Best Bars in Chicago: Rodan

Friday night, 8 PM, I receive a text message from my best friend.

"WHERE YOU AT?"

I reply, verbosely:

"GOIN TO RODAN. MEET YOU THERE AT 9."

Rodan, located in the historic Wicker Park Neighborhood of Chicago, provides one of the best and classiest dining and drinking experiences in town. Located at 1530 North Milwaukee Ave, Rodan can be reached by either the Milwaukee, Damen, or North Avenue buses, or the Damen stop on the Blueline.

If you're looking for charming drinks, dining, and atmosphere in the Wicker Park area, first visit Rodan. Skip the other restaurants and bars in the immediate area.

The best and worst thing about Rodan is that it appears pretentious. If you look in the window, you'll see stylish 20-somethings drinking fine alcohols and wearing the so-called hipster outfit. You'll see a cool urban aesthetic with Asian influences. You'll see expensive beers and froofy cocktails.

Take a step inside and you'll meet bicyclists, skateboarders, rock stars, rappers, students, professionals, and some of the more interesting characters in Chicago.

So, try not to be intimidated by appearances. The people who frequent Rodan are often extremely friendly and unpretentious. Once, I met a man wearing a Davy Crockett hat and sunglasses. It turned out he was a local artist. I've also met social workers, professionals, graduation parties, bachelorette parties, and some of the local Wicker Park celebrities in Rodan.

I'll break this down into two categories, because Rodan is both a restaurant and a bar.

Drinks vs. Food vs. Music

I'd have to say that I enjoy Rodan more as a bar than a restaurant. There are simply too many places to eat in the Wicker/Bucktown area. But, if you're looking to entertain close friends, then Rodan has a lot to offer. I wouldn't expect to leave with a full stomach, however, I would expect to leave with my existential angst quenched by amazing cocktails, tasty hors d'oeuvres, atmosphere, music, and companionship.

Expect to spend between four and ten dollars for normal drinks, wine and sake selections cost upwards of fifteen dollars for bottle. Expect to spend about ten to twenty dollars for items on the menu.

Expect to eat multi-national treats. You'll get to taste flavors from Asia and South America. Some of the selections on the menu include: Chimichurra beef, Adobo Cornish Hen, South American style Empanadas, Wasabi fries, and a selection of other Asian/South American goodies.

The beer selection in Rodan contains some of the unique high-end microbrews you won't really find in other bars, such as Brooklyn Lager, Honkers, and exquisite imports such as Duvel. Unpretentiously, you'll also find Pabst Blue Ribbon, Miller High Life, and Amstel Light.

As far as mixed-drinks go, Rodan features a full bar of amazing top-shelf liquors, but just ask the bartender if you're looking for the cheaper-end mixed drink. If you're a wine fanatic, there is also a great selection of fine wines in Rodan.

Also, if you like Sake, Rodan has one of the best offerings of Sake in town. You'll have to stop by Rodan to check out their menu.

One drink on the menu stands out to me the most: Champagne with Lychee. Served with dry champagne and a lychee fruit bobbing in the bubbles, this drink is definitely a fancy treat for all who want to feel a little luxurious.

There is typically one of Wicker Park's local favorite DJ's behind the decks at Rodan. If you like Afrobeat, Jazz, electronica, old-school indie, punk, bossa-nova, funk, soul, or any other eclectic music style, you will find it at Rodan. The back drop of Rodan features a projection screen, usually they have rare foreign films, strange psychedelic designs, or skate videos playing as atmosphere.

Rodan was named after the classic monster movie, an enormous flying lizard. As a restaurant, Rodan does a pretty amazing job of destroying your boredom and lack of a social life.