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Beloved East Burnside punk dive B-Side Tavern is set to reopen after a fire tore through the back patio and spread to the attic last September.
After hitting a snag with the original contractors, the property owners are pushing forward with construction that should get underway no later than September. There's no firm opening date, but owner Tanya P. Frantzen is aiming for the first of the year—give or take a few weeks.
"We are coming back, finally," Frantzen says. "I miss it a lot."
The bar—which provided the backdrop for a zombie-and-PBR-themed Red Fang video that also starred Fred Armisen—has been a favorite rocker hangout since opening in 2006. It was, as we described it in our 2017 Bar Guide, "a tattooed middle finger erect in defiance of the not-so-slow churn of the inner-east side's douchification."
While it'll be up to you to loyal customers to recreate the patina of cigarette ashes and beer stains on the patio, Frantzen promised they're doing everything possible to retain that musty dive-bar feel while bringing the space up to code.
Staffers have been hustling for months with side jobs, but Frantzen promises "our family is intact" and the familiar faces are set to return as well.
Since Frantzen had a lot of downtime while B-Side's status was in limbo, she used the opportunity to author a book called Happy 21st Birthday: A Field Guide for Bar Patrons of All Ages that's part etiquette guide, part commiserate narrative about life behind the bar, where she shares advice on everything from the art of bartending to tipping.
"One dollar a drink is standard," she says. "More is amazing, especially if it's busy and everything's kept under control. Recognize you've had a good time at the bar and tip accordingly. I usually tip two dollars."
Good advice for those looking forward to the return of B-Side.