J&M Tap

My go-​to bar in UK village. Cheap beer, awesome staff, great vibe!

This place is an awesome dive. Drink specials are great and the bartenders are always friendly. Coming on cold nights in the winter is nice because many times you will have most of the place to yourself !

A group of friends and I visiting from out of town discovered J&M around the corner from where we were staying.
Stiff whiskey cokes for $ 4? Don’t mind if I do. It’s truly the ultimate dive bar where, if you’re willing to sit at the bar on a weeknight, you’d hear some crazy shit from fellow patrons.
There’s also a pool table, if you’re into that kind of stuff.
Cash only.

In love with this gem. Down to earth, simple, fun owner and crowd. Cheap PBR pitchers and great candy!

J&M is nice and simple. It’s got a pool table, a juke box, and beer… What else do you really need? This is the type of bar you stop in for a few beers when you are on your way somewhere else. It’s the real life equivalent of Moe’s from the Simpsons. It doesn’t promise much but always delivers.

J&M is essentially my backyard (minus the school), so I was bound to eventually tumble in; literally. Having now been here while I was dead sober and piss drunk, I can say it is my favorite dive bar in the area, and maybe in Chicago.
Let’s start with the $ 2 Point drafts! This isn’t some crap PBR, Beast, Natty, or Busch we’re talking about — it’s quality Northwoods Wisconsin beer! For 2 bucks! Couple that with cheap shots of Malort and a fifty cent upgrade to a Stella and we have a party. A+ on the drinks.
As for the atmosphere, also top notch. Unlike some of the other dive bars in the area, the place isn’t too bright, or too dimly lit. It’s just right, offering an extremely welcoming environment. The juke box is exquisite — I personally like that some of the CDs are mixes with the tracks written on index cards! The pool table and casino games (legal? who cares) in the back are also legit. Good times.
The bartenders (I think it’s owned by former CPD officers and frequented by them) are sweet older women who know how to be accommodating through the free pretzel sticks, candy, and all around good vibes and kind service.
BONUS: I have yet to see an infestation of hipsters at J&M! Let’s hope the word doesn’t get out…
In conclusion, the perfect neighborhood dive. I wouldn’t want it any other way.

Best bar in the area, by far. Real people having a relaxing evening. AND, they play the sound for all the Hawks games!!! Hertha, Patty and Sam always take care of you.

Pretzel sticks. Cheap and cold beer. Juke box. Ample supply of booze out of a bottle. Cheap. Pool table. A really old wall cooler that I bet at this point has become a part of the foundation for the entire building. Cheap.
This place is rad for any sort of experiece out where you aren’t trying to impress. Not that you can’t impress people by coming here, because just walking through the doorway off of Augusta with anyone that has never been gives them a feeling like you have your shit together and are «local» or in the know.
And it must be mentioned– there is a particular bartender here (not sure if she’s a part of the ownership or not) that is INCREDIBLY sweet and friendly. It’s recognizeable, and definitely a reason I want to go back.
Along with the complimentary pretzel sticks. And the cheap drinks. And the pool table.

Had a couple beers with Mitch the owner last week on a quiet summer afternoon. This is a great neighborhood tavern. Unfortunately, not too many left like this one. Lock your ‘tude up outside and spend some time with the regulars.

I’ll say that this bar sucks simply because it’s going to be my neighborhood bar and I don’t want large crowds of douchey people or pretentious hipsters (non-​pretentious hipsters OK) to show up. We arrived here for a night capper and gladly stayed until told to leave. The jukebox is older music, the bartender was a middle-​aged pleasant woman whose name I forgot, and the patrons were a bit older. One middle-​aged slightly annoying (really more amusing in my opinion) drunk guy and one chill regular on each side of us. Tall Stoli and soda was $ 4.50. But, I mean, don’t come here because it sucks.

…its the best dive in the city. Its my place i go to for any reason I want. The juke box is awesome, bc its old school and has cd’s…pitchers of cheap PBR, and the tamale man shows up every night. The people are always nice. if i have gone alone i have never had a issue of talking to someone. The guys who go there aren’t rapey, which is nice.(once in awhile a hottie too)

If you’re looking for a neighborhood bar — this is the place to go. You feel like one of the regulars after just a drink or two. I wish I lived closer so I could stumble home instead of my friend’s place who just lives a few doors down. And! There’s free candy!

Two video poker machines and a pool table. A old simple bar that still has its original cooler. Three simple tap choices. A dive bar it is.

Nice place. Free pretzel rods at the bar are on par with the free cheeseballs from Archie’s. I’m a sucker for bar snacks.
Don’t come here looking for ambiance, there is none. There is, however, about 10 – 15 bar stools, ~2.5 tables, and a pool table. It’s as awesomely divey as it gets. The beer is dirt cheap, and you can always get some sort of whiskey for $ 3.
The bartender is the sweetest lady and sometimes I wanna go back there and wash dishes so she can rest her feet for a bit. The fridge where the beer is stored is so retro I’m sure there’s some Billy Beer somewhere in the back.
I went regularly years ago, but lost touch with the «Secret Squirrel». I recently became reacquainted with the bar and its pretzel sticks, and am glad to be back.
A Tamale Guy nightly stop.

pool table, cheap beer, pretzels for free. WTF else you expect for the price?
Oh, and a juke box.
After/​before goin to Ola’s. Bar hop your ass over here for some beers with the proletariats.
w00t!

