Chicago Pool halls??? any recomendations?

TheGreenHornet

TheGreenHornet

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Hey guys, i am going to chicago the last week of march till april3, for the first couple of days my girlfriend will be at a convention so i am looking for good pool halls to shoot in. I will be staying near northwestern university. i do not know the area at all. i will be looking into more but any pool hall recomendations? thanks.
 
Do a search on Chicago poolrooms. There was a thread on this subject just a couple of weeks ago. Northwestern is in Evanston, which is several miles north of downtown Chicago. If you have a car, there are a few good rooms on the north side, and in the northwest suburbs. If not, there is a nice new room, on Clark St., near Clark & Devon, called Pressure Billiards, which will be a fairly short cab ride from Evanston. They have a coffee shop, sell food, and have a website too.

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com
 
TheGreenHornet said:
Hey guys, i am going to chicago the last week of march till april3, for the first couple of days my girlfriend will be at a convention so i am looking for good pool halls to shoot in. I will be staying near northwestern university. i do not know the area at all. i will be looking into more but any pool hall recomendations? thanks.
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Do you like to drink, smoke, eat, gamble, play late, play early, pool halls only or bars, fancy shmancy, old school?

Also, will you have a car?
 
no bar tables, or just bars. actual pool halls, fancier would be nice but respectable at least,a place where good pool players shoot, gamble no, play midday, eat and drink yes, pool halls only. maybe old scholl also.
 
TheGreenHornet said:
Hey guys, i am going to chicago the last week of march till april3, for the first couple of days my girlfriend will be at a convention so i am looking for good pool halls to shoot in. I will be staying near northwestern university. i do not know the area at all. i will be looking into more but any pool hall recomendations? thanks.
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while in Chicago you have to visit Chris's pool hall 4637 n.Milwaukee av. 773 286-4714.this is where some filming of Color of Money was at..this is an old building old scool pool hall...3 rooms .main room > serious players no music action on the main table.....in the south suburb in Orland Park there is Pro-Tyme Classic Billiards ..15605 s.94th av.(94th av.just north of 159th.....708 403-0600..the best parking of any hall you will ever go to..very elegant quite room..nice place to eat at..great proshop...after your visit to Chicago if you can,post about your experience...Have a good one...
 
Chris's billiards is a classic and you might see George Fels there and get a great story out of him. also, good players like Larry Schwartz(another writer) hang there and he's a heckuva nice guy.
 
TheGreenHornet said:
no bar tables, or just bars. actual pool halls, fancier would be nice but respectable at least,a place where good pool players shoot, gamble no, play midday, eat and drink yes, pool halls only. maybe old scholl also.
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Cool!

Yep, Chris's is a must play. Classic old school at it's best. Walk around the place and check the tables before you play if you like tighter pockets. There's no alcohol served and no smoking. You can bring it in with you if you want, but most folks don't. Great place if you want to practice real cheap,($3-4 hr) Lots of great players and action in the evenings.

I haven't been to Pressure only because it's the same distance for me to Chris's, but I have heard nothing but good things from other players who have been there. The rates are much higher than Chris's, but I've heard it's worth it. Pressure Billiards is the closest, nicest place to Evanston.

Pro-Tyme is a long way from Evanston, (maybe 1 1/2 hrs in bad traffic) but if you have the time and want to take a drive, it's definitely worth checking out.

Smoking is not allowed at most pool halls but City Pool Hall (640 W. Hubbard) somehow allows it. It has great service, nice 9' and 8' tables, decent food, and reasonably priced drinks.

A step up from City Pool Hall and only a few blocks away is G-Cue (Morgan and Randolf). I'm not sure if G-Cue is non smoking, but the food and drink selection is great. Most locals think of G-Cue as being overpriced, and you won't see the best players in the city there, but the tables are well maintained. I met and took a lesson from Scott Lee there sometime back.

Make sure you have enough quarters for the parking meters!

