Wait times at the Northman, the years-in-the-making cider bar in North Center, are already the stuff of legend: Most weekends, a line stretches down the block by the time the place opens. It could be an hour, maybe two, before your table’s ready. All the more important, then, to make your order count when you finally get in.
The showstopper is Trabanco Sidra Natural, a funky product from the region of Asturias in Spain, which needs to be decanted from a distance to get any aeration in its yeasty body (the end result is a lot like a sour ale). Bartenders pull glasses from a tap several feet off the ground, but tableside, you can get a shareable porron ($18) and raise the pitcher on high to portion out small sips of the stuff. Pour yourself a drink. You’ve been waiting long enough. 4337 N. Lincoln Ave.
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