it’s Thursday night and this is the night I go out and get two beers and check out a bar. I keep it at two beers because you can drink one beer an hour and not get a D.U.I.
Last Sunday while having a couple beers and hot dogs with Rich and Dee, they told me of a bar called Marty’s Center Tap in East Peoria. That’s the only bar with my name attached to it that I know of in the area. And what better reason to go there and get a couple of beers? None, so let’s go to the MBIP mobile and make tracks to Marty’s Center Tap.
Here we are at Marty's Center Tap in East Peoria, there's no sign out front...
But I wandered around to the back of the bar and found my name plastered on the back of the building. Hooray!
Okay, let's go in and see what goes on inside of Marty's Center Tap on a Thursday evening.
There's only a couple of guys in here and plenty of stools, let's go down towards the end of the bar and set up camp.
Friendly and pretty bartender, Donna serves up beer number one. Donna's worked here for twenty years and told me that the name, "Marty's Center Tap," came from former owner, Marty Floyd, who died three years ago. Longtime bartender for Marty's, Margaret Franklin bought the bar after Marty died and kept the name intact.
The view of the bar from where I sit. Donna told me she doesn't know how old the bar is, she just said it's been here forever. That's good enough for me!
There's more bottles stored underneath the bar.
There's only two taps for the Spike-O-Rama taps rating, but it makes deciding a little easier.
Cans and bottles are housed in the beer cooler off to the right of where I'm seated.
Bobby was seated next to me and told me he wasn't a regular. Donna quickly laughed at that remark and Bobby confessed he's been coming here for years.
A long shuffleboard table sits opposite of the bar.
There's two pool tables in the back room of the bar.
A shot from the back of the bar.
Donna and Bobby put some tunes on the jukebox. I really don't like those big, glowing internet jukeboxes, they look too nuclear and sterile.
A giant cowboy hat hangs over the center of the bar. Why? Why not!
Down at the end of the bar a lone Budweiser lamp looms overhead. After taking this photo I looked up and noticed...
There's writing all over the ceiling. Donna said you can stand up on the bar and write whatever you like.
And so that was my cue to get a marker, jump up on the bar and write, "www.meanwhilebackinpeoria.com," on the ceiling. Hey, I'll take publicity wherever I can get it!
I have to admit it felt really uncomfortable up there, I kept feeling like I was going to fall off the bar, so you can see I kept one hand firmly on the ceiling, like that was going to help anything.
Okay, mission accomplished. Bobby helped me down off the bar after I was done. Time for beer number two!
And Donna serves it up with the traditional two finger bartender salute! Cheers and see you all tomorrow.
Marty’s Center Tap
110 Center St.
East Peoria
309-699-4313
Further reading: Barfinder, Foodio 54 and Illinois Circle.
