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No-frills neighborhood bar with lots of Polish flavor.

Monday Nov 29, 2004.     By M. Cecilia Wong

Bars + Clubs Feed

My Place on Milwaukee
3394 N. Milwaukee
(773) 286-4482

Hours: 10 a.m.-2 a.m. Sunday-Thursday; 10 a.m.-3 a.m. Friday-Saturday
Age: 21+
Cover: None

Dress: As comfy as the day dictates. Jeans, t-shirts and snow boots are perfect, though some women have been spotted wearing all of the above with eastern European flair.

Best way to get there: The No. 56 Milwaukee bus stops right in front of My Place. However, getting there might involve several transfers if you’re not in the neighborhood already, so keep that in mind and start recruiting a designated driver early.

Vibe: Talk about a neighborhood haunt. After moving into the old Peacock Lounge space in September, My Place, intentionally or not, has become a near-tribute to Avondale, its heavily Polish ‘hood. In fact, the sign out front for the Polish beer Okicim is nearly as big as the official bar’s signage, and the majority of the clientele is neighborhood Poles out for a drink and chat with friends.

Quick tour: The bar is one long, rectangular, no-frills space. The walls sport blond wood paneling, and the long dark-wood bar easily sits more than 15 patrons on cushy diner stools. A pool table, foosball table, electronic darts board, big screen TV and high-tech jukebox round out the otherwise sparse room. The upside to all the empty space? Any open real estate doubles as a dance floor, so don’t be surprised to see folks boogieing next to wallflowers on upbeat nights.

Crowd: During the day and weekday nights, a mainly working class, middle-aged, male Polish crowd bellies up to the bar. On the weekends, a more gender- and age-variable crowd rolls in to hang out.

Night to go: There is no special programming yet, but Thursday night is always solid, as the weekend crowd and vibe starts to seep in. The current running drink special, $11 for five bottles of Miller Lite every night of the week, gets the most mileage on Thursdays.

Claim to fame: Though it seems like a cliche to say in Chicago, the city of neighborhoods, My Place’s big draw is its friendly, we-do-it-for-the-locals appeal.

You’ll feel like you’re in: A cross between an everyman’s dive bar and the basement from “That ’70s Show.” Set in Poland.

Music Genre: Comfy top 40s, rock ‘n’ roll and dance music. Most of the time, patrons get to decide what’s on the jukebox. The sound system is surprisingly solid. Beyond the bar stool: Due to popular demand, the bar is currently working on getting Pay-Per-View fights on its big screen: Polish boxing monolith Andrew Golota hails from the neighborhood, and anxious sports fanatics want to see their homeboy in action from a comfortable perch.

On the shelves: Never tried potent Polish liquor? Then this is the place to check it out. The bar stocks approximately 12 different kinds of vodka, and about eight different kinds of Polish hard liquors with names that even the management couldn’t pronounce. Of course, Okicim is the brew of choice for many, but a good stock of domestic and import beers are available at a very, very affordable price.