Bites Nearby: The Plank Road Tavern

At first glance, the Plank Road Tavern, at 16719 Detroit Avenue, may appear to be just like any other pub on the corner, but there are details at work here that need to be discovered...

They have a finespun menu of tasty pub fare designed to accompany Midwestern craft beers; the interior is intimate and well-planned; there are some TVs, but it is not a sports bar.

All the details are done with specificity.

It is warmly lit; the tables and walls are a rich, walnutty brown- definitely a pub through and through- but there is a cherry-red-tiled accent wall, giving the whole room an up-to-date feel. This unabashed swath of color is alluring, purposeful and still unpretentious: it houses the fireplace and is just the place to sit and have a drink.

The kitchen is semi-open and the chef works right alongside the waiters delivering food. The menu is spot-on featuring $5 Design-Your-Own Burgers, a Sausage Board, Pub Meatloaf and Roasted Pork Chili; Beer Battered Pickles with Spicy Dill Sauce, Bacon and Fingerlings...this is no place to take your vegan friends.

I built my burger with caramelized onions, creamy horseradish and Gruyere on a soft Ciabatta roll and it was perfect.

The table layout is clever and thought-through: the low tables are subtly cordoned from the bar area by high-top pub tables; the bar has 16 seats, and there is definitely room to stand without hovering over diners.

This tavern may be a work in progress- their sign is unfinished and they have big plans for an outdoor bar and patio- but what they have is a far cry from incomplete. Plank Road Tavern is located on Detroit Ave at Lauderdale Avenue, across from Dairy Queen. They have great specials every night, and on Thursdays they have live Irish music at 7 o'clock- get there early if you want a seat.

Open:
Monday through Friday 3PM- 2:30AM, Saturday & Sunday 11AM- 2:30AM

Kitchen open:
Monday through Saturday til midnight, Sunday til 9.

Take-Out available.

Street parking only.