The Old Town Ale House is a saloon in the

Old Town In a city or town, the old town is its historic or original core. Although the city is usually larger in its present form, many cities have redesignated this part of the city to commemorate its origins after thorough renovations. There are ma ...

neighborhood of Chicago, United States, that has been in operation since 1958. It is currently located at 219 W. North Avenue.

Bruce Elliott and his paintings

Bruce Elliott is a painter and the current owner of the bar. Elliott inherited the bar from a previous owner on the condition that the bar not be changed. The walls of the bar are filled with portraits of regular bar-goers and famous patrons (such as Stephen Colbert, Bill Murray, John Belushi and

Dan Aykroyd Daniel Edward Aykroyd ( ; born July 1, 1952) is a Canadian actor, comedian, producer, musician and writer. He was an original member of the "Not Ready for Prime Time Players" on ''Saturday Night Live'' (1975–1979). During his tenure on ''SNL'' ...

—many of whom had been working at the

Second City Theatre The Second City is an improvisational comedy enterprise and is the oldest ongoing improvisational theater troupe to be continually based in Chicago, with training programs and live theatres in Toronto and Los Angeles. The Second City Theatr ...

also located on Wells and North Avenue). Other paintings include lewd political satire of well-known people such as

Rod Blagojevich Rod Blagojevich ( , born December 10, 1956), often referred to by his nicknames "Blago" or "B-Rod", is an American former politician, political commentator, and convicted felon who served as the 40th governor of Illinois from 2003 to 2009, when ...

being strip searched,

Sarah Palin Sarah Louise Palin (; Heath; born February 11, 1964) is an American politician, commentator, author, and reality television personality who served as the ninth governor of Alaska from 2006 until her resignation in 2009. She was the 2008 R ...

posing naked on a polar bear rug, Vladimir Putin dancing as a ballerina or Kim Jong Un and Dennis Rodman in handcuffs (also painted by Elliott). The Old Town Ale House has been called "The best bar in the world that I know about" by

Roger Ebert Roger Joseph Ebert (; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American film critic, film historian, journalist, screenwriter, and author. He was a film critic for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, Ebert beca ...

whose biographical film '' Life Itself'' contains several interviews within the bar, and ends with a portrait of Ebert in the bar that was painted by Elliott.

References

External links

Official Website
Drinking establishments in Chicago 1958 establishments in Illinois {{Chicago-struct-stub