“The happiest place in the East Village”
Quick Shot
Who knew that just a block south of the Wicker Park Division Street madness you’d find an example of the best that East Ukrainian Village has to offer? Of course the locals do, and they flock to Happy Village for some of the cheapest drink specials in town, a backyard beer garden with its pleasant goldfish pond, and their room dedicated to the enjoyment of ping-pong adorned with decorative black & gold wallpaper. While watching these nuevo-Bohemian scruffsters attempt to play ping-pong can be its own entertainment, a flatpanel in the front bar is usually tuned to MeTV and, as an added bonus, the antique clock above the back bar displays photos of JFK and RFK. The Happy Village doesn’t have a kitchen but the Tamale Guy came by on three separate occasions during my last visit (Alas! I had just eaten…) and the owner occasionally cooks specialties from the Old Country. History buffs will also appreciate that the “P” near the top of the building’s façade on Wolcott stands for the Peter Hand Brewery, as the bar originally operated as a tied house for this long-forgotten brewery. If you like Happy Village, you’ll also love nearby Inner Town Pub and Club Foot, both of which are located within a block, as well as nearby Gold Star Bar, Phyllis’ Musical Inn and Rainbo Club—all of whom are keepin’ it real in the face of slicker newcomers Moonshine, Fuel and Angels & Mariachis. For more information, Happy Village does not have a website so phone first. Now where did that Tamale Guy go…
