What makes a bar the "neighborhood pub"? If it's the classic hazy, dim lighting, the dusty TV in the corner showing the baseball game (or whatever Tuesday night sitcom the patron closest to the TV happens to like), or the fact that the exterior looks more like a modest family home than an adult establishment, then Bobbie's Runaway would certainly make the grade. But Bobbie's epitomizes the neighborhood dive by putting in a little extra effort to be friendly; case in point the decorations that dutifully appear for every holiday have the innocence of a fourth-grade classroom. For instance, the Halloween embellishments – pumpkin lights, skeletons in the midst of cobwebs, and an "enter if you dare" sign – should certainly induce a smile, even if you're trick or treating for bottles of beer instead of candy.

There's no tap here, so bottles it'll have to be – Old Style, PBR, Bud Light and Michelob head the list of popular domestics ($3.25), while Beck's, Corona and other imports will run you $4.25, a fair price to pay while chatting it up with your local blue-collar brethren. Sundays offer the best special of the week: a bucket of five beers for $12, presumably for celebrating another Bears victory (or bemoaning a frustrating Bears loss).

Got a hankering for some bar food? Cheese sandwiches, beef stroganoff and corned beef highlight a menu that goes beyond the typical burger and fries. And the bar also offers free wi-fi for your Internet needs, which sort of one-ups any local coffeehouse. Why settle with coffee and free Internet when you can have beer and free Internet?

Centerstage Reviewer: Andy Seifert