PORTAGE PARK — It's never been easy for pedestrians to miss MCM Pub & Grill, 3906 N. Cicero Ave., a longtime staple of the Six Corners Shopping District. But this year, the bar's floral patio, gold-trimmed facade and multi-page menu all make clear that it isn't the same neighborhood watering hole as before.
The combined bar, restaurant and bottle shop is ramping up business after it completed a major renovation last year, extending its evolution from the liquor store Tom Trier opened at the corner of Cicero and Byron Street in 1990.
Keeping an existing bar behind the bottle shop, Trier downsized the retail operation to make room for a smaller, clean-cut bar with window seating and dozens of craft beer offerings.
"We tore up the whole facade to make it look more inviting, so you wouldn't have to walk through the liquor store to get to the bar," Trier said. "It's the best of both worlds, where we can focus on food service up front and open up the back when it starts to get busy."
Trier tapped head chef Martin Lopez, formerly of Smoque and Sabatino's Restaurant, to oversee an expanded kitchen with fresher ingredients, he said. The new menu runs the gamut from classic bar food like hand-packed burgers and pizza made from scratch to dishes like chicken vesuvio and baked potato skins.
He also hired bar manager Joe Ayala, who's organized regular neighborhood fundraisers, live music performances and other special events. The larger rear bar turns into a dance floor on weekends, complete with a live DJ and karaoke machine, Ayala said.
With new housing and businesses cropping up around Six Corners, the owners wanted to be better equipped to catch the wave of new families that have followed, he added.
“The neighborhood is growing and changing, and we want to keep that going," Ayala said. "There are definitely a lot of younger people moving into the area, and we want to welcome everyone with open arms.”
MCM Pub & Grill is open every day from noon-2 a.m.
The bar will hold a fundraiser July 6 for the group Lift for the 22, which buys gym memberships for military veterans who suffer from post-traumatic stress.
On top of bar staples like burgers and pizza, the new expanded menu includes dishes like salmon vesuvio. [MCM Pub & Grill]
