Dave’s Bar brings back some blog memories for me from 2017.

A woman named Colleen Keown Buckley contacted me back then and said her husband’s grandfather owned a bar called the Shelly Tavern on Shelley Street in the 1930’s and said it was still open and the name was now Dave’s Bar. We went back and forth and her husband, Pat, sent me some photos of the Shelly Tavern, here’s one below.

This photo and a few others can be seen on that post from back in 2017 by clicking here.

Someone recently suggested I should stop in at Dave’s Bar and I realized that I hadn’t been there since that stop in 2017. So tonight, we return to Dave’s Tap, formerly known as the Shelly Tavern.

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Bar Number 163: Dave’s Bar, Monday, July 13, 2026

Here we are at Dave’s Bar. There’s no sign telling you it’s Dave’s Bar out here, if you know, you know!

Let’s go in and see what’s happening in here this evening.

There’s some seats at the bar, let’s go get settled in for the evening.

Shaun was the bartender for the evening and he’s Dave’s son. We had a nice conversation about Dave’s Tap and other Peoria bars and celebrity sightings in Peoria.

The back of the bar is all lit up and Shaun has a clicker back there that changes the color of the lights. Very cool!

Here’s a shot from the back of the bar.

Andy was seated at the end of the bar and said he’s been coming here since he was in his teens. A true regular at Dave’s Bar!

The front room has a dart board, a pool table, a large screen TV and a jukebox. There’s all kinds of entertainment in here!

There’s another pool table in the back corner, opposite the bar.

They host pool leagues in here and awards from the years cover this wall.

Dave’s Bar was established in 1986 and there’s a sign with the daily specials in here.

Gaming machines line the front wall for all of you gamblers out there.

There’s a ceiling tile for both Cards and Cubs fans as you look upward in here! It’s nice that they give both teams equal representation in here!

I had a nice evening in one of Peoria’s oldest bars. If you’ve never stopped in here, you should come by and have a drink or three in this friendly, neighborhood bar!

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