Chicago Magazine reported today that the new concept coming from the Bangers & Lace owners will be a retro-themed sports bar named The Anthem. The former Makisu (and before that, Fuel) space at 1725 W. Division St.
"will sport a retro look with nostalgic seventies-era décor, including school lockers and paneling that evokes the old woodie station wagons. The grub will include homemade comfort food served like a TV dinner, cheese doodles made of pork rinds and Cheddar dust, and a Minnesotan staple called the Juicy Lucy, a hamburger with cheese inside the patty. The menu also covers fondue, crudité, and salads with “some of the brighter-colored dressings,” says Matt Eisler, one of the owners. Six draft beers and microbrews in cans and bottles will dominate the beverage program. And, of course, the TVs—two huge projection TVs and four 50-inch screens behind the bar will show the games but not overbear the atmosphere."Between Fat Pour, which is supposedly opening in March in the former Adobo Grill space, and Paradise Cantina, which opened last April, it seems sports bars are cropping up left and right on Division Street as of late. Do you think The Anthem will fill a niche like Bangers & Lace or will the neighborhood get a case of sports bar fatigue? As always, we'd love to hear your thoughts.
