ROGERS PARK — Ever wanted to try a martini named after your favorite Rogers Park street? A new neighborhood bar might have just what you’re looking for.
Glenwood Martini Bar opened last week at 6958 N. Glenwood Ave., next door to the long-standing Glenwood Bar, said owner Colm Treacy, who owns both establishments. The neighborhood martini lounge now occupies a space formerly used for private parties at the Glenwood Bar, which Treacy said hadn’t been rented out much since the COVID-19 pandemic.
Whereas Glenwood Bar, opened in 2008, is a classic neighborhood tavern, Glenwood Martini Bar has a more refined environment and focus on live performances. The LGBTQ martini bar will feature live entertainment, such as go-go dancers and drag performers, every Friday-Sunday, he said.
Treacy described his new bar as a place “where neighbors become friends.”
“A martini bar is a place where people hold conversations,” Treacy said. “There is no television in the place, the music is different, more laid back. Unlike the Glenwood, [which] has eight televisions and it’s more of a beer and a shot bar, this concentrates on the cocktails.”
The drink menu offers an array of cocktails, mules and martinis ($12). Drinks include: the Morse Ave., a classic martini; the Chase Ave., a martini with vodka, cranberry juice and triple sec; or the Touhy Ave., a martini with tequila, cranberry and lime juice.
Glenwood Martini Bar followed a soft opening March 26 with a “fantastic” opening night Friday, with live performances and warm weather allowing for use of the Glenwood Avenue alfresco seating, Treacy said.
“I think people are excited for something different in the neighborhood,” Treacy said.
Glenwood Martini Bar is open 6 p.m.-2 a.m., Wednesday-Sunday.
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