The Owl’s Nest is a classic Peoria bar and I’ve been meaning to stop in there sometime on this 365 bar tour. Then the other day I saw this facecrack post:

And I realized I’ve never had chicken gizzards in a bar. So I decided that tonight’s destination will be to The Owl’s Nest to get some chicken gizzards in a bar for the very first time.

See how easy this whole thing works?

Okay, off to West Peoria we go!

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Bar Number 73: The Owl’s Nest, Monday, March 23, 2026

Here we are at The Owl’s Nest Bar in West Peoria. I’ve been coming here since the early ‘80’s, so this is a familiar bar for me!

One thing I hate about daylight savings time is that it stays light later and this looks like I’m taking this photo at noon! I’ll take one later to show the bar in sweet darkness!

Let’s go in and see what’s going on inside!

This place never changes and that’s a good thing!

Let’s grab a seat at the end of the bar and get settled in on this fine Monday evening!

Ashley was the cute and friendly bartender on duty and here she is serving me up a can of Bud Light with a nice smile! We’re off to a great start tonight!

I placed my order for the chicken gizzards with Ashley and now let’s take a look around in here.

There’s the back of the bar and a giganzo tub of bottled beer.

Here’s a shot from the other end of the bar and there’s the quartet of beers on tap.

Tables line the wall opposite the bar and there’s a chalkboard with the daily food specials listed on it.

My friend Mike was in the bar and it’s always great to see his smiling face! It was his birthday yesterday, so let’s wish him a happy birthday.

Happy Birthday, Mike! Hope you had a wonderful day and hope you can join me on some of these nights out down the road!

There’s another room behind this door over here, let’s go inside and see what’s happening over there.

There’s a gas pump, a wooden owl and a pool table over here…oh my!

More dining tables and the other side of the bar is over here as well.

Gaming machines line the front wall over here.

Meanwhile, back at the bar…

The chicken gizzards have arrived and they look fantastic!

They’re crunchy on the outside and tender and juicy on the inside. They are seasoned to perfection and this is a real treat and my first time ever eating chicken gizzards in a bar! Hooray!