Connie and Johnny’s

This is the best place to stop on the way to Alcoholics Anonymous next door at 3753 Armitage, and maybe give moderate drinking one last «shot,» so to speak.
It’s also the best place to escape from the steep prices and high quality of Weegees (all domestics– Busch, Miller, Old Style, and Bud– are $ 2.50 here). And it’s the best place to relive the splendour of 1970s fake wood paneling, which is only peeling off in a couple of places in this reasonably well-​kept neighborhood tap.
Connie and Johnny’s has all two hallmarks of a neighborhood bar: 1) neighbors, and 2) a bar. Before we had a chance to let the bartender know which cheap domestic we preferred, we were greeted by a neighbor presenting a gift of sausages and hamburgers from a Tupperware™ bin. Much like the shots of Absolut which he later bought us, the neighbor was quick and to the point. BIM BAM BOOM. Life story? Born and raised in the neighborhood since the 1960s. The history of Logan Square? «Fantastic — bad — better — better — better» [lowering then raising his hand for a visual accompaniment]. Then he left us alone to experience our mystery sausages (mine later revealed to be an Oscar Meyer bacon cheddar dog («they grind the bacon right into the meat!»)).
In this concluding paragraph of my review, I’m going to tell you why this place should be called Moderate Drinkers Known (as a reasonable drinker’s alternative to AA). 1) They close early– 10 pm on weekends, 8 pm on weeknights. And 2), it’s just a matter of minutes before everybody (as in, all 4 or 5 customers) knows your name.