“I’m working-class,” says Danny Cimaglio, when asked to describe his occupation. The 63-year-old’s matter-of-fact demeanor and scrappy work history were the norm in Bucktown back in 1986, the year Cimaglio and some friends opened Danny’s Tavern, a funky bar in a solidly blue-collar hood that helped usher in the area’s bohemian phase. In the mid-80s, Damen Avenue was the dividing line between Mexican and Puerto Rican gangs—not a place to buy yoga pants—and Cimaglio and his wife, Barbara, were raising their daughter Anna in a three-flat on Armitage and Hoyne.
Decorated like an apartment, the bar became a comfortable spot for hard-drinking laborers and neighborhood artists, as well as the occasional celebrity. John Cusack, looking for an out-of-the-way hangout, was known to pop in on occasion. Anna still remembers special afternoons spent perched on zebra-print stools, stealing cherries and olives from the garnish tray and dropping quarters in the jukebox to spin Roy Orbison’s “Crying,” her favorite song. Decked in Elvis memorabilia and outfitted with a jukebox full of punk, rockabilly, and Sinatra, the place also reflected Cimaglio’s musical tastes.
Bernice never imagined she’d be running Bernice’s Tavern
Meet Maria of Maria’s Packaged Goods & Community Bar
Rosa of Rosa’s Lounge brought the blues to Logan Square
How Alice of Alice’s Lounge went from beautician to bar owner
