Three Dots and a Dash bartender Erin Hayes champions Club Foot in the Ukrainian Village for the "great DJs, pool table, Tetris arcade-style, pinball, awesome bartenders, and always a fun crowd."

EZ Inn, a tiny Ukrainian bar on Western Avenue, is a favorite of The Dawson's Clint Rogers. He loves the dartboard, bottles of "old formula malort they must've bought years ago," the free food buffets, and the old timers.

The private-room karaoke and Korean wine spot is a favorite of many in the know, including Jay Schroeder of Frontera Grill. Schroeder says he became "painfully addicted" to karaoke after living in Japan for a year. "The (Lincoln Karaoke) owner will use just about any excuse possible to give you a bottle of cheap bubbles or make you do shots with him," he says. "One time he made us do shots of equal parts Grey Goose, Jose Cuervo Gold, and Jack Daniels -- true mixology."

Known as perhaps the only bar in Chicago where people still smoke inside, La Sirena Clandestina's Justin Anderson loves Richard's for other reasons. "The juxtaposition of old school bartenders and this crazy divide of people," he says. "20-somethings treat it as a novelty, 30/40-somethings just get it. Go there on a weekday afternoon and just take it in."

Former Sepia head bartender Josh Pearson loves Yeeowoosai, known as Chicago's "longest running Korean restaurant and bar" (opened 1995). He notes the "interesting beverage selection and great atmosphere."

Mike Ryan of Sable lists Underground Wonder Bar as his favorite because of the live music every night, the late hours, the unpretentiousness, and the people watching. "Occasionally you can sight flocks of drunken businessmen way past the letting their hair down stage," he notes, "getting blindly funky on the dance floor."

Drumbar's Alex Renshaw loves the intimate atmosphere at the tiny Matchbox, as well as the outdoor seating that's "hard to beat for a summer spot." As far as drinks go, Renshaw says Matchbox has the "best sidecars in the city."

Although Charles Joly makes some of the most intricate cocktails in the world at The Aviary, he calls Logan Square's The Orbit Room his neighborhood bar. "The staff makes the bar," he says.