Central Park Bar — Restaurant in Jefferson Township

Update: I just found out they have happy hour from 4-7 pm during the week, with half price drinks. Woot!

This evening was one of those perfectly lovely Chicago evenings that you can hope for: warm (but not hot) day sliding into a mild evening. My wife suggested meeting up for a drink here because she knew there was a nice outdoor area, and had been meaning to check it out for quite some time.

I'd been here a couple of times, including once in the outdoors. It was a much cooler time, but still really nice.

What a great choice: we had a great time. Alex, the outdoor bartender, was patient with my request for "...can you suggest something with lime, and also with a kick, say jalapeño but not habañero." I basically wanted to be someplace tropical. Jonesing big time for somewhere far away (though I do love Chicago, and Avondale/Logan Square). He gave me a couple of options, including a slushy that perfectly fit the bill. It’s one of the best I’ve ever had.

The patio is also dog friendly, which is big for me since my dog is my almost-constant companion, comfort dog, co-pilot, drinking buddy, and voice of reason. She’s a great buffer/balance with a world full of humans.

After a spell, the burly bouncer Tex came over, and far from the typical suspicious "Who are you, and why are you here?" door-person persona, he's a really nice dude.

We had a really nice time chatting and after he left, my wife said, "I love Tex!" to which I said, “Hey, I saw him first!” 😆 Seriously though, great guy.

Great sounds from DJ Dom Hanks’ Super Sexy Sunday show.

What a...

As a local and weekly visitor, the attitude of the bar staff on the patio is unwelcoming. There are specific bartenders who often work the patio that, while not overtly rude, are slow, terse, and give off a “what do you want/why are you asking me for anything” tone. It really detracts from the rest of what this bar offers - friendly GM, amazing space, and lots nightly events/pop-ups/specials.

Separate note - it would be great to have a designated space/station at the patio bar to queue up to order a drink. There seems to be ample space for this. Clambering over others sitting at the bar in the high-top chairs is kind of annoying for everyone involved. Especially when the bartenders are less than friendly. It’s really no fun to wait 10 minutes then have to try to pay a bill by squeezing between the shoulders of other people trying to enjoy themselves at the bar.

I’m seeing in other reviews that service is an issue here - I hope they take...

Disgusting behavior - avoid this place. On 11/27 (just now), myself, my best friend, and fiancé entered the bar with no trouble. Having lived in the neighborhood for 10 years, we were excited to check out the new bar we excitedly watched being built.

Shortly after (about 7-8 min), our friend was denied entry due to a “private event”, when this is obviously not the case as we easily entered on a busy Saturday night. When we attempted to meet him at the door, the “bouncer” became physical and pushed my fiancé out of the door as he was questioning why his friend was not allowed in. We didn’t pay a cover, we weren’t given a hassle, so what was the issue? Clearly the bouncer was discriminating in some way by not allowing him to enter based...