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Tripoli Tap
Rating Details »
Neighborhoods: Lincoln Park, DePaul
1147 W Armitage Ave
(between Clifton Ave & Racine Ave)
Chicago, IL 60614
(773) 477-4400
1147 W Armitage Ave
(between Clifton Ave & Racine Ave)
Chicago, IL 60614
(773) 477-4400
- Nearest Transit:
-
Armitage (Purple Express, Brown)
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Price Range:
-
$
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Music:
- Juke Box
- Best Nights:
- Fri, Sat, Sun
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Smoking:
- Outdoor Area/ Patio Only
- Coat Check:
- No
18 reviews for Tripoli Tap
This bar is WICKED AWESOME. Who would have thought there would be a bit of Beantown in Chitown?? I just wish I had found this bar sooner!
I went to Tripoli Tap to watch the Celtics crush the Bulls playoffs dreams this weekend (sorry Chicago, I really do love you, EXCEPT when the Sox, Pats, or Celts are involved). The bar is small but has a great outdoor patio with TVs so you can watch the game no matter where you are. There's lots of Red Sox memorabilia on the walls and signs from Boston making you feel right at home. AND, they played the Dirty Water song after the game! I'll definitely be back to watch more games.
And even if you're not a Boston fan, its a charming bar in a great area of Lincoln Park that's worth checking out.
AWFULLLLL experience!!!! First of the all, we got there around 7-8 pm, so the bar wasn't crowded. I was the only person up at the bar trying to get a drink, and this bartender lady was totally ignoring me, talking to one of her friends at the other end. Then a guy comes up and she immediately notices him and gets him the drink. We make eye contact as she turns around to give him his drink and i asked her for a beer. SHE WALKED AWAY! I was like "excuse me? why did you ignore me?" She heard me and she came back and apologized (rudely), she was having a bad day.
So I go back outside to the beer garden with my friends (it was in the summer), and we're having a good time... all the sudden the table across from us is full of girls and they all stand up and scream. All my friends and I were confused, but then i feel something crawl up my pant leg... IT WAS A EFFIN RAT!!!!! i felt its little claws, ahhhh, omg, most traumatizing experience of my life.
DO NOT GO HERE - its infested with rats and awful bartenders.
I suppose if you're a lonely red sox fan searching for a semi-seedy bar crowd to scream at the tv together with... then this place *could* seem like a nice little hangout.
As for me... my floor hockey team used to be sponsored by this place. So we'd come here every week after our games. I have to give them some love for having the MLB package, and for having a decent outdoor patio area. But the food is just so average. Average wings, bland boring sandwiches, frozen burger patties etc.
Not exactly the kind of place you go out of your way to go to.
went here for dinner one night...and was really underwhelmed.
our server gave us attitude and our food took forever despite there being just a handful of people in the bar.
the food is a half step below mediocre...i just...was not impressed. im sure its more fun if theres a red sox game on...but the bf and i just did not have a great experience.
Want to watch a Boston game while enjoying awesome bar food and great service? Then come here. It's bar food, but hello you are at a bar so I'm not sure what other people were complaining about. The quesadillas are made with white cheese and homemade salsa, yum! The fries are good as a stole A few off my boyfriends plate and his sandwich not only looked good but he really liked it. We actually had our first unofficial date here and haven't been disappointed in our many outings here since!
Have I been to Boston? No. Do I want to visit? Yes, and if the bars in Beantown are anything like Tripoli Tap, I anticipate a good time. A friend of mine from Boston used to come here so often that he and two of my other friends started working as doormen. When I was looking for bars that would give me a deal for my birthday pub crawl, all three of them ASSURED me that Nic would take care of me.
For my birthday, I pull all sorts of favors from people I know in the industry in order to somehow throw a relatively inexpensive 4 hour/ 4 bar (open bar) pub crawl. I try to switch the bars every year, and since it has been some time since I've been behind a bar, I haven't added many new contacts of late. This was the first time that I would be negotiating a deal with someone that I hadn't previously known.
I came on a slower weeknight and found Nic behind the bar. Within 3 minutes, we had an informal agreement (no paperwork) on the amount of people I was bringing, the desired time I'd like to be in the bar, and the amount per person that would be paid. No negotiation, no haggling, and he still managed to keep the patrons served.
On the night of my party, we hit them pretty hard all at once, but the staff was awesome and kept the drinks going. Being the 2nd bar of the night, most of my guests were buzzed and at going full speed. I've been to (and worked at) enough places that serve all you can drink parties slow, but Nic himself was behind the bar in great spirits making sure the party was going strong.
