Full disclosure: Club Foot is quite possibly my favorite bar in Chicago. It was one of the first spots I visited when I got to town (my adopted sister Val DJs there on Tuesdays), and I’m still going three years later. Maybe it’s the $2 bottles of PBR, or the two tamales guys who stop by the bar on an average night (if you miss both of them—God forbid—it’s only a short stumble to all three locations of La Pasadita). Perhaps it’s my fondness for charmingly gruff owner/bartender Chuck Uchida that keeps me coming back, or the incredibly eclectic music selection (DJ Dave Roberts of Planet Earth/Planet Claire fame spins on occasion, and Val has been known to play My Bloody Valentine and Led Zeppelin in the same set). I’m not as much of regular as I’d like to be, but I still constantly run into people I know at Club Foot. And even when I don’t, I can keep myself entertained for a solid hour blowing my laundry quarters on the Tetris machine by the DJ booth.

Club Foot began in 1995 when Chuck and his girlfriend, Lauree, decided to combine their collections of music and eclectic memorabilia and open a bar. The walls of their Ukrainian Village watering hole are covered in shadowboxes crammed full of action figures, pins, stickers, T-shirts, show fliers, and so forth, mostly pertaining to 70s and 80s pop culture and New Wave music. Chuck estimates that 85 percent of the stuff in the club comes from their personal collection, while the remaining 15 was donated by devoted regulars. Giant, inflatable Aqua Teen Hunger Force characters dangle from the ceiling next to a Jägermeister moose, while a menacing skull with glowing red eyes glowers down at patrons from above the pool table. A single grainy TV hangs above the bar, but you’re more likely to find Velvet Goldmine on the tube than a Cubs game.

Club Foot is named after a 1960s British Soul Club, and, not surprisingly, the place puts an emphasis on music. Chuck says musicians from bands such as Bush, Veruca Salt, The Jesus Lizard and Shellac have sought out the bar for its anonymous, laid-back vibe. In addition to nightly DJs, there are music-themed events almost every month. And don’t forget about Kissmas, hosted by Rich of I Love Rich (“The pied piper of the meaningful one-night relationship”) every December—Gene Simmons action figures are raffled off while Kiss songs play all night long.

Club Foot, 1824 West Augusta, 773-489-0379. 8 p.m.-2 a.m., Sun.-Fri., 8 p.m.-3 a.m. Sat.

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