Gunny’s Pub to open Sept. 16 in Lincoln Park despite street closure

Gunny’s Pub will open Sept. 16 at 2642 N. Lincoln Ave. in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood, inside a restored 145-year-old building. The debut comes while Lincoln Avenue remains closed for a water main replacement, but the owners say they are moving ahead anyway.

Why it matters: - Gunny’s Pub adds a new independently owned neighborhood bar and restaurant to Lincoln Park at a time when the surrounding corridor is disrupted by major construction. - The opening gives the area another lunch, dinner and late-night option built around a classic pub format with a Midwestern angle. - The business is opening inside a restored 145-year-old building, which adds a preservation story to the neighborhood dining scene.

What happened: - Gunny’s Pub will open Wednesday, Sept. 16, at 2642 N. Lincoln Ave. in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood. - Owners Mary Nedbalski and Marty O’Connor spent more than a year restoring and reimagining the building into a modern neighborhood pub. - The opening arrives while Lincoln Avenue between Diversey Parkway and Wrightwood Avenue remains closed to through traffic for Chicago Department of Water Management water main replacement work. - The construction project was originally expected to finish in early October, but the schedule remains subject to change.

The details: - The menu is built around approachable pub favorites alongside more ambitious dishes. - Seasonal ingredients and regional wild game, including duck and pheasant, run through the food program. - The kitchen is designed to make Gunny’s a fit for lunch, dinner or a late-night stop. - The bar program centers on classics made carefully, including martinis, Manhattans and Old Fashioneds. - Gunny’s also plans original cocktails inspired by seasonal and Midwestern flavors. - Beer and wine round out the drink list. - The front room is designed to feel like a classic neighborhood pub. - The rear dining room opens under a 20-by-20-foot skylight and features a lush, plant-filled setting.

Between the lines: - The Lincoln Avenue closure could have delayed the launch, but Gunny’s is treating the disruption as part of the story instead of a setback. - Nedbalski framed the opening as a long-term neighborhood play, not a one-time destination for curiosity traffic. - The concept leans on familiarity first, then adds enough food and drink details to stand out without feeling formal.

What's next: - Gunny’s Pub is opening Sept. 16 and will begin serving the neighborhood immediately, even with construction cones still in place. - The owners are positioning the pub as a regular stop for lunches, after-work drinks and longer dinners as the street work continues. - The final timing of the Lincoln Avenue project may shift if the city changes the construction schedule.

The bottom line: - Gunny’s Pub is betting that a restored building, classic drinks and neighborhood-first service can overcome a closed street and still win over Lincoln Park regulars.