Peoria Institution: Jan's Tap, the Best Cubs Bar in Peoria

Update May 20, 2012
I randomly found myself in the South End Wednesday night, and with the Cubs game on the radio and a few dollars in my pocket, I figured it would be best to stop in at Jan's.

First off, you should know that Jan's husband has been diagnosed with lung cancer. So, keep him in your prayers (if you do that sort of thing) or your thoughts (I think we all have those).

Wednesday provided a beautiful night for some late night scratch-offs and yet another devastating Cubs loss. When I walked in, there were only three people at the bar. One, I soon learned, was named Leland, who admitted he gambles "a lot."

"Not a winner, Leland," the bartender said.

"Damn. I've lost 60 dollars tonight."

Following that, Leland rambled on semi-incoherently about "notebooks" from "'47, '48 and '49" that he sold for $100 a pop. He told us they were actually worth $250 a piece. I'm still not sure what he was talking about but I think it was some kind of annual program for the Cubs. It didn't matter; ears were caught, and the bartender deftly slipped away.

I informed the bartender I won $4 on my $2 scratch-off.

"You sure?" she asked.

"The machine will tell you what it's made of," Leland chimed in.

Indeed, Jan's has a new machine that scans each scratch-off, ensuring that Leland-types can't pull any fast ones on whoever is behind the bar.

It's fitting that the most notorious Cubs bar in town also sells a ton of lottery tickets. The dream of winning is still alive and well at Jan's. And much like Cubs fans, these folks are in it for the love of the game.

Click below to read the original review.

Peoria Institution: Garden Gate Tap

The Garden Gate Tap is located on Garden St. just off of Adams in downtown Peoria. The Garden Gate has the unlucky distinction of having the address 1313 W. Garden St. The GGT, as it is affectionately known (between TheChief and Bobby Bolts that is) is a small and friendly neighborhood tavern. The reason it is called the Garden Gate is because of the gates that protect the windows and door from vandals and would-be robbers. No need to worry though, the GGT is just as safe as any of the other many bars in this area. Why a thief would want to rob a bar I will never know. It seems to me that walking into a room full of drunk people and robbing their favorite watering hole would be the last thing you would want to do. It must have something to do with the fact that bars are open later than most other businesses.

The GGT is definitely a no-frills place. I added the Gate to the PBR's list of Peoria Institutions after a recent trip down there. Back when the majority of Peorians actually lived downtown there was quite a few taverns in this area. As time has gone on though they have closed and most of these buildings remain empty. The Gate, like Roger's is one of the few remaining holdouts. The bar itself is very intimate. It is the classic one- room bar design. The bars seats twenty and there are no tables. The Gate is another place where there is no TV behind the bar, a phenomenon I've touched on before. There are however two TV's at either end of the bar. In the middle of the room is a Valley pool table that really doesn't get much action considering the cramped space. What does get a lot of action though is the Shuffleboard table. I'm a big fan of shuffleboard but I was informed by one of the regulars that I was playing the wrong way. As a matter of fact, my method of playing was so foreign to both the bartender and the locals that on a return trip a different bartender asked BB and I if we were the ones there a few weeks earlier playing "that weird version of shuffle". I said yes and we had a nice discussion on the many different versions people have of shuffleboard. At the Gate, they play some very odd games, the rules of which fail me now but as soon as I learn them I'll be sure to let you know.

The regulars are very welcoming at the gate as are the prices. The last few times I've been to the Gate, there hasn't been any beer on draft, despite the three tappers in the middle of the bar. A bottle of domestic will cost you two(2) bucks and a shot is four (4). Don't expect to find any imports in this place. Well, they might have them but I would expect they don't and asking for one would probably get some laughs from the folks at the bar. The GGT is a classic shot-and-a-beer bar which are always my favorite. As I said the regulars (mostly old timers, I was the youngest person in there by about 30 years) are very friendly. The gentleman (and I use this term loosely) I talked to down there was quick with a joke and advice on shuffleboard. For instance:

Guy: "What did God say to the Cubs?"
Me:  "I don't know."
Guy: " Don't do anything until I get back!"
Me: "Haahahahaha" thinking in my mind, I can't wait till 2012 that is our year!