Good luck and have a nice trip!
 
i think northwerstern is out by dekalb. they have the "den" with some tables but they're pretty shitty. ummm.. chicago have some nice pool halls. check out the Green Room in north aurora,..it's laid back place
 
XxwriteoffxX said:
i think northwerstern is out by dekalb. they have the "den" with some tables but they're pretty shitty. ummm.. chicago have some nice pool halls. check out the Green Room in north aurora,..it's laid back place
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Northwestern University is about 20 miles from downtown Chicago:

http://www.mapquest.com/directions/...6|847-491-3741|US&2qc=Colleges & Universities


North Aurora is almost 50 miles from Northwestern:

http://www.mapquest.com/directions/...a=633+Clark+St&2c=Evanston&2s=IL&2z=60201&r=f

Chris's Billiards is about 12 miles from Northwestern:

http://www.mapquest.com/directions/...600+n.+milwaukee+ave&2c=chicago&2s=il&2z=&r=f

Hope this info is of help!

Flex
 
XxwriteoffxX said:
i think northwerstern is out by dekalb. they have the "den" with some tables but they're pretty shitty. ummm.. chicago have some nice pool halls. check out the Green Room in north aurora,..it's laid back place
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You're thinking of Northern Illinois University, not Northwestern.:D

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com
 
TheGreenHornet said:
no bar tables, or just bars. actual pool halls, fancier would be nice but respectable at least,a place where good pool players shoot, gamble no, play midday, eat and drink yes, pool halls only. maybe old scholl also.
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I lived in Evanston and Rogers Park for 10 years, so here you go.

1) Flex, cuejoey, and DaPoet gave you good advice if you can travel. But if you can't then you'll have to make do with the local options.

2) The Northwestern student union has a pool room with about 10 Gold Crowns, several of which are covered with Simonis. There will be some people there mid-day, as long as your trip doesn't overlap with spring break. The pool room was in the basement of the student union, though when I left in 2004 there was talk of moving it.

2) Pete Miller's: steak house with about four 8' tables with big pockets. No action or players, and the tables really suck. But it's upscale.

3) The Mark II on Western, just on the Chicago side of the border, has just one 8' table, but on some nights, a fair number of decent players. (Other nights are league nights, and Thursdays will be packed with undergrads.)

4) Bars in Evanston with pool tables: The Keg (3), Tommy Nevins (1), and Prarie Moon (2).

Cory
 
Cory in DC said:
I lived in Evanston and Rogers Park for 10 years, so here you go.


3) The Mark II on Western, just on the Chicago side of the border, has just one 8' table, but on some nights, a fair number of decent players. (Other nights are league nights, and Thursdays will be packed with undergrads.)


Cory
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I know bars weren't on your radar, but the Mark II is open till 4:00am every day and it is currently the best late night pool option on the north side of the city. It has one very decent free 8' with tight pockets, lots of room around the table, and a very friendly and seriously enthusiastic pool crowd (folks bring in their own cues), especially between 1:00am thru 4:00am. It's only 2 blocks south of the Evanston Chicago border on Western Ave. so you could easily cab it home for about $10. It's not easy holding the table there and late night, it is a great place to go.

It is best to get there between 1:30 and 2:00 am if you want to get a chance to play. There will probably be only 3-4 people waiting to play. Most other places close at 2:00 and there is always a light night surge. after 2:00 there will be as many as 12 or so people signed up on the board waiting to play. Warning though, this place can get smokey.

A nice little daytime secret is Cary's at 2251 W. Devon. It's a bar with another free (sometimes they ask for a two drink minimum) and very decent 8'. It opens around noon and you'll likely be the only one on the table in the early afternoon. The nice secret is that there is free parking in the back. So if you get thirsty after playing at Pressure, this is an option worth checking out. It is in the middle of a very crowded East Indian neighborhood and you will think you're in another country until you walk through the doors.


