Erin go Bragh! Irish Pub, Restaurant Coming to Downtown

By the time St. Patrick’s Day arrives this year, those celebrating the holiday in downtown Menomonee Falls will have the option to down a Guinness at a new Irish pub and restaurant opening on Main Street.

A.J. O’Brady’s, N88W16495 Main St., will open March 4 in the building formerly occupied by Mojo’s  Steakhouse. Owner Bruce Russell and head chef Oscar Villarreal are looking forward to bringing something different to downtown.

“I’m hoping to create some awe in the community,” Villarreal said. “I’ve always liked the 'wow' factor. I want people to come over here and be pleasantly surprised.”

A.J. O'Brady's will be open from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Monday through Friday; 9 a.m. to 2 a.m. Saturdays and 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sundays. 

Russell said the menu features a selection of American comfort foods, as well traditional Irish menu items like shepherd’s pie, Guiness Irish stew, Guiness French onion soup, and bangers and mash (mashed potatoes and sausages).

O’Brady’s will also serve a selection of specialty burgers, which are an essential item on every pub menu. Russell said they plan to have a $1 burger night as well.

“You’ve got to have a good burger on your menu,” Russell said.

Russell said the business will cater to soccer-loving patrons, and will open at 9 a.m. on Saturdays and offer an all-you-can-eat pancake special for the weekend soccer games. On Sundays, they will open again at 9 a.m. for a brunch special. O’Brady’s will also feature a Friday fish fry, and hold a seafood festival during Lent.

Russell said the price range for menu items falls between $6 and $12.

“We want to be economically friendly,” Russell said. “We are coming into this thinking about the economy and what people and their families can afford.”

For Barb Watters, the Business Improvement District manager at the Village Centre, O’Brady’s rounds out a wide selection of dining options downtown. Watters said Italian, American, Chinese, Greek and Irish cuisine will all be offered.

“We’ve been patiently waiting for another dining option to add to the other fantastic establishments downtown,” she said.

A Pub, Not a Bar

Russell said pubs are sometimes mistakenly equated to a bar. However, a pub is a community gathering place and he has designed O’Brady’s to adhere to that principal.

He split O’Brady’s into three rooms, including a bar, a cottage room and a nautical room. Each will be decorated to give the space its own identity.

“We are catering to everyone. We’re not just segregated to one crowd,” Russell said. “We want to be a place to see the game, and a place you can take a date to.”

The Irish-themed bar will feature four 60-inch flats-screen televisions, or a projection screen. O’Brady’s will host happy hour from 4 to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and Saturday will be ladies night.

Russell said he will also form a Soccer Club at the bar, and offer specials on draft beer for all the members. He said they will offer their specialty drink called the “Big O’Brady,” which is Jameson whiskey and ginger ale.

The cottage room is a more traditional dining area and features a large fireplace. The nautical room, named because it offers a view of the waterfall, is a small private room that seats about 25. Russell said he plans to separate that room so groups and parties can reserve the space.

Meet Your Chef and Owner

For the last decade, Russell, 32, has risen through the ranks of restaurant management, and is opening his own business for the first time. Russell most recently was the General Manager for Bar Louie at the Bayshore Town Center in Glendale and has held numerous management positions in the restaurant business.

Russell got his start in the business as a waiter with Fulton’s Crab House at Disney World in Orlando. Russell moved on to hold management positions at Houlihan’s and Magiano’s in Milwaukee.

As general manager of Claddagh Irish Pub in Middleton, Russell’s business approach helped turn a restaurant company in bankruptcy around. His Middleton establishment became the highest grossing location in the company.

Now, Russell is weeks away from opening his own business, which was always a goal for him. He looked at 20 other locations before deciding to locate in downtown Menomonee Falls.

“There’s just something about this place,” Russell said of the building. “I liked the way it felt, and it’s got that Irish feel in here. I’m looking forward to owning this place for a long time.”

Villarreal brings 15 years of experience to the kitchen of O’Brady’s. Both men worked together at Fulton’s Crab House in Orlando. Villarreal has studied Hispanic, German, French and Irish cuisine.

Villarreal is still tweaking the final menu, and is going back to his Irish studies and bringing back some recipes he studied in the past. He wants to present a new twist on some traditional American and Irish dishes.

“I think it’s going to be a different atmosphere here so the food has to also be different,” Villarreal said. “We don’t want the typical menu,  and we don’t want to mimic any Irish places that are out there already.”