J&M Tap

Chicago, Illinois

Field Note

Chicago is in many ways a dive bar paradise, a community so supportive of neighborhood drinking spots and so sprawling in nature that there are fresh dives to explore on seemingly every corner. But even the most observant dive bar hunter would be forgiven for completely missing J&M Tap’s very existence thanks to an almost entirely unmarked exterior in one of the hot bed dive bar neighborhoods in the city, Ukrainian Village.

Opened in 1974, J&M Tap has never bothered to erect a sign over the front door, instead relying on word of mouth and two slim windows peeking out from the bar’s all-brick exterior framing small slivers of liquor-themed neon. The bar’s front door almost melts into the tree that sits just a few feet from the edge of the J&M Tap building, adding another visual obstacle to stumbling inside.

All of these factors are, of course, very good signs when it comes to the quality of a dive bar and J&M Tap certainly lives up to the promise of its nondescript exterior. Inside, the space is naturally quite dim thanks to the slender nature of the structure’s windows, another source of the bar’s tight-knit, almost cozy vibe. The ambiance inside J&M Tap hits almost every classic dive bar note, from the bar’s drop ceiling to its extensive use of wood paneling.

The centerpiece of the J&M Tap experience is no doubt the area behind the bar, a mix of ancient knick-knacks, string lights, tired liquor bottles and stained glass-style centerpiece carved into the center of the bar counter in back. Available beer options extend from either side of this dive bar focal point, the options running much deeper than the typical set of divey domestic beers to include a small set of craft beer options and daily specials.

Beyond the bar itself, the rest of the J&M Tap space is filled in by sporadic seating and a lone pool table where games are free each Monday and Tuesday. The most ostentatious element in a space that includes very little extravagance is perhaps the J&M Tap street sign that extends from the wall near the rear of the space. Only minimal beer signs dot the walls, though thankfully the string lights do extend through much of J&M Tap.

Maybe most importantly, the winds of change have long swirled outside of J&M Tap’s doors, where the slow creep of gentrification has swallowed up large chunks of the adjacent neighborhood. Nothing could be further from the polish and sheen of gentrification than the intensely authentic and largely untouched experience inside J&M Tap, a welcome counterpoint in a part of Chicago that could use some preservation.