The Mutiny

Well this was two years in the making.

Another neighborhood bar merely blocks from my front door, that is The Mutiny. Across from Quenchers at 2428 N Western Ave, this bar has been brought up in conversation multiple times. I've passed it on the bus more times than I could even think to count. I used to stare at it when I'd have my cigarette outside of ol' Q across the street. But it took over two fucking years for me to bring myself into one of the diviest of dive bars.

The Mutiny proudly proclaims itself to be "a dive rock bar since 1990". Though I've never seen a show there, I'd stand by that.

This was another adventure during the blizzard, a random decision after 2039482085 beers. A couple of friends accompanied some new friends we made across the street to finish the night. I had heard stories about this place - you could maybe say it's sort of legendary. It does have, as I learned (and later peed in) that night, the oldest and largest urinal in Chicago.

We walked into a bar that was barely lit. If it weren't for the street lights coming through the window, the glow of the jukebox and the light above the pool table, I might not have been able to see anything.

The owner was sitting at the bar and seemed like a pretty friendly guy. He talked to everyone that came in, helped behind the bar and saw that the giganto-urinal was iced regularly. Our draft PBRs were stupid cheap, as were almost all the drinks in the bar, though I couldn't remember the price (c'mon - I had been drinking for four or five hours at that point. In a blizzard, which is practically drinking in double time). The jukebox was packed with old classics like CCR and Guns N' Roses. This provided much entertainment.

There's a second room in the back, not completely partitioned off, where they were letting people smoke due to the less than favorable conditions outside. Nobody seemed to mind, myself included. Then again, nobody seemed sober enough to really form opinions at that point.

At closing time, the bar allowed us a chance to suck down one more shot, which I always appreciate. Then we ambled out back into the snow and I crossed another one of my list.

The crowd here was...interesting. Some young, Quaker hippies, some metal-looking cokeheads, the token old dudes at the bar and us. Everyone seemed content with what they were doing and there wasn't any tension, so hooray.

Will I venture back? Maybe someday, perhaps for a show, but I'll probably just detour to Quenchers and end up staying there.

Drinks: Cheap
People: Variety pack! All ages included
Atmosphere: Mega-divey
Grade: B-

www.themutinychicago.com