While the ‘cove’ in Cove Lounge suggests some type of castaway-style nautical vibe, a pair of mounted fish and a few other flourishes provide the only evidence of the theme. Instead, the space, expanded under new ownership into two rooms instead of its original single-room footprint, looks more like a classic shotgun-style dive bar, a massive mahogany bar taking up most of the first room. Said to be Prohibition-era in age, the bar winds toward the back of the space, a slight curve adding a little character to the counter.
The bar back features a bit of green lighting supporting dual mirrors on either side of a large centerpiece that stretches to the ceiling. A few photos and bits of signage can be found here, including a tip bell, the bar’s ‘Cash Only’ sign and the bar’s food selection (bags of chips). Sporadic seating can be found along the opposite wall that includes a cutout into the room next to it, a recent development by Cove Lounge standards and a symptom of expansion into what was once a bookstore next door. A large sign along the center wall reads out some fairly upscale specialty cocktail options as well as a welcome to University of Chicago students that make up a portion of the clientele here.
The Cove Lounge’s second room is decidedly starker than the first, the deep wooden tones of the front room giving way to white surfaces and a massive mural painted along one wall. The seating in this second room includes a series of picnic tables to add a little community drinking to the proceedings, a few short square tables complementing the options in this overflow space. Karaoke and open mic nights take up residence here, the space transformed especially during karaoke nights where the crowd is packed in tight and highly participatory, using the picnic tables as supporting percussion more than anything else.