The late September weather held up, so we were able to take advantage of the beer garden and double the capacity of the smaller interior. The garden is smaller and more intimate than most, with the furniture design giving it more of a backyard feel. It was great for conversation as friends, friends of friends, and inevitable strangers who decided to come along from the first bar intermingled in the most laid back of atmospheres. The Red Sox weren't playing so medium level alternative/top 40 (think Amy Winehouse and Lenny Kravitz) music provided the background noise. Never was it overbearing, and it made for a great stop for us early in the night.
Plain and simple, Tripoli Tap is a good place run by good people. I've never been for a BoSox or Pat's game, but a recent Boston transplant who'd been in our group thanked me profusely after he'd watched his first game there. If you're looking for a bar in Lincoln Park where you can have one of those "legendary hilarious" nights with a few friends over beers and NOT be accosted by a drunken Chad or bumped into by a teetering Trixie, go to The Tap.
Seriously guys, this is quite possibly, the most underrated bar in the city.
I am a traitor... at least I admit it. Born and raised in a suburb just West of Chicago, I grew up a Chicago sports fan.
BUT, my college years in Boston converted me to a Pats and Red Sox fan.
Our condo association mandates our cable company so I can't get the NFL package and was sad to think I'd miss an entire season of Pats football.
Thankfully, I found Nic & Dino's. They play all Boston games with sound!!!
I adore this bar.
I love that week after week it's the same bartender and server, Colleen & Terri who are both awesome!
It's kind of like a Cheers where the regulars all know each other and have their spots at the bar.
They have really good grilled cheese and serve Magic Hat on tap, 2 big scores in my book. Colleen makes a mean bloody mary and they have great Miller Lite specials... I think it's $3 for a stadium cup on Sundays.
They've also got a back patio with quite a few tables for warmer months.
Love hanging out here on Sunday's during football season... since it's small and awesome, it's sometimes hard to find a place to sit, so get there before the games start if you want a seat.
I heart Nic and Dino. Mostly Dino.
I've talked to more Bostonians in this bar than I ever did when I actually lived in Boston. It's a great watering hole in the style of a neighborhood bar. They have a standard bar food menu, which is really all you need in a joint like this.
Yeah, definitely Dino.
The waitstaff is usually pretty fantastic. Hell even the big guy Dan has his Peabody accent so thick you'd think you were somewhere on the Nawth Shawr. They do their best to keep you in alcohol which is about all you can ask.
Of course it's Dino.
The lack of a really signature special is about the only thing I can say that knocks one star off for me. During the Red Sox playoff run, the running joke was we all wish we were were at Fenway so they were charging Fenway prices. They do have a bucket special on Sundays for Patriots games, of course.
Dino rocks my world.
Maybe now that the Celtics (and -- gasp! -- even the Bruins) are kicking ass again, maybe they'll come up with something creative to help kill the inevitable winter sports drought that arises in between the Super Bowl and spring training.
Oh Dino.
Okay, okay. So we all know that Tripoli Tap is the place to be for Boston transports to watch their beloved Sox whoop up on the Yankees, but what does it have to offer native Chicagoans? I'm glad you asked!
I've ventured to Tripoli Tap mostly on Friday or Saturday nights, and every visit has been a great experience. The bar is homey, there is plenty of seating, and you can cozy up to the fireplace on those cold winter nights. The tunes come from an internet-based juke box, so make sure you grab the table next to the juke box so you can provide feedback (or dictate choices) on the music selections.
I suppose the thing I liked best about Tripoli Tap is the general vibe of the bar. So often smaller bars are filled with small groups of people not looking to mix and mingle. Not the case at Tripoli. The clientele is fun, welcoming and chatty. Me likey! Also important to note: Tripoli has special bomb shot glasses, so order up those O bombs and have a great time!
I am a tad biased since I am a Red Sox fan. The bar and decor itself is nothing special - typical wooden bar, tables, stools, floor etc. The food is cheap and so is the quality, somewhat. The wings were tiny but I was given extra due to the size. They were also VERY vinegary. The rest of the menu is really in place to slow down the drinking as it is very unoriginal.
I love it because all the Boston sports games are on but sadly the cat drags in a lot of the annoying Boston sports fans screaming pointless profanity at glass breaking levels. For those who can't relate...think of the characters from Good Will Hunting, Mystic River and Gone Baby Gone.
Bonus: They have my favorite beer - Sam Light. Oh, and the bartender is VERY friendly and attentive.
In a word: AWESOME.
Two words? WICKED AWESOME.
I went here to watch the Red Sox spank the Indians (before they got their return spanking of course) last Friday. Aw, shit it was like being out in Boston - Red Sox fanimals EVERYWHERE.
Order up some wings 'cuz they grill 'em and they are HUGE (almost full drumsticks). The waitstaff is pretty great especially when navigating the masses (except rumor has it one of the females behind the bar is a Yankees Fan - the shame!)
