The property that housed brewpub Smylie Brothers is now for sale for $2.5 million.
The brewpub at 1615 Oak Ave., served up craft beer, Texas BBQ and wood-fired pizza, and had a large patio as well as event space from 2014 until closing on New Year’s Eve in 2022. It has been vacant ever since.
An online listing from Jones Lang LaSalle, or JLL, describes the building as a 12,000-square foot “turnkey wood barrel-truss restaurant and brewery in a prime downtown Evanston location.”
Although the listing indicates its for rent only, Courtney Rouleau, vice president at JLL, said it is actually only for sale. She added that the restaurant needs a few minor upgrades before a new owner would be able to open.
“Some of the kitchen equipment needs to be replaced, but there is a good amount that is usable,” Rouleau said. “It will need some updating. I wouldn’t call it turnkey like you could get in there and operate tomorrow, but it will be a pretty quick turnaround.”
Rouleau said they have received a few inquiries and one offer so far but have yet to come to terms with a buyer.
Smylie Bros. closed very suddenly in 2022, announcing it on social media on its last day of operations. The business had closed its Lakeview location that September after just a year in business. The building’s long run of inactivity was visible from the holiday decorations left up after the New Year’s closure, which have now been removed.
The property is on the west edge of downtown Evanston, around the corner from the new Northlight Theatre currently under construction. Any new restaurant on the site would be close neighbors with The Barn, an existing steakhouse at 1016 Church St., and Addled Bunny, an incoming cocktail-focused gastropub that will fill the former That Little Mexican Cafe space at 1010 Church St.
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