Before Southport Avenue became known for its newer restaurants and national retailers, Justin’s Bar & Grill was the kind of neighborhood place where an afternoon could turn into an entire evening. At 3358 N. Southport Avenue, its beer garden, sports-bar atmosphere and familiar faces made it a Lakeview fixture for more than three decades.
A Southport institution since 1984
Justin Salk opened Justin’s in 1984. Over the next 31 years, it became a casual gathering spot for neighbors, Cubs fans and friends meeting for food, beer and a seat outside. Its appeal wasn’t about reinvention: it was about having a place that felt familiar.
The beer garden everyone remembers
For many regulars, the outdoor beer garden was the main attraction. The blog preserved snapshots of that space years before the closing, including an October 2013 image and a Pride 2014 photograph. These are the kinds of neighborhood moments that explain why the name Justin’s still comes up whenever people reminisce about old Southport.
The first signs of change in 2015
By July 2015, the Southport Corridor blog was reporting on a retail brochure marketing the property. In September, it reported that Newcastle Limited had purchased the building and that 4 Star Restaurant Group, known locally for Crosby’s Kitchen, would eventually take over the space. Justin’s continued operating for a time under a leaseback arrangement.
The end of an era: January 2016
Justin’s served its final customers on Sunday, January 3, 2016. Some older archived blog copy mistakenly says 2015, but the contemporaneous January 2016 reports and independent coverage establish the correct year. The closing ended a 31-year run that had begun in 1984.
Even the contents of the bar became a part of its farewell. An auction was announced for January 26, 2016, offering memorabilia, televisions and other fixtures from the old establishment.
From Justin’s to Tuco & Blondie
4 Star Restaurant Group planned a major renovation for the former Justin’s space. The 2016 plans included a new Tex-Mex restaurant, expanded kitchen and large windows. The outdoor area would survive in a smaller form, preserving at least a piece of the property’s longtime identity as a place to gather outside.
The replacement restaurant became Tuco & Blondie. The building at 3358 N. Southport continues to connect two eras of neighborhood dining: the old-school bar and beer garden that generations remember, and the newer restaurant that followed.
A look back through our archives
For more original coverage, revisit our four-photo Justin’s throwback, Pride 2014 in the beer garden, our January 2016 closing report and the 2016 renovation photos.
What do you remember about Justin’s?
Were you a beer garden regular? Did you watch Cubs games there, celebrate Pride, or meet friends after work? Tell us your favorite Justin’s memory in the comments—and which other long-gone Southport bar deserves a photo retrospective next.