Neighborhood Spotlight: Who does River North think it is?!

[Above: Inside Motel Bar]

Chicago's neighborhood scenes can often be easily and accurately summed up in one word—just look at Lincoln Park (“Trixies”), Wicker Park (“hipsters”), and the Gold Coast (“douchebags”). But playing the nightlife-word-association game with River North is a bit more difficult. You’ve got your artists, tourists, yuppies, clubbers and bottle-service millionaires all playing within mere blocks of each other—it’s hard to come up with a single, truly defining stereotype.

While the lack of neighborhood identity might frustrate critics, it actually serves Chicago bar-goers well since there truly is something for everyone. The snooty and high-falootin’ can sip champagne at Pops. The ecstasy-riddled club kids can dance away at Vision. Even the bland and tasteless can compare their striped-shirts at places like the Kerryman and English.

And what about places for the pop-culture-loving, music-friendly pioneers of good taste that are Paste:Local readers? Our picks:

Motel Bar is nestled away on River North’s westernmost border. In fact, the average person would likely only see it for an instant on a cab ride into Ukrainian Village. But those willing to stop on Larrabee will find a very comfy, motel-themed bar with the right amount of kitsch to keep it charming and interesting, but not overpowering and tacky. Musically speaking, Motel offers some of the best options on the weekends. Local H’s Scott Lucas spins a variety of crowd-pleasers on Friday, while DJ Brock goes through more indie-friendly bar fare (think MGMT and Chromeo) on Saturday. Because of its rather isolated location, Motel stays busy on weekends, but never overcrowded—which is great if you’re looking for good tunes and some elbow room to go with it.

Boss Bar is probably best known for the well-endowed female bartenders who work the rails of this 4 a.m. beer-and-shot bar. But it should really be famous for its waffle fries. In this world of truffle-oil laced spuds and sweet potato crisps, Boss Bar makes some of the best honest-to-goodness waffle fries in the city—piping hot and perfectly crispy every time. Don’t let the Boss’ sausage party reputation keep you away. We’ve noticed that its onetime all-male clientele is starting to give way to a few more female patrons, especially on the weekends. Embrace the change, fellas, because isn’t the point to meet girls, not just stare at them?

Citizen Bar is easily the most accessible of River North's upscale lounges. It’s big, warm and spacious, which is a refreshing change from the typical candlelit, blackout conditions you find in lounges across the city. On weeknights it’s pretty relaxed with gaggles of local condo-dwellers either watching whatever sports-- or even American Idol, when it’s in-season-- are on the TVs. Weekends can get pretty crowded and complaints about the line outside are plentiful. However, with the roof deck and patio shutting down for the season, we expect the weekend crowd to return to a more manageable size. Oh, and martini fans, don’t forget to ask your bartender or waitress for the hand-stuffed blue cheese olives—you’ll never settle for pimento again.

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