A teaser image of the new bar posted to Facebook

Last weekend brought three new places to grab a drink on Capitol Hill. You will also have a new place to wet your whistle this weekend on E Olive Way.

The Hillside Bar — brought to you by the people behind SoDo’s Hooverville — is set to debut Saturday in the former home of gay bar The Elite. And, yeah, they’re offering shuttle service between SoDo and the Hill for regulars who want to check the new project out.

Longtime Hooverville barkeep Sean McAteer has teamed up with Hooverville owners Todd Gean and Billy Kincaid. Here’s how McAteer described the new bar to us when we spoke with him about the project earlier this year:

The dividing wall is being ripped out to achieve a more open space that will have a ’50s kitsch look and a small tiki room put together with some of the material from the Elite’s old fixtures and bar. Unlike its days as the Elite when sports played an important role in the bar’s culture, Hillside will only have one television. The goal is 18 pull handles for beer behind the larger bar. The old pool table, however, is staying exactly where it is and there will be room for pinball. 

(Image: Doug McLaughlin for CHS)

CHS reported on the end of The Elite earlier this summer when the bar suddenly closed amid a swirl of tax issues.

Hillside’s SoDo-Capitol Hill connection might be something you see more of on the Hill as the area south of downtown begins to see new investment with plans for a new sports arena firming up.

Meanwhile, E Olive Way’s nightlife offerings are nearing full-strength. The Social, Tommy Gun and CC’s have found their pace near Broadway while Montana is expanding just a few doors down from Hillside. Across the street, the Crescent and Clever Dunne’s continue to do their thing while La Bete, The Saint and Knee High offer up some speciality experiences. Speckled & Drake and John John’s Gameroom finish off the curved street’s bar-hopping offerings.

Not all is joy on the street this weekend, however. Sunday brings the last day of service at B&O Espresso’s home for 36 years. The on again, off again discussions for B&O to someday return to thew building planned for the space haven’t ended. We’ll have more on what comes next soon.