The Irish Villa

Holy shit it's hot out there! Is this September 20th or August 20th? Anyway, before I hand over the reigns to the newest PBR staff member, Fontana, I just wanted share a couple of things with our readers.

In case you didn't notice, there's a new poll up on the top right hand side of the page. I encourage you to vote early and often just like they do in Chicago. The Peoria Bar Review's one year anniversary is fast approaching and we would really like to know how you are going to celebrate. As for myself, well, I'll figure that out when the day comes. I'll do a full post on this subject later but for now you've got a review to read.

And now, what you've all been waiting for, the long awaited premiere of the newest PBR staffer. Fontana, take it away..........

Thank you! Thank you! This feels like home already. While I know I can't compare to the talented and eloquent Chief, hopefully you will enjoy my stay here at the PBR as much as I do. My first trip into the world of bars (as a reviewer that is) was almost so good it was bad. We had such a great time and good food that it will be hard for the other places to match up. Which locale set the bar so high you ask?

The Irish Villa!

Located at 3333 Northeast Adams Street in Peoria, I was at first worried about entering. The parking lot was deserted and the windows seemed dark. I thought the chances of a shanking were good. But upon entering, the atmosphere was warm and inviting. Game machines lined the wall to your left and a well stocked bar (complete with rotating Budweiser Clydesdale lights) to your right. We had a few beers and ordered some food. The owner gladly put the football game on t.v. and we made small talk from across the bar.

I am a sucker for festivals and games that will take my money - so you can imagine my delight when my eye caught the Claw Machine! Heaven! It was in a back room with a number of great bar games - Golden Tee, Darts, Pool Table, and a really badass pinball machine called "Fire." So we played some games and won some prizes.


Our group didn't dine on the most traditional Irish fare, but the food was delicious! The Chief had a steak which I believe he is going to tell you all about, and I ordered a BBQ sandwich and fries. The BBQ was seasoned to perfection and the bun soft and moist. When given the choice between regular french fries and river fries, I went with the former, but have no doubt that the latter would have been great as well. Eitak had a salad and the accompanying garlic breadsticks would put any pizza or Italian place to shame. 

It was clear however, that the time to dine there is St. Patrick's Day. When talking to owner, Bob Buchanan he said they order in 900 lbs of corned beef, serve 400 lbs of Irish Stew, and bake 100 lbs of soda bread. People line up down the block to get in and the rooms are packed with people. Talking to Bob was really enjoyable and before we left we all shared a drink. I don't recall if it had a name, but it was whiskey and a brand of Irish Cream that Bob has sworn by for years called St. Brendan's. 

That claw machine didn't stand a chance

We had a great time at the Irish Villa and will definitely be back again. Bob said he was the man who brought the Lemon Drop shot to Peoria and judging by the rest of the menu I know it will not disappoint. 


Current hours are Thursday - Saturday from 4:30 PM until about 10 PM. For more photos and information, check out their Facebook page at The Irish Villa Pub.

Great job Fontana! And yes you are right, that claw machine didn't have a Glenn Beck's chance at a scholarly debate! I will say that the steak I had was certainly a great deal and more importantly cooked to perfection, which is not an easy task with a thin 10 inch ribeye.

I also fully understand Fontana's misgivings about the Villa, especially considering we had the place to ourselves on a Friday night at 7:00. But, as you can tell we were all pleasantly surprised by the service, quality of food and atmosphere of the Villa.

If I may, I must make a quick editorial comment. Places like the Villa are often overlooked because of their appearnce or location. This is just a shame, too many people from Peoria ignore places like the Villa because they're stuck up or just plain stupid. I'm here to tell you right now, I don't care what the place looks like, good food is good food.

The same can be said for people and atmosphere. If I had a choice between the Irish Villa and 309 I would definitely pick the Villa. Don't worry I'll explain why in a future review, let me just say that I will not be kind to the new restaurant, unless a return trip provides a better experience.

Once again thanks to Fontana for her hard work. I know you're all looking forward to more post from her.

Cheers to the Irish Villa and cheers to Fontana!

