It's not shocking that HopCat (2577 N. Clark St., Lincoln Park) is a beer-drinker's paradise. The expansive neighborhood spot has 130 on tap, of every type and provenance you can imagine, with special billing given to the Local 30, a roundup of area brews. But with such a wide selection, it's not for the indecisive—we overheard one patron say, "Give me your favorite IPA, I'm never gonna be able to choose," while someone else at the bar ordered based on the most interesting tap handle.
HopCat, with its '60s or '70s bowling alley feel (think orange-red ceiling lights, big red vinyl booths, orange and brown scalloped tiles, painted portraits of rock music legends), is not a sports bar, but it is a great place to watch sports. Both side rooms had projection screens along with other TVs dotted throughout the space, all playing the Cubs game last Saturday night. The crowd, boasting plenty of Cubbie blue, went bonkers at that grand slam.
Here's what we saw when we stopped in.