Happy 56th Anniversary to The Lodge

To say The Lodge is a Division Street staple is an understatement. Celebrating its 56^th anniversary this week, The Lodge is the oldest bar on Division but it still draws in customers half its age.

Opened in 1957, The Lodge was making a name for itself before the birth of the singles bar, disco music and President Obama (age 51). If you haven’t been there, the management makes a concerted effort to maintain the original ambiance and the staff continues to do what it does best – cold beer, Moscow Mules and a hot dogs in the corner.

I recently had a chance to bring my friend Emma from London to The Lodge for the bar’s anniversary party and Emma said it immediately felt like one of her local pubs back home. The warm atmosphere and the bountiful baskets of peanuts were an immediate hit and the bar stocked with Hendricks Gin from Scotland was a lovely bonus. This is a first experience countless people have had.

With more than five decades of dancing, laughter and Miller Lite engrained in the bar, swing by this future landmark and raise a glass to one of the few bars every Chicagoan knows. 

Congratulations and cheers to another 56 years!