Loft Six Ten

Looking for an upbeat, happening, stylish destination for some Saturday night fun without the pretention? Aren’t we all? (Sigh…) If you’re like me and sometimes feel a little fed up with the River North raucous, hop on over to the refreshingly alternative neighborhood Wicker Park to find some serious eclectic entertainment. And Loft Six Ten – a lounge meets pub meets sports bar meets just plain cool hang – may just be the cheekiest of the bunch.

The lodge-y look (think Rockit) blended with a casual vibe (think Brownstone) and the laid-back crowd makes this a perfect destination for a week night catch-up or a weekend party. With a food menu ranging from lamb lollipops with sweet potato fries to Nicoise salads to bison burgers to mussels and fries, one can easily turn a night of drinking at Loft Six Ten into a culinary excursion. But let’s not forget that drink menu. With over 50 beer selections available between bottles, drafts, cans and 5.0 barrels (for $50 a pop), you are off to a good start. What surprised me most (besides the highly attractive bartenders…did I mention them?) was Loft Six Ten’s sophisticated wine list. With whites like Merryvale Chardonnay Carneros ($60), reds like Buoncristiani Vineyards OPC Meritage ($60); and Veuve, Dom Perignon and Cristal all available, Six Ten gets cheeky indeed.

But no spot is truly cheekified without a killer list of specialty cocktails. Lucky for us, the Loft doesn’t disappoint. Divided into vodka, rum, Maker’s Mark and beer cocktails, the menu provides something for every kind of drinker, hipster or not. If you’re gonna go special(ty), you might as well go all out and order the “Serendipity” (I think the name sold me alone). With Stoli Ohranj, Cointreau, orange juice and Blue Moon beer, the sweetness of the cordial and juice blended with the richness of the beer was perfectly offset by the bite of the vodka, making the drink (and my night) totally complete.

Wicker Park has never been so impudent, saucy, and bold…