Zambonie's Becomes Jim's Pour Decision—And It's Anything But

Fans of the former Zambonie's in Forest Park will be amazed, but not alienated by the transformation that has taken place at this little beer and wings bar on the Madison Street strip.

At the end of July, owners Jim and AnnMarie Swatos reopened after a short close with a new name, a new look and no shortage of big ideas for their establishment, now named Jim's Pour Decision. 

"We wanted to do something more, what's the word, upscale?" AnnMarie said on a recent afternoon at the bar. "But I hate that word, it sounds so stuffy. We're causal and fun."

The new Jim's Pour Decision sports many aesthetic improvements including exposed brick, darker wood elements, a revealed pressed tin ceiling and a whole lot more.

But, even with the improvements, the bar hasn't lost a sense of its past. It still sports pool, darts and the owners said they wouldn't think of getting rid of the beer pong table.

"It's classic of this place." AnnMarie said. "We might get a new one built, but we're going to keep it."

Jim's is also great for drinkers looking for a deal—a mere $5 will get you a bucket of domestic beers. The deal on beer buckets certainly seems to be attractive to customers—AnnMarie said they sold over 90 buckets during a recent Bears game.

The couple is bringing back food in a big way at Jim's as well. Pizzas are made fresh and cooked in back and they offer 10 different specialty sauces to go with their 50-cent wings. Plus, you can order $1 tacos and mini pizza slices until closing every night to help soak up those brews.

Jim's recently kicked up their beer offerings as well. They now serve 17 beers on tap, ranging from local craft beers to time tested domestics. They even brought in Jim's dad's kegerator to keep a new guest beer on a regular rotation. Jim's also has the distinction of being the only supplier (currently) of local Chicago brew Hopothesis—made by some guy from La Grange I'm told. It's a great IPA that tastes refreshingly sweet, without the bitterness sometimes associated with strong IPAs.

If you need something to do in between sips, there's still pool (on two tables), darts and foosball-style hockey, as well as DJ nights and karaoke on weekends. There's some talk of bands playing a few sets here in the future as well.

The best news is that the owners aren't done yet. They've got plans to knock out some of the front windows to install French doors to give the place a more open feel and let in that cool night air.

"We've still got a lot of plans for this place, but it's come a long way," AnnMarie said.

But, what can really be said, is a night at Jim's is never a poor decision.