Zissimos Bar

I’ve heard of Zissimos before, recently too, couldn’t tell you where. By name alone I figured it was in Greektown somewhere. But, nope, there it is, right there on the Avenue in Hampden. I mean, Right There. Not buried way down by the antique shops or on a side street, but right there near the start sandwiched between a bunch of the new Trendy Places. And this place is anything but new and trendy.
Zissimos predates the gentrification of the area, and really harkens back to old time Hampden. Inside is a shotgun bar that stretches from the front door to the back. This seemed to be the only bar open on a weekday morning (I was Christmas shopping) when I wanted to stop somewhere for a drink (I said I was Christmas shopping.) This place is really unassuming. Wood paneling, lots of bottles of everything, a few TVs, a lottery machine, you know the kind of place.
They have a surprising good draft beer selection, but I just wanted a glass of Chardonnay. The old lady behind the bar apologized when the bottle she poured into my glass ran out and she didn’t have another chilled one. I told her that was no problem, topping it with a room temperature bottle would be fine (it was a chilly day.) She had trouble with the corkscrew so I asked if I could open it, which I did and she then topped off my glass. Neither of us noticed the new bottle was Pinot Noir. We repeated the process with a new bottle and a new glass, which turned into quite a generous pour (I’m guessing for the «inconvenience» but I actually appreciated participating in the inadvertent floor show.)
There is an upper level where they have performances. You can check a schedule on their Facebook page (they aren’t stuck in the past, after all.)

If you are a great band looking for a decent space to play in, go to Zissimos Bar. Clean dive space with two floors: upstairs was built for rockin. Speak with Tad, who is a genuine lover of music. I’m sure you guys will come to an awesome agreement and have your first show soon.

Cheap, local, divey bar without an exclusive feel to it. I like this bar for a few quick cheap beers.
They do karaōke on Thursdays and have a cool juke box.
No food or any other extra frills.

This is what Hampden used to be, before it was trendy. Oddly enough if this bar was in Portland the Hipsters would flock here. The complete absence of any thought to making the place cool, makes it ironically cool. This is the place to drink on a rainy afternoon, or any day you want to be drunk before 3 pm.

The bartenders here are super friendly and will go out of their way to make the drink that you want. They also serve Fat Tire beer! There is plenty of space. I was there on a Monday night, however, so I am not sure how crowded it gets on the weekend. The only downside is the downstairs of the bar can attract some unsavory characters that hit on you and/​or ask for cigarettes. That aside, they have an upstairs bar as well. There is really fun improv there the first Monday of every month, and bands play up there as well.