Dives Aren't the Only Ones Closing: Moonshine Shutters in Wicker Park

Dive bars aren't the only ones shutting down in the area, as Moonshine, one of the spots that paved the way for bros near Division and Damen, suddenly shuttered today.

"We're closed for good," a man answering the phone at Moonshine said Wednesday afternoon. "It's time."

There's no mention of the closure on Moonshine's Twitter or Facebook pages. However, reservations on its OpenTable page could not be completed.

Moonshine opened in 2004, a hybrid sports and party bar. Its opening kicked off a transformation for the strip of Division Street between Ashland and Western Avenues. Once littered with an occasional dive bar or diner, such as the venerable, now-shuttered, Leo's Lunchroom, that stretch soon attracted several sports bars and upscale restaurants. In the last week, the area has also seen the closure of SmallBar Division and Club Foot. Both of those bars' owners blamed sports bars taking their business as a reason they closed.

The timing of the closing comes soon after a dispute between Moonshine co-owner John Sanchez and Lee Trinh over another venture, the Vietnamese fast-casual local chain Banh Mi & Co.

—Daniel Gerzina contributed to this story.