Jimmy's Woodlawn Tap
1172 E 55th Street (Hyde Park)
Jimmy Wilson opened this neighborhood bar in the spring of 1948 and ran it for more than a half century, until his death in 1999. Former bartender Matt Martell has owned it since November of 2021, though a portrait of the original owner remains behind the bar. Poet Dylan Thomas drank here on March 16, 1950; his signature in the guest book proves it. Jimmy kept a guest book starting in the late 1940s that over the years includes such names as comedian Bob Newhart and anthropologist Margaret Mead. In 1955, the bar became the home of The Compass Players, a group of University Chicago students. The group included Mike Nichols, Elaine May, Jerry Stiller, and Del Close. Several of the members, including Close, went on to form Second City, making Jimmy’s the precursor of a revolution in comedy. Saul Bellow drank there as both a student and professor. Phillip Roth and Richard Stern also allegedly drank at Jimmy’s.
