Okay, I stumbled upon this page on facecrack for a bar called, Whiskey Rock Ice House and then noticed it had the same address as the old Pepe Taco in Pioneer Park.

I looked at some of the photos and realized a brand new bar has gone into this historic location here in Peoria. So of course that’s tonight’s destination! Let’s go!

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Bar Number 190: Whiskey Rock Ice House, Thursday, August 13, 2026

They haven’t gotten their signage up on the place, but the sign says that they are indeed open, so let’s go inside and see what’s going on in here.

I’ve been coming in here for decades and so it looks familiar, yet somewhat different all at the same time.

I’ve never seen a pool table in here and there’s the bar in the back of the room.

They’ve got the logo above the bar and there’s plenty of empty seats there, so let’s go get settled in and see what’s happening in this place formerly known as Pepe Taco!

Madison was the pretty and friendly bartender for the evening and she’s part of the team that’s putting this place together.

She said that they’re now open for lunch and dinner and live music is going to be happening here. In fact, they have an event tonight and you can read about that here.

The kitchen is also open for lunch and dinner and you can see the menu by clicking on this link.

She said I was free to take some photos in here, so let’s snap a few!

There’s the back of the bar and as you can see, they are very well stocked. Feel free to stop in for a drink or three at Peoria’s newest watering hole!

There’s an island directly behind the bar and there’s that aforementioned pool table in the middle of the front room.

Comfortable tables and chairs line both walls in here.

All of the artwork in here is done by legendary chalk artist, Devon McGlone.

Here’s some more of Devon’s magnificent artwork on the walls in here.

There’s a nice gaming room off to the side over here if you happen to be feeling lucky…well do ya, punk?

Here’s a couple more shots of the bar and Juan was enjoying a beer at the bar.

I’ve heard reports that the ladies refer to him as, “Big Juan,” but he would neither confirm nor deny this. Either way, it was nice to meet and chat with him!

Juan had a photo of the projected look for this place once the new signage goes up in a week or two. I’ll have to stop back when it does. I usually don’t return to a bar, but I’ll make an exception in this place, so stay tuned for a further update!