The Lewis to bring unique vibe to downtown St. Charles

Those who enter The Lewis cocktail lounge in St. Charles and see the spinning disco ball hanging from the ceiling might very well feel like they should be dancing.

The ‘70s inspired cocktail lounge is set to open its doors to the public at 6 p.m. Thursday at 106 E. Main St., across the street from the Arcada Theatre. It is the latest addition to the growing restaurant and entertainment district in the city’s downtown.

The owners of The Lewis also own Bogart’s bar at 219 W. Main St. in downtown St. Charles. In opening The Lewis, the owners wanted to do something markedly different from Bogart’s, which is filled with pinball and arcade games and references to ‘80s and ‘90s television shows.

“Bogart’s is basically our childhood made into our bar,” said co-owner Rick Muermann, who is 44. “It’s just a little bit off and it’s a little bit weird and we like it like that. When we started talking about doing something here, we wanted to do the exact opposite of what we did there. We wanted something totally different. And we came up with the idea of a higher end cocktail lounge.”

But just like Bogart’s, they wanted to make sure their cocktail lounge was different from other cocktail lounges.

“I don’t just like to go to a place that looks like every other place and have a drink,” Muermann said. “I want something that’s kind of interesting and fun.”

They settled on making The Lewis a ‘70s cocktail lounge, complete with a disco ball and a living room filled furniture you might see in a ‘70s house, including a lime green couch and an orange chair.

Also helping set the scene is a retro wall phone.

“That is a working phone tied to our phone line,” he said. “When you call the bar, that’s the phone that rings.”

The booths in the cocktail lounge feature pictures of ‘70s celebrities like Freddie Mercury and Dolly Parton. And the ‘70s theme extends to The Lewis’ menu, where patrons can order signature cocktails like Logan’s Run and Ziggy Stardust.

In addition to cocktails, The Lewis will also sell whiskey/bourbon, scotch and wine.

General manager Dan Thomas, who also is the general manager of Bogart’s, has been involved in the bar and restaurant industry for several years. He is excited about this new opportunity.

“I just love the whole idea of craft cocktails, so having the opportunity to really build a cocktail program from the ground up and set up the bar was kind of a no-brainer,” Thomas said.

While The Lewis is not planning to serve food, it is working with a local caterer that will provide charcuterie boards filled with a variety of cheeses, fruits, nuts and meats.

The Lewis refers to Dr. James K. Lewis, the first mayor of St. Charles.

“We’re actually thinking of putting a mural of him on the wall,” Muermann said.

They also dug into the city’s roots in naming Bogart’s. The bar is named after the person who built the building that Bogart’s is housed in.

‘We wanted to actually do the same thing here, name the bar after the person who built the building,” Muermann said. “However, we could not discover who built the building.”

He hopes those who stop by The Lewis will feel like the cocktail lounge is a home away from home.

“We want people to be able to come in here and feel comfortable and relaxed and enjoy something you can’t really get in this area,” Muermann said. “That’s exactly what we’re aiming for.”

More information is on The Lewis’ Facebook page, @TheLewisStCharles.