The Penny Road Pub, a staple for food, drink and live music in South Barrington for nearly 50 years, will close Jan. 31. A “Farewell to Penny Road” concert is scheduled for Jan. 22.
Penny Road Pub, a live rock ‘n’ roll venue nestled among the trees of the Barrington area for nearly 50 years, will close its doors at the end of January.
Representatives of the business near South Barrington announced the closing via social media Sunday, along with news that it will operate only on weekends until then.
“We will miss all of the patrons, bands, events, employees, and people who have supported us all of these years,” management posted on its Facebook page.
No one could be reached for comment at the business Monday.
A “Farewell to Penny Road” concert is scheduled from 5 p.m. to 10:55 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 22, featuring the bands Bad Motor Scooter, Blizzard of Rhoads and Vicious Circle.
Longtime owner Dave Sanfilippo announced back in 2015 that he was putting Penny Road Pub up for sale. The current ownership has been in place since just the beginning of 2021.
In a 2003 interview, Sanfilippo told the Daily Herald that the 1853 building his father bought and began running at 545 Penny Road in 1972 had been operating as a pub for more than a century.
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“I think it has been a gin mill since the end of the 1800s,” he said.
When his father first bought it, Penny Road Pub consisted of one room — about a third of its current size — a small kitchen and a basement.
In the mid-’90s, the family expanded the main bar and kitchen, added a rooftop beer garden, vaulted ceiling and skylights, and enlarged the basement.
“I thought it was time to grow,” Sanfilippo said.
When the Penny Road Pub and its surrounding 2.7 acres were put on the market for $1.1 million in 2015, there was no guarantee that a buyer would retain its longtime use.
At the time, Karen Goins of RE/MAX Unlimited Northwest said the restaurant’s fate would be decided by its new owner. Goins also could not be reached for comment Monday.
