The Evergreen Pub marks 90 years

ST. CHARLES – Even though its name has changed over the years, The Evergreen Pub & Grill continues to be a neighborhood gathering place 90 years after first opening its doors.

"People sit and they talk to each other at the bar," said The Evergreen owner Tom Trier, who has owned the restaurant since 2016 with managing partner Brian Zirlin. "We want people to feel comfortable here."

Trier's son, Conor, also works at the restaurant, located at 1400 W. Main St. in St. Charles. The Evergreen is celebrating its 90th anniversary this year along with two other notable St. Charles businesses – Hotel Baker and Blue Goose Market.

In a nod to the history of the establishment, Trier and Zirlin decided to keep its name. At the same time, they wanted to create a more welcoming environment along with expanding its menu.

"Before it was just as a shot and a beer joint," Trier said. 'We have a lot more families coming in now, just for the food. You have to have good food to get the people to come in."

The Evergreen's menu includes such fare as homemade pizza, burgers, BBQ pulled pork and other items. The restaurant also is a popular place on Saturday and Sunday mornings, where people can order steak and eggs, omelettes and other fare.

"People don't think to go to a bar for breakfast, but we don't look at ourselves as a bar," Zerlin said. "We look at ourselves as a restaurant. And our breakfast is really top notch. We only do it from 9 a.m. to noon Saturdays and Sundays. We get a lot of people that frequent us just for breakfast."

The restaurant's roots date back to 1928, when Gus Van Glabeke purchased Teddy Van Aiken's house at 14th Street and made and sold liquor during prohibition. When prohibition ended in 1933, he named it Gus’s Evergreen Tavern. He sold the tavern to Ray Triest in 1948, who renamed it Ray’s Evergreen Tavern.

As part of the anniversary celebration, the owners brought back Rolle Bolle, a Belgium yard game that was once a popular pastime at the restaurant. The game is similar to bowling.

The game involves a beveled bolle being rolled by players from one stake to another. The Evergreen hosted a Rolle Bolle competition on its outdoor patio on Sept. 22 as part of its anniversary celebration.

"We wanted to do it to recognize the history of this place," Zirlin said.

These days, sand volleyball is the sport of choice at The Evergreen Pub. And it has proven to be popular.

"We have leagues every day of the week," Zirlin said. "We try to have sand volleyball from April until October and sometimes into November. Some people are diehards. They don't care if it's 40 or 50 degrees. As long as it's not raining, they're out there playing."

Trier and Zirlin also believe that it is important for a business to give back to the community. That includes raising funds for such organizations as Project Mobility: Cycles for Life, a nonprofit organization that offers recreational events using specialized bicycles for people with disabilities.

"We like to do a lot of that stuff and give back as much as we can to the community," said Zirlin, who is a St. Charles resident.

Bernie Deutsch, who owned Ray's Evergreen from 1982 to 2007, is happy that the business continues to thrive. He was part of a ribbon cutting ceremony on Sept. 20 to celebrate the restaurant's 90th anniversary.

"The history of this place in my life goes back to when I was a little kid," Deutsch said. "The Triests were kind of shirttail relatives of our family. I remember one time when I was a little kid, my sister and I were playing on the Rolle Bolle courts and Ray came out and said, 'Get off those courts. You can't play there. You're not even Belgium.' ''

As it so happens, Deutsch ended up moving the courts because they were blocking the parking lot.

"I tore them up and put them behind the building," he said. "And I thought, 'I wonder what Ray would say about that.' ''

Deutsch will still drop in the restaurant on occasion.

"Their food is great," he said. "I like to come out for lunch. I like their pulled pork sandwich."