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Six months after Drinkingbird closed in the middle of a contentious situation between the bar’s employees and owner, a new bar has opened in its place in Lincoln Park. Danny Beck, the owner of Toons Bar & Grill in Lakeview, purchased the bar and building and earlier this month quietly debuted Beck’s. While Drinkingbird was cocktail focused, Beck’s will bring some of Toons’ family-friendly vibes to the space and serves the Toon’s popular chicken wings.
Back in February, Drinkingbird owner Denton Brosh said he was going to reopen the bar. Well, it turns out he was already bargaining with Beck and his group to sell the bar. The new ownership has tweaked the space’s layout, clearing out old booths. The back area is conducive to parties. The space flows a bit differently and right into a private patio.
Beck also owns Pearl’s Southern Comfort in Edgewater. He never sought out to run another establishment, but the area around Webster and Clybourn intrigues him. The Lincoln Yards development could reinvent the area with an influx of new customers. Besides Pequod’s Pizza, there aren’t a lot of bars nearby either.
“We are going to be more welcoming to the neighborhood and family friendly,” Beck said. “Our goal is to be one of the most friendly neighborhood bars.”
The menu includes burgers (they serve the meat-free Beyond Burger), tots, and sandwiches. Beck is a Kendall College graduate, so his standards for food are a bit higher than most bar owners. They’ve got 12 draft lines for beer and a smattering of bottles and cans. There’s also 12 house cocktails to try.
They’ve installed TVs and will welcome baseball and football fans. While they’ll start with dinner service, they’ll expand to lunch and opening in the afternoon during NFL and college football season. Lunch will be added in about two weeks, Beck said.
Beck hasn’t hired any old Drinkingbird workers, but a few of them did come in and check out the changes. See if Beck’s can fill a niche along Clybourn today.
Beck’s, 2201 N. Clybourn Avenue, (773) 661-1573, open at 4 p.m. on weekdays; noon on weekends during preliminary period; regular hours are 11 a.m. to 2 .m. on weekdays; 10 a.m. to 2 a.m. on weekends.
