Bar on Buena

910 W Buena Ave, Chicago, IL, 60613, United States
(773) 525-8665
Latitude: 41.95875, Longitude: -87.65345

website

  • Monday: 4:00 PM – 2:00 AM
  • Tuesday: 4:00 PM – 2:00 AM
  • Wednesday: 4:00 PM – 2:00 AM
  • Thursday: 4:00 PM – 2:00 AM
  • Friday: 4:00 PM – 2:00 AM
  • Saturday: 11:30 AM – 3:00 AM
  • Sunday: 11:30 AM – 2:00 AM
Wifi Available
Cask Beer
Indoor Smoking
Available Parking
Beer Pricing: $$$
Public Transit
Proper Glassware
Outdoor Seating
Family Friendly
Selection: 4.25 | Atmosphere: 4.00 | Service: 4.38 | Food: 4.00
84.2
out of 100
Overall Beer Mapping Score
Based on 2 reviews.
Score from Google Reviews:
4.5
out of 5
View Google reviews
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pudgym29 (55)
Monday 10th of May 2010 02:22:22 PM
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Here is another bar I forget to scribe. After the Rogers Park restaurant crawl one Sunday in March, I took the #151 Sheridan route from Howard St. to here. I ventured here because it purportedly had one of the _thirteen_ kegs of an Irish Old Ale (the Olde Dubh in an Irish whiskey barrel), which had been sent to North America. (So it got it - and not somewhere else like Quenchers or the Map Room.)
The venue is a dark place. There are two flat-screen televisions subscribed to cable television {I believe RCN.} The bar takes up the east side of the room. Standing and sitting tables make up the rest. I wound up at a standing table in the center.
I had the beer. It was OK. Then I discovered the 1/3rd of a liter cost $10.00. Ooof. Sorry - it wasn't that spectacular. But this beer was a "special presentation", so this was to be expected.
But the beer's pricing was a harbinger of the venue. I obtained its beer menu and looked at the selections. I hope those of you who read my reviews know that I am keen to recommend venues which are good values for the money. On the "Pudgy" pricing meter, the six adjectives [| adjectival phrases] by which I classify a venue are, in the order of my preference:
Superb value for the money
Solid value for the money
Average
Profiteering
Gouging
Rip-off [| Highway robbery]
I submit to you that the Bar on Buena is in the "profiteering" class. The most lucid example of this was its pricing of $5.50 for a 16-oz. glass of Metropolitan Brwg.'s Dynamo Copper Lager.
For a venue in the City on Chicago, especially one within a cannon blast distance of the brewery, a glass of Metropolitan's beers _should not cost over five dollars_. Bar on Buena knows it has beers which its clientele could want to have. So it offers them. But it is seeking to make back its cost after only a quarter of the keg is tapped. This is an aspect about which beer denizens are vocal in their disquiet.
Profiteering like this is what diverts bar customers to the sleazy three-dollar draft, or, if they hold to their taste standards, completely out of the bar. {"A tavern up the street has Goose Island 312 drafts for four bucks."}
Bar on Buena has possibilities. But its owners need to cease these profiteering moves. Yes, it is important the bar is a financial success. But you become a destination by encouraging customers to return again and again. You are not accomplishing this with me, or with other customers like me, with your prices.

Transit options: Sixty years ago, there was an "L" stop at Buena. It was also a freight exchange station for the Rapid Transit, and the North Shore Line. But the less-than-carload business dwindled to nothing, and both the service and the stop were closed. If you insist on taking the Red Line "L", you will wind up with a medium walk from either the Sheridan (north on Sheridan) or Wilson (southeast on Broadway) stations. It is located in the short block between Broadway on the east and Sheridan on the west.
I took the #151 Sheridan route southbound from the Howard "L" terminus. But that's only good on Sundays at night. Other times, it, _and_ the #36 Broadway route, runs from Clark & Devon. The #151 runs all the time. The #36 runs southbound until midnight seven days a week. Route #78 Montrose buses loop as close as Montrose and Sheridan until 9:55 pm every day. There are buses running on this section of Irving Park Rd. if you want to walk the two blocks north.
Selection: 4.25 | Atmosphere: 4 | Service: 4 | Food: N/A
81.7
Overall

emerge077 (360)
Wednesday 1st of April 2009 01:02:27 PM
link

Bar on Buena is a comfortable neighborhood bar, that seemingly doesn't have the cult following of other area beer bars. The draft list was really great the last time I went, in addition to all the Spring "bockfest" beers listed below, they also had a Metropolitan tap, Cane & Abel, Ed Fitzgerald, Monschof Scwarzbier, and Lagunitas IPA on draft.

The beer menu was well organized, listing draft beers with their serving size, ABV, tasting notes, and price. Bottles were listed by country of origin, also including size and pricing. There were a few sour ales in the Belgian list, which was nice to see. Plenty of English, German, and Trappist options. US craft bottles seemed to be slightly limited, but there were several staples like DFH 90, Founders Reds Rye, Alpha King, and Lakefront Riverwest Stein. Other gems like Carnegie Porter were under an "around the world" heading.

The space was fairly open with table seating in the center, some loungey couches in the corner by the window, and more private booths along the side wall. Bar was on the right side, lots of old wood with three tap towers holding six handles each. Assorted glassware decorated the shelves, and a small chalkboard announced that March was Bock month. The atmosphere was laid back and cozy, there's a very "neighborhood" vibe here without pretense. The jukebox was surprisingly good with a variety of classics. There was a patio area outside with tables for the warmer months.

Robyn was the bartender, and she was really great. Very enthusiastic and knowledgeable about the selection, and about beer in general. Service was quick, generous tastes were offered, beers came in branded glassware with proper pours. The frites I had were hot and crispy, served with a chipotle aioli and sweet mustard for dipping. For $4, this was literally a mountain that overflowed the paper cone. Value was really good here, and i'll definitely return.

BOCKFEST!! MARCH 20TH THRU APRIL 2009

Draft
Aventinus Weizen Doppelbock..8
Ayinger Celebrator Doppelbock...6.50
Weihenstephaner Vitus Weizen Bock..6.50
Schlenkerla Fastenbier...8
Capital Blonde Doppelbock...5
Hofstetten Granit Bock...8

Bottles
Stiegl Bock
Urthel Bock
Schloss Eggenberg Ur-Bock 23
Anchor Bock
Selection: 4.25 | Atmosphere: 4 | Service: 4.75 | Food: 4.0
86.7
Overall

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