Liquor in the front …

You wouldn’t necessarily expect a place called Durkin’s Liquor Bar to be much of a beer destination. And indeed, there’s nary a mention of suds on its Facebook page or website.

But Durkin’s, which just opened in the former Dutch’s Pawn Shop space on West Main, offers another downtown alternative for craft beer aficionados.

For starters, the 20 taps in the main space are pouring a respectable selection of local beers – Laughing Dog’s Purebred APA, No-Li’s Winter Warmer, Perry Street’s Kolsch and APA, Selkirk Abbey’s St. Stephen Saison, Twelve String’s Rhythmic RyePA – along with such regional attractions as Fremont’s Wandering Wheat, Two Beers’ Immersion Amber, Boundary Bay Scotch and pFriem’s Belgian Strong Blonde. (The beer list thoughtfully provides ABV and IBU info, and schooners are available along with full pints.)

There are another four taps in the downstairs bar – open only Thursday through Saturday – which by all accounts is ultra-cool, laid out speakeasy-style with leather couches and the like.

The street-level upstairs space is long and narrow with walls that are brick or covered with textured wallpaper, plenty of stool seating along the 40-foot bar and booths lining the opposite wall done up in dark woods and leather. A tin ceiling is the original from when the place was a saloon operated by early liquor tycoon Jimmie Durkin, a colorful character from Spokane’s pre-Prohibition past.

Along with an extensive cocktail and wine list, there’s a food menu featuring such gussied-up diner dishes as burgers and brats, pork chops and chicken, with plenty of salads and sides.      

It’s all brought to you by the family that also operates Casper Fry and Madeleine’s Café & Patisserie, the latter of which is expected to reopen next to Durkin’s in January.