Topsy’s Tavern

Topsy’s is what a bar is meant to be. The drinks are strong and you can still smoke inside. This is «Cheers» in a small rural town; the bartenders know everyone and everyone knows the bartenders.
If you wander in during the lunch hour you can pick up a great little meal for cheap; do not pass on the potato salad! Topsy’s has been around since the end of prohibition and it has two practices that I think every bar should have: 1. their phone number is not listed, this keeps the spouse from calling up and bothering you while you have a cold one 2. the booze is free Christmas morning; that’s right, the owner has an open bar Christmas morning as a way of showing his appreciation.
I wander into Topsy’s every time I am back in Illinois; there is a beautiful redheaded bartender that always greets me with a kiss when I show up. Can you top that?