Old Town's 1932 Ribs Tavern
Twin Anchors on Sedgwick Street has been Old Town's ribs tavern since 1932. Long enough to qualify as a piece of the neighbourhood's institutional memory. The room Sinatra ate at, the photographs on the wall confirm it, and the slow-baked ribs that remain a Chicago benchmark.
The cooking is uncompromising 1932 tavern: ribs slow-baked then finished on the grill, classic American sides, the kind of unpretentious format that has outlived three generations of restaurant trends.
What to Order
The ribs, slow-baked then finished on the grill. The dish the room is built around. BBQ-style sides; burgers and the wider tavern menu for diners who don't want ribs. The cocktail programme handles old-school orders correctly.
The Setting
The dining room is the experience. Wood-panelled, photograph-covered, the steady rhythm of an institution that has not significantly changed its format in nine decades.
Best Occasion: Team Dinner
Twin Anchors handles a Chicago team dinner with the practised ease of a 90-year tavern. The format turns the meal into a shared event; the bar absorbs walk-ins; bringing colleagues to a Sinatra-era Old Town tavern sends an exact message about how you intend to introduce them to the city.