East Dundee Pour House packs the drinks, music
While it opened in July, Pour House doesn't seem to have hit its stride yet. Management hopes that word will spread. After all, the bar's large space makes it a good spot for a private party or just a big gathering of friends.
Motif: The brick walls are lined with neon beer signs and a bank of TVs is tuned to sports, with football team banners hanging from the rafters. You can watch sports from the backed stools at the wooden bar or one of the brown half booths, or grab one of the metal stools at the long table near the electronic dartboard. Retro beer and Jack Daniels signs are positioned behind the bar.
The second floor, equipped with its own bar, has huge speakers to host musical acts and also serves as a destination for private parties. There, you'll find two more electronic dartboards and a Miss Pac-Man game.
Crowd: Pour House tends to draw a casually dressed middle-aged crowd, though it can skew younger depending on the musical act. The place gets busier after 10 p.m. on weekends but is otherwise fairly quiet.
Service: A manager quickly greeted us when we sat down at a booth, rattling off the draft list and then checking back regularly to see if we needed any refills.
Food: Pour House's menu offers standard bar fare like fried pickles, mozzarella sticks, fried mushrooms, super-thin-crust pizza and cheese curds. The 11-ounce burgers are the most popular items, offered topped with mushrooms, bacon and a variety of cheeses.
Liquid consumption: As its name might imply, draft beer is the focus at Pour House, with offerings including Hacker-Pschorr and Goose Island 312 and Green Line. The bar maintains favorites while changing lines to incorporate seasonal lists. There are no regular weekly specials, though something is always offered at a discount, like $2.50 domestic bottles.
Music: The bar offers live music every week, with a mix of cover bands, classic rock, acoustic and blues acts performing Friday or Saturday. There's never any cover. An electronic jukebox provides tunes when there's no live act.
Parking: There's plenty of easy street parking nearby.
Overall: Pour House was recently featured in multiple pub crawls, so with any luck those drinkers will be coming back. This is a chill spot that just needs some more people to thrive.
Pour House
102 N. River St., East Dundee, (224) 484-8104
<b>Hours:</b> 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. Sunday through Thursday; 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday