Butch’s Tap

Well, the boys and I decided, after having a morning at Nellie’s, that perhaps we should balance things out by doing some day-​drinking at Butch’s Tap. We needed to do a little more chatting and catching up, and what better place than at an old man bar in West Pilsen? And boy, is it an old man bar. The guys in there were even considerably older than me! Including «Butch», whose real name is Rich if we understood correctly.
Marc, James and I were the only ones in there for awhile. Butch did not look all too pleased to see us. I mean, it was early, but I think it was after noon. Butch’s is a classic neighborhood dive bar, located in a real interesting West Pilsen neighborhood, right across from the Museum of Mexican Fine Arts. I am not suggesting a cultural connection there, but it was fun for throwing down a couple of beers, and listening to what the older locals had to say. Nelly in the a.m., Butch in the p.m. Worked for us. And day-​drinking on a winter Saturday-​nice.

This place is such a little hole in the wall that I can’t find their phone number anywhere. That said, Butch’s Tap is a hidden gem. My companion and I stopped in here after a futile search for a place to buy a few beers (keep in mind this was on Labor Day, in Pilsen at 10:30pm). Here we found a Cubs bar on the South Side (WHOA) with cheap beer. They also have a pool table and a good deal of random sports and Elvis memorabilia. The owner/​bartender is a little slow, but in a «I bought a bar so I could watch football and hide from my wife» kind of way. I’ll be coming back.