Featuring live bands that run the gamut from oldies covers (think Tom Jones-style tunes) and polka music, Flo's Algiers Lounge has an entertainment schedule that comes off like the activities calendar for a retirement community. Strangely enough, that's not a bad thing. Chrome chairs, formica tables and a cheesy proscenium stage are endearingly nostalgic, as are the faux palm leaves and bamboo surrounding the pool table. Word has it that patrons can expect a shuffle-board game in the near future. It's like a three-ring circus for the ironically-amused.

On most nights, the Lounge brings in only a handful of devoted customers—well-weathered folks sipping on Old Styles and chatting up the infamous Flo. That's right, the owner and namesake of the joint still works her shifts after all these years. The jukebox is stocked with the best of redneck Americana, a delightful counterpoint to the well-established polka scene that gravitates toward this Portage Park time capsule. Bands typically play a couple of times a month (usually on Saturdays), and are greeted with a devoted contingent of Chicago's hobby polka-dancers. (Little-known fact: Chicago is home to the International Polka Association and the Polka Music Hall of Fame). Polka is a cardio workout; there's nothing like a few oom-pahs around the dancefloor to work up an appetite. Fine Polish sausages and pierogies await on the bar menu for just these occasions.

Flo's is likely the only place in existence where Polka dancing can co-exist with Vegas-infused decor and honky-tonk tunes, making this lounge a true gem in the landscape of Chicago's dive bars.

Centerstage Reviewer: K. Tighe