WICKER PARK — A new mural on Milwaukee Avenue isn't just another piece of public art in the neighborhood: it also serves as an announcement that the group behind Publican and Big Star will open another Wicker Park bar.
Located at 1576 N. Milwaukee Ave., the bar will be an extension of the Publican brand of restaurants in the city. It will be named Publican Anker, and owners are calling it their version of a "perfect bar room."
The bar is a project of One Off Hospitality Group, the restaurateurs behind the Publican, Publican Quality Meats and beloved Wicker Park taco spot Big Star. The group also owns Wicker Park spots such as the Violet Hour and Dove's Luncheonette.
One Off officials originally planned to call the new venture "Anchor," but later changed it to the German spelling, which is also an old Dutch and German unit of measurement used for spirits, wine and beer.
Anker will be the third member of the Publican brand. A spokesman for the restaurant group said the idea for Anker evolved from Fulton Market's Publican and its interpretation of a "beer hall."
The new bar will be styled after backyard parties, a spokesman said. It will serve "atypical, affordable" wines, a full list of beers as well as bar food, including raw and roasted shellfish.
The new business was announced to the neighborhood via a mural painted on the wooden construction walls surrounding the Milwaukee Avenue building it eventually will call home. The mural was completed Thursday night, a spokeswoman said.
The building has been under construction "for a while now," the spokesman said. The building previously held Francesca's Forno.
There is no word on when the establishment will open.
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