Twin Anchors

David Duchovny has eaten here with Minnie Driver. So has Conan O’Brien, and back in the day, Chris Farley. When he’s in Chicago, Robert DeNiro gets his carry out from here and it’s been rumored that Oprah does too. The question is: have you eaten at Twin Anchors yet?

It can be contended that you may not yet be able to call yourself a true Chicagoan until you do. Situated at the low key corner of Eugenie and Sedwick in a tree lined nook of Old Town sits this dive-bar meets celebrity magnet meets neighborhood hang. Yet people have been packing into Twin Anchors for 75 years for reasons that have nothing to do with its celebrity cache: it’s  for the beer, the food, and those ribs.

Do not come expecting to find Schlitz and MGD (although you can have either if you want), because Twin Anchors knows its beer and it doesn’t mess around.  The menu is divided into two sections: beer on tap and specialty bottles. Both lists are complete with local, national and international selections, plus on-point and entertaining descriptions.  The light yet potent, effervescent Delirium is a prime choice (and at 9% alcohol, you’ll only need one or two) and so is the staff’s choice: Hudson Strawberry Ale, reminiscent of pure strawberry soda without the sweetness. Start the night off with a bottle  of one of those, plus  an order of the  mini pork BBQ sandwiches on gooey mini-buns and you’re on the right foot…

A disclaimer when dining at Twin Anchors: leave your fine dining princess at the door. It’s time to bring out your inner grub-hungry chick. The dishes have no frills, the presentation is non-existent at best, the silverware comes wrapped in paper napkin rolls and there are hand wipe packets next to your plastic salt and paper shakers. This, my cheekies, is Twin Anchors charm.  And the food, well, is the legacy.

The Famous Ribs are a no-brainer and they come served up in full slab style with your choice of fries or onion rings, baked beans, creamed spinach or coleslaw (we’ll get back to those in a moment.) Be adventurous and try the Giant Grilled Shrimp. A quartet of crustaceans come skewered on the half-shell with your choice of cocktail or lemon butter sauce. The Grilled BBQ Chicken is half of a full chicken with a sweet and sour, mildly spicy and expertly tangy BBQ sauce that is worth the price of the whole dish alone. BBQ baked beans come in a crock pot, keeping those bad boys roasting the whole time you chow down, smothered in that infamous sauce and mixed up with generous fatty pieces of pulled pork. And if you thought you would be healthy ordering the spinach, think again. This one comes creamed with pepper jack cheese and a kick.

Twin Anchors is one of those rare places that can make you feel like a celeb, an in-the-know local and a down-home, baked beans eatin’, finger lickin’, beer drinkin’ cheeky chick, all in one stop.  So… what are you waiting for?