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One last toast: John's Tavern closes in Winfield after 96 years

The beer flowed freely, laughter was plentiful and the food tasted great.

But everything had a slightly bittersweet aftertaste as Winfield's iconic John's Tavern celebrated its last day in business Saturday before closing its doors after 96 years.

"This is the closest thing to 'Cheers' that you'll ever find," said Dave Herda, of Winfield, who had been coming to the Tavern for 32 years. "I had my first legal drink here when I was 19 years old and (bartender) Don Wurtz served it to me. This place has been here forever. There was always someone here to help you out."

The downtown property housing the popular homestyle restaurant and tavern is being sold to Northwestern Medicine, which owns Central DuPage Hospital. Northwestern Medicine is buying the restaurant property, a neighboring 7-Eleven site and a parking lot between the businesses that are along Winfield Road between Jewell and High Lake roads.

"This is our go-to place. Home-cooked food, camaraderie, everybody's happy," said Michele Miller, of Warrenville, who discovered the tavern after moving to the area in 1997 from Connecticut. "The food is just like your mom would cook it. It's just so good. I had steak and eggs (today), savored every bite. People might think it's a hole in the wall, but it's history. People inside are like 'What are we going to do with the (actual) bar?' It definitely is a piece of history that will be missed."

Matt and Janine Fernald of Glen Ellyn took photos outside the tavern after dropping in for lunch, which included a few final beers and, of course, a shot.

"For people our age, it's sad to see a-shot-and-a-beer place close down," said Matt Fernald, who had been coming to the tavern since 1982 but noted he was not a regular. "You could come in and talk to people, have a shot and a beer and nice conversation. You could meet a new friend every time you walked in the building."

In the days leading up to Saturday's closing, John C. Karwoski, grandson of the founder and current owner, said the decision to sell was a difficult one.

"There's a lot of emotions involved - good and bad," he said. "I'll definitely miss it, but I'm 65 and it has become a pretty tough industry."

Iconic Winfield tavern closing doors after 96 years

  John C. Karwoski, left, owner of John's Tavern in downtown Winfield, visits with longtime friend Donald Feldott, right, owner of The Lantern in Naperville. Karwoski's grandfather started the family business, which has been a fixture in Winfield since 1921. Daniel White/dwhite@dailyherald.com
  John C. Karwoski, left, owner of John's Tavern in downtown Winfield, jokes with longtime friend Jeff Frederick of Warrenville, right, during his last day of business, which has been a fixture in Winfield since 1921. The tavern is being sold to Northwestern Medicine. Daniel White/dwhite@dailyherald.com
  John's Tavern has been a fixture in downtown Winfield since 1921. The tavern is being sold to Northwestern Medicine. Daniel White/dwhite@dailyherald.com
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