Ravenswood Manor: Montrose Saloon

I'm still discovering all of the different neighborhoods and their perimeter lines. With this bar, Montrose Saloon, I believe that it's technically in Albany Park, but we stumbled upon it after an afternoon spent in Ravenwood Manor. So there, it's where Albany Park meets Ravenswood Manor. 

We were out enjoying the neighborhood garage sale in Ravenswood Manor. It's not far from the city itself, but it's so much quieter and more residential than I expected! There are lots of family homes, and many people were selling old children's furniture, toys, clothes, etc. We were hoping to find a few antiques or vintage pieces, but we went on day two of the neighborhood sale, so we didn't find anything that we wanted to take home.

It's such a sleepy neighborhood that the few cafes and restaurants near the train stop were closing in the afternoon on a Sunday. So we walked south a little to find a bar to try. We found one called Montrose Saloon - nothing frilly, but there was an outdoor patio that was perfect for a beer in the afternoon. Sitting outside, waiting for the sun to peak out from behind the clouds, we drank out of  Steigl glasses. It was one of the first warm days this spring, so we still had our coats on. The bar played some great tunes of some old and familiar favorite songs.

After a round of beers, we decided it was time for a proper dinner. We headed over to Lincoln Square, hoping to score some sausages and more beer on the rooftop of Gene's Delicatessan. Unfortunately, they were about to close by the time we made it there. We walked down the block until we found another German restaurant called Chicago Brauhaus. It was pretty large and cavernous inside, so we sat at the bar with what appeared to be regulars. We ordered a plate of sausages to share, and snacked on some rye breadsticks. There was even a musician that played the accordion at one point! It was a lovely day of exploring Chicago.