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I'm doing a twenty-four hour flyby of Elmhurst to spend Christmas with some extended family, but I'm confident that we'll have worn ourselves out of smalltalk and family gossip by the evening hours. So, I'm planning on making my escape to meet up with some friends at a local dive bar.

I'm not going to have a car handy and my friends are coming out from the city, so it'd be most convenient to find something nearby in Elmhurst.

The two-pronged technique of Google Maps & calling places has narrowed my current list of options to:

Riley's
Doc Ryan's
The Spring Inn
and Fitz's.

All of these spots are open until 2am on Christmas Day, which we'll probably end up hitting as the drinks flow and the stories unwind.

The company I'm keeping this evening doesn't mind dives, heck, we might get a kick out of them if they're heavy on local flavor and sketch. Anyone know anything about these spots and/or anything superior to them within a reasonable distance?

Thanks!

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-Pete

Pete, as a former Elmhurstian, I'm interested to know what bar you finally dove into. (Sorry to chime in so late here -- somehow missed this post when it first went up).

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“We all have to stand before the kitchen gods.” Chef Jacob Sahaya Kumar Aruni

I missed this, too and am sorry I did. But in the interest of future searches...I'll chime in with my local's opinion of these bars:

The Spring Inn: more of an old school neighborhood tavern than the others. Place where you're most likely to find the town imbiber. Food consists of lunch and an occasional dinner. Very local. Most divey

Riley's: More sports bar like than the others, neighborhood-y with a crowd more in their 30s

Doc Ryan's: Family friendly, you'll find the local softball team here eating burgers after a game but in the evening more adult and all adult after the dinner hour. No kids allowed solo--parents required since this is still a bar that serves food. Cheap daily food specials. Attracts a lunch crowd, too. Some games in the back room. You're likely to run into local politicians here.

and Fitz's: College-age over imbibers on weekends, serves food. Loud. Used to be excessively smokey before the ban.

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"The only thing I have to eat is Yoo-hoo and Cocoa puffs so if you want anything else, you have to bring it with you."