A new Irish pub has arrived in Kent just in time to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day.
The Celtic Club, 623 Central Ave. S., opened Feb. 26, and will have a three-day grand opening celebration beginning with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Thursday, March 17. Festivities will include entertainment and giveaways.
Tim and Tammy O’Connor, of Covington, are first-time bar and restaurant owners who grew up in the area.
Tim O’Connor’s background is in construction, and he remodeled the pub himself.
“I just like the atmosphere in a bar and restaurant,” O’Connor said of his decision to open a pub. “I wanted to host people and talk with people.”
Getting the pub ready for business was a year-long process. O’Connor got the keys to the building on March 1, 2015.
“We had a couple bumps in the road but nothing that we couldn’t overcome,” he said. “It just made the process last a little longer.”
The location of the property and its history caught O’Connor’s interest.
“There are a lot of cars, a lot of traffic,” he said. “It has been known as a bar for year and years. I think people from Kent think of this place as a bar automatically.”
Most recently the pub was Bad Monkey Bar and Grill.
O’Connor drew the theme for his pub from his roots.
“I am Irish – almost 100 percent. I can’t hide it,” the red-haired O’Connor said. “I’m just trying to be proud of where I came from and show it in this place.”
The pub features a limited menu, which includes Irish favorites like shepherd’s pie and corn beef and cabbage, as well as a Reuben burger made with corn beef and sauerkraut.
“We tried to keep it simple and have some traditional Irish food on there,” O’Connor said.
O’Connor said he hopes his pub will fill a void in the area.
“Right now we are the only (pub) between Seattle and Tacoma/Puyallup,” he said. “All the other ones in the area have closed down.”
The pub, which serves adults 21 and older, is open daily from 11 a.m.- 2 a.m.
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