The Owl Tree is a distinctive cocktail lounge located on the corner of Post and Taylor, founded in 1977 by local legend Bobby Cook.

 

Brandon Forrester, who was hired by Cook as a bartender when he stopped in for some liquid courage on his way to another job interview in 2000, said working with Cook could be challenging.

“He was just a strange old guy; I think the bar definitely reflects that,” he says. “He was a horrible employer, but he was a good friend. If we were behind the bar, he was terrible; if we were on the other side of the bar, drinking, he was great, he was gangbusters. But there was no in-between.

“He was a very contrary individual,” he adds with a smile. “He would buy you a drink and throw you out in the same breath, I saw it many times.”

Cook passed away of cancer in September, working up until three days before his death. The bar is now in the hands of his son, Christopher, who, according to Forrester, plans to keep the bar exactly as his father left it.

If you're looking for an unpretentious neighborhood lounge with good drinks, good snacks, a good jukebox and lots and lots of birds, look no further than the Owl Tree – now open seven days a week, from noon-2am.
The late Cook was, to put it mildly, a colorful character. He had been fascinated with owls ever since he saw one while walking through the woods as a child, and the birds – whether in wood, glass, paint, plastic, stuffed or ceramic form – line every square foot of Cook’s cozy bar. Owls represent wisdom, so when Cook opened its doors, he came up with the slogan, “The Owl Tree: Where wise people drink.”

When not pouring drinks or throwing people out for ordering the wrong one, Cook could often be found on the stool at the far left of the bar, with his relatively easygoing Jack Russell Terrier, Chester, keeping an eye on things.
   
Return to features page