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Status: St. Patrick’s Day revelers had one more spot to add to their party-hopping schedule thanks to Jonnie Vegas Rhythm and Boozes’ transformation last month from a sports bar to an Irish pub called Olde Chicago Tavern.
Owner Earl Frank, who took over Roadies in March 2009, first changed the name to Jonnie Vegas before deciding in January to give it more of an Irish sound and vibe, so nine months after opening Jonnie Vegas, Olde Chicago Tavern was born.
“We’ve had probably over three names in the last two years,” says Managing Partner Brad Butcher of the 20-year-old building. But the most important thing to know is, “we want to be your friendly neighborhood waterhole restaurant and hangout place.”
Gear: It never hurts to wear a little green in an Irish bar but you’ll be fine in whatever makes you comfortable. Think about what you’d wear to a buddy’s house for a few drinks and a game or two and you’ll have the right approach for Olde Chicago.
“There’s no enforced dress code, but we don’t want to tolerate the biker stuff, gang stuff, hats turned sideways,” Butcher says.
The staff sports black t-shirts (spandex for the ladies) with the Olde Chicago logo on the front. The back of the shirts succinctly sum up the light-hearted attitude at the bar -- “In Heaven there is no beer… that is why we drink it HERE!”
Mood: The plain beige brick building is only accented by the green, white and orange exterior sign displaying the venue’s name, and though Olde Chicago lacks four-leave clovers, luck seems to be on its side as long-time patrons continue to visit the Warren bar despite multiple image adjustments.
“There are good drink prices, and with $2 drink specials, you can’t go wrong,” says 44-year-old Steve Grubba, who lives in the Warren area and has visited the venue about once a week for the last 15 years.
Green light bulbs cast an emerald glow over the effortlessly casual bar which is divided into three sections – a band/DJ area, the bar and a back room with pool tables, dart boards and video games.
The floors are a black and white checker-patterned tile, old beer carriers serve as condiment holders, photos ranging from Detroit scenes to iconic sport moments line the wall and flat screen TVs are arranged liberally above the bar.
Pick me up: Moving away from the frozen food that you’d normally drop on a grill or in a fryer, Olde Chicago now employees a few guys who really enjoy cooking and they are given the “opportunity to create,” Butcher says.
“We are a bar, and we are an entertainment venue, but we’re trying to get past that bar-food thing,” Butcher says. “We’re going more towards homemade stuff. The soups are going to be homemade.”
You will still find tried-and-true standards like salads, sandwiches, pizza and burgers, but the addition of Irish stew will add a distinctly Irish flair to the bar which is currently known for its $4.99 burger and beer special.
There are currently 16 beers on tap with plans to add seven more in the near future, and no bottle is over $4.
Entertainment: Live bands, ranging from classic rock to cover bands, are available Friday nights, and Saturdays, it’s all about DJs and dancing.
During the week, you’ll find karaoke on Wednesdays, and ladies can enjoy drink specials during ladies night on Thursdays.
“We’re looking to do a lot of things with poker and euchre tournaments,” Butcher added.
What other people are saying...
trixie247 - March 13, 2010 at 9:15 PM
kinda funny that you are going to move toward more homemade food and soup. seeing as teddys, roadies, jonnie vegas has always had excellant homemad...
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