Red Line Tap

The Red Line Tap: An Old Chicago Tavern Is Given New Life.

Taverns tend to adapt to their neighborhoods and clientele. So it goes for the Red Line Tap, an old hovel that opened under some forgotten name in the early 1900’s.  

Located in Rogers Park, around the corner from the historic Heartland Café, the Red Line is a lovely, scarred blend of the rough-and-tumble surrounding ‘hood and of the rattling and roaring elevated line that rumbles past its façade.  

If you’re weary of interior-designed pubs and long for worn linoleum and stools showing their stuffing, head over to the Red Line Tap. In addition to character and good beers on tap, the tavern has live music, open-mic nights and a busy pool table.  

Their website offers a packed calendar of events and expect musical tastes from jazz to folk. Whatever plays, it will fall into the rhythm of the Red Line as it ribbons through Rogers Park.  

The Red Line Tap offers bar food or you can order from the neighboring Heartland. Beers start at $3 and cover charges vary. Patrons run the gamut from young hipsters to aging Hippies, a faction that still thrives in Rogers Park.  

This isn’t a meet-and-greet tap. If you’re looking to belly up to the bar and have a good conversation, the Red Line should be on your list. The password is casual and if things slow down within the tap, you can always take your stool outside and watch the Red Line cars throw sparks off the track and into the night.