The Northeast Adams Stretch: Amy's Anchor Club (Now Veteran's Pub and Pizza)

Amy's Anchor Club is located at 2525 NE Adams St. in Peoria. You can only see the sign if you are driving towards downtown as it hangs above a window on the northeast side of the building. When my two friends and I walked in, there were some odd looks, I'm guessing this was because we were the only white people in the bar. The only special that night (this past Saturday) was MGD 64 for $1.50. I've never had one and I heard they suck so I ordered a tall blonde. The Miller High Life cost me 2 bucks and PBR's were the same, no drafts, bottles only.

The bar was really nice; a couple of flatscreens, lots of blue lights, and of course, nautical decorations. There is a kind of half wall seperating two pool tables from the bar area. Up against this wall on the bar side is a shuffleboard table. I asked the bartender for the pucks and my friend and I started to play with the rules he learned at The Illinois State University. In the other room with the pool tables, there was a DJ (or maybe just some guy who works there) playing music from his laptop. Now, normally I'm not usually a fan of having no say in what is being pumped through the sound system but this guy had some good picks, mostly old soul, R&B, and blues. Also on the "pool side" was a table with some crock pots, apparently somebody was having a pot luck.

Side note: at least Notre Dame lost to a ranked opponent this week, but losing to a team coached by Dave Wannstedt always hurts.

After watching ND lose and losing my first game of shuffle, something interesting happened. A few people in the bar turned around in their barstools and started watching our second game. Eventually, a guy approached me and asked how to play. It was then that I realized that apparently, shuffleboard is a white guy's game and never looked interesting enough until my freinds and I started getting competitive and talking shit to each other. So, I obliged this guy (who I'll call Dre) and we started playing, it didn't take long for him to catch on and he eventually beat me 15-13. He then showed his girlfriend how to play and she beat him. Ahhhh, the circle of life. Not to say that no one in Amy's knew how to play shuffleboard prior to Saturday night but I think at least a couple of folks in there got hooked. Maybe the next time I go to Amy's, people will be gathered around the shuffleboard table instead of the pool tables.

The most unique thing about Amy's are the bathrooms. There are no sinks in either bathrooms but a common sink sits just outside of them. This way, everybody knows if you use the john and don't wash your hands afterwards. Also, they are the cleanest bathrooms I have ever seen in a dive bar or any bar downtown for that matter.

As we were about to leave, Dre asked me if I wanted to join him in enjoying a "cigar". As we were enjoying this fine Jamaican stogie, we watched a State cop who had pulled someone over and was lining up beer bottles on the curb....ouch.

Amy's Anchor Club seems like a fun place. It is definitely the most lively place I've been to on the NE Adams Stretch. Cheap drinks, good times can be had at Amy's.

Update: It seems that Amy's has closed. For the past three Saturdays or so, the bar has been closed at night. Not sure if it is temporary or permanent.

Update II: The past few times I have driven by, it looks as if people are working inside. Amy's may be getting ready to re-open.

Update III: The sign bearing the anchor club logo has been removed, the building next to Amy's has been completely torn down. On the roof there are now several military related flags flying and a temporary sign reads "Guess Who's Coming Back?", or something like that.
Update IV: There's a new sign on top of Amy's it reads "Veterans Pub and Pizza Coming Soon". Sounds like I'm going to have to add a "Gone But Not Forgotten" tag to this post.
Update V: Amy's has changed hands and is now Veteran's Pub and Pizza, will provide a new review eventually.

The Northeast Adams Stretch: Dixie's Dungeon and Averyville By Chance

I'm not really sure why there are so many bars on NE Adams in Peoria. It doesn't seem like a huge population center (at least not one that would neccessitate 8 or 9 bars in a 2 mile stretch). Whatever the reason, most of these taverns have been around for a long time. My girlfriend and I went out last night and hit up two of these fine (?) establishments and are planning more trips to check out the rest of them. Here's the breakdown from last night.

