Okay, I didn’t get to a bar the other night, so we’ll do what we do when we don’t get to a current bar, we’ll put up a tribute to a beloved bar from Peoria’s past!
Katie McButt’s was an Irish bar on Knoxville and while I’m not sure of the exact date, I think it opened up in the early ’80’s. It was previously known as The Turf Club.
It was a popular bar in its time and was known for its large selection of beers on tap, way before that was ever a thing.
It closed back in 2014 and below are some photos, memories and links to articles and videos about a once beloved Peoria Irish watering hole!
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Katie McButt’s: Photos, Memories & Links.
Here’s an online tribute to Katie McButt’s from 2009, back when it was still in business: Katie McButt’s, A Peoria Institution.
I used to hang out at Katie McButt’s in the 80’s and early ‘90’s before I moved to New York City in the summer of 1993. Then I had a 19 year gap in visiting this legendary Peoria Irish tavern. When I moved back and started this blog I wanted to revisit it and get some photos of it for the blog. I tried three times and failed three times!
I first tried to revisit Katie McButt’s in April of 2013 and for some reason it was closed at 10:30pm on a Thursday night. I ended up hanging out with an ice machine and vowed to return again.
I tried again a few months later in August around 10:15pm and the lights were on, but the door was locked! Strike two at Katie McButt’s!
I tried for a third time in January of 2014 and I called and was assured they’d be open after 10pm. So I went and baboom, they were closed! I gave up on them and they closed the doors for good later on in the year.
Phil Luciano and Danielle Hatch devoted a video to Katie McButt’s back in 2013 and Danielle even tried her hand at being a bartender there! Check out the video by clicking here.
(P.S. Check out Phil at his new gig at WMBD on the Greg and Phil Show in the morning.)
Here’s photos that Matt Dayhoff took from the final farewell to Katie McButt’s in August of 2014 in the PJ Star.
Phil Luciano reported in 2018 that Katie McButt’s was destined for demolition.
In 2024, PJ Star writer, Dean Muellerleille wrote about the Katie McButt’s sign and shared some memories and history of this iconic Peoria Irish tavern from the past.
I went yesterday and took a photo of the hole in the block on Knoxville Avenue in Peoria where Katie McButt’s once stood.
Cheers to Katie McButt’s and thanks for the memories!
We’ll be back with a new bar posting tomorrow.
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Bar List, Rules, Banner Art & Donation Link.
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