Sometimes I get requests to go places, a lot these come though messages from my facecrack page. Like this one:
And so, to prove that we do take requests here at MBIP, we’re off to the Tartan Inn in West Peoria! Vroom, vroom!
Okay, my car is pointed towards West Peoria and we're off towards the Tartan Inn. That place was my 363rd bar on my 365 day bar crawl. I haven't been back since, so it'll be nice to take a look at it and have a couple beers there again.
And here we are at the Tartan Inn. Just like at Whitey's last week, there's no honking neon sign hanging outside, you just have to know where you're going.
There is a subtle sign announcing the nightly drink specials as you approach the door.
And look, we've approached the aforementioned door, let's go in, shall we?
Wow, it really looks nice in here. It appears to have had a bit of a makeover since I was here last. Let's go grab a seat at the bar.
Speaking of nice, super-cute bartender, Torie serves up the first bottle of Budweiser. Cheers!
Here's the view from my perch at the bar.
Dan was seated at the end of the bar and he mentioned that we had met at Mike's Tavern back when I was doing my 365 bar crawl. I thought he looked familiar! It was great to see him again.
Here's the official shot of the taps for Spike and all you other beer aficionados out there.
Just like Al Kooper, this Guinness tap stands alone.
There's a decent array of bottled and canned beers housed in this psycho-jello cooler.
Accidental obligatory bar mirror shot!
Lots of specials going on in here tonight!
There's round tables opposite the bar to sit at.
This wooden railing sits underneath the front windows where you can sit with your drink and watch West Peoria roll on by.
A state of the art dartboard is nestled into the corner over here.
Here's a shot from one end of the bar...
And here's a shot from the other end where I'm sitting. Let's go say hi to that group of people that's next to us.
From left: Dan, Andrew, Tom and Jenny. Tom is the bar owner who's mom, Donna sent me the facecrack message that got me over here. Tom, along with two other owners, Brad and Joe took the place over last October and they did a great job of cleaning the place up while maintaining the neighborhood friendly bar vibe. Jenny works here and she also works at B Easy on Main Street. She told me she follows the Peoria Hot Dog Wars and invited me to try the hot dogs at B Easy. I may just take her up on that invite tonight. Stay tuned!
Here's Carey, Tim and Domini who were hanging out at the other end of the bar. After talking with them for a bit, I found out that Carey is good friends with Courtney and Brian Hennessey and was in the wedding party that we attended a couple weeks ago. Okay, everybody all at once...It's a small world after all...
Owner Tom just left, but as one owner exists, another enters. Here's co-owner, Brad with Dan. This is really a friendly place and you should definitely check it out.
Okay, time for beer number two, Torie fishes it out of the cooler...
And serves it up with the traditional two finger MBIP salute! Cheers and we'll see you all tomorrow.
Tartan Inn
428 N Waverly Ave
West Peoria
309-495-8149
Further Reading: PJ Star (it’s been resurrected since this column came out), Examiner and Barfinder.
P.S. Don’t Forget About Family Fun Day Tomorrow!
As I reported last week, tomorrow is family fun day in West Peoria, an event that co-sponsored by FRED and Friends of Rocky Glen. Shuttles provided by Cams' and Crusens will make continuous stops from Sky Harbor, Kenny's Westside Pub, Crusens, Kartville, Jimmy's Bar and Rocky Glen. All day shuttle pass available at the participating venues for $2. Sky Harbor will have a bags tournament with practice lanes ready at 10 AM—tournament from 1 to 4 PM. Live music on the Sky Harbor Patio with Chris Tarpley, Paul Hill and friends from noon. All the other venues have activities as well. The events run from 10AM to 4PM, stop by tomorrow and help support this fun family day, which is helping to support the wonderful West Side of Peoria and the Farmington Road Entertainment District.