O’Reilly’s Pub & Grill

Ten Years and Counting at O’Reilly’s Pub & Grill

Before it was an Irish pub, the corner building at Lower Spring Street and Sparta Avenue was Flapjacks, and for a very brief stretch, Daphne’s. Evin Joice, her husband Erik Hall, and business partner Michael Rodriguez took the space, gutted it, and opened in October 2008. The bet was simple: an Irish pub in Newton NJ, done properly. Kelly green walls, tin signs, vintage photographs, neon, and enough polished wood and leather to make the room feel decades older than it is. The Newton Theatre reopened that same year, and the two have been feeding each other ever since.

What’s on the Table

The burgers get talked about most, and the portions hold up the reputation. Past those, the menu runs to fish and chips, shepherd’s pie, corned beef folded into egg rolls and loaded tots, salmon, risotto plates, and a wing list with more than a dozen sauces and dry rubs. There’s a kids’ menu, and gluten free items are marked. Guinness and Smithwick’s pour all night, the draft list rotates craft and seasonal beers, and the bar has a long standing weakness for mules in copper mugs.

The Late Kitchen

Food runs until 1 a.m. Monday through Saturday and midnight on Sunday. In this part of Sussex County, that is close to unheard of, and it is the reason O’Reilly’s fills up with restaurant and retail workers after everything else in town has gone dark.

Music, Karaoke, and Show Nights

Saturday nights bring live music, usually solo acoustic players or local bands. Karaoke has been a Friday fixture for years, and in warm weather the patio gets its own midweek slot. Saturdays are the best version of the room: regulars three deep at the bar, theatergoers walking down from the Newton Theatre, and somebody’s birthday party taking up the corner. Call ahead and make reservations on show nights.

Finding It

O’Reilly’s sits at the lower end of Spring Street in downtown Newton, walkable from the shops, the theater, and the county offices. Riders finishing a stretch of the Sussex Branch Trail can roll almost straight to the door, which is how a fair number of summer afternoons here start. If you’re working your way through other Newton bars and pubs, this is the one that stays open latest.