Miner Street Tavern aims for a neighborhood feel
Despite its dressy name and well-appointed interior, Miner Street Tavern, the only stand-alone bar in downtown Des Plaines, is basically a neighborhood joint.
A spiffed-up revival of the one-time Cypress Inn (more recently named Cocktails), this intimate spot next door to the iconic Sugar Bowl restaurant remains a casual, unpretentious local bar, with few frills and no food.
When he reopened the bar last summer, new owner John Grammatis, 36, a Des Plaines native now living in Arlington Heights, said, "We want to bring back people to Des Plaines. We just want to bring back the neighborhood feel."
Motif: Grammatis and his two partners, who took over the saloon from the longtime owner, his father-in-law, Ted Vlahopoulos, have upgraded the interior. The narrow space features a long bar down one side and high, marble-topped tables along the other. Seven plasma TVs now line the wall above the bar, and historic Des Plaines photos add interest to the opposite wall.
Pastimes include shuffleboard, pool, darts, bar-top video games and beer pong.
Crowd: The clientele seems to echo the community's diversity. A recent Saturday night saw everybody from 20-somethings to 60-ish seniors seated at the bar. The mix was heavily male, as you'd expect from a drinks-only establishment, but there were also a few couples drinking together and some younger women having a girls' night out.
Service: There's no table service, so make your way up to the bar. Two bartenders handled the weekend crowd with ease.
Liquid consumption: Miner Street is no fancy cocktail lounge. Stick to simple standards like bloody marys and gin and tonics, or have a beer. A dozen taps dispense brews from Fat Tire to Miller. Imports such as Guinness and Hacker-Pschorr are available, too. Nightly specials offer deals such as $4 well drinks and discounted pitchers or buckets of domestic beer. You can also get coffee, including iced Greek-coffee frappés.
Food: Pretzels and frozen pizza. That's it - pretzels and pizza.
Sounds: An Internet jukebox churns out everything from Beyoncé to the Rolling Stones. On party nights, such as a recent Fat Tuesday celebration, owner Grammatis and other DJs spin club, house and hip-hop.
Parking: Free parking in the municipal lot.
Overall: Right near the Des Plaines train station, Miner Street Tavern is a place to grab a cold one, watch a game from a bar stool and maybe play a game of pool. On weekends, it's open til 4 a.m., so it could be a good place to wind down after a night of club hopping.
Miner Street TavernInfo: 1492 Miner St., Des Plaines, (847) 759-1424, www.minerstreettavern.comHours: 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Monday through Wednesday, 11 a.m. to 4 a.m. Thursday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. SundayFalse20001303Bartender Beata Poplawski serves up beer and more at Miner Street Tavern in Des Plaines.Mark Welsh | Staff PhotographerFalse