Wicker Park were like before you dared to enter it, Jean's the person to ask.

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10

27

Andy M.

Denver, CO

My girl and I went in on a Tuesday. Jean was watching Law & Order with the volume jacked to 89. The "hat lady" was there with a coon skin hat that would've made Davy Crockett take a puke in his boots. The top of the back bar has an awning with a knitted three dimensional village scene on it. Various dull yellow- tar stained knick knacks are hammered into the walls. The can of Comet in the bathroom is so old that it is starting to eat itself from the inside out. There is an open bag of dog food in one corner of the room  and a refrigerator flush against the East wall with a hand written "Private" sign taped to it. A black curtain separates the bar from the rest of the house. I wouldn't call it a dive bar; it's more like a dive living room. Overall, it's pretty damn lovely.

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17

63

Liz H.

Chicago, IL

Ed and Jean's is the dive bar of all dive bars!  Sitting right on the North side of Armitage, just west of Daman, you have to be looking for it to notice it. The night I went, Jean had just gone to bed.  Jean is the 85 year-old owner who still tends the bar!  You can't beat the drink prices, we got a round (2 well drinks and 2 beers) for under $13.00, but don't expect a huge selection.  Also, don't expect a huge crowd, most likely you will person in the place.  

If you are a dive bar lover you must check out Ed and Jean's.

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