LINCOLN SQUARE — A new neighborhood bar is coming to the former home of the Grafton from the team behind a number of popular North Side taverns.
The Getaway will open later this month at 4530 N. Lincoln Ave. in the space left vacant after the Grafton closed in August of 2022.
The new venture comes from lifelong friends David Halpern and Ross Dimun. Halpern’s Four Entertainment Group is behind bars including aliveOne in Lincoln Park, Central Park Bar in Avondale, Easy Bar in Wicker Park, Estelle’s in Wicker Park, Remedy in Bucktown and The Owl in Logan Square.
Dimun and Halpern were able to achieve a longtime goal of working together by teaming up to open The Getaway.
The Getaway’s opening ends speculation on what would happen to the former Irish pub that anchored Lincoln Avenue for nearly 20 years.
Last year, the Old Town School of Folk Music, 4544 N. Lincoln Ave., announced plans to buy the pub in order to reopen it as a restaurant and performance venue. Those plans fell through after Four Entertainment acquired the three-story building.
The Grafton served as an unofficial extension of the Old Town School because of how many teachers and students popped in before and after classes to grab a pint and bite to eat or perform at the pub, former regulars said.
The Getaway’s owners hope to carry on that tradition with their business.
“That symmetry between Grafton and Old Town School of Folk Music is something we want to continue,” Halpern said. “We absolutely want to incorporate that into the vibe here with some live music sometimes by the fire.”
When The Getaway opens, neighbors will be able to enjoy a signature cocktail menu, a robust beer list, happy hour and occasional live music and DJ sets in the bar’s newly renovated interior, Halpern and Dimun said.
Food will not be on the menu, at least not initially. But once The Getaway is established in the neighborhood, the owners might revisit the idea of offering food, Halpern said.
“There’s so many great restaurants all around us. We want this to be a place people go for drinks,” Dimun said. “We want to be the bar on the block.”
The Getaway’s initial menu will offer 12 cocktails presented in playful glassware that will rotate seasonally. General Manager Gianna Peña, Operations Manager Sarah Crossley and bartender Janet Tonyan came up with the recipes.
Some menu highlights include the “Smoke ‘em if You Got ‘em,” in which rye whiskey, Cynar liqueur and Benedictine herbal liqueur is served in a chilled glass with a spritz of Laphroaig, the smokey Scottish whiskey. Another is the “Cocorococonut,” which is comprised of vodka, lemongrass sake, lychee liqueur, coconut syrup and lemon juice.
The Getaway’s namesake cocktail will feature coconut liqueur, pineapple rum, apricot liqueur, fresh juices and grenadine served in a pineapple glass with a cocktail umbrella, orange slice and a Luxardo cherry.
“We want to be the place that all of the staff that works up here, all of the industry people here, can have a drink after work. Where they don’t feel they have to leave the neighborhood,” Halpern said. “We have such an appreciation for the industry and want to give people in it a place to come by that’s open late, or later when everyone else is closed.”
The Getaway will be the seventh location for Four Entertainment Group in Chicago. The partners also operate bars in Ohio and Kentucky.
“Historically, we’ve found neighborhoods to become staples in. That started back in 1996 with aliveOne,” Halpern said. “It’s always with the aim of not being a flash in the pan and instead becoming a place that feels like it’s been there forever.”
‘A No Brainer’
Halpern and Dimun are childhood friends who were introduced to each other by their mothers when they were babies, the two said.
“Our moms were already best friends and his mom said to my mom, ‘Here’s your son’s best friend,’” Dimun said.
Growing up, the pair knew they wanted to do something together professionally like opening a bar, Dimun said.
Dimun lives in the neighborhood and when he saw the Grafton for sale, they pounced.
“It was kind of a no brainer. We love the area and we thought we could bring a good vibe, a good energy to a formerly fantastic place that we all loved,” Dimun said.
Since taking over, the owners have renovated the interior by expanding the bar, removing front booths and updating light fixtures and other elements.
“We didn’t want people to walk in and be like, ‘This is just the Grafton with a paint job,’” Halpern said.
The renovated 2,500 square-foot space was designed by CBD Architects and retains the Grafton’s general layout but introduces an eclectic interior with vintage elements throughout.
The space offers seating for 80 people and is outfitted with two TVs in the front bar.
Fans of the Grafton will be thrilled to know there is still a fireplace, but the area has a more Mid-century modern vibe now.
“I got into this business because I’ve always been driven by showing people a good time,” Halpern said. “I love providing great places for people to work and great places for people to connect. And to this day what energizes me is being at one of my places and seeing the synergy between staff and guests — that mutual love and respect — that comes with like great neighborhood bars.”
The Getaway will open to the public April 13 and its hours will be 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. Sunday through Friday and 4 p.m. to 3 a.m. Saturday.
Support Local News!
Subscribe to Block Club Chicago, an independent, 501(c)(3), journalist-run newsroom. Every dime we make funds reporting from Chicago’s neighborhoods. Already subscribe? Click here to gift a subscription, or you can support Block Club with a tax-deductible donation.
Listen to the Block Club Chicago podcast:
