Allston bar with deep drink menu shutting forever

Not only did they stock and pour remarkable ales, their tap pullers always displayed the most remarkable body ink. I had been looking forward to patio time there.

Ellum and bienvenue.

Given the circumstance in the world, this really isn't a big deal, but I am personally very upset to see them close. I absolutely love Deep Ellum. Since moving out of Allston I haven't been able to go as often, but that has always been one of my favorite places.

One of the first conversations I had with my now wife was in that bar. Whenever a friend came to visit, that was the destination. I love the decorations, beer, and every person I ever encountered working there.

I'm not sure if it was Aaron or Max, but one of them stopped by with a minor issue on the way to work when I was working in a local bike shop. He was so friendly (and had a pretty cool bike), which I guess isn't surprising, but still nice to know that a cool bar is run by cool people.

I look forward to some day having grandchildren and dragging them to the Harvard high-rise that will inevitably be standing there so that I can tell them everything I typed here while they roll their eyes.

when it was O' Malley's

when they reopen I hope they turn down the radio a few notches.

Oof. That's some pretty lousy news right there. I have been going there since they opened. Nothing, and I mean nothing, could beat a Sunday late afternoon seat at the table by the front window, enjoying something from the tap menu and slowly destroying a cheese plate. Or they would do a killer breakfast burrito during brunch hours and would substitute tofu for you. In olden times (or if you asked nicely) they would fry it chimichanga style for extra deliciousness points. I was chatting with one of the bartenders once and when I mentioned that it was my birthday I suddenly found myself in possession of a series of scotch pours from some of his favorite lesser-known bottles. They garnished their perfectly-spiced bloodys with dilly beans. You could get truffled gorgonzola fries as an add-on, for Christ's sake. What's not to love about this place? I'm glad that Lone Star will still be there, but Deep Ellum will always be the destination I'm craving. So sad.

I am bummed about Deep Ellum and a number of other restaurants that are closing, the list is sure to grow for the foreseeable future.

My hope is that the city and state will be pushed into action to finally fix the issues with licensing, liquor and others. There is no reason that it should cost up to $400k to get a liquor license, there is no reason that a restaurant should have to get an entertainment license to mount some TVs above the bar. It should be easy for a few people to be able to open their own restaurant without venture capital backing. If we want this city to have a vibrant restaurant scene and turn back the tide of corporate chains the entire playing field needs to be fixed. Hopefully the pandemic will force the issues to be addressed.

I always heard great things about Deep Elum and several times had the chance to stop in before a show at Brighton Music Hall or O'Briens or Great Scott. I'm pissed that I never made it in. RIP.

Lone Star is fine and all, but Deep Ellum was just better all around. It's true that if you didn't go early on during their open hours you were probably yelling your face off due to the noise, but an early cocktail and an order of gorgonzola truffle fries was certainly worth the trip.

I admit to some fatigue whenever I hear about a hugely popular establishment closing because the owner(s) basically just don't feel like it anymore. Someone can always manage an existing place running under its own momentum if the owner(s) want to focus elsewhere. Popular neighborhood spots aren't a dime a dozen and if we can't find a way to preserve them, it gets that much harder for neighborhoods to build communities.