Good luck and enjoy your trip! :D
 
Da Poet said:
I know bars weren't on your radar, but the Mark II is open till 4:00am every day and it is currently the best late night pool option on the north side of the city. It has one very decent free 8' with tight pockets, lots of room around the table, and a very friendly and seriously enthusiastic pool crowd (folks bring in their own cues), especially between 1:00am thru 4:00am. It's only 2 blocks south of the Evanston Chicago border on Western Ave. so you could easily cab it home for about $10. It's not easy holding the table there and late night, it is a great place to go.

It is best to get there between 1:30 and 2:00 am if you want to get a chance to play. There will probably be only 3-4 people waiting to play. Most other places close at 2:00 and there is always a light night surge. after 2:00 there will be as many as 12 or so people signed up on the board waiting to play. Warning though, this place can get smokey.

A nice little daytime secret is Cary's at 2251 W. Devon. It's a bar with another free (sometimes they ask for a two drink minimum) and very decent 8'. It opens around noon and you'll likely be the only one on the table in the early afternoon. The nice secret is that there is free parking in the back. So if you get thirsty after playing at Pressure, this is an option worth checking out. It is in the middle of a very crowded East Indian neighborhood and you will think you're in another country until you walk through the doors.


Good luck and enjoy your trip! :D
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Do I know you?

Glad to hear the late night action at the Mark is still going strong. You're also right about Cary's, another place I should have mentioned -- last time I was in Chicago Cary's opened at 8:00 a.m.! So you could go to the Mark till 4:00, take a short nap, and start up at Cary's at 8.

Cory
 
Cory in DC said:
2) The Northwestern student union has a pool room with about 10 Gold Crowns, several of which are covered with Simonis. There will be some people there mid-day, as long as your trip doesn't overlap with spring break. The pool room was in the basement of the student union, though when I left in 2004 there was talk of moving it.
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Cory...Unfortunately, they have NOT moved the gameroom from downstairs in the "dungeon"! :rolleyes: I did a show in there not too long ago, and it was still the same. Don't recall there being 10 tables though...more like 6.

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com
 
Scott Lee said:
Cory...Unfortunately, they have NOT moved the gameroom from downstairs in the "dungeon"! :rolleyes: I did a show in there not too long ago, and it was still the same. Don't recall there being 10 tables though...more like 6.

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com
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Upon reflection, I think there are 12 tables (I used to teach the pool mini-course at NU, and shot there off and on for 10 years, so I spent a lot of time in there). Like this:

=..........=......=
......||..............
=..........=......=
......||..............
=..........=......=
......=....|Gameroom|

But you're right, "dungeon" is a pretty accurate description. On the plus side, some of the tables have Simonis and the hourly rate is low.

Cory
 
Cory in DC said:
Upon reflection, I think there are 12 tables (I used to teach the pool mini-course at NU, and shot there off and on for 10 years, so I spent a lot of time in there). Like this:

=..........=......=
......||..............
=..........=......=
......||..............
=..........=......=
......=....|Gameroom|

But you're right, "dungeon" is a pretty accurate description. On the plus side, some of the tables have Simonis and the hourly rate is low.

Cory
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Wow...I must have missed a few! LOL Since you were there so long, you must have been there when I did a three-day clinic with Jack White, in the late 90's. I remember they moved one table upstairs for the show, which we did on the main floor of the union.

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com
 
Scott Lee said:
Cory...Unfortunately, they have NOT moved the gameroom from downstairs in the "dungeon"! :rolleyes: I did a show in there not too long ago, and it was still the same. Don't recall there being 10 tables though...more like 6.

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com
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Lol! the "dungeon"!
 
Cory - They removed the tables near the left wall of the gameroom and replaced them with computer terminals, a couch and a TV. All the tables are covered in Simonis too. All that's needed to be upgraded are the balls.

As you know the Mark II isn't the same as when we were regulars but as dapoet stated, the place has a nice quick 8 footer, tight pockets, and surprisingly strong bar box players. You put your name on a list and winner stays. BCA 8-ball rules apply. It's a challenge to stay on that table all night.
 
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