Despite its location in a neighborhood peppered with Italian restaurants, The Drum & Monkey is one of Chicago's more authentic pubs. Or at least, the honest-to-goodness British bartender makes it seem that way. During the afternoon hours, plenty of local employees and UIC students drop in for a pint or casual conversation. It's the kind of place where anyone can add his or her two cents (or just sit quietly with a laptop, if that's your thing). In true pub fashion, soccer games play on the flat screens at either end of the bar and global decorations dot the walls.

The menu features basic pub fare like fish and chips, shepherd's pie and burgers, plus unorthodox options such as the C.B.M. Stacker with chicken, bacon, sauteed mushrooms and melted Swiss. Most main options will run you between $8 and $15. There's a healthy selection of whiskeys for the experienced tippler and $5 draft beers include Bass, Guinness, Boddington's, Leffe, Hoegarden and some American brews. In a nod to the student crowd that dominates on weekend nights, there’s a deal on Foster's oil cans; buy two and get a Foster's pint glass to take home.

Centerstage Reviewer: Ben Rubenstein