The Norse Bar

I’m going to make this simple. This bar is awesome. A lot of beer. Nice company. I could write more, but instead of reading, just go check it out. You won’t regret it, unless you’re antisocial or a miserable person, then stay home. Cheers!

Excellent beer list, attentive staff and a cool atmosphere. I have had some great drinks at Norse and enjoyed some great conversations and videogames in the back of the bar.
I do prefer to get here earlier when some of the booths are available. Sometimes it’s subdued and quiet– a good place for the games available, great drinks and great conversations. Other times I’ve attempted to go, it’s been packed and super loud but really dark and not my scene.

very cute place to have drinks and play games. just went here last nite for their trivia tuesday & i had a great time with a friend. 6 rounds of 10 trivia questions on different topics. we didnt do so hot on those questions but its ok cuz i enjoyed my company. they seem to have a great beer menu but im not a fan of beer. they had a limited selection of other alcohol but i was able to find something i liked. the bathrooms are awesome tho! very clean and modern lookin! 2 thumbs up! i always appreciate a great bathroom in any establishment! while they didnt serve food the bartender suggested a few restaurants around the area. they even have a bunch of menus you can order from & have it delivered to this place! how cool is that!!! i definitely would come back here cuz i wanna pla the board games they had as well as the wii i was told they have.

It’s a bit out of the way for most Chicagoans, being located on the far north side in Rogers Park, but it’s well worth the detour and for neighborhood folks this place is treat. The owner Ben does it up right. A regularly updated draft beer menu keeps things fresh while the extensive variety of bottles and cans ranges from the familiar to the obscure. There are always rod pretzels to graze on and he also keeps a selection of card/​board games, a Nintendo Wii, a dart board, and a handful of arcades on hand just in case. There are a some large flatscreen TVs but they are positioned in a non-​intrusive way and easily ignored (or not as your preference dictates). So, bookmark this place in case you’re cruising by or make the effort to go out of your way and check this place out.

I came here with a friend for quick drinks. When we walked in the entire place was playing Trivia, which seemed fun. The atmosphere was nice and cozy and very welcoming.
Drinks were strong and reasonably priced.
There was an incident that was funny to me, (I don’t think my friend found it funny) but a rather drunk patron came over and kissed my friend on the forehead. The bartender quickly came over and asked if everyone was alright and apologized for the guy’s behavior. I would definitely come back again.

Dogs allowed! Tart and sour beers abound! Changing drink list! Friendly bartenders! Games! Easy to get to! Food allowed! Yay!

I was looking for a place near work to have after work cocktails. And this place kept getting mentioned. I did a quick glance through their drink options, they have a quality beer selection, and I was sold.
We say at the bar and barstools were good. Best part… they had hooks for our stuff!!! I love when bars have these. Service was solid. Bartender was attentive, but not all up in our business. The bar was also conducive to chatting and sharing some laughs. It might get louder as the evening goes on, but for the 4+ hours we were there, nothing but good times were had.

My favorite bar in Chicago, hands-​down, with the cleanest bathrooms this city has ever seen. Amazing beer & martini choices (including my personal favorite the cherry cheesecake martini) and lots of board & arcade games to keep the night fun and interesting.

Ian is super fine. Don’t miss out on this man on sunday afternoon football! Great service and great drinks! I’m ready for some football!

This place is pretty great. Good beer, selection of board games and video games. They even have a dart board here. Really liked the music they play. Franny and I were here on a Saturday night and it was great so… I’ll give give it five stars.
It seems like I give all of my review five stars but I think this place is actually great. Just wait until I find some shitty place and rate it. It’ll happen soon, at some point.
Cards Against Humanity, Operation, and Connect Four are games we played.
But back to the beer. They have a great menu and selection of seasonal beers on tap. We had some summer beers tonight and they were great and not that expensive either. They take debit/​credit with a $ 10 minimum of course.
I have to close my tab now. But yeah this place is pretty good and Fran and I had fun so I highly recommend it and at least check the place out if you’re in the neighbourhood.

Lots of games, televisions for the big game, etc but the main draw is the beer and the bartenders. With fresh selections every week there’s always something new to try. You can get a sample but even the oddest selections (smoked beer?) are worth a full glass.
Though there’s not a patio, the front wall of windows is opened on a nice day.
Great to have such a great neighborhood bar.

Comfortable low-​key bar. The games are cool, it’s a decent selection, with games like boggle and a Wii. Other patrons were getting pretty into darts. Nice beer selection, too, with a few good IPAs on tap, and more choices in bottles and cans. It feels pretty new and recently renovated, simply decorated, but nice and clean. There are maybe 10 tables for four, and some standing room, but it’s not a huge bar. There are several TVs showing sports, and the music wasn’t blasting. It’s not really in a walking neighborhood, although there’s another bar and a pool hall on the block. There’s plenty of parking around.

