It’s a brand new year and decade, so I thought I’d start a new monthly series here at MBIP. I’m going to spotlight a classic Peoria bars every stinking month.
Peoria has some fantastic watering holes, but if you put a gun to my head and made me spit out my favorite one, it would have to be Mike’s Tavern. I first heard about this place way back in the ’60’s from my grandpa Leo Seitz who was a lifelong regular at this bar which was converted from a garage to a stand-up tavern many decades ago in West Peoria.
So let’s go have a beer or seven and pay tribute to one of Peoria’s most colorful and historic bars: Mike’s Tavern in West Peoria!
Here we are at Mike’s Tavern on Cedar Avenue in West Peoria. It’s been standing tall here for decades and I’ve been coming here since the ’70’s.
Let’s go in and spotlight the first bar of the MBIP 2020 Drinky Dozen!
This place has such a familiar and welcoming feel to it, it always feels like coming home in here.
Although she doesn’t look like it, Missy is a veteran bartender here at Mike’s Tavern and there she is serving up a Budweiser tall boy!
It was a freezing cold night out, so it was a little slow at the bar this evening, but some of the patrons that night included Denise, Angie and Mayor Dillon.
We all shared conversations about the history of Mike’s Tavern, I talked about my grandpa Leo Seitz, who was a legend in here back in the day and I also told about my first time coming to Mike’s Tavern back in 1977.
The conversation and camaraderie is always lively and warm here in Mike’s Tavern.
Here’s a photo and a tribute to the former owner of Mike’s, Tony Ward. His daughter Shannon owns the bar now and runs it with her husband, Roy.
Tony was a great guy and the last time I saw him was when I finished my 365 bar crawl blog here at Mike’s. Check out that historic post by clicking here.
Cheers to the memory of Tony Ward, a legendary Peoria bar owner and a wonderful person.
This is a classic photo of Mike’s taken by my friend Kitty Ryan.
Every classic bar has a tin ceiling and Mike’s is no exception to that rule!
These desks were bought years ago for some of the old-timers to sit in when there was no other seats at the stand-up bar.
It’s now known as death row, because all of those old-time regulars that used to sit here have moved on to the big tavern in the sky!
Here’s the beers on tap behind the bar.
Mike’s has some cool neon signs blazing on the walls.
I love the vintage Busch sign and clock behind the bar. “Head for the mountains!”
The back room has gaming machines, one of the few pay phones left in Peoria and a window to watch the bar on the other side.
There’s a treasure trove of items behind the bar including vintage model cars, memories of past friends of the bar, Spuds MacKenzie, drink chips and knick-knacks that have been back there for decades. It’s like a museum back there!
And of course there’s the beer can and bottle collection that hasn’t been dusted since the ’70’s!
No trip to Mike’s is complete without getting a Butch’s Pizza. I like mine well done and Missy made it perfect!
Mike’s Tavern is not a classic Peoria bar, it’s THE classic Peoria bar.
If you’ve never been there, you need to get to West Peoria and have a drink in one of this city’s most colorful and historic taverns. You’re not a true Peorian unless you’ve hoisted a drink in Mike’s Tavern.
And if you haven’t stopped by in a while, go and have a beer and a Butch’s Pizza so this fabulous tavern stays alive for the upcoming decade!
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626 N. Cedar Avenue
West Peoria
There is a phone number but it’s secret. I have it, but I’ll never tell!
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Related Posts: Welcome To My New Blog, Everybody!, Christmas Party At Mike’s Tavern and MBIP Second Year Anniversary Party At Mike’s Tavern!