Inside: Bar DeVille

Photos:

When Matt Eisler (Angels & Kings, Empire Liquors) and designer friend Kevin Heisner decided to renovate West Town dive La Manzanilla, they had a vested interest in making it a laid-back local hangout: They both live in the neighborhood.

In contrast to some of the ’hood’s larger, shinier additions—say, Old Oak Tap or that hulking Dominick’s—Bar DeVille feels decidedly intimate and old timey, striking a comfy chord somewhere in between Matchbox and The Violet Hour.

CROWD
A 30-something crowd of sweater-and-jeans couples and pals drink in the glow of the neon-lit wood bar, while guy groups man the free pool table. Nobody here is so image-conscious that they care much about having hat hair on an icy weekend night.

INSIDE
It’s part masculine den, part grandma’s living room, what with the deer head mounted on the wall, antique armchairs and lace curtains. Prior to opening, Eisler told us the bar’s bathrooms were nicer than his own at home, and he wasn’t exaggerating. With gleaming copper tile, arty Rorschach inkblot-like wallpaper and a sculptural glass light fixture, the back bathrooms could be mistaken for a Merchandise Mart showroom display.

DRINKS
Even though it’s been open a few weeks, the bar still doesn’t have a printed cocktail menu. Normally not a big deal, but we were looking forward to seeing what mixologist Brad Bolt—who made a name for himself at The Violet Hour—had dreamt up. Until that menu debuts in early January, you’ll have to trust the staff to fix you whatever old-fashioned sipper they’re featuring at the moment. This past weekend, that was a perfectly sour Winter Sidecar ($8), made with applejack brandy from Laird’s, the oldest family distillery in the country. Beer drinkers will find Goose Island’s Matilda and Honker’s Ale on tap, plus other standard picks such as PBR, Bass and Stella Artois.

BOTTOM LINE
If we lived nearby, we’d be here all the time—and from the looks of the crowds, the neighbors agree.

Lisa Arnett is the Metromix nightlife and shopping producer. lmarnett@tribune.com. Reviewers make every attempt to remain anonymous and meals are paid for by Metromix.

Looking for more recent bar reviews? Check out our review of Crocodile in Wicker Park.

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