Every good bar has a backstory. Ours just happens to start with a wrench.
Before it poured beer, this corner poured sweat. The Racine Plumbing Bar & Grill took its name from a family plumbing business founded in 1881, a working-class legacy that helped build Chicago from the pipes up. In 1996, that legacy shifted from wrenches to well drinks when the bar first opened its doors. It quickly became a true neighborhood spot, best known for sports, simple bar food, and familiar faces.

And now, it’s time for the next chapter.

We call it Gunny’s Pub. New owners, new vibes, a whole new space.

Gunny’s is an independently owned, all-day neighborhood pub built around a pretty straightforward idea: make familiar things really, really well.

We serve lunch, dinner, coffee, beer, wine and cocktails, with a food menu that pulls heavily from the Midwest. You’ll see supper-club influences, seasonal produce, regional ingredients and a little hunter-gatherer spirit, including wild game like duck and pheasant alongside the things you actually want from a neighborhood bar.

The same philosophy carries behind the bar. Our cocktail program is centered on classics done right, with thoughtful originals and plenty of no- and low-ABV options mixed in. We take drinks seriously. We just don’t think you should have to take yourself seriously to order one.

Gunny’s is built on the idea that good food, good drinks, and good company shouldn’t feel exclusive. It’s approachable, but never average. A place where everyone fits, from the weekday regular to the weekend romantic.

Two Rooms, Depending on Your Mood

Grab a stool. Have lunch. Get a beer after work. Meet a friend for a martini. Stay for another one. Walk toward the back and the room changes. Beneath our 20-by-20-foot skylight is a plant-filled dining room that’s a little quieter, a little more intimate and particularly good for dinner, dates and staying longer than you expected.

Neither room is precious. Neither requires an occasion.

Gunny’s can be where you answer emails over coffee at noon, bring your in-laws for dinner, have a great first date, or eat something excellent at the bar on a random Wednesday.

That range is kind of the point.

Thoughtful, Not Fussy

We sometimes describe Gunny’s as living somewhere between a neighborhood pub and the low end of fine dining. Not because we’re trying to be fancy.

Because we believe incredible ingredients and serious technique can still feel familiar.

A great meal doesn’t need white tablecloths. A good martini doesn’t need a smoke-filled cloche. And ordering something ambitious shouldn’t require knowing the secret handshake. Come as you are.