A New Irish Pub Opens in South Austin

A new Irish pub came to South Austin. Kelly’s Irish Pub opened at 519 West Oltorf Street in the Dawson neighborhood as of Thanksgiving weekend in November. This new bar took over the former wine restaurant/tapas bar Winebelly, which closed suddenly earlier this year.

Behind Kelly’s are partners Joshua Bomb (who co-owns several bars in the Austin area, including Moontower Saloon and Vincent’s Sports Pub) and James Kelly (who is from Ireland). “I knew that Austin could use a neighborhood Irish pub,” Bumb writes to Eater, and that Kelly “was the real deal,” hence the name.

For now, the bar is only serving beers, and Bumb notes that the staff will learn how to pour Guinness drafts perfectly (it’s a whole thing). The plan is to open Kelly’s in three phases, the first in November and the last around St. Patrick’s Day in March 2023. Eventually, there will be a food menu of Irish and American pub dishes, potentially with shepherd’s pies and fish and chips.

The Tran family opened Winebelly in 2013 and had expanded with a nearby restaurant Phoebe’s Diner (now with a second location downtown), and a now-closed nail salon. They announced the shutter of WInebelly in January 2022.

Other Irish pubs in Austin include B.D. Riley’s (which actually closed its downtown location in 2020, but its Mueller one remains open), Foxy’s Proper, and Texas mini chain Jack and Ginger’s (its second location is in Dallas).

Kelly’s hours are from 2 p.m. to midnight Sunday through Friday and until 1 a.m. Saturday.

Update, Friday, December 2, 1:27 p.m.: This article, originally published on Thursday, September 15, has been updated to include Kelly’s opening status.