Sovereign Liquors

First time at this bar and walking in I really liked the environment until I went up to the bar for my 3^rd beer and the bartender rudely said to me «have you ever heard of tipping». It was my 3^rd drink and usually when I go to a stand alone bar I will tip at the end, and now after her absurd comment, I want to leave after this 3^rd drink and leave no tip… This bartender needs to learn how to act better to her customers. I’m still in shock…

Like most people have been saying; this place has good beer, a great jukebox and a great dive atmosphere anyone could dig.
I went to the Sovereign for a friend’s birthday and the staff was friendly, fast and accommodating. We ordered pizza, had cake and drank like a camel at an oasis. And they still loved us!
The beer and booze selection is great, as is the CD jukebox in the back containing past patron’s homemade mixed CD’s. A great selection of random songs. Trust me it’s great!
The atmosphere is «divey» with a touch of «old man», but it gets the job done.
Beer me! Entertain me! Comfort me! The Sovereign does all this and much more.

Five stars. Ten out of ten. Two thumbs way up. If you’re looking for a dive bar, this is it. Complete with no soap in the bathrooms, dirty everything, and drunken white trash fights. It’s the epitome of a dive bar. So wonderfully laid back and chill, you could most likely get away with just about anything here. $ 4 cocktails. $ 3 PBR tall boys. Crock pots and Jewish Apples to Apples on the shelves. Exposed ducts. Random tools on the floor. Just the most fantastic dive bar atmosphere you’ll ever find. If they had food here, I’d strongly advise against eating it, but the bottle of beer won’t hurt ya! We came here after being shunned by the dicks at Bar 63 and couldn’t be happier with how our evening turned out. Long live the Sovereign!

Best dive bar ever! No matter what time I go in there I get the same good service plus great prices on drinks. Its my girlfriend and my place to go if we wanna pop out in the neighborhood and have a drink or two. We bring friends here who are new in town and they also dig it. Only once have I been blatantly ignored by one female bar tender there but whatever, that bitch isn’t stopping this place from getting 5 stars along with the rest of the great staff!

I’ve felt very discriminated here and judged. I’ve tipped big money besides this one bartender old lady on weekends.

The Sovereign is hands down the best dive bar of all time.
Despite some of the reviews here, I wouldn’t call it a hipster bar at all. Sure, grad students frequent it, but most of the clientele are long time locals. People are friendly without being up in your face, and known to break out into song frequently, probably because The Sovereign has the best jukebox on the planet comprised almost entirely of homemade mix CDs.
Beer is super cheap, and bar tenders are great. Atmosphere is, well, divey and dark, just as it should be.
Sovereign, I love you.

Legit neighborhood dive. Super friendly people. Super cheap drinks. Love it.

Still a fine joint. Not shouty. Neighborhoody. Authentic. A CD jukebox. Slightly grimy. Friendly. Don’t ever change.
And Aldi is across the street!

Be warned: this is an epic dive bar. No shit. My friend called it a «sad place.» I got pushback about wanting a mixed drink — like that. But: they have the best jukebox in the entire city, and I’ve tried them all. If you like music at all, put $ 5 in and you’ll make it about ¹⁄₃ of the way through and be set for the night.

My favorite dive bar in Edgewater with an outstanding jukebox and my favorite bartender in town. LOU!!!

This place is that rarest of things, a perfect example of its kind. It is pretty much the Platonic ideal of dive bars — and not fake upscale dives, but real-​ass dives with gorgeous old signage, a cadre of regulars watching sports on the tee vee, and a solid wooden bar with ancient cigarette burns and decades of booze stains on top. We stopped in on a hot afternoon for a cold drink and were not disappointed. The shelves have labels for liquor that bear no resemblance to the actual liquor contained therein, and there isn’t a craft cocktail for miles, but Louis is friendly as hell and you’ll be comfortable and at ease without ever having to put on a show. Places like this are, sadly, becoming rare in Chicago, so stop in and enjoy it while you can. Not for everyday use, but when divey corner bars are what you need, nothing else will do.

This bar in and of itself is a perfect dive. Excellent juke box, interesting smells, a diverse group of interesting patrons… This does not get it the 5 stars… It is the legend of Louis Persephone Dickman who goes in the annals of bar tending lore as the man who defeated the quart. He is able to do many magical things and often is known to bring his historic cheese pump along with sausages or other food vessels used to consume said pump cheese. You can also order the most fancy and exquisite cocktails from him (he won’t make it for you, but you can order them). So visit them and prepare yourself for a treat and if your lucky, very lucky, you may get to have a buffet of cheese. That is why it is 5 stars. Extra credit if you order the house specialty, a Loutini it is a delicious spiceful blend of malort, cranberry juice and special herbs and flavors — it is a spectacular one of a kind treat…

A great neighborhood dive bar with friendly staff and cheap drinks. Mixed drinks are poured well and they have a great beer selection. This is a very friendly joint were strangers talk freely. Since no food is served, dogs are welcome.

