Your First Look at Saloon, Foundry on Elm's Forthcoming Pre-Prohibition-style Bar

While there hasn’t been a shortage of gussied up speakeasy-style spots opening in town (think Storyville, the forthcoming Descent at the W Hotel), Saloon, the forthcoming bar from the team at Foundry on Elm, is taking the idea of a classic pre-prohibition-style concept (so really, before speakeasies came into existence) and keeping it simple. “It’s not a lounge, it’s a true saloon,” says co-owner David Flanagan. “We’re not going to try to fancify everything.”

We stopped by to get a peek at the still-under-construction space–a subterranean spot adjacent to Foundry on Elm in Davis Square–which you can get a look at in the slide show above. Dark wood archways and detailed woodwork dominate the décor, and have had an interesting past life—before accenting the space at Saloon, they were responsible for the lush, dark atmosphere at the original Capital Grille on Newbury Street, which was going to ditch the wood when they moved to their shinier Hynes Convention Center digs. Mismatched iron chandeliers and sconces will round out the décor.

Booze-wise, in the spirit of the times, it’s all about brown liquors, which will be displayed prominently behind the large horseshoe bar. Prices will be reasonable, with Marie Antoinette-sized cocktails ringing in at an affordable $7.50. Food is meant to compliment the alcohol, which means hearty pub fare like steak and kidney pie for two, whole roasted and stuffed chicken and bubble and squeak, a traditional English dish featuring root vegetable cakes topped with sausage and gravy.

Saloon is aiming for a mid-November opening; an adjoining theater, which was once the legendary Jimmy Tingle’s, will reopen as part of the Foundry-Saloon-Theater trifecta—with access to Saloon cocktails for shows (!)—in early November.

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