Bar of the month

Bowmans
4356 N. Leavitt

The Basics
Where you’ll find it: 4356 N. Leavitt St., where Leavitt intersects Lincoln near Montrose. 773-478-9999 Ave. www.BowmansChicago.com

When it’s open: 11 a.m.-2 a.m. Sunday-Friday; 11 a.m.-3 a.m. Saturday.

Peak time: Bowmans gets a steady dinner crowd throughout the week, and it can get busy later at night on the weekends. The outdoor patio is full on evenings when the weather is nice.

What you’ve heard: If you ever visited the Florida Café — and I hope you didn’t — you wouldn’t recognize the place. ... It’s in a great area of Lincoln Square that really needed a spot like this. ... Real variety of food in a classy environment. ... A wonderful place to sit outside, have a drink and watch the world go by. ... People crave the daily specials.

History in Short: Home of the former Florida Café, the space was purchased by the owners of Waterhouse and Bluelight in January of this year, gutted and then re-opened in early February. “People were really surprised with the transition and how different it looks,” says owner Dan Latino.

Visual Aids
First impressions: This is a shiny, new neighborhood bar with plenty of hard wood, exposed pipes and earth tones. The exposed light brick wall and mirrors behind the bar add a nice touch, and the unique lighting fixtures are similar to what you’d find in a nice home. ... There are five plasma screens to catch the game, but they’re not overwhelming, like in a lot of bars. The music is at a good level during dinner hours to where it doesn’t drown out your conversation. ... There is plenty of good seating, whether you’re looking for a more intimate booth or high-top tables. ... The outdoor patio is done up right with fencing and flowers. It seats up to 40 people and is great for big groups.

The atmosphere: There is a definite casual and friendly vibe going on here. The music levels change a bit as the night progresses, and they take a few tables out to free up space near the bar and accomodate larger crowds later in the evenings. It’s typically a younger crowd (mid-20s to mid-30s) that fits the neighborhood, but you won’t find many right out of college.

What you’d tell your friends: “It’s not just a good neighborhood bar and grill, as the large-screen TVs and outdoor patio welcome sports fans and families alike. And it’s not your regular bar food menu. You’ll be sure to come back.”
— Justin

“Everybody loves it here. It’s open, it’s airy, it’s fun. It’s really good for smokers and non-smokers, and the patio is great all day and night. It’s a laid-back, fun environment with great specials during the week and $5 martinis on Friday nights.” — Suzanne

What the owner thinks: “We have something unique in the neighborhood, where it’s not upscale without being pretentious, but it’s also not your regular bar food. People come in to eat, and they find it easy to stay late into the evening.” – Dan Latino, Jr.

The Experience
At your service: Judging by the popularity of Waterhouse, Bluelight and Matisse (which they previously owned), the ownership know how to hire good servers. On a recent Monday night, there were four waitresses, a bartender, a manager and plenty of busboys running about. You’ll never be disappointed in the friendliness department. ... Parking is also plentiful in the area, both on Lincoln at metered spots or in the surrounding neighborhood, which isn’t zoned.

Get your drink on: Bowmans is well known for their red and white sangria and quality selection of specialty martinis. Both are extremely popular and shouldn’t be missed. They also have quite a collection of whiskey, scotch and bourbon. You’ll find more than 20 wine options on the menu, each described in detail. As far as beer goes, there are eight on tap as well as more than 20 varieties in the bottle, including Fat Tire, Woodchuck Cider, Amstel Light, Bass and Corona.

Menu variety: The food is a big draw for sure, and the extensive menu will no doubt leave you with a difficult decision. Starters like wings, a four-cheese macaroni bake, breaded ravioli, wild mushroom and goat cheese bruschetta or a baked brie in puff pastry will get you headed in the right direction. Salads are offered in abundance — the salmon Caesar salad, mandarin salad and buffalo chicken salad are three favorites. For the main course, you’ll find sandwiches and wraps (such as the Tuscan chicken panini or Greek Town wrap), burgers and plenty of entrées like the grilled pork tenderloin, bacon-wrapped filet mignon or grilled wild salmon. And let’s not forget the dessert menu, where an apple crisp, strawberry puff pastry tart with chocolate truffles or the cookie monster are a few of the options to satisfy your sweet tooth.

Daily specials: Monday: $3 Beer of the Month, $3 burger and fries; Tuesday: $2 domestics, $7 fried chicken and four-cheese macaroni bake; Wednesday: half-price wine, $6 cheese plate; Thursday: $3 mojitos, $3 sangria, $5 pork sandwich Cubano; Friday: $5 specialty martinis; Saturday: $3 bloody marys, $3 Bellinis, $12.99 steak dinner; Sunday: $6 soup and sandwich (chef’s selection).

Who you can expect to see there: Bowmans draws in a lot of people from the North Center and Lincoln Square neighborhoods. The crowd varies from young families stopping in for lunch to 25-to-35-year-olds making a night of it. The bar is developing more of a casual, loungy, late-night crowd.

It’s a good spot to … “escape to catch the game, sit outside on the patio or indulge yourself in some great food in Lincoln Square. ... get your team sponsored, as it’s just steps from Welles Park and close to the fields and beaches on Montrose. ... enjoy some fabulous flavored martinis and a huge wine selection at very reasonable prices.

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