This place hasn’t changed in years, though the clientele has. A lifetime ago I worked an ambulance in this area and my alcoholic partner had to stop in here before work, during work, and after work. Reagan was President, and the place was old, dirty, tired, and full of regulars. No one thought it was at all out of sorts for a pair of paramedics in full uniform to be in there in the middle of the day, a few cops both on and off duty were regulars back then too. The bar hasn’t changed but the clientele has. It’s infested with hipsters now, but also many of the neighborhood homeowners frequent the place, more well-​heeled than the working class heroes who used to imbibe during de-​industrialization. In Milwaukee, the latest bad trend in bars is hidden up-​charges for neat, on-​the-​rocks, coupled with smaller pours, it’s both insulting and unwelcoming. It was nice to come back to Chicago, rediscover this neighborhood tap where they still generously over-​pour whiskey straight into proper whiskey glasses. I do have an important suggestion for hipsters coming here for the «dive bar» experience, don’t be ironic with the tips. Service is just fine here when you tip properly.

My friend was scared to come in here, but I told him it would be great… so glad we came in for some beers! It’s a total dive, but it was great. Exactly what I was looking for. Beers are pretty cheap, $ 3 for a bottle of Bud. There are board games you can play too. One down fall, the restroom with no label, presumably the men’s, stank like pee… but the women’s smelled quite lovely. Can’t wait to come back!

This place has the best juke box in the city.
The patrons are always game for a conversation. Everyone is approachable, don’t worry. Yes this is a neighborhood bar, but it welcomes everyone. Their are no judgements. The bartenders listen to you and remember your name.

Great dive bar. Cheap beer. Very friendly bartender. The place is kind of small but it hasn’t ever seemed all that crowded. Awesome jukebox full of random mix CDs with pretty good tunes. There are also board games that you can play while you booze.

This is the ultimate people-​watching bar. Every damn walk of life can be found at the Sovereign. Hell the name is authoritative enough, it really is it’s own world.
It’s dank, it’s dark, full of random yelling and regulars friendly enough to chat with you. The bartenders are liberal with pours and shots. No taps, all bottles, no bombs, straight booze. No food, but feel free to have some brought on over. A classic music-​box with a pretty eclectic build of old and modern music. Also, you can pick up a six pack of hipster-​lager for the long walk home.
The Sovereign can get a bit rambunctious at times, but don’t let that steer you. Regulars will make you feel at home. Even on the so-​so nights here, I can’t help but have an unsung affection for this bucket of blood.
Give it a shot, take a shot, sail on.

Dive, well almost ! Been in many wose! More like the local neighborhood bars us older folks enjjoyed before these Crap SPORTS BARS. Dont have to be a sport to drink «REMEMBER THAT KIDDIES»
The Sovereigh’s backbar bottles and mirrors are clean, shix I have been downtown and seen worse. Bartenters are great, prices are even better. The best draw is the Jukebox, where in the FXXX can you walk into a bar and have Brian Eno on the Jukebox!
Few negatives and biggest gripe is the Jukebox, it needs a tune up as somtimes it forgets to play everything selected. Next gripe has nothing to do with the bar, its a few of the customers, some folks just plain have to understand about taking as shower more then once a year. Last and very minor few of the var stools could be tuned up.
For us oldsters my all time favorite as far as dive bars in Chicago was STOP N DRINK hehe what a change! I think its now called the Ale House, if those poor fools sitting there new what was spilled on the floors and everthing else.
Not a hipster, really do not understand the term. Past bartender, lover of music and cocktails and cold beer…
Drink dont drive have a gas, can life be any better?

Yep, I follow and support LGBTQ parties when I can. This night was no exception.
Being right off the Granville red line stop made it easy to spot… okay, maybe it was easy to spot because of the smokers outside and the glowing red dive bar sign glowing its name.
I’ll definitely agree that this is a hipster bar and no, I’m not a hipster nor do I wish to be… However, I can and always will appreciate those who cater to everyone AND this bar did!
The drinks are extremely cheap and I didn’t have to wait forever to get them. The bar is extremely old and if I already hadn’t been drinking, my obsession with germs would have forced me out of here. Luckily, I didn’t care too much by the time I got there.
Music was actually good… OR at least I liked it Jennie T. :P
(Okay, Jennie T and I went on the same night). I’m a huge fan of old school music (old school meaning 90’s and early 2000 hip-​hop) and there was no lack of the dancing beats.
All in all, it was decent. Is it calling my name to go back immediately? Hmm… probably not… but for a night of adventures, it was A-​ok…