I am coming back here to watch the Red Sox rally in game six - awwww yeah. And you can betcha I'll be back to watch T. Brady and the boys kick some bums on the football field this winter. Ah, New England. We only get ONE team per sport but our teams are so good, it's only fair.
If you are a Red Sox fan in Chicago this is the place to go. I went there for ALDS game 6 and the place was going ape shit. You literally could not find a place to stand in the entire joint. It was so fun. My one issue with Tripoli is that I think the drinks are slightly overpriced. They run specials from time to time, but their best special is like $3.50 for a bud light bottle. I mean, C'mon guys, the economy is in a recession and I can buy a case of bud light for like $12.99 at the local CVS. Get a grip and bring your drink prices down.
CALLING THE CHICAGO CHAPTER OF RED SOX NATION!
This place is actually called the "Tripoli Tap" I am writing that so people searching for it will find it more easily. Not that you would be searching for it or anything unless... YOU ARE A WICKED BIG RED SOX FAN!!!! (like me)
Holy Smokes Folks! I have died and gone to heaven.... who knew it was only a short bike ride away from my place in Bucktown and open since 2004! I have been missing out on this comfortable place of North Eastern camaraderie for three years!?!
In all honesty I have driven by the Tripoli Tap many times and noticed the Red Sox and Patriots flags and banners flapping in the breeze however, not being in the know about this kind of place left me mildly intimidated. What if all these fans knew each other and when I walked in the jukebox would scratch to a stop and i would be forced to put on platform shoes and dance to "Tequilla" to prove my Red Sox faithfulness? Of course I am over-exaggerating, but I do know one thing... us Red Sox fans do take game time seriously. During gametime the sound was on (NESN) and everyone seemed really focus on what was going on which reminded me of being in Boston during a game. There were some thick New England accents being slung around as well, which I found comforting.
Given that I am horribly biased (b/c of the Red Sox thing), let me mention what I thought was cool about this otherwise normal neighborhood bar. The wait staff is terrific. I have tried their wings and think they are divine. There is a good sized beer garden out back which also plays games on TV and has a couple sets of home-made cornhole boards.
I guess I am giving this a high 5 star rating because it is an establishment that has recognized what it wants to be and has set out and accomplished just that. It is a great sports bar for transplanted New England sports fans which makes all patrons (even a Yankees fan I tricked into going there with me) feel comfortable. GO SOX (the red ones)
Stopped by to catch the Red Sox game and grab a bite to eat after work one night. As promised, they had NESN on one (later two) flat panels, and judging by the bartender in the David Ortiz shirt and all the Red Sox paraphernalia on the walls, they probably put on all the games. (With sound, too.)
It was a Tuesday night and the place was pretty quiet. They had a decent patio out back but I sat at the bar to watch the game. There was a smattering of Red Sox fans there and a local pub feel to the place. The bartender, for what it's worth, was sporting a legit Bawston accent.
The beer was cold and the food was better than I expected based on the menu. The menu is very limited -- wings, sandwiches, burgers, hot dogs, chili, and a couple salads. However, the house salad I ordered was absolutely massive (especially for $4.50) and the hot dog was a nice beefy char dog on the usual poppy side roll with a big pile of fries, pickles, cole slaw, chopped tomatoes and the usual Chicago-style fixins on the side. The service was relatively quick but the place was practically empty; reviewers on Citysearch slammed the speed of food service and given how small the place is generally and how small the kitchen is in particular it probably takes forever.
If you're a Red Sox fan or you live in the immediate neighborhood it's a cool place to hang out and have a drink. Otherwise I'm not sure it's worth the trip to this western edge of Lincoln Park.
Fun place. Good food. Guaranteed Red Sox chatter during baseball season.
I'd like to offer a more critical and helpful summary, but I imbibed a little too much at Shoes before coming here to meet my boyfriend last night!
I will say that they offer regular beer specials and even serve it in a souvenir cup! Not a fan of the bar stools for the tables and I had to switch mine for one with a back from the bar.
I'm going back here in a few days and will update!
Great little dive bar. Cheap food, cheap drinks. I wouldn't say the food is out of this world. It's your standard bar food. Friendly service and a great fireplace on these cold winter nights.
As a Red Sox fan, I'm obliged by the law of Red Sox Nation to love the Tripoli Tap. But even if I weren't, I'd still be a fan of this bar. Great bar service, great jukebox, and during baseball season, you actually get to hear the soothing voices of the NESN commentators. Who could ask for anything more? (Well, a few more World Series championships would be nice - and when the Sox go back to the Series next year, you can bet I'll be watching the games at Tripoli!)
I'm a fan. We grabbed a table and a bunch of chairs and sat around and had a great time on a Saturday night. Not too crowded, good service, reasonable drink prices AND the music wasn't too loud so we could actually talk to each other for once. I'll go back.
