The Royal Palms Shuffleboard Club
It is officially September which means summer is sadly drawing to a close.
While fall in Chicago is indeed full of it’s own delights, with every passing day we draw closer and closer to the dreaded January doldrums. We can feel it in the air, the oncoming storm. Filled with anxiety, we tick off the days when it will soon be too cold to sit on a patio and drink a margarita….
Which is why, for September and October, I will be reviewing a few last rooftops for you to try to hit up before it is officially freezing here.
First Up:
The Royal Palms Shuffleboard Club
(Bonus: Three Legged Tacos)
Address: 1750 N Milwaukee
Hood: Wicker Park
Aesthetic: Beach Club Trendy
When we rolled into The Royal Palms Shuffleboard Club, it was Lolla weekend and the place was almost completely dead. Therefore, we got to experience the uniqueness of having free reign of the place. I was joined by recent Chicago transplant and world traveler, Megan Perkins; she will be checking out a lot of these rooftops and patios with me over the next few months.
The inside of The Royal Palms Shuffleboard Club is huge, cavernous even. With several courts tucked on the right and left sides of the room, other games like giant connect four in the middle, and the bar and booths scanning the back wall.
And it is absolutely adorable and beachy - a vibe that is very contra-Chicago by nature, but that Chicago has embraced along with Instagram favorites The Hampton Social & Summer House Santa Monica.
We ordered a drink on arrival. I figured I would start with a cocktail and picked the Mary Eldridge: La Luna mezcal, peach nectar, lime juice, Zombie Bath, jalapeno demerara syrup, coconut water, & Angostura bitters. I asked the bartender how it was before I ordered and he said, “Very good.” I can second that direct quote. It was VERY good. Spicy & refreshing, very balanced.
Megan, on the other hand, ordered the signature beer brewed specifically for Royal Palms by Short’s Brewing, appropriately named “Royal Palms". Which, I can also confirm was “very good.” It is a hoppy, wheat pale ale - which is exactly my palette preference for beer. Highly recommend.
Drinks in hand, we made our way up to the rooftop, which featured it’s own bar and one additional shuffleboard court. Flower boxes were arranged around the perimeter.
Okay so, we didn’t play shuffleboard.
I know, I KNOW. But, neither of us really knew how to even play shuffleboard and sitting and drinking alcohol just sounded a lot more fun. Okay? Okay.
Now, Royal Palms does not serve any food of their own but they do feature rotating food trucks downstairs. While we were there, Three Legged Tacos was the truck du jour.
We were not planning on eating, I was going to introduce Megan to Small Cheval next door. However, how could we pass up a few tacos? We ordered three: the chicken, the brisket, and the poke.
Now, if any of you followed Taco Tour 2016, you should know that I am hella skeptical about “trendy” tacos. In my book, authentic & simple is almost always best when it comes to tacos (and most food IMO). So, my expectations were low.
However….
Holy. Moly. These were excellent.
Chicken tacos can so often be dry and unflavorful, but the chicken taco from Three Legged Tacos was juicy and delicious.
The brisket taco packed a spicy punch and a bunch of flavor.
The poke was marinated wonderfully and served with great chipotle mayo sauce. In the past, I have been one to say that the poke tacos at Big & Little’s are my favorite in the city, but Three Legged Tacos may be providing a bit of competition on that front!
Overall, I was ridiculously impressed with Three Legged Tacos and had to go compliment the chefs on the truck. They are planning to open a brick and mortar place in late 2019 up in Rogers Park. In the meantime, you can follow them on Facebook to see where they will be. They are at Royal Palms pretty often.
Final Thoughts
I was a really big fan of Royal Palms. The ambiance is fantastic, the cocktails delicious, they feature local businesses by serving their beer and providing access to their food trucks. The prices are reasonable considering the vibe - if it was located downtown (or in River North, or even Lincoln Park) it would be considerably more expensive.
However, as far up Milwaukee as it is, the cocktails are under $10 and the beers are around $6.
Will I Come Back?
Hard yes.
Additional Thoughts
They have a photobooth here! I would show you our awful picture but I literally can’t - the guy taking it only caught me mid pose and angry I am.
They also host speed dating here? Which, they helpfully post about in your bathroom stall.
Also in the bathroom, they know that sometimes remembering stuff is a lot of work, so they have your back
Obligatory bathroom selfie
