Until recently it was the St. James Tap and Grill and before that for many years it was Dylan O’Connors. The location has always leaned towards neighbourhood bar and tried to appeal to the sports crowd. Standing at the corner of 2609 Portage Avenue at the side street of Thompson, the signage is up for a new restaurant/bar on the cusp of opening. The name of the place will be Underdogs.
Sports bars and grills are all the rage in Winnipeg as casual dining has taken a hit. Flat screen TVs with hi def have taken over almost every bar and Underdogs will have 48 of them for the sports mad crowd. However, the 7,500 square foot club will also have a gaming section for more active living guests. One side of the restaurant will feature zippo, ping pong and basketball.
The restaurant business can be very fickle. The tastes of the area can change, the location falls on hard times and places close sometimes as fast as they open. Underdogs has a proven location but the taste for dark and expansive bars has give way to brighter and more active places.
Look to see Underdogs open in the next days after a major refurbishment.
This has been an editorial by John Dobbin.
To read more from John, visit his blog Observations, Reservations, Conversations
