Inside: The Rocking Horse

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There’s something refreshing about the kind of spot that has condiment caddies instead of cover charges.

Meet the Rocking Horse (read below for review) and the Bad Apple (click here for review), recently opened in Logan Square and North Center, respectively. With plenty of beer, burgers and fries, these two bars are proud of their low-key settings -- and early crowds suggest their neighbors are too.  

THE CROWD
The Logan Square trifecta of beards, neckties and tattoos was out in full force, but this sibling to West Town’s High Dive isn’t just drawing twenty and thirtysomethings. Elderly ladies chatted up a bartender and a hip family chowed down with their toddler. (Wasn’t it past his bedtime? There may be a funky rocking horse mosaic on the wall by the bar, but that doesn’t make it a nursery.)

THE LOOK
“Brady Bunch”-esque vintage glass lamps hang in clusters from the ceiling and red plastic water glasses remind us of Pizza Hut in the early ’90s, but the jet black chairs and booths toughened up with silver studs bring the vibe back to the present. A game den in back features a pool table, a “Who Dunnit?” murder mystery-themed pinball and a restored vintage photo booth (for the decidedly non-vintage $4 a strip).

THE DRINKS
Ten on-tap beers range from the omnipresent Stella Artois to Three Floyds Robert the Bruce. By-the-bottle picks (43 total) get a little more unusual, such as Unibroue’s Ephemere and Phin & Matt’s Extraordinary Ale from Southern Tier Brewing Company, but without any descriptions, you’ll have to rely on your server to school you.

THE EATS
There are so many apps (gravy-covered fries, chili-smothered tater tots, homemade wontons stuffed with smoky chorizo and chihuahua cheese) that you could easily just stick to sharing. But then you’d miss out on the 22 burgers, wraps and sandwiches ($7.50-$11) on the other side of the menu, like the blackened shrimp po’ boy and a decent barbecue sauce-slathered bacon and gouda burger.

BOTTOM LINE
In Logan Square, if you want studied mixology, head to the Whistler; for a true dive, you’ve got Helen’s Two Way. For a local bar and grill with an edgier feel (plus more burger and beer choices) than nearby Dunlay’s on the Square, the Rocking Horse certainly delivers.

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