The Fox Pub and Cafe

The Fox Pub and Cafe is located at 7800 N. Sommer St. in north Peoria. It actually resides in the building that formerly housed Double A's Pizza in the shopping center adjacent to the old K's Merchandise, off of Pioneer Parkway. The Fox is a nice (classy, no belligerent drunks) place that caters mostly to a lunch and dinner crowd. Currently they are only open until 10 PM. I would think, however that this closing time is flexible depending on the crowd on a given night.

The Fox has good beers on draft (Guinness, Harp's, Smithwicks) as well as a small wine selection. The prices are reasonable, a Guinness and gin and tonic cost me only $7. The Fox has a pretty extensive menu that covers everything from a basic cheeseburger to more extravagant fare. There is a section on the menu called "Cock and Bull". Apparently this is an English term for sandwiches, meaning that one can substitute chicken for beef (hamburger) on any one of the sandwiches included in the section. I haven't eaten there yet but everything on the menu sounded good and I have no doubt that the food is fresh and well prepared.

Not surprisingly The Fox is an English themed bar. This is due to the fact that the owner is an Englishman, who many years ago made the unfortunate decision to leave his homeland and emigrate to the Midwest. Prior to opening The Fox, he owned and operated the River Beach Pub in Chillicothe.

Another aspect of The Fox worth mentioning is it's connection to hockey, especially the Peoria Youth Hockey Association. The PYHA holds some of their meetings at The Fox and the Cheesemans are extensively involved with youth hockey in the Peoria area. One of the sons, Bo spent 4 years in pro hockey playing for minor league NHL affiliates in various leagues, including a stint with the Peoria Rivermen back in the their ECHL days. So, not only can you expect to catch English Premier League football (that's right the original football that actually involves using one's feet) games there, you can also count on watching a variety of NHL games there on a given night. I am currently looking forward to the upcoming USA/England World Cup match, at which time I will go to The Fox and talk all kinds of shit to the Cheesemans, despite the fact that the US will probably get their collective asses handed to them. So mark your calendars for June 10, 2010. The US team will be taking on those imperial bastards from across the pond at 1:30 in the afternoon. Join me at The Fox for beers and many drunken chants of USA! USA! USA!

16th of August 2010 Update: First off, we won! Ok, we tied but that's better than losing, right? Secondly, I have finally eaten at the Fox and it was a good experience. I had the fish and chips which was fantastic. My guest had the brisket which was also good but left a little bit to be desired in the portions departments. It was fine for her but I would have liked it to be a little larger. There was however, plenty of "chips" (read: fries) to go around, both meals left us with leftovers. With two pints of London Pride and some chips and salsa, our bill was just over thirty dollars. Let me just say that, it might have been just me but London Pride is some strong shit. It tastes a little like Smithwick's but less bitter and despite stuffing myself with fish and chips, I still had a pretty good buzz going when we left. Yay London Pride!

So, if you work in the area go check out The Fox Pub and Cafe for lunch, dinner, or drinks after work, you won't be disappointed. I'm glad The Fox has opened and Peoria now has a refuge for those of us who appreciate hockey and football (soccer if you must), two sports that generally don't get the respect they deserve. Now I know where I'll go to watch the Blackhawks make their run for Lord Stanley's Cup and the occasional Premier League match on Saturday mornings (brunch anyone?). So, cheers to the Cheesemans and cheers to The Fox, a Peoria sanctuary for the world's games.

7th of July 2011 Update: The Fox seems like it's become a pretty popular place especially on Thursday "Trivia" nights.  That is all for now.