The Beacon Pub

Very cool kind of place. It’s unique with old pictures and the half lady hanging from the ceiling. The most important was that the bartender was very nice and had that calm easy going personality that made me comfortable asking for what ever drink. I really enjoy very different kinds of drinks. I don’t care so much for bars. But this place was interesting. Locals are very friendly and will talk to you.
Loved it.
I’ll definitely come back.

Much as I was bummed I barely missed getting to Exit Strategy before it closed due to it’s early Sunday closing (vow try again getting there before the end of 2015), I checked out this place instead due to the good reviews I noticed about this place. It didn’t disappoint, and was a very pleasant dive bar. Had a lot of good things going for it that I liked, such as a smoker-​friendly patio, pleasant bartender (even if he didn’t talk much, it doesn’t matter to me), a mix of interesting and beer themed older décor on the walls (i.e. Budweiser Clydesdales (sp?) horse model near the front door), and a surprisingly good selection of micro beers that wasn’t just say, Leinekugel or one of the more common micro beers. Heck, they had Rochefort 6(though not 8 and 10), a Trappist beer that I bet 99% of dive bars don’t carry! Also board games and a few books you could borrow and look at, old school tin ceiling, and an internet jukebox. No kitchen (it appeared to be BYO food, but since I didn’t notice any menus inside for nearby places, I’d recommend bringing food to here if you do so), but I could tell they supposedly serve free popcorn here. They oddly weren’t doing it that night though, though I’d bet they might have popped some were I to have asked? And since I saw the other review that mentioned the draft beer was a little warm when that person visited, I stuck to bottles/​cans side of the beer menu. Maybe I’ll get a draft next time, to see what the temperature really is like?
My only minor complaint on top of the fact they I didn’t see popcorn inside that machine, was that I wish the lights along the fence of the patio had been turned on and weren’t turned off. But hey, it wasn’t so dark I couldn’t see back there. Maybe they turn those lights off, on slower nights? And funny thing was that despite I could tell it was a White Sox bar (and the bartender even had a Sox shirt, and saw some Sox themed things on the walls), there were a few of those north side fans watching the Cubs game on 1 of their 3 TVs, so not as unwelcoming to Cub fans as one might think at first glance. Though I’d bet they’d get whined at, if it was during the Cubs/​Sox series. :) Otherwise, great bar, and I know I’d definitely return.

I’m a big fan of dive bars, so I decided to check this place out after moving to the neighborhood. The atmosphere was perfect, not too crowded, not too empty, with a bunch of regulars calling the bartender by name and getting their usuals. I came in to watch a bit of the Sox game, and everybody there was intently staring at the two HD televisions like me. There was some classic rock playing over the speakers, but it wasn’t too loud to drown out conversation, and there are dartboards in the back, if that’s your thing. Some pretty good daily specials, to boot. Again: really good atmosphere.
Really, the only gripe I had about this place was their beer. The first red flag was when I ordered a draft and the bartender pulled the pint glass from the refrigerator — this is usually a bad sign, since a chilled glass can help cover up some warm beer. But this beer was WARM. The bartender had a separate pint glass right under the tap for the sole purpose of collecting foam and dumping it down the drain, like they knew their system was screwy and this was their system in place. Which is a shame, because they had some surprisingly good beers on tap — Revolution and Three Floyd’s, both nearby breweries, were my go-​tos. But my beer was about half foam, and it was maybe 50 degrees.
Again, everything else about the place was great, so I’m still giving it three stars. If you’re not a beer drinker, or maybe like your beer out of a bottle or a can, then it’s a solid five-​star place. Even with my warm beer, I sat and watched a good hour of the Sox game because the atmosphere was just that comfortable, but the beer made me feel a bit like I was back in a college frat house.

Not a review quite yet, but I like the looks of the place and it appears to have parking.
The Chicago HWA will be meeting there.

I love this dive bar. Staff is great and the beer garden is awesome! I love the darts even though the machines get touchy sometimes. I know they are starting to update some of the older equipment but that never bothered me anyway. The beer selection is great and I will continue to support this place!

I feel like dive bars are one of two things– friendly and relaxed, or cliquey with regulars. This bar was definitely a friendly one! Everyone there seemed happy to be out and having a good time.
They have a very decent selection of craft brews here, including Rogue, Three Floyds, and the like, but nothing super «girly» on the beer front, as of yet (I can only have beer for lent and was hoping for a sweet kick).
The atmosphere is super relaxed, and it seems like this place totally answered the calling of someone saying «You know what we should do? We should open a bar!!» The structure is like that of a remodeled (albeit very large) home.
People ordering food got frozen pizzas delivered to them, so this is probably just a good place to keep in mind as a watering hole. I will definitely come back, especially when you can sit outside in their biergarten!

I’m not a big dive bar fan. Like at all. But this place is right around the corner from me and it looks so cute and charming. Literally it looks and feels like you’re drinking in someone’s home. Finally I broke down and went in and was so happy that I did. They don’t have a kitchen so you should probably eat before you go. My roomie and I went after work one night for a quick beer and it was so nice. Really calm, chill atmosphere. The bartender was super sweet and let us sample some of the awesome craft beer that they had on tap. She then told us about the beer garden out back. Since it was a nice day we went to check it out and was not disappointed. The back yard (bier-​garden) was so nice and spacious. Totally a local hang out vibe. It felt really homie there and I can’t wait to go back. I haven’t been on a weekend night yet though but I can only imagine it gets pretty live.

