The History Behind Anthony Bourdain's Favorite Chicago Dive Bar

The best iconic Chicago restaurants might serve up deep-dish pizza, Italian beef sandos, or even Coney-style chili dogs. At the Old Town Ale House, which is just 'round the corner from the famed Second City comedy club, owner Bruce Elliott is serving up unfussy cocktails with a side of homegrown art and plenty of sass. If Bruce doesn't like you, then you can't drink at Old Town. That's just how it goes. 

One person that was always welcome was Anthony Bourdain, who first visited Old Town Ale House in 2012 as part of an episode of "The Layover," then returned to feature it in a Chicago-themed episode of "Parts Unknown" in 2016. Bourdain felt that the dive bar was emblematic of Chicago's character, which he described on Medium as "[a] metropolis, completely non-neurotic, ever-moving, big hearted but cold blooded machine with millions of moving parts — a beast that will, if disrespected or not taken seriously, roll over you without remorse."

Bourdain was a man of contrasts. His favorite Paris restaurant was Le Dôme Café, proving that he could appreciate haute culture, but he certainly wasn't above more down-to-earth delights. Le Dôme was frequented in the interwar period by bohemians and Modernist geniuses, while, in contrast, the Old Town Ale House is frequented by a motley crew of regulars, from blue-collar workers to improv students. Bourdain brought the bar infamy, but it's nothing that Elliott isn't ready to handle. Act up in his establishment, and you might find yourself on the unfortunate "No Shots" list (meaning you can't order them) or even banned outright.

The dive bar got its start in 1958 and passed through a string of irresponsible or otherwise profligate owners until it settled with Elliott. Elliott himself has been a patron of the bar since 1961, when he was 21 years old. As per his oral history of the establishment, the original Old Town Ale House was directly across the street from its current location but burned down. The then-owners bought the butcher shop across the way and carried the solid bar top across the street.

National attention came calling for Old Town before Bourdain even checked it out, thanks to Elliott's irreverent paintings of politicians and celebrities in compromising positions, all prominently displayed in the bar. Sarah Palin, Newt Gingrich, and Dennis Rodman are just some of the public figures who have been lampooned by Elliott's brush. Less salacious but more beloved is Elliott's mural of everyday regulars, which has turned sepia over time.

Like Dino's, the Tennessee restaurant that is Nashville's oldest dive bar, Old Town Ale House has survived this long by keeping the elements that work. It may look like a relic from the past, but the passage of time is doing nothing but make this place cooler. That Anthony Bourdain liked it is actually one of the least interesting facts about the place, and that's really saying something!