A Queens bar beloved for its eclectic mix of blue-collar laborers, artists and young professionals will be serving its parting glass very shortly.McReilly's, an Irish pub on Vernon Blvd. in Long Island City, will close before the end of the month - a casualty of rising rents in the increasingly popular neighborhood.
McReilly's closing after 20 years
Despite local support, O'Reilly said he is resigned to closing for good because reopening elsewhere would cost at least $850,000.
"We've had a good run, but maybe the customers will find another place," said O'Reilly. "We felt we were part of a larger family in the neighborhood."
4 comments:
What a tragedy!
We shot scenes from Dennis Quad’s movie "Frequency" there as well as the old police station.
I have the radio. Its atually a Heathkit SB301 Receiver ropped up with with microphone plugged into headphone jack !!!
Jana and I would hit McReillys every year July 4th then walk down to the cement company grounds. You paid a $5 donation and got waterfront view of the fireworks, beer, Italian Sausage & Peppers or Kilbasa.
Shame, Queens lost Patricks Pub last year. The bar itself was from the 1964 worlds fair. It was Hammertone copper top.
Now the property is another Queens sh*t box
I used to live in LIC and McReilly was always the place to get an awesome, reasonably priced meal. They made a better Chick-parm hero than most Italian places. You could also get an egg breakfast any time of day, too.
I have since moved. Just two weekends ago I made a trip there and 4 of us had such a good meal. Stuffed mushrooms, little necks on the half-shell, pot pie, and that great hero. Just great food.
Rising rents caused this blue-collar worker to move to Philly, and no bar down here can compare yet.
McReilly's, you'll be missed!
What a shame, I've been here many times and it's another institution gone.
Nothing ever lasts! It's sad too...
I went to England some years ago and went to a pub literally in the middle of nowhere that was first opened for business in the year 1492 and has been owned by the same family since then. And you know the place was filled with patrons even for being in the middle of nowhere. What a great place that was...
Things like that don't happen here. It's so sad...
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