Mike's Lounge was the dive bar to beat all dive bars. It sold beers for $2 and closed at 9 p.m. While there were a handful of people who frequented the establishment, it wasn't serving the greater population of the neighborhood, says Steven Hill, who bought the place and is now in the process of renovating it. Hill is the owner of Brendan's (at Belmont and Broadway), and has renamed his new venture bar Brendan's Too.

"They never even had a jukebox in here," he says. "The neighborhood really never had a place around here - it's really going to be something."

Hill started with the bar - a real beauty - built in 1942. He and his team spent nearly 200 hours refinishing the beautiful wood. He also sunk a pretty penny into renovating another diamond found in this particular rough. Mike's had a beer cooler that was originally a butcher's cooler, bought used in 1942. It had to be refurbished, Hill said, but it was totally worth it.

The bar now boasts a jukebox and is expecting a shipment of flat-screen televisions in fall 2009. Eventually the whole place will be redecorated, Hill says.

But don't let all of this new fanciness make you think drink prices will get out of control. You can expect lots of drink specials and domestic beer under $3.

Centerstage Reviewer: Christy Bonstell