Less than a year after closing its doors for good, Sundeckers Bar & Grill has reopened on The Landing under new ownership.
Lumiere Place purchased the property and several blocks around it a few years ago and decided to reopen the casual downtown bar and grill this summer. Though no longer involved, the former owner struck a deal with Lumiere that allowed them to keep the name, according to manager Branko Popovic. “We actually opened two weeks ago with a liquor license. We opened about a month ago just for lunch because we were waiting on the liquor license,” Popovic said.
Sundeckers is also currently looking for a new brewing home for its signature beer, Bases Loaded, after its former collaborators closed up shop, but they’ll continue to feature local and national options. “We have, obviously, Schlafly, Fat Tire. We have a Budweiser, Shock Top, Goose Island IPA, and we’re looking at a couple other small breweries,” Popovic said.
The menu has also undergone some changes. Sundecker’s ever-popular half-pound burger remains a menu staple, and Popovic estimates that the Philly Cheesesteak sandwich is the second most popular item.
The property got a bit of a facelift prior to reopening, receiving a new kitchen and some cosmetic updates and additional TVs. One thing that absolutely wasn’t touched, however, is the historic bar. There are more renovation plans in the mix – Popovic said that the hope is to have the back patio completely redone either by the end of this year or early next spring.
This article appears in August 2015.