I used to like this place and gave them a lot of business. On or around the 4^th there are fireworks in the lot across the street. It is the allusion that J&M had something to do with this event as let people park their chairs outside the tavern and basically cater to the event (and obviously make some extra cash with the people going in and purchasing beer and drinks). When i called today to ask if they would be having them again this year, I got an ear full. Don’t bother calling because, as the bartender stated «WE HAVE NOTHING TO DO THE FIREWORKS. I WISH YOU PEOPLE WOULD STOP CALLING! WE HAVE NO IDEA WHEN!!!». Well, of course I’m going to stop calling and I’m also going to stop going to your establishment. Oh, I’m also going to stop recommending it to friends. Anything else you want me to stop doing?
Had the woman who answered the phone (Saturday, July 2^nd at 4:30PM) been civil and said «I’m not sure. We don’t host the event» and left it at that, you wouldn’t have lost my business. I would have come in, drank a few beers and that would be that.
Cheers J&M, it was fun while it lasted.

Bad choice in my experience.
Two of my friends were playing pool there against two guys who didn’t know each other. My friends lost, but the one guy who was a regular walked away. The other guy said my friends could keep playing by themselves. Partway through the game, the regular came back, yelled at them, and started pushing the pool balls in the pockets.
The bouncer then came over and started to throw us all out, mainly because he happened to be friends with the regular, having grown up in a gang with him. Surprisingly the bouncer ended up listening to our argument, then told us to sit down and finish our drinks while his friend waited outside. Of course then we were forced to leave.
I think I’ll skip that place from now on if that’s how it’s going to be there. Plenty of other dive bars around that are the same if not better. It’s popular with people in the art world, but in this case who cares.

Welcome to the neighborhood!
That’s exactly how I felt when I first walked in here. The J&M is approximately one block from my front door. I would’ve gone here many moons ago if I would’ve known which of the three doors to enter. Eventually, I just chose the one that the smokers came out of.
After my first visit, I was hooked. So far, I’ve dined on free candy, pretzels, and cupcakes. A couple nights ago we sat around and watched a crappy bootleg of Borat. Combine that with a crowd of people that only get here by foot, free pool, $ 5-​$ 7 pitchers, and the tamale man… that’s a good night.
I finally have the perfect place to meet my neighbors. Thank you.

Shush! Let me let you in on a secret. The J & M Tap is probably one of the best neighborhood joynts I have been to in awhile. It is tucked away on an unassuming corner (so tucked away that the only way you know it’s a bar is the small neon beer sign in the window) in Ukrainian Village.
We were turned on to this place by a local at another bar a few blocks away. Said if we wanted a «real bar» experience (and not one on Division which is where we were) we needed to come to the J & M Tap. In fact– he even said he’d buy us a drink if we found it!
This is a bar that seemingly got lost in the 70’s. Cheap beer ($ 2.50 for a beer!), pool table, pretty good tunes on the jukebox and an interesting mix of patrons make this bar a «go to» in my book.
Everything in this place is a bit of an adventure. I went to use the restroom and the guy at the pool table yells out to me «You need a key!» A key? Kind of like stopping at a gas station in the 70’s.
«The key» came on a giant key chain and let me into the restroom and then I had to relock it on my way out. Interesting. When I asked about that– the bartender told me it cuts down on «shenanigans» in the restroom. Really? The restroom, like the rest of the bar probably wouldn’t be high on my list for «shenanigans»!
Oh, and ladies– I was one of probably only 5 women in the place so if you are playing the odds game– this place is your kind of place.
Cheap beer, good tunes and a restroom key that if it could talk could undoubtedly regale you with «tales from the toilet” — you can bet I’ll be back.

I heart Ukrainian Village… the area, though becoming very up and coming, still has an edge about it and if you look hard enough you can find bars that use to occupy many a block in this fine city.
J&M Tap is one of those bars that probably resembles those bars from years gone by… It sometimes amuses me when I read of folks spending upwards of a million dollars to open a new bar in say… the West Loop or River North and it STILL gets 3 stars… yet J&M Tap gets 4 and it is a Dive Bar!!!
So why 4 stars? Well the décor is plain, dark, and very outdated, but it is those qualities that make it what it is as a dive bar. But I’m getting ahead of myself.
First, you’ll blow right by the bar on Leavitt if you are not careful as it has NO signage outside. Only a few neon beer signs peeking out from tiny windows would give you any indication there was anything there in the first place.
As you enter the bar a door man is there to card folks and the bar extends half the distance of the place with the remaining half consisting of coolers, bathrooms, and a pool table.
A jukebox is well stocked with good music that will make you finding yourself singing to the songs out of the blue… though this one is OLD SCHOOL in the fact is has no internet connection, so what you see is what you get.
Adequate seating is available, but arrive early or if you come late then plan to stand.
Last night was a mix of what appeared to me to be regulars and small table of young women enjoying a pitcher and some guys playing pool in the back.
Drink prices are CHEAP. $ 2.50 for Miller High Life… go to someplace near by like Bar Deville and you’ll pay almost twice that price for the same beer? WTF? The have liquor specials that have to be some of the cheapest I’ve seen in such parts of town.
As the night wore on the bar got more and more crowded… women…looking for attention, go here… plenty of guys are in this place.
So as a dive bar this is a real gem.