Deadbolt Opens Today With Cocktails & Hot Dogs In A Former Logan Square Dive

Six months after The Two Way Lounge—a gritty longtime Logan Square dive with a staunch neighborhood fanbase—closed, its replacement, Deadbolt will open. Chandeliers light the path, as Dustin Drankiewicz (MONEYGUN, Dusek’s) and the team behind Furious Spoon have reinvented the space. Drankiewicz wants to create an atmosphere where guests linger and don’t feel like that have to bounce to somewhere else as the night grows older.

Crews spent months sanding away The Two Way’s rough edges, but that doesn’t mean Deadbolt is dull. Drankiewicz grew up spending time in bars and bowling alleys, and he knows what a bar can mean to a community. Improvements have been made, as they’ve replaced The Two Way’s moldy bar, but that doesn’t mean the bar’s gone upscale with cocktail carts. The Deadbolt aims to be a welcoming place.

One of the ways the new bar will welcome guests is through a variety of music. They’ll play a mix of punk, R&B, jazz and brass band tunes. Expect three- or four-piece bands to perform. Drankiewicz also wants to get local record shops involved to curate music-themed nights.

The drink list still includes Old Style, but also 12 house cocktails. They encompass a variety of spirits from mezcal to Mount Gay Black Barrel Rum, a.k.a. “hillbilly Campari.” And surprise—there’s food. The menu consists of Chicago-style hot dogs, hand-breaded chicken nuggets, omelets and butter burgers.

Many of The Two Way’s loyal crowd have found new bars to frequent while the space remained closed. Some may return, but Deadbolt isn’t banking on them to come back. They’ll be more than happy to see them while new customers have a new bar to experience — a new place to become a regular.

Deadbolt officially opens tonight. Check out the menu and drink list below.

Deadbolt, 2928 N. Milwaukee Ave., (773) 698-6101, open 5 p.m. to 2 a.m. (kitchen until 1 a.m.) Sunday through Friday; 5 p.m. to 3 a.m. (kitchen until 2 a.m.) on Saturday.