Beyond The Beef

I admit it: I expected Bunk Bar (1028 SE Water Ave.) to be just a slightly larger clone of the wildly popular inner-eastside sandwich shop, with longer hours and a beer tap. But Bunk Bar is not Bunk Sandwiches with a bar; it's a bar with Bunk Sandwiches. The newest addition to the industrial-chic Water Avenue 'hood is a big concrete-and-stainless-steel space kitted out with leather booths and couches and a stage for live shows. Yes, there's a small window to order the signature sandwiches—all your old favorites like meatball Parmigianino heroes and pork belly po' boys—but it's the large bar that rules, offering a full range of beers in the $2 to $4 range and spirits (though fewer locally made libations than one might expect). Fans of Bunk will no doubt be overjoyed, but you really don't need to like big, beefy sandwiches to love this bar.

WWeek 2015

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