Save-More is kinda like a Clint Eastwood character – it's the bar with no name, the silent type. Drive up Lincoln from Irving Park, and the outside of Save-More looks like it could be any other kind of storefront with shaded windows and who-knows-what going on inside. It's not 'til night falls and the neon comes on that you get any inclination that this place is actually a bar.

Save-More might once have been a liquor store proper, but any remnants of that era have been all but wiped out. Looking more like a rec room or a basement den (complete with constantly lit fluorescent lighting) than a lounge, the pool table is shoved into a corner, a few TVs are tuned to whatever the nearest patron prefers, and a wooden carving that says "Indulge" sits behind the bar. More evidence of Save-More's quirks – whereas some bars have plenty of Pabst paraphernalia, Save-More has Pillsbury posters up.

Behind the bar, so many hand-lettered signs for daily specials have been hung, it's next to impossible to know what you're going to pay for what. But know this – you won't be spending much. Liquor is priced according to what has been written on the scotch tape on the bottle, and no matter what bottle or can of domestic beer you order, it'll be cheap. A random evening stop found bottles of High Life for a grand total of $2.50 on a weekend evening, and cans of Busch pulled straight out of the 30-pack are popular.

Save-More is one of those places where when you walk in off the street, a dozen people will turn and look to see if you’re a regular. If you can handle that kind of scrutiny just to get a cheap beer, Save-More is certainly the most economical choice of bar in the neighborhood. Start off with a few quality pints around the corner at the Globe Pub, or a stein at any of the German bars around – then spend $10 to finish the job at Save-More.

Centerstage Reviewer: Karl Klockars