Feature photo by ROBZOOM
My insatiable desire to unwind somewhere and get a good martini led to me to the evilOlive. I know it’s a palindrome. Now lets get on with our lives, okay? The reason I had such a need was because of what occurred previously. We waited at this nearby restaurant for an hour. There is a certain madness that slithers up your shoulder blades when waiting for a table. It doesn’t help that they just stand you close enough to watch other people eat. My lady friend and I got so frustrated, we just decided to find a good place to dent the old liver. Lo and behold, we take a gander at the evilOlive and find parking close by. It was a Saturday night so we half expected to pay some kind of entrance fee. It turns out, no fee necessary. I do believe that was because we arrived before 12 am though. So be on guard, I have heard evilOlive charges cover on some nights.
I’ll be the first to admit that the prices are a little suspect. I’m not entirely sure this place warrants a $4 Miller Lite or PBR tallboy. If you’re more of an upscale drinker, then be prepared to dish out $10 for a martini. Don’t get me wrong, the evilOlive does have its charms. The winning factor of this place was something other than the liquor. The atmosphere and the crowd had won me over. On every TV screen in this place all I saw was the The Big Lebowski. You know what happened next. I naturally ordered a White Russian. Hell yeah, the Dude abides. After that they played Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels. This place appears to have the makings of a night club but consists of a Wicker Park and Ukraine Village crowd. This redeeming trait made this place all the more comfortable. All of the people genuinely seemed to be in a good mood. No douche baggery to be found here.
I just love the mannequins dressed up in strange attire, begging to be asked out on a date by Will Smith. If your looking for a place to dance around the Wicker Park and Ukraine Village area without paying a $20 or $10 entrance fee, this is your place. If your looking for deals, Wednesdays at evilOlive offer $2 PBRs and $4 well drinks. Thursdays have $2 High Life cans and $4 Svedka drinks. Another cool thing here was the photo booth. Like many malls of the 90s, you and some friends can prepare your best poses and take them to go. So dust off your skinny jeans and your t-shirts with your favorite obscure, nostalgic cartoon. Go enjoy the night and drink your weekend off, as we move like clockwork.
evilOlive
1551 W. Division St.
(Between Ashland Ave & Bosworth Ave)
Chicago, IL 60622
(773) 235-9100