Two Shamrock’s Public House reopens under new ownership, returns menu to Irish roots

Last November, Two Shamrock’s Public House quietly closed its doors at 3449 Pheasant Meadow Drive in O’Fallon, Missouri. Fortunately, for fans of the restaurant, it reopened under new ownership on New Year’s Eve and has been rolling out a new menu that reconnects the pub with its Irish heritage. “Over the years, it went from being an Irish pub to trying to be like an American bar with chicken and burgers. We took it back,” said Tim Bunfill, who bought the restaurant with his wife, Melissa. “We have four different kinds of potatoes now. We have Irish corned beef and colcannon [a mashed potato dish]. And we still have burgers.”

Bunfill previously managed the now-closed Growler’s Pubs, as well as other restaurants. “I’ve always had a passion for restaurants. For over a decade, I managed restaurants,” he said. “I’m a real estate agent and I’m Irish, and I thought, ‘What better than an Irish pub?’” He’s brought both experience and menu items from his previous gigs, including adding Scotch eggs to the menu. “I put those on Growler’s menu back in 1998,” he added.

Being an Irish pub, Two Shamrock’s will highlight the wide world of potatoes, having at least four different kinds on the menu: Russet, red roasted, sweet and yellow, according to Bunfill. The restaurant will have a baked potato bar. “We cut our own chips daily, and we have fresh-cut fries every day,” Bunfill said. “Our corned beef and cabbage comes with a fresh red potato. And we have a dish that we invented. It’s a sweet potato cake – crispy on the outside, basically mashed sweet potato on the inside.” The sweet potato cake is served with a beer-cheese sauce.

In addition to a selection of beer, Two Shamrock’s will focus heavily on whiskey. “We have a very elaborate bourbon collection now,” Bunfill said. “I’ve got around 42 whiskeys, bourbons and Irish whiskeys.” He said the restaurant will offer trivia every Tuesday night, and that he aims to expand next-door, at which point Two Shamrock’s will offer pool tables and live music.