Now, as a Cubs fan I have had to hear a shitload of crappy Cubs jokes but this one got me. Anything that references God and the Apocalypse in joke form is always good stuff. Another great thing about the Gate is their jukebox. They still have an old school flip disc juke box. I would be remiss if I didn't tell you though, that the juke is filled with nothing but country. The artists range from old school suicide country like Hank Williams and George Jones to neo-classic country like George Strait, all the way up to the Jimmy Buffett-esque stuff from Kenny Chesney. I love some classic country but my limit at the Gate would be about 2 hours unless I was really shithoused, then I could stick around longer. Without massive amounts of booze in me I have to have some variety. No worries though, Roger's is right down the street so I could always head up there and get my fix of Little Milton and my favorite pool-shootin, shot-takin, beer-poundin song, Eminence Front.

Back to the joke guy. He taught me so many bar tricks I can't even remember all of them. The one in the picture above I was able to pull off (that's why I took the picture.) As you can see there is only about two swigs missing from that bottle of glorious Bud Light and yet it is perfectly balanced on that salt shaker. How did I do this you ask? Well, the trick to it is you have to have those old school salt shakers with square dimples on them. They used to have them at just about every greasy spoon diner but they're pretty hard to find now. I do know of one place that still has them, the Garden Gate Tap! So, while this is a really cool trick, the only place I know of where I could pull it off would be the Gate. Bummer. I'm gonna keep my eye out though so I can win some money off some schmuck at a bar someday. If anyone reading this knows of a place that has or sells these shakers, shoot me an email at peoriabarreview@yahoo.com or on our Facebook page.

If I didn't live so far from the Gate, I would definitely like to get real drunk in there on a Saturday night and see what kind of craziness goes on. Maybe I could even get into a good old fashioned barroom brawl or something, that would be sweet. For now, I'll just have to settle for the Gate being one of my "few beers after work joint." A man can dream though.

There are so many bars in this area you could take a day and just do "beer a bar" (copyright Bobby Bolts 1998). Although when you get to the Gate, the friendly atmosphere might make you want to stay for more than one, I know it always does for me. Cheers to the Garden Gate Tap and cheers to the holdouts!

Bullpen Sports Bar at Landmark

The Bullpen Sports Bar is located inside the Landmark Recreation Center on Dries Lane in Peoria. For those of you who don't know, this space was formally occupied by the Off-Track Betting Parlor. While, I think its kind of sad to see that place go (childhood memories and all) I fully understand the decision to do away with a space so large and devoted solely to betting on horses mainly because OTB's are on their way out. There was a time when almost every town had one and betting on horse racing was very popular. There was also a time when someone combined the words "leisure" and "suit" for some unknown reason. I remember going to the OTB with my dad when I was a kid. Get a racecard, pick your horse (usually based on how cool the name was), and place your bet. Apparently though, dads taking their sons there once a year wasn't enough to keep the place afloat. Another remnant of the past is gone forever. But there is something to be happy about and that something is the Bullpen.

I cannot stress enough how big this place is. If I had to guess, I'd say about 1600 square feet. The Bullpen is a typical modern sports bar but it has the feel of someplace one might find in Chicago. There are at least 30 flatscreens in every corner of the bar as well as two enormous projections, one right over the bar and another just to the right of it. Now, if this sounds like too much for you, than you can go Fuck Off, because there are some serious sports nuts in this town and not enough places to actually watch a game.

To be clear, when I say "watch a game" there are certain number of things I am looking for. First off, I would like to actually hear the sound of said game. Nothing is worse than watching a prime time sporting event and having it drowned out by someone's jukebox picks. I have seen this scenario all too often. During the final minutes of this year's NCAA Men's National Championship Game, I had to endure "Picture" by Kid Rock and Sheryl Crow. Now, I realize that not everyone cares about sports as much as I do but come the fuck on! How can there be a person that exists who still wants to hear that damn song? Most big sports bars that you go to will have the audio on for big games but what separates the men from the boys is having the audio on for every game. I was pleasantly surprised on my first trip to the Bullpen when I found the Cubs game on with audio. The Cardinals were playing as well and they went to that game as soon as the Cubs finished off the Mets. I'm not sure how they decided which game to play but I have a feeling they pick whatever game is on first.

