Sometimes all a man needs is a night to blow off steam with the fellas. Y’know: uninhibited carousing followed by curbside tacos at two in the morning.
That time is now. On our menu: three new spots in River North that’ll guide you from happy hour to last call. Here’s your plan.
Start the night out at the Highline Bar + Lounge, a new resto from the Benchmark and Trellis guys. Same elevated bar vibe. It’s got a number of flat screens for your sporting pleasure, plus leather-clad booths where you can enjoy Korean steak tacos and ice-cold Lagunitas IPAs on tap.
After dinner, take a walk to the newly opened HQ Beercade River North, a 14,000-square-foot game room lined with more than 65 vintage arcade and pinball cabinets — from Punch Out to Wayne Gretzky Hockey. Beer and food menu surpasses the Lakeview locale by far. Proof is in the deviled eggs.
Late night, stumble down to Mercadito Counter for some post-game grub. Serving food until 4 a.m. on the weekends, Mercadito’s menu includes mutant hot dogs like the Mole-Q: a smoked-then-fried pork dog with jalapeño slaw and crispy onion strings. Also: tacos. Wash it all down with cocktails from the tap and call it a night.
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