Moving the bar

When we moved into our current house a couple of years ago, it didn't take us long to discover O'Neill's.

Not like it was hidden or anything. It's just up the street from our house, less than a 10-minute walk.

We quickly became regulars. Not so much for the food -- it's good food, slightly above most "bar food" fare, but not out-of-this-world. And not only because of the proximity, although the quick walk is a definite plus.

I think it has more to do with the atmosphere. There's a full bar, but the place is friendly and very family oriented. And even though a majority of the clientele are, well, let's just say "retirement age," the place has always reminded me of what I imagined the Regal Beagle from Three's Company to be like. So it's got that nostalgic quality.

That's the background for why I felt initially shocked and dismayed when I saw the noticed taped to the front door of the restaurant when we went there for lunch a couple of weeks ago. It was a notice that looked sadly similar to many of the other "damn the economy's tough and we're going out of business" notices that you see a lot of these days.

Fortunately, while I was getting my harakiri knives ready, I read a few more paragraphs and saved myself the embarrassment of public self-disemboweling. Turns out, O'Neill's isn't closing for business, just relocating.

And the even better news is that they're moving across the street to the east -- a bit farther, but still close enough to walk.

Here's the text of the notice (just to put your mind at ease):

After nearly a decade in Prairie Village, O'Neill's Restaurant & Bar has finalized a deal to jump east across Mission Road to Ranchmart North Shopping Center in Leawood.

It will operate at it's current location at 4016 W. 95th St until August 22, ending its tenure there with a big party.

The new location will allow it just one more table in the restaurant/bar area but also enough space for a party room and an outdoor patio.

A mid-September opening is planned with nearly the same Irish pub décor as the current location and the same menu - from Irish pot roast to Bayou pasta to steak or codfish sandwiches to soups and salads.

"This is one of the best neighborhoods," said Brian O'Neill Schorgle, owner of O'Neill's. "O'Neill's will be the same as before but better."

Walgreens will take O'Neill's current space, going corner to corner with the new CVS pharmacy store under construction at Ranchmart South Shopping Center.

So crisis averted. We get to keep out O'Neill's, albeit another block away, and we get a new Walgreens (whatevs) to boot.

tagged: Johnson County, Kansas, Prairie Village, Leawood, O'Neill's, restaurant, food