A little more than a year after the former Aspens Restaurant and Lounge closed, a well-known local Irish eatery is moving into the space in southern Overland Park.
Conroy’s Public House will take over the site next month.
Ryan Rafferty, general manager for Conroy’s Public House, said the new restaurant — the company’s fourth in Johnson County — will open in mid-November.
Conroy’s will operate at 6995 W. 151st. St.
- The restaurant will occupy a space just off West 151st Street and Metcalf Avenue, next to popular bakery and cafe McLain’s Market.
- Aspens operated at that space for roughly a year before it closed in August 2023.
- Once it opens, Conroy’s will operate from 11 a.m. to midnight, Monday through Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. — the same as its other three locations.
Conroy’s serves Irish fare “with an American twist”
The restaurant’s menu features classic Irish dishes like fish and chips, cottage pie, Reuben sandwiches and Irish beef stew.
“Our motto is ‘Irish Heart, American soul’,” Rafferty said. “We’ve really tried to instill that kind of Irish hospitality and culture into the restaurant scene in Kansas City.”
Conroy’s also serves other American-inspired entrees like baked mac and cheese, fish tacos and chicken fried chicken — as well as appetizers like chicken wings, spinach and artichoke dip, and fried brie with crackers.
The pub also offers an extensive beer list, in addition to cocktails like Bloody Marys and mimosas.
The space has been vacant for more than a year
Until last summer, the space had been home to Aspens. Before that, it operated as Dior Restaurant — owned by former paramedic and firefighter Cary Ricks.
Aspens’ namesake, owner Aspen Vaughn, took over the space with an upscale dining and live music concept in 2022.
But the venue closed a year later, months after Vaughn went public with her accusations that Jackson Mahomes, the younger brother of Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, assaulted her in the restaurant’s office, forcibly grabbing and kissing her.
Mahomes earlier this year pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor count of battery and was sentenced to six months probation.
Conroy’s has three other JoCo locations
Currently, Conroy’s operates three pubs — one already in Overland Park on 95th Street near the city line with Prairie Village, and two more in Leawood and Westwood.
“It’s always been kind of an iconic location, and also kind of an area that we haven’t kind of tapped into yet,” Rafferty said of the southern Overland Park site they’re moving into. “We walked inside (the space), and we kind of thought, ‘Well, if anywhere was supposed to be an Irish restaurant, this was supposed to be it.'”
Conroy’s owner, Ray Dunlea, has operated other Irish eateries in the Kansas City area — including the Gaf Bar & Grill in Kansas City, Missouri’s Waldo neighborhood.
Dunlea and Rafferty both have Irish roots. Dunlea is from the city of Cork, along Ireland’s southern coast, while Rafferty hails from just outside Belfast, the capital of Northern Ireland.
“We’re just really excited about the fact that before we even put our spin on it, it just feels like an Irish pub,” Rafferty said about the new space. “It reminds (Dunlea) and myself of bars back home, and we’re just excited to kind of bring that same experience to the customers here in Kansas City.”
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