Last week we went to a classic Peoria Tavern, Mike’s Tavern and this week we’re going to another classic Peoria saloon, Whitey’s Tip Top Inn! I don’t know how long Whitey’s has been standing tall on Sheridan Road, but I’m going to find out tonight, so let’s hit the road!
Here we are at Whitey’s Tip Top Inn, some people would walk in the front door here, but those in who know better...
Know that you walk down the sidewalk and enter through the side door. It’s just the way it’s done. Trust me, I’ve been coming here since 1974! In fact this is the first bar I ever got served at when I was just 16-years-old with my friend Moon!
The nice thing about Whitey’s Tip Top is that it never changes, it’s always kind of like walking back in time coming in here. This is truly a classic Peoria neighborhood bar. If you’ve never been here you should definitely check it out!
Here’s Anne the pretty and friendly bartender on duty serving up a bottle of Budweiser.
And here I am with Whitey, the owner of the Tip Top Inn! I used to hang out in here with Whitey years ago before he owned it! Whitey told me this place has been here since the ‘40’s and in the past it was a gas station and a bowling alley! Whitey has owned the place for the last 24 years! Great to see him, as always!
Here’s the view from the end of the bar on a lively Thursday night at Whitey’s Tip Top Inn.
There’s island type tables behind the bar and round tables behind those and a shuffleboard table is lined up against the far wall opposite the bar.
Here’s a shot from the back of the bar.
Whitey’s has a full menu of food and one of the specialties in here is Whitey’s homemade pizza. I had it on the MBIP Year of Pizza Tour and Whitey can whip up a tasty pizza! Here he is in action and soon we’ll see the finished result! Keep on scrolling for that!
This is Jimmy and Connie who were out for a walk and decided to stop in for a drink. We had a nice talk about how sometimes you need to mix things up in life.
This is a great black and white picture of Whitey with his wife and three daughters hanging over the bar.
And here’s Whitey with the finished pie! It looks delicious!
Barry was enjoying a Bud Light and we’ve met before in my MBIP travels. Great to see him again!
Jill, Holly and Jacki were enjoying the night out at Whitey’s and it was nice to meet all three of them!
Meanwhile, back at the bar...
Angie came over and said hello. We met at Cracked Pepper a while back and it was wonderful to see her and chat for a while! She's looking pretty as ever!
I went behind the bar to take this shot of Whitey’s engraved mirror and then I turned around...
And got this shot of Moondog at the bar. It turns out that Moondog worked at Web Kote which was a sister company to Fleming Potter which I posted about yesterday. It turns out we know tons of the same people and we had a nice conversation about the old days! And of course we must cue this up now!
Moondog’s son, Bdub, came over and it was nice to meet him. He showed me some great photos that he took and I encourage him to pursue this craft, he’s really good.
On the way out, I met Jose in the back room and he’s the chef and owner of Jalapeno’s in the Metro Centre. He invited me to have dinner there, so I’m going this Saturday night! Jose has been running and owning restaurants since he was 18-years-old, so this should be a fun night, stay tuned for that post and we’ll see you all tomorrow!
Whitey's Tip Top Inn
2601 N. Sheridan Road
Peoria
309-688-8049
Related Posts: Thursday Night Beers @ 8 Bit Beercade, Beers and a Butch’s Pizza @ The Red Barn and TMBIP Year of Pizza—Week Number 42 @ Whitey’s Tip Top Inn.