The Insiders' Guide to St. Barths: Chicago Visitors Suggestion

As part of my birthday extravaganza, my wife took me to Pops for Champange Saturday night for a before dinner drink. Pops was a short 5-minute walk from our condo until they closed over the summer in preparation for the move downtown. Although we miss it being within stumbling distance, the new location is magnitudes better in overall feel. Located on the corner of State and Ohio, it draws both from locals and tourists. The bar area on the street level is very metropolitan looking with huge walls of glass looking out over the busy corner. A square bar dominates and there are several tables around the perimeter.

The drink menu has 8-10 Champagnes by the glass priced from $8 to $35. We settled on a 1996 Henroit for $17 a glass. Delicious! The also sell about 50 bottles and half bottles in all price ranges.

Downstairs is a Jazz club…we didn’t get a chance to see it as we were there fairly early in the evening.

Pops is a great bar scene for those of us too old for the “normal” bar scene.