Peoria Institution: Katie McButts

Katie McButt's is located at 2440 N. Knoxville Avenue in Peoria. If you have ever driven towards downtown on Knoxville, you have probably noticed an Irish flag painted just outside the front entrance of Katie's on a wall facing north. This bar has been around for a long time, probably about 30 or so years. A friend of mine told me that long before it was Katie's, the bar was called the Turf Club and was  pretty hip place in the 60's and 70's. The bartender, Trevor has been serving drinks at the East Bluff tavern for the past 15 years and is as good a bartender as you could hope for, especially if you get to know him. Every time I have ever gone to Katie's, Trevor has always bought me a shot and/or a beer.

Among their specialties are 18 beers on tap (with one tapper of root beer) and the best Guinness combos in town. Try a Half and Half (Guinness and Harp), Belgian Waffle (Guinness and Blue Moon), or an Irish-American (Guinness and PBR or Old Style), all for only $3.75. Among their other drafts are Killian's, Honey Brown, Smithwicks, Beamish, Coors Light, Spaten, Moose Drool, Miller Lite, Old Style, PBR, Harp, Smithwick's, and several other. Out of the 18 drafts, almost all are "regulars" with only a few that rotate. Imports are $3.75 while domestics are $2.75.

Despite the location, Katie's is generally a safe place to stop in for a drink. A few years back, a robbery took place. Luckily though, only a handful of people were in the bar at the time. I consider this to be an isolated incident as this is the only such robbery to have taken place in recent history. The bottom line is that Katie's is no more dangerous than a night out downtown. The crowd is friendly and on nights when the dart league takes place McButt's is a lively place to be. The bar does not have a pool table but has three dartboards, a Silver Strike machine, and several poker machines.

A friend of mine recently told me about his 21st birthday at Katie's where he took "The Challenge". Behind the bar is a large copper tub which holds ice and beer mugs. On the front of this tub are the 19 drafts. To the left of the tub, above the cash register are two bottles of Irish whiskey, upside down, with pouring mechanisms on them. The first is Tullamore Dew (rough!) and the second is one of my personal favorites, Jameson. "The Challenge" as my friend called it, is to drink one of all 18 beers (and the root beer) going from right to left. When you get to the end of the line, you must take a shot of Tullamore then Jameson to complete the challenge. I can only imagine how drunk one would be at the end of this excursion but it still sounds like fun. Plus, then you can brag to your friends about your completion of one of the more unique and ridiculous drinking games there are! And while 18 beers may not sound like much, keep in mind the brews involved in this challenge run the gamut from Belgian white ale, to Irish lagers, to American pilsners, and everything in between. If you think you can handle the challenge, drink a Miller Lite, Smithwick's Guinness, Harp, Old Style, then PBR in that order to test your insides. That sequence makes up the heart of the batting order for "The Challenge."

As for food, you can always get a Butch's pizza and a bag of chips. Katie's also has fifty cent chili dogs every Saturday (11 AM- 5PM), which Trevor informed me is the reason for having root beer on tap.

I've listed Katie McButt's as a Peoria Institution because of it's age and atmosphere. Personally, I cannot think of another bar in town that is locally owned (with the possible exception of Crusen's) that has more beers on tap, this adds to Katie McButt's uniqueness.

Another unique thing about Katie's, is that it holds baseball dual citizenship. Mac, the owner, is a Cardinals fan and there are several St. Louis mementos in the bar. The bartender Trevor, however, is a die-hard Cubs fan (as if there were any other kind). So, when Mac is occupying his seat in the tavern, it's a Cardinals bar but as soon as he leaves, Katie's magically transforms into a Cubs bar. If it is a slow night at Katie's, Trevor will turn the juke box off and turn up the game. Seeing as he had fond memories of both ball clubs, I think Harry Caray would find himself right at home here, especially with Budweiser on tap.

The atmosphere at Katie's is much like other older taverns that are located in a neighborhood, or in Katie watching the news. Around seven, they'll clear out and business will be pretty slow until nine or so when the regulars start creeping in. Katie's is hardly ever busy. The only exceptions to this rule are when a band is playing (not often) or when a group of professionals from downtown decide to take a chance and check out the East Bluff tavern for after-work drinks.

This past New Year's Eve, my friends and I made Katie's our bar for the night. Knowing that every place in Peoria was going to be packed, I came up with the idea to make Katie's our home base. It couldn't have worked out better. From nine until almost midnight, we had the bar to ourselves and even after people started showing up, there was still plenty of room to be comfortable. I'm not sure why it is that more people don't frequent McButt's and I'm not complaining because it's a great place to go and watch a Cubs game in peace. But I will say, if you're looking for a place to meet some friends that isn't too crowded and has a friendly atmosphere, Katie's is the place.

So, if you live in the East Bluff, I suggest making Katie's your local watering hole. If you don't live around the area, Katie's is still worth a shot (or two).

Cheers to Katie McButt's fro keeping the neighborhood tavern tradition alive and well!

P.S. Katie's, in keeping with the way things used to be in Ireland, is not open on Sundays