Belleville bar will reopen with new look and name, but your favorite foods won’t change

Mike Whitaker started serving breakfast and beer at his corner tavern long before posh Bloody Mary bars at brunch became a thing.

For years, the bar known in the neighborhood as Charlie's has offered breakfast starting at 7 a.m. It's a tradition that won’t change, but customers will notice a number of updates when the bar reopens later this week as Charlie’s Off Main.

Located at 200 Mascoutah Ave, the historic bar stopped serving food late last year, but when it reopens, breakfast will be back on the menu along with other popular favorites like tacos and fried chicken.

Whitaker, a longtime caterer and businessman, said it was time to update the neighborhood watering hole. One of the oldest bars in the city, Charlie's is a place where politicians, city employees and Belleville natives would gather after work.

"People would come in from the hospital after working all night," Whitaker recalled in the bar he's owned nearly 20 years.

He purchased it from Charlie Wilson in 1999. The decor hasn't changed much since then.

That's why the bar and restaurant has a new look, a new name and a new investor who wants to draw more millennials and newcomers to the iconic establishment.

Whitaker’s new partner, Tim Hasenstab, helped to come up with the bar’s new name and logo. He also wants to restore the iconic Stag beer sign out front.

New black leather booths, two jukeboxes, new floors, new beer signs, a designated center for gaming and a restoration job at the bar are all a part of Whitaker and Hasenstab’s plan to revive their historic corner of Belleville.

On a recent Friday afternoon, residents who live in the district stopped to ask when the bar would reopen. A new sign outside has excited the neighborhood about the updates inside.

“Belleville had a lot of corner taverns,” Hasenstab said. “And they miss it.”

Charlie’s Off Main expects to reopen at 7 a.m. Friday with breakfast, beer and other “classic Charlie” items on the menu.

This story was originally published June 25, 2018 at 2:15 PM with the headline "Belleville bar will reopen with new look and name, but your favorite foods won’t change."