photo: Sharon Hoyer

Behind the twin porthole windows of the Burlington, you'll find a friendly joint that's equal parts neighborhood dive, hipster watering hole and bar in the basement of an Elks Lodge. The young brothers who own the place can be found behind the bar most nights, serving up delicious $4 pints of "Burlington Beer" and plenty of good-natured conversation. Trophy antlers, old-school boom boxes and wood paneling flank an impressive top shelf for gin, whiskey and vodka drinkers alike. Tea lights set on small, shin-high tables provide dim lighting. Apart from the bar, the only seating is a pew that runs the length of the long wall. The lateral arrangement makes for great people watching and the crowd provides plentiful fodder for pleasant sidelong gawking.

Come early for a draught of PBR ($2 every night) and the Cubs game on the plasma screen, or late for when the tube shuts down and the DJ hits the decks, spinning everything from James Brown to T. Rex. And be sure to stow your stuff in the cubbies under the hinged pew seats; by 10 p.m. every inch of seating and floor space will be occupied. If you don't care for the tunes, you can always hide out in the bathroom and chill to the '80s mix tape that tweets from a boom box jury-rigged overhead. Want to call the shots yourself? Bring Your iPod Night gives patrons brave of heart a chance to flex their musical-taste muscles.

Centerstage Reviewer: Sharon Hoyer