The Cove Lounge

This place is lovely during the day, but gets weird at night if you’re trying to nurse a drink and read a book.
Yesterday afternoon, a nice young man asked me about the African cookbook I was studying at the bar. He and his girlfriend and I talked a bit about Nigeria (I had worked there, and was trying to find a recipe for egusi soup), and I ended up giving him the book because it was too meat-​oriented for an aspiring vegetarian like me. Good all around.
But a few days earlier some weird ex-​military guy had told me I reminded him of Patti Smith (OK!), and then started talking about killing Communists in Central America in the 1980s (ugh, get away from me; I’m trying to read anyway).
This evening, early on, I was mesmerized by whatever was on the juke box, and asked the bartender what it was. He asked a man at the bar, who had picked the music; the man looked at me warily and said it was «Maggot Head» by Funkadelic, which I looked up and want to explore – new to me, and beautiful. The customer was looking at me like he emphatically did not want to talk, which was perfect for me, since I was deep in a book, and I understand wanting your private space in a bar.
Especially because THEN some drunken idiot who apparently was trying to pick me up interrupted my reading and demanded to know how old I was, and speculated very inaccurately and inappropriately about my personal life. I left politely in a haze of feminist outrage that made me reconsider writers I had dismissed as hysterics as a girl in the 1970s.
I guess you could say the place is a mixed bag at night. For a reliably civilized experience, go to Jimmy’s Woodlawn Tap.

Such a great place to meet up with friends and be around good people. The bartender made me an awesome gimlet and another staff member talked to us for a while about life and love. Excited to come more often.

Yep, a straight ass dive bar, beer recommended over cocktails (unless they’re only 2-​part), and cash only. Dive bar prices, bartender is very friendly, and the resulting décor of dive bar that simply got to be that way, and isn’t dive-​bar invented.

Straight divebar! Excellent. Reminds me of the bars back in Austin. Bartender is great. Music is not too loud. FooZeball table. and nice tables ready to play cards on. I will be coming back here next time I’m on the south side.

This place is EXACTLY what the Hyde Park area needs and deserves. It made me feel at home among the extremes between Whiteyville U of C kids and the locals, of which there was an affable mix at this bar. There are wall darts, lots of tables, and a nice wooden bar to sidle up to. They have a decent drink selection. I have not spent much time in this particular part of Hyde Park, but being from New Orleans, it made me feel right at home.

$ 13 pitchers of Lagunitas and other craft beer, a jukebox, darts, Foosball, and an overall great atmosphere. The Cove is full of Hyde Park locals with great stories and interesting perspectives.

Coming from Wisconsin, I find Illinois liquor laws pretty strange. Hyde Park is mostly dry, which seems ridiculous to me. That being said, this little dive is pretty awesome. They have a nice collection of bottles and four taps. The service is friendly and the atmosphere is eclectic. It feels like it’s part dive-​/​sport-​bar, part 80’s-chic. I highly recommend it, not just because it’s the only place to get a drink in the vicinity!

The Cove was a perfect little dive bar to hang out at before a night event at the Museum of Science and Industry. The inside was roomy. The bartender was super sweet. The drinks were delicious and cheap. We loved it! If I lived in Chicago, I would definitely return.

It’s a dive bar plain-​and-​simple, and I don’t think there’s a lot to recommend it over other dive bars in Chicago. The bartenders are fine, not especially friendly or knowledgeable, but not jerks either. The mural is campy and cool, and really solidifies this place as a «Hyde Park» bar. If you go in knowing what to expect, you’ll definitely enjoy it. Just don’t expect more.

The Bulls were on and the people were nice. I came from out of town and had a great time and felt welcome by the friendly people and the friendly vibes.

Really cool dive bar in the neighborhood! Cheap drinks, and a fun atmosphere, I’ve never been in any place that’s like this! Would totally recommend you anyone in the area or visiting!

One of the last hole-​in-​the-​wall bars in Hyde Park.
While everything west of Hyde Park Blvd. is starting to look like Lincoln Park, this side of HP has kept it’s ok roots feel, and this bar hasn’t changed, which is great for those who remember what Hyde Park once looked like.
Decent prices and your average drink selections.

A hyde park classic that’s heads above its competition (except for the membership-​only pub; which rivals bars in Chicago’s far more active neighborhoods). The cove is far cheaper, cleaner, and brighter than its competators. What it lacks in size it makes up for in bench seating that fits a lot of people in a small space comfortably; and keeps you knocking elbows with your neighbors (in a good way). Check out the daily specials, and I think there’s trivia. Bring your own food from any of the Asian places down the block. 4 stars for being a great neighborhood bar.

Cheap drinks, darts, friendly people and a huge Obama mural! Variety of people here — college students and people of all ages from the neighborhood. We came into town as tourists and made quick friends here!

The bartenders are super nice, though the bar itself is poorly equipped (they couldn’t make an Irish Car bomb because they didn’t have shot glasses??). And their beer selection is limited, but everything is super cheap.

This is a great dive bar! They’ve got a nice selection of beer, a super friendly bartender (Allison), and the other women are decent. Two that I’ve met initially have an attitude and then warm up once you tip them or leave a tab open. The prices are great and they’ve got daily specials. I like that customers are able to bring their dogs or a large group of friends and have a place to really enjoy each other’s company at the large picnic tables. great place, I’d definitely recommend it.

Great little hole in the wall dive bar. Their drinks are cheap, and the regulars here are great; also they have huge tables that are like picnic style tables where you can hang out with any friends that are lucky enough to come with you. Also darts, they have darts; oh and the bartenders are cool too.

This used to be the go-​to local bar to blow off steam after a tough day at work. The clientele is comprised of a really cool mix of local south– siders (read: White Sox fans!) and UChicago staff/​students. There is an epic wall mural that features different aspects of the city, including a huge Barack Obama head. As I said: epic.
The bar is separated into two distinct parts, divided by a counter/​tables in the center (you have to walk all the way around if you want to switch sides or move at the tables). On one side is the bar and a few TVs to watch the games, giving it a louder sports bar kind of vibe. On the other side there are a bunch of tables – almost like picnic tables. It feels very communal and laid-​back. It’s a place you can sip on drinks and easily spend time with a group of friends. The Cove is very group-​friendly. My favorite part? My friend brings his dog there and it’s no problem. Is this bar a dive? Yes. Do I care? No. Do I actually love it? Absolutely. Best bar on the area, hands down.

There aren’t many places to grab happy hour drinks in Hyde Park, so we headed to the Cove one Friday not too long ago instead of the usual Bar Louie. It is a pretty type dive that I don’t believe serves food, and I pretty sure is cash only. It was decent place to grab pretty affordable drinks.

Bars in the southern hemisphere seem to retain their character at a higher rate than their brethren on the other side of Madison. The Cove Lounge is a fine example of this. Both the Cove and the Woodlawn Tap are places where I can imagine Nelson Algren and Studs Terkel polishing off their third martini under the warm glow of a small, old television showing the White Sox.
On our early Wednesday afternoon visit, there were about four other patrons at the bar. They may have been doing PHD research on how heavy drinking makes you smarter (it’s true: it does) or they could have been unemployed and adapting to their new office. Either way, the great part is that you can’t tell. Everyone seems a little smarter around here.
The friendly bartender, the cheap drink prices and the overall atmosphere make this one of the best bars in the city, not only Hyde Park.