The Bar's philosophy is apparent right away in its name; simplicity. This dive bar has no problem being upfront with the fact that they are providing you with the bare minimum with the intentions on keeping prices down. I have no problem with that, but there are other issues I have that prevent me from being able to recommend this business, which opened in late 2009.
First and foremost, smoking is allowed in The Bar. If you've read a couple of my other reviews, you'll see that I'm not a big fan of smoking in public places. We could debate this view forever, but the fact remains that when you leave The Bar, you will absolutely reek of cigarette smoke. I think sometimes non-smokers forget how awful this can be. And yes, I could have left, but I was D.D. for a bunch of people who were not staying long. Don't worry, I won't be back again.
This smoking problem is compounded by the almost ridiculously small space that is The Bar. When you walk into The Bar, as I did on a frigid January night, you'll discover the door does not close behind you. During the night, you could hear the pleas from patrons and bartenders alike to "CLOSE THE DOOR!" as people walked in, expecting the door to close behind them. The main area is cramped with only a handful of tables with chairs and a small bar with about 6 stools. I and the people I came with stood the entire night. There were only 2 taps I could see, serving Bud Light and another equally light beer. Most of The Bar's business is done selling single bottles of beer, which is fine, because they have quite a few varieties at varying prices. Anything from $1 Busch NA to $5 Mad Elf (a treat as it's been unavailable in most places for ages at this point). You can also buy 22oz bottles, including a few local brews from Otto's, for as cheap as $5. $5 for what is essentially 2 16oz US pints is a great price. Liquor selection is very limited, but it appeared as though they had one of each kind of the most popular types of liquor.
Behind the bar, sickeningly close to all the smoking patrons, is The Bar's kitchen where they'll serve you up something or other. I didn't see a menu anywhere, but I imagine it's the typical fries, wings, mottz sticks, etc. I'm not exactly sure, though, why you'd want to order anything from a kitchen that's filled with cigarette smoke. I'm actually curious if that's some sort of health code violation because there is literally no separation from the main area and the food prep area.
Service was so-so; it's hard NOT to get noticed at such a small bar. There was one bartender and one other guy that was on double duty, serving drinks and walking out from behind the bar to check people's I.D.s. Actually, it was more like he was on triple duty, as he also occasionally walked around the main room, jingling a bucket full of change that had "Musical Tips" written on it. I guess instead of charging a cover for the guy in the corner playing music, they resort to 3rd-party panhandling.
There is an adjacent room that I didn't visit which has a pool table and I imagine not much else.
Basically I found myself leaving The Bar with most of the money I came with, but also with a few years knocked off of my life expectancy thanks to the second-hand smoke. What I saved on the booze, I spent at the dry-cleaners getting my coat cleaned. Not recommended. read more