Went here for a Friday night meetup and I loved it. We made a mess several times and bothered the barkeep, but we still had a great time. Some people were standing in front of the wii screens, so we couldn’t play them, but we still had fun with jenga and jumping from booth to booth. This place is really great because they have a handful of ciders on their menu and most of their draft drinks come in very nice glasses. The bar has pretzel sticks which is a nice touch.
I really liked the atmosphere of this place and would definitely head back if I found myself in the area.

Oh, Norse. You are everything one could want in a cool neighborhood bar: modern but not stuffy, friendly bartenders, clean bathrooms, and an ever-​changing, always-​current, well selected draft list. Most importantly, these people know what’s worth drinking, and you’ll find it on their menu.
So, keeping this short and sweet: drink here. Eat pretzel sticks. Play some Wii. But mostly enjoy the best update of the good old fashioned Chicago neighborhood bar you’ll find on the far North side.

This bar is small and you could miss the sign as you drive down Clark, but you should not pass it up! If you are looking for a great place to get craft beer, play some darts, Wii, board games, or just shoot the shit with a bunch of friends, this is the place.
The atmosphere is very laid back and the bartender is no frills. As a girl who loves cocktails, I give a sincere high five to this guy for making the most delicious key lime martini! I will definitely be coming back here often when I am in the need for some drinks and a place to just «hang» and have good conversation.
Warning: this place does not have a kitchen, so no food!
HOWEVER, the bathrooms are extremely clean and accommodating; unlike most bars around Chicago!

Take a seat. Close your eyes. Have a friend, lover, or stranger start reading this review to you, because this bar is just too great for you to read on your own. You need to use your mind palace to grasp what this bar is all about. Are your eyes closed? Yes? Good, then let’s get started.
Think of a place where everybody knows your name. This is not that bar.
This is a bar that is humble. It is a place where the bartenders can take you on a historical walk-​a-​bout of beer without making you feel like you should have more tattoos before talking to them.
This is a bar with no presumptions. The attitudes of both the staff and patrons is a balanced as their selection of beers. It is a bar of the people, for the people, and by real people.
Do not come here if you want to dance up on the girl who texted you twice so hard that you misalign her hips. Do not come here if you would rather demonstrate how fast you can type over how fast you can talk.
Your eyes should still be closed, so please take a moment to thank your friend, lover, or complete stranger who is reading this all to you. The Norse Bar has a «The,» in front of its name not by choice. Its not on the sign hanging over the door. Its not on the menus and it is not because they wanted to distinguish themselves.
It is because normal people like you have decided that this bar is so unique, so different, so special that it is not just another bar… it is THE bar to come to in Chicago.
You can open your eyes now. You better be at Norse. You are welcome.

After checking out the gym with Jon’s aunt we ventured across the street to the Norse Bar. If I lived around here I would be here often I am sure. Perfect little bar to belly up at, drink some tasty beers and watch football, or any game for that matter.
Best part… they win my «Best Bathroom In Town» award for the whole Mid-​West trip. Seriously, best bathroom. I even peeked into the guys bathroom, and it is cooler than the women’s. You have to check them out for yourself, I can’t tell you anymore.
Highly recommended!

It’s not just that they have great beer, but that they rotate taps, that they actively go after barrels that are unique and they want to try, that they know what they’re talking about — that they LOVE BEER.
The owners – one of which is usually the one pouring you your draft – have created a welcoming atmosphere, one that begs you to plop your freezing ass down and drink and be merry with the rest of us.
Note: no food (but free pretzel sticks)

Great beer, very nice bartender and friendly patrons. Lots of classic board games and video games too. I have definitely found my neighborhood bar!
However… it is a much different bar at night, more of a party bar. I’ll go during the day. :-)

Norse Bar is a great getaway bar, as it’s far from the Clark Street people traffic further south. They do not have a kitchen, which I was disappointed to find out. They also didn’t have the Metropolitan Afterburner Oktoberfest, which was the point of my trip there (when called, they said it was on tap).
That aside, it’s not a bad spot. They have arcade games, and video games in the back along with board games and darts. They wall facing the street pretty much opens up so you can enjoy the weather and the scenery. They have several televisions, and their beer/​cocktail selections are pretty extensive. The space itself feels good, and though we were the only table on Sunday afternoon… I hear they are bumpin in the evenings.
Not so good for football games and grub, like I thought. I would recommend going at a time when there’s a bigger crowd to better appreciate the space.