photo: Alicia Eler

If you're craving some down-home diving amongst Northwestern's beefiest frat boys and blondest sorority girls—as well as some of Evanston's serious working-class sports fans, look no further than The Keg. From the weathered wooden facade to the Budweiser and Camel cigarette advertisement-covered interior, this place shouts hole-in-the-wall bar. The Bar Louie next door may tempt those with more cash flow in hand, but a trip to The Keg yields more cheap beer, sports watching, pool shootin' and dart throwin'. You decide which is more appealing.

In addition to the dank interiors, an ancient popcorn machine stands by a dusty window. In front, the heavily tinted door and the slightly tinted windows keep neighborhood cruisers away, sending the message that this place isn't for the guy who moved into the new condos down the street. As Evanston starts looking more like Lincoln Park with more condos, stores and a gigantic Barnes & Noble, places like The Keg prove that the non-yuppie people still exist in this town. (Watch out for all the college kids on Mondays and Thursdays, though.)

Feel like splurging on any given Wednesday night? Owners generously sell quarter wings (multiples of 10 only, man!) with free dipping sauce. Those with a taste for cheap beer like the sound of $5 Bud pitchers and $2 pints, too, so get out of your tiny dorm room, catch the Purple Line in from the North Side or just drive safely to this pub that cheapskates' dreams are made of.

Centerstage Reviewer: Alicia Eler