Speakeasy-themed bar coming to Lakeview

Sidebar owner John Davis Conner is opening his second bar, called The Refinery, in the Lakeview district.

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The Refinery, located at 728 29th St. S., will have a different atmosphere than Sidebar. Sidebar has volleyball courts and live music — The Refinery will have chandeliers and jazz.

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“We want to go for the more sophisticated crowd,” Conner said. "People who still want to go out but don’t want to be thrown up on by some jerk or punched in the face.”

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Conner’s new restaurant will have interesting food choices, such as a lobster corn dog. He said the dishes will be small and that people shouldn’t go there expecting to get full off of the menu items.

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“I’ve been really impressed with my guys in the kitchen,” he said. “We’ve been playing around with menu items all day.”

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The bar will look like a New York speakeasy with lots of brass and dim lighting. There will be three television sets that Conner said will play black and white silent films.

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Heath Bostick, who previously was a managing partner at Tin Roof, will go into the project 50-50 with Conner.

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“We just saw an opportunity, and we work really well together, so we decided to open (a restaurant) up together,” said Conner. “We complement each other. I’m very design-driven and he can run the show. He’s better with people.”

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The bar could open sometime in the next month. The kitchen was remodeled by the previous tenants, Cashio’s Meatball Market, but the bar area still needs to be remodeled.

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“We’re not going to rush it,” Conner said. “We’re going to open it when it’s ready. We’re not doing this opening before we’re ready.”

 

The bar will be open seven days a week, serving lunch and dinner and staying open until late at night.

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I wrote this article and took this photo on an assignment for The Birmingham Business Journal.