Tuesday, December 1st 2009
The Roman Coin
By Katie D
As long as you can remember, Regano's Roman Coin has been sitting on the corner of Brady and Astor. Have you ever been in this old tavern? A block or two away from the cluster of trendy bars, the Coin is a Brady Street staple. This bar is the cheapest, most friendly and oldest in the neighborhood. It was originally a Pabst Brewery Tied House built in 1890 by Otto Strack (who also did the Pabst Theater) commissioned by Capt. Frederick Pabst. Before the bar was owned by the Regano's, it was called Happy Go Lucky in the 40s. Before that, the name seems to be lost. Family owned since 1966-it yields unbeatable prices and surprises. Did you know, there's a two lane bowling alley in the basement?! It hasn't been used since the 50s, now only for storage, it's still down there under a door in the floor boards.
When Brady street wasn't a hot spot-and quite frankly a scary place, all the windows were boarded up for years. The current owner, Teri Regano was raised at the Coin, literally. She has since uncovered a lot of the original windows and beautiful details (some by accident!) that Otto intended it to be. Other than that not a whole lot has changed over the years. They used to have a working phone booth inside that would attract some local "characters." It is also the only bar in the area that opens before noon. The Coin used to cater to the blue collars-mostly third shift workers from the surrounding tanneries like Pfister & Vogel that shut down less than 10 years ago. It used to open at 7am and have a pretty full house, nowadays it's 9 am. A pool table, jukebox and free wi-fi will keep you entertained, if the locals don't. It's a cash only bar-but no worries, your pocket change should cover it.
Listing: Roman Coin
Neighborhood: Brady Street
