A longtime Kansas City restaurateur is taking over a beleaguered Johnson County restaurant building that once housed the popular Aspens Restaurant and Lounge.
Ray Dunlea plans to open Conroy’s Public House in the former Aspens building (6995 W. 151st St.) with his wife, Molly. A mid-November opening is planned.
Aspen Vaughn closed her namesake restaurant more than a year ago, after a controversy surrounding Patrick Mahomes’ brother Jackson made running the restaurant difficult, she told KMBC9 news at the time.
Dunlea said the previous owner made many improvements to the 6,780-square-foot building. “It is kind of an iconic building, it’s beautiful,” Dunlea said Monday. “I’m 71 years old, it was the last thing I wanted. But I went out to see it and walked through it. Molly and I looked at each other and said, ‘We’ve got to do it.’ The community out there wants a good bar, good restaurant with an Irish theme.”
It will serve lunch and dinner with brunch on the weekends.
The three Conroy’s Public House restaurants – in Leawood, Overland Park and Westwood – are known for their traditional Irish fare including fish and chips, Reubens, and cottage pie. The menu also includes chicken fried chicken, chicken curry, burgers, pizza, pork belly lettuce wraps, wings and fish tacos.
Earlier this year, Yelp featured the “50 states, 50 pies you need to try.” For Kansas, it was the savory Fisherman’s pie at Conroy’s. It comes with salmon, cod and shrimp in a cream sauce and is topped with a light puff pastry.
Dunlea has been an owner and operator of several area Irish restaurants and bars for two decades, including the former Gaf Bar & Grill in Waldo, and Brady’s Public House on Troost.
Keys to Conroy’s success?
“We have good food, good service and we are hands-on with a great staff – back of the house, front of the house,” said Ray, who was in Florida visiting his daughter Monday.
Molly added, “Irish is all heart and soul, and we put heart and soul in everything we do.”
