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Yuppie-free and cheap drinks aplenty.

Thursday Jul 21, 2005.     By Pete Beatty

Bars + Clubs Feed

Dress: Clothing is recommended, but that's about the extent of the fashion direction you need to keep in mind.

Best way to get there: The No. 22 Clark bus, the No. 92 Foster or the Red Line to Berwyn get you to the doorstep, a block away and a mile away, respectively.

Vibe: The golden lettering and picture windows smack of a just-opened faux-Irish bar, but there's some textual slippage; Farragut's is a neighborhood place, doesn't serve drinks with the word "bomb" in the name and nary a backwards hat can be seen. And if any of that changed, you'd know it quickly; the bar has seats for no more than 30, with most of the unoccupied space taken up by the free pool table.

Quick tour: Make your way past the front door and you can take in the whole place before you even make it to the bar: six cocktail tables, a small pool table, a bar fixture and two bathroom doors. That's it. Oh, a there's a pay phone. Pretty straightforward simplicity that puts the emphasis on talking and drinking.

Crowd: Older, but a bit rowdier than the median for Andersonville drinking establishments. Regulars dominate afternoons and evenings, shooting pool and complaining about the Cubs, and later on, a slightly younger and flashier crowd rolls in. Farragut's has staked out a middle ground between nearby Simon's and Hopleaf as a dive-y joint with above-average beer and modest prices, and people have reacted accordingly.

Night to go: No nightly specials, but the pool table is always free (be prepared for a wait) and the bartender is usually pushing a cheapo special (currently $2 Budweiser Select and $2.50 domestic pints). Weekdays are far from slow, although the bar is so small that the crowds are never daunting.

Claim to fame: Apart from the sign outside, Farragut's might be the last bar on Clark to knuckle under to the adverse affects of advanced-stage yuppie-itis. Two dollars won't get you a matchbook at most Northside bars, but it'll get you a whole drink at Farragut's (well, as long as you order a $2 drink).

Music genre: Music is frequently subordinated to the clatter of conversation and pool balls clacking together; when the jukebox is plugged in, it spews an wild mix of newer rock (Green Day, Interpol) cut with some somewhat dated '90s beats (Clapton Unplugged? You ever heard of this guy?)

Beyond the barstool: Free pool, Beer Nuts and at most three varieties of those 25-cent bags of snicky snacks. Also a battered Golden Tee machine, and one of those video-slot games that you can't actually win money from, with three color TVs for more successful entertainment.

On the shelves: More than a dozen brews on tap and about 20 more available bottled, including a good selection of gourmet Belgians (Duvel, Chimay, Delirium Tremens) and other imports like Smith's Nut Brown Ale. Mixed drinks are dirt cheap, with well drinks ranging from $2-$4 and name brands not much more (a stiff Johnny Walker and soda is only $4.50).

Farraguts Tavern at 5240 N. Clark; (773) 728-4903. Open 3 p.m.-2 a.m. Sunday-Friday, 3 p.m.-3 a.m. Saturday for the 21+. Never a cover.