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After 28 years, it appears another Chicago dive bar has closed. The Mutiny, a small dingy bar known for free rock shows and serving mixed drinks like Beam and Cokes in mini-pitchers, hasn’t welcomed customers since November 10. A Facebook post announced a temporary closure, but regular customers are saying the bar is permanently closed at 2428 N. Western Avenue near the Bucktown/Logan Square border.
The space is barren and no one’s answering the phone. This isn’t the first time the Mutiny has looked deserted. The space has been for sale for a while and the bar’s owners have gone on abrupt sabbaticals in the past without warning. But after fellow dive bar Quenchers Saloon closed in June, ending its own 39-year run, it’s clear the neighborhood is changing. A local pediatric practice bought Quenchers and has threatened to cover the exteriors of the once dark den of rock ‘n’ roll with pastel blue paint. A rendering the physicians posted reassembles a children’s cartoon. That’s probably better to soothe young patients.
Mutiny owner Ed Mroz wasn’t reached for comment. The bar is a one-story building erected in 1892. The bar opened in 1990. It’s a quirky space with cheap drinks and paintings on the ceiling. Mroz wanted to sell the bar for $525,000, according to a business listing. The space never had a permit to charge for live entertainment, hence all shows were free. City records showed the bar’s liquor license expires in November 2019. So perhaps there’s hope. Check back for any updates.
