Lincoln Park is about to score a new neighborhood hangout. Gunny's Pub, a quietly ambitious tavern with a full kitchen, is under construction on North Lincoln Avenue, moving into the former Racine Plumbing space. Owner Martin O'Connor, a hospitality veteran who has worked at Lucky Dorr and Mordecai in Wrigleyville, says the buildout will split the address into a lively front bar and a calmer restaurant-and-lounge in back. The plan is to match familiar neighborhood-bar drinks with what he calls "upscale casual" food at prices that stay in the approachable lane.
Speaking with What Now Chicago, O'Connor said he is not ready to lock in an official opening date, but he expects Gunny's to debut "sometime this summer." He added that he wanted to give Lincoln Park and Lakeview a spot for cocktails at neighborhood price points. The outlet reports that the split-floorplan will feature a traditional tavern up front, with a restaurant and lounge in the back, and it lists tentative hours of roughly 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. six days a week. What Now Chicago also noted that the space sits on the west side of North Lincoln Avenue next to Juno Sushi Chicago.
What Gunny's Will Offer
Gunny's pre-opening website backs up that vision, sketching out a menu of savory bar fare like smash burgers and steak frites, and describing the front room as a coffee-and-cocktail bar with a more intimate dining room behind it. The site also highlights a labor-friendly touch, a promised union discount for trades, and lists placeholder hours and contact information while construction wraps up. The language on the page frames Gunny's as independently run and personal, signed with the byline "Made By Mar-t-y." The home page includes hiring calls and other pre-opening details, and the team is steering anyone curious to the Gunny's Pub site for updates.
Neighborhood Context
The storefront has most recently been home to Racine Plumbing Bar & Grill, and that venue's site still lists the Lincoln Avenue address. Gunny's will sit next to Juno Sushi Chicago, in the middle of a busy stretch of bars and restaurants a few blocks north of the Fullerton Red Line stop. Neighbors will likely be watching to see whether the new spot leans into late-night bar energy or the quieter, table-service dining that the back room suggests.
O'Connor and the Gunny's team are finishing construction and directing would-be customers to Instagram for updates. The owners say they will release an official opening date and a full menu closer to launch. We will update readers when the team announces a soft-open date or publishes the complete lineup of food and drinks.
