Irish pub to celebrate final St. Patrick's Day as McNally's

ST. CHARLES – This St. Patrick's Day will be the last for McNally's Traditional Irish Pub in downtown St. Charles.

After 16 years in business, the Irish pub will undergo a transformation into Valley Lodge Tavern, an upscale tavern and eatery with two other locations in Wilmette and Glenview, said McNally's and Valley Lodge Tavern owner Bill Stavrou.

Stavrou, who purchased McNally's from former owner Maurice McNally last year, said the decision to make the change was gradual.

"We didn't have this plan from the beginning, but saw, as our other locations flourished, an opportunity to expand our brand," said Stavrou, adding that Valley Lodge Tavern originally was established in 1969.

The last day McNally's will be in business is April 4, and the space will reopen as Valley Lodge Tavern on April 14. The space will undergo a slight renovation, but "nothing extreme," Stavrou said, because the inside of McNally's already has a similar feel.

The new restaurant will be "very much the same as the other locations," serving burgers, ribs and fresh seafood, but the menu will keep staple McNally's dishes, such as the Fish and Chips and Reuben sandwich. Various McNally's menu items also will reappear as daily specials, he said. The beer list will remain the same, while the wine list will become more upscale, featuring selections such as Sonoma-Cutrer chardonnay and Uppercut cabernet sauvignon from Napa Valley.

A monthlong going-away party for McNally's is currently underway, Stavrou said, so longtime customers, regulars and staff can "pay tribute to the McNally's brand and what existed there for the last 16 years."

McNally's will have a weeklong celebration to commemorate its final St. Patrick's Day. Festivities and live entertainment will kick off Wednesday, March 11,  and run through Tuesday, March 17.

McNally's is located at 109 W. Main St., in St. Charles. For information about McNally's, visit www.mcnallysirishpub.com. For more information about Valley Lodge Tavern, visit www.valleylodgetavern.com.