Besides my fascination with gameday audio, there are plenty of other things that are sweet about the Bullpen. There are 3 pool tables, 2 bags games, a shuffleboard table (right to left baby right to left!), and some kind of horse racing game that is huge and I don't have any idea how it works, but it's cool they decided to pay tribute to the bar's heritage. Another bit of awesomeness that the Bullpen provides are the Towers. The Towers are clear cylinder that hold 200 ounces of beer. That's......... oh I don't know I suck at math, but I do know that's a lot of beer and beer is good! You can get a half (must have a minimum of two people) or a full (minimum of four). To get one filled with domestic beer (only Bud Light is good enough to grace the inside of a tower) it'll cost you $20, imports are $30. I find it funny that they had to enforce the "minimum people" rule for consuming one of these. I don't doubt that some dumbass (me) would have tried to order one for himself but you would think common sense would come into play.

Bartender: Do you seriously think you can drink all that beer before it gets warm?
Me: Do you seriously think I will give a fuck if it is warm after I drink the first 100 ounces?
Bartender: Good point. ONE TOWER OF BUD LIGHT TO TABLE 3!

Now that little scenario has played itself out in my head, we can move on to the food. The menu is your typical pub food; burgers, pizza, wings, etc. but there are some interesting items not found many other places. For one they have these things called salads, which I was very excited about until the waitress informed me that they consist mostly of lettuce. There are seven of them though, which is more than I've ever seen on a bar menu. I wanted to get chicken wings but my girlfriend reminded me that I had already reached my weekly quota of 24. So, I settled for a little snack of catfish curls, queso dippers, and loaded fries. All were good, especially the catfish strips. Unknowingly, I had ordered almost the exact same thing as Phil Luciano when he reviewed the Bullpen. Seeing as we are the only two people in Peoria who write about such important things, maybe a little planning would have helped to provide you the reader with some critiques of other menu items. Call me Phil. The Bullpen has drink and food specials for every day of the week. I know that Wednesdays are $1 domestic drafts and 1/2 price appetizers, beyond that I can't remember, I'll post them ASAP.

The beers are many. The Bullpen has a six foot cooler full of bottles that I didn't look at because there people sitting in front of it and I didn't want to be a creep. On draft are Erdinger, Guinness, Smithwicks, Blue Moon, Harp, Budweiser, Bud Light (mmmmm), and Miller Lite ( learn how to spell assholes!) I don't know the prices of all of these but it doesn't really matter, the Bullpen's specials ensure that you will find a deal every day of the week, no matter what your taste.

One final thought about the Bullpen. I realize that sports bars are pretty much all the same. I also realize that one could go to Old Chicago or Buffalo Wild Wings and get pretty much the same atmosphere provided by the Bullpen. But one of the things that drives me crazy about Peorians is their occasional unwillingness to support local businesses. Look at Grand Prairie. The place is packed all the time. As are Old Chicago, BWW, and other places like them (Panera). Have you eaten at any of these places? The food sucks! I could make better chicken wings with ketchup and turkey for fucks sake! I honestly believe that there are people in this city who see a chain restaurant go up and would rather go there because it has "proven" itself, rather than take a chance on a lesser known but local place like the Bullpen. First of all, the only thing that chain restaurants have proven is that they are good at making money, not necessarily food. Ask your friends where the best wings are or who makes the best pizza. I'm guessing not many of them say BWW or Old Chicago. If they do, they are either A. fucking stupid or B. extremely sheltered. If they are B get them to Schooners for some wings and either Hoops, Double A's, or Aggi's for pizza. Then ask them that question again. If they still say they prefer the aforementioned chains, cut off all contact with them, they cannot be saved. More than likely though, they will thank you for exposing them to such local favorites. And if they do thank you, you can't really take credit for it, because I was the one who told you to do it in the first place. So, you must have them thank me. Just have them shout out; THANK YOU PEORIA BAR REVIEW! as loud as they can. If they are lucky, I will hear it and it will bring a smile to my face. And an angel will get some chicken wings, or something like that.

So, go check out the Bullpen the next time you want to watch and listen to a game uninterrupted by crappy jukebox picks. Or just go there and eat. It ain't healthy per se but fuck if it ain't good!
Cheers to local businesses and cheers to the Bullpen!

Bar Hours
Sunday - Wednesday 11am - 1am
Thursday - Saturday 11am - 2am
Kitchen Hours
Sunday - Thursday 11am - 11pm
Friday and Saturday 11am - 12am

7th of July 2011 update: I'm pleased to announce that the 'Pen has been a great success. I've thouroughly enjoyed watching some marquee sporting events there since I wrote this review. It gets a little crazy on Saturday nights but other than this place is a solide boozer and in my mind, the best place in town to watch big games.

Cheers to the Bullpen and R.I.P. to the OTB

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.