141 W. Jackson Blvd. 312-427-3443
Looks like: A crowded, '80s-era wood-paneled bar/restaurant
Sounds like: A buzz of happy hour conversations and clinking glasses
Smells like: Fried food and popcorn
There's no Ceres Cafe without the Chicago Board of Trade, and I sincerely wonder how long the Board of Trade could go on without Ceres. The storied watering hole located on the building's first floor has been serving breakfast and lunch to early-rising traders since 1967, then helping them unwind after a tough day in the pit with some of the strongest cocktails you'll find in the city. How strong? Ask for any well drink and you'll get four fingers of booze and a can of soda on the side. Amen.
The drinks are what has cemented Ceres as a Chicago institution, but its owners have restaurants in their blood. Beginning in 1914, the family operated restaurants in the city, opening Johnny's Steakhouse on Wabash Street in the 1940s and The Broker's Inn in 1967, which moved inside the Board of Trade building in 1989 and became Ceres Cafe. The past still feels a part of the restaurant, where the soups are made from scratch each day and the fried fish is cooked from the same recipe as the lunch special served at Johnny's.
Present-day owners understand that times have changed since 1989, though. The clientele is more diverse now; you're just as likely to stand next to a downtown 9-to-5er at the bar as a guy in a trading jacket. The food has changed, too--fewer steaks, more salads and a partnership with an organic farm to supply much of the produce. A huge renovation to the space already is underway (owners expect it to be completed in mid-October) to bring it more in line with the Board of Trade's art deco architecture.
What won't change are the stiff drinks, which, by the way, cost less than the average cocktail shaken up by your ubiquitous vested River North mixologist. A rum and ginger beer for myself and a whiskey and Coke for my co-worker set me back only $18.03 total. Bartenders, many of whom have been there for decades, continue to serve rocks glasses full to the top with your spirit of choice, topped off with a literal splash of soda and served with what remains of the can's contents on the side. Paired with the free popcorn the bar serves early in the evening, the drinks offer some of the best value in town, and explain why Ceres Cafe has extended its popularity beyond the broker set.
Ceres Cafe is open 6 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday through Friday. Reporters visit bars unannounced and drinks are paid for by RedEye.
kbernot@tribune.com | @redeyeeatdrink