First Stop: Dixie's Dungeon 1227 NE Adams

For some reason if you look for bars on NE Adams online there are two entries for this address; Cookie's and Dixie's, apparently this bar is now known ad Dixie's Dungeon. Aesthetically speaking I think referring to Dixie's as a dungeon is a good analogy. It's a small, cramped place seperated into two rooms, one with the bar and another for billiards. Despite the fact that Dixie's has an Adams St. address, the only entrance is on Spring St. When you walk in you'll find yourself looking straight at a bar with about 20 stools. There's a good size flatscreen in the middle (something I suspect is a rarity amongst Adams St. bars), to your left are 6 poker machines, that I assume, like most dives, probably pay out. At the end of this row is an ATM machine, probably because the bar doesn't accept plastic. Also in this front room is a cigarette machine (yes apparently they still exist) one of only two or three that I know of in Peoria. My girlfriend and I ordered two Miller Light drafts for $1.50 each and I was happy to see they were in the full size pint glasses. The bartender was very personable and my girlfriend immediately started a good conversation with her while I searched via the remote for the Blackhawks game on TV. Side note; any place you go where the bartender gives you the remote so you can find what you want to watch is a good place in my book. The beer was cold and the atmosphere was real laid back, of the three other people in Dixie's last night I had good conversations with two of them. The third was a really old guy who looked like he was super drunk and I couldn't understand him that well. In between our first and second beers I took down Dixie's weekly specials.

Sun: $2 vodka drinks
Mon: free food (not sure what kind) and $1 Miller bottles
Tue: $2 Miller Lt. bottles
Wed:$2 wells
Thu: $2 Miller Lt. cans (not sure if the bottles cost more or what thats all about)
Fri: $10 buckets 'o' beer
Sat: $12 buckets 'o' beer

Second Stop: Averyville by Chance 2803 NE Adams

First off, in case you weren't aware the general area that most of these bars fall under is called Averyville and has been for a really long time (when most Peorians actually lived downtown). This bar has had this name for as long as I can remember so it might be encroaching upon "institution" status. I'd really like to go here in the summertime because my impression is that this is a huge Cubs bar. The cabinets behind the bar are all painted red and Cubbie blue, with lots of Cub memoribilia everywhere and the bartender (owner maybe?) was wearing a Cubs hat. Also, my girlfriend said that the girls' bathroom had pro Cubs/anti-Cardinal graffitti all over, yet the guys' had none, so maybe its a Cubs/lesbian bar. Unfortunately, they only have two old rear projection TV's to watch games on. There were three beers on tap; Bud, Bud Light, and PBR (awesome), I had a Red, White, and Blue and started checking the place out. For those of you who like to shoot stuff but can't actually go through with killing a living thing, there is a Big Buck Hunter machine as well as some poker machines, two dartboards, and a pool table. The bar seats about twenty and there are tables and chairs for twenty more, definitely way bigger than Dixie's. It was a cool place but there wasn't really that much going on, so we finished our drinks and moved uptown to check out some bars on Wisconsin Ave. However, I'm guessing that on the weekends Averyville By Chance gets pretty packed and might be worth checking out. Before we left I got the weekly specials.

Sun: $1.50 drafts
Mon: $1.50 drafts
Tue: $2 Monster (energy drink) bombs
Wed: $2 Bud family bottles, $2 UV bombs
Thu: $9 buckets
Fri: $3 Monster bombs
Sat: $3.50 well pints

Cheers to Dixie's and Averyville, for being the kind of laid back dives I have come to love. The next time you find yourself at the bottom of the hill, skip all the downtown bullshit and cruise on up to NE Adams. At least you won't have to pay upwards of three bucks for a Bud Light.

Update: Dixie's has been closed for a few months now with no signs of re-opening. Averyville by Chance is owned by a guy named Chance (duh!) and he is super cool for many reasons, the least of which being his love for Trailer Park Boys. On Sundays, Chance provides his patrons with a nice spread of hot dogs, brats, and usually salsa. Last point, this is a huge Cubs bar, so if you're a fan of another team, don't expect to watch them if the Boys In Blue are playing.
Update II: Dixie's re-opened a few months ago and originally had a sign that said 745 Tap. That sign is gone now but the bar remains open. Also Averyville by Chance has been closed for about a month (I think). Will provide more information as it becomes available.
Update III: I'm still not sure what Dixie's is now called as there is no signage at all on the bar. Secondly, Averyville has been closed for about eight months with no signs of re-opening.