Irish Pub reopens

A Baldwin institution reopened last week after being closed for about six weeks for renovations. But more than just the décor has changed. 

The Irish Pub, now under new ownership, opened its doors with a new emphasis on food. Although it had a limited menu previously, new owners Jon Weissman and Bobby Humphries are creating lunch and dinner menus with new chef Jamie Zambrano. 

Zambrano, who was a sous chef at Anchor Down Seafood Bar & Grill in Merrick and who worked for six years at Patina Restaurant Group in Manhattan, said the new dining emphasis would be on cooking with beer and on fresh ingredients “down to our potato chips.” 

Other food specials may include a mix-and-match soup and salad combination, Zambrano said, or a Sunday brunch featuring an Irish cheese board and a Friday fish fry. The pub also is considering hosting events with local breweries. 

The pub had a “soft opening” last week, in preparation for a grand opening on Nov. 7, said Weissman, a Malverne resident. Weissman said he and his partner, Bobby Humphries, have spent the last six weeks renovating the restaurant from top to bottom. 

In fact, Weissman said, the only original element remaining at the pub is the bar top. Every other element is new. 

The storied Irish Pub first opened its doors in Baldwin as the Station Café, said bartender Jimmy Buckets, who has worked at the pub for 40 years.  

In 1963, under new owner Dennis Daley, it became The Irish Pub. Daley sold out to Jimmy Kearney in 1978, who moved it to its current location, at 834Merrick Rd., in 2007, Buckets said. Kearney retired this year, and sold the establishment to Weissman and his partner, Humphries, of Oceanside. 

The pair, longtime customers who grew up together in Oceanside, have had their eye on the pub for years, Weissman said. “Years ago, we said, ‘When Jimmy’s ready.’” When Kearney agreed to sell to them, they jumped at the chance, he said.  

“It has such a following,” he said. “That’s why we couldn’t change the name.”