Cornering The Market

The Corner is a neo-neighborhood bar/eatery in East Village

July 16: An old warehouse at the corner of 10th and J (the former Carnation Building) has been in the McLaughlin family name since 1995. Circa 2001, brothers Davin and Cooper McLaughlin lived in the bohemian space. While East Village slowly gentrified (and city-ordered eminent domain was a possibility) the boys partied and played—street football games, DJ-powered get-togethers, etc. 
 

Back then, Petco Park was in and out of litigation, and condos had yet to bloom in the Ballpark District. But now that they have neighbors (and Cooper has a kid!), the McLaughlins have reined in their ways. The old warehouse is no longer their domicile. Cooper lives in Little Italy and Davin resides in Icon, the condo tower right next to The Corner, the brothers’ residence-turned-bar/restaurant.
 

 The Corner is casual. There are flat-screen TVs, but Davin says it’s not a sports bar. They will, however, have breakfast specials during the college and NFL football seasons. (If they get just the spillover patronage from the East Village Tavern line on Charger Sundays, the business will boom.)
 

 The Corner aims to be a neighborhood hangout. There’s never a cover and no dress code. Feel right at home ordering a 24-ounce Pabst Tallboy ($4). The food is better than the concrete walls would lead you to believe. Be brave and try the fried pickles. But save room to “take down” a burger of some sort. There are burgers/sliders of the chili, jalapeno and Cuban variety—even a foie gras burger offering. There’s an ahi burger, too—and if Cooper has his way, there’ll be more sushi-type items coming soon.
 

 Look for The Corner on the way to Petco Park. And post a line here if you’ve given it a shot—or if you think East Village is on the verge of really busting out…
 

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