The «It’s Always sunny in Forest Park, IL»… bar. This place is way chill. All the regulars are old men in the area. The beer garden is a great space to enjoy an evening. They have better than average beer and reasonable prices. no food, decent jukebox. A great change of pace from Madison street. If you enjoy the simple things in life, this is your Beacon.

Classic dive bar, complete with an old Chicago skyline mural from the 80’s (?) above the bar.
If you love clean dive bars, this is your place.

I came here for Trivia Night a few weeks ago. I’ve driven past this place many times, but never had the opportunity to go in. It definitely has that local, dive bar feel, but I liked it. The drinks were very reasonably priced and it was a good venue for trivia.

A very boring place. Go here if you want to hang out with 3 people total. (bartender included in the 3)

Total dive, awesome beer selection and definitely will go back. I was only here for a quick beer but I could imagine spending a night of boozing here without breaking the bank while having the chance to interact with colorful regulars.
My only complaint was the strong smell of cleaning solution, smelled like they had just wiped down every surface with Pine-​Sol and I left with a little bit of a headache.

I’m a huge, huge fan of dive bars. I can’t explain it, but I’ll take a dive bar over a pretentious, loud, trendy bar any day of the week. Maybe it’s the cheap beer? Either way I really like this joint. I’ve been here twice, both times with friends and both times intentionally meaning for it to kick-​start the rest of the night. The first night we actually ended up staying here all night and had a great time chatting, laughing, and enjoying the drinks. The second time this bar was our starting point for a myriad of other bars we pardoned that night (this was my favorite of them all!).
There’s something special about this place that I can’t quite put my finger on. I love that it’s never crowded and that everyone at the bar seems to be a regular, or just some Joe Schmo who’s just there to enjoy the beer and mind his business. I like that there’s not creepy old men hitting on all the girls in the bar (not that there are many girls to hit on, it’s only ever really just been my friends and I whenever I’m in) and I like that the dark bar and the décor lend to the ambiance of all that is truly a dive bar.
If I remember correctly, the PBR here is $ 3. This alone would keep me coming back time and again.
This isn’t the bar you go to on a first date. It’s the bar you go to when you realize you really like the guy and are comfortable enough around him to throw on jeans and a t-​shirt and throw back a few PBRs while chatting mindlessly about… whatever.
And the bartender? Not pushy, overbearing, or eager. Just how I like it.

I’ve been going to the Beacon on and off since the 90’s when it was owned the O’Sullivan brothers (who opened a place on the strip on Madison). Was in there a week ago after having dinner in OP. It’s been about 4 years since I’ve been in there and it hasn’t changed a bit. Same crap on the walls, same dart boards and Golden Tee Machine, still a great beer selection on tap and friendly Bartenders.
We got there around 10:00 PM on a Saturday and was surprised the place was almost empty with the exception of a couple of older regulars. They added a beer garden in the back and that was completely empty. Not sure if it was just an off night but «back in the day» they always seemed to have a pretty good crowd.
But still a great «meet up» place to grab a drink before a night out or on a weeknight if you feel like getting out of the house to watch a ball game.

I miss this place. This is the best bar of the western burbs. Great atmosphere and cool people. Not on Madison so it is free of drunk fratboys. By far my favorite.

Popped in here for a pre dinner drink, looking for a place to talk with our friends. Real friendly place, quiet enough to talk. Good selection of beer. If your looking for a local tavern, decent choice, easy to park too. Will be back.

Great local dive bar. Good beer selection for a smaller place, two dart boards, popcorn, juke box music, and a few unexpected items creating an interesting décor. (Check out the map on the ceiling)

A quick review on my secret hey-​i-​got-​a-​cool-​joint-​to-​go-​to-​for-​a-​quick-​beer-​where-​i-​can-​talk-​to-​you-​and-​not-​yell-​while-​having-​some-​super-​solid-​crafts: I love you.

A nice out-​of-​the-​way dive bar.
A nice quiet place to get away from the regular hubub of the bars on Madison street. It’s a charming little place, less than a block from Goldie Burgers and only two blocks from the Harlem stop of the green line.
Local author Stephanie Kuehnert tends bar a few nights a week and it has the best outdoor seating area since Horan’s shut down.
The only downsides are the patio closes at midnight (completely reasonable, since it abuts some private residences) and the music is sometimes too loud to hold any kind of conversation.
Parking is on the street but because this place isn’t drawing the crowds it’s usually not a problem.
The tables are attached to the walls and only seat four each. It’s not great for groups that would want to put together a bunch of tables and sit together. It’s ok for groups on the go like pub crawls or groups that don’t need to sit all at the same group of tables like dart tournaments. There are a few dart boards in the back and they’re usually open. The short tables are just small enough to be cozy but not so small as to be a problem. Ladies with large purses, put them on the rail on the wall to save table space.
I am not usually this obsessed with tables. Promise.

This place has HISTORY. The sociable bartender informed us that the bar has been around since the 30s. The mural of the Chicago skyline above the long, horizontal bar mirror really tells a story (pre– Sears tower). The ceiling is old tin tiles. Photos in the bar date back to the bar’s early days.
Very decent beer selection. Great specials. And a local crowd.
Two dart boards and two Megatouch games.
And… a wonderful back patio. Where (unlike Oak Park) you don’t have to purchase food to sit and drink in!
*This is definitely a Sox fan bar. Refrain from wearing Cubs apparel when visiting. ;)