Irish pub offers food, family atmosphere

By CHRISTOPHER KROMER Tribune Chronicle
NILES — Pub owners Mike and Joan Quinlan hoped the luck of the Irish — and a piece of prime real estate — would work in their favor Friday as they christened the new O’Donold’s Irish Pub & Grill on Youngstown Warren Road.

Mike Quinlan explained the couple’s decision to move down the road from its old Youngstown Road location in Warren, which opened in 2003.

‘‘The amount of traffic on Route 422 (Youngstown Road) in Warren has dwindled quite a bit,’’ said Quinlan. ‘‘This property became available, and we wanted to take advantage of it.’’

The pub is now housed in the old Pizza Hut location next to Handel’s Ice Cream.

Quinlan noted that the business hoped to attract people traveling to and from the Eastwood Mall and Mahoning Valley Scrappers games.

Not only has O’Donold’s experienced a change of venue, but according to Joan Quinlan, a change of image.

‘‘The differences between the old and new locations are like night and day,’’ said Joan Quinlan. ‘‘The old location started out as a pub, but became a bar.’’

She explained that the couple wishes to create a more family-friendly atmosphere that captures the true essence of an Irish pub.

‘‘In Ireland, a pub is a ‘public house,’ where all generations can gather for music, entertainment and drinks.’’

She added that the pub hopes to host Irish sessions in which musicians can come and play in a laid-back environment.

Among the changes noticeable to patrons of the old location is the heavy emphasis on dining.

‘‘We are much less bar and much more restaurant,’’ said Mike Quinlan. ‘‘We still have a beautiful bar, and we’re not trying to chase those people away, but we are much more family-friendly.’’

Despite the shift in focus, Doris Candel of Niles, a frequent patron of the old pub, said she found some familiar faces at the new location Friday afternoon.

‘‘When I went to the old place, it felt like the nice neighborhood bar,’’ recalled Candel. ‘‘And I see a lot of the same neighborhood group still here. It’s really nice to see everybody.’’

Robin James of Boardman said she and Candel had been eagerly anticipating the opening of the new pub.

‘‘It’s more upscale than the other one,’’ observed James. ‘‘I really like how it’s set up.’’

Server Rachel Blystone of Canfield felt the opening was well received by the public.

‘‘Everyone who has come in has been nice and has understood that we’re new,’’ said Blystone. ‘‘We have all been trained very well and we’re ready for customers to come in.’’

O’Donold’s plans to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with all-day live music on Monday, featuring performances by Rose & Thistle and the Dolans.

Theresa Dolan-Dixon of Warren, a cousin of the owners and a member of the Dolans singing group, felt the couple had accomplished their goal of creating an authentic Irish pub.

‘‘They didn’t want a bar atmosphere,’’ said Dolan-Dixon. ‘‘And this feels very much like an Irish pub, with people interacting a lot with each other. And the food is fabulous.’’

The pub plans to hold a formal weekend grand opening, complete with food and drink specials, some time after Easter.



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