Lonesome Sundown

[September 24th, 2008]

“Is all your food here vegetarian?” asks the man at the bar, headphones around his neck, bobbing his head like Ali prepping for the big fight as he glances at the Cowboys score on the flat screen. “’Cause I’m more of a meatatarian. Ya know, like the commercial?” Conversations like this are common at most bars across the city, but at the Sundown Pub (5903 N Lombard St., 283-4200)—a decidedly unpretentious, corner pint-and-smoke joint—they are downright welcome. With a wood-paneled room large enough to hold a “floor load max of 40 pounds per square foot” (so reads the old metallic sign next to the bar), you can marvel at the cheap artifacts and the wind chime while picking your favorite Hank Williams tune from an awesome, country-leaning jukebox. After a rocky start earlier this summer (we’ve heard the bar’s original patrons were more tweakers than football fans), the pub has new owners and a new mantra: Sit down and drink whatever you want. The well-stocked bar offers cheap wells and $3.50 pints from Forest Grove’s Off the Rail brewery, including an especially tasty and nutty Sweet Leaf Amber. Ask the chatty, down-to-earth bartender what’s on tap and she will quickly gather an assortment of shot glasses and offer a taste of her favorites—though it’s hard to resist the student-discount $1 PBR special (for nearby U of P students, especially). Drink up, kids. Isn’t that what a pub is for?