Lincoln Avenue in Lincoln Park has more places to throw back a few drinks than The Simpsons has characters. From clubs to sports bars to dives, you can find just about every kind of crowd on this North Side strip. But for a relaxed, come-as-you-are hangout, shimmy on over to Lincoln Station.

Located across the street from the alley where Dillinger met his demise, Lincoln Station features two large rooms: one to please the pool-hall junkies and the other sporting an extensive bar with plenty of tables and booths. Classic beer-style posters adorn the darkly painted walls and an impressive, albeit ambiguous, '20s-style mural covers the wall above the booths. You'll have to see this thing and decipher it for yourself. If you don't feel like being analytical, check out one of the 13 flat-screen TVs, play Golden Tee or try your luck on one of three pool tables for 10 bucks an hour.

You'll find a younger, DePaul-age crowd here during the school year, when the place gets pretty noisy. But during the summer months it settles down a tad, so you can bring some friends in for drinks and grub. Station features 25-cent wings on Mondays and $1 tacos on Tuesdays after 4 p.m. The food is above average and the rest of the menu includes traditional American fare. Thursdays are great for $2 pints of Miller Lite and Blue Moon as well as $3 pints of Guinness. Prefer a pitcher to share with friends? You can get all the beers on tap that way, too. And be sure to celebrate the night by throwing your favorite song on the jukebox, which features thousands of tunes.

Centerstage Reviewer: John Kristoff