Pub will be back

Waxy O’Connor’s Irish Pub closed for renovations.

Waxy O’Connor’s Irish Pub and Restaurant, a Fort Lauderdale mainstay for 21 years on SE 17th Street, has fencing up and its interior is being gutted. But fans of the venerable watering hole need not be alarmed or fear the worst. On its Facebook page, the restaurant says the closure is merely temporary as it undergoes major renovations. The owners say they hope to reopen the pub in October.

“And we are under way,” Waxy O’Connor’s Facebook page states in a July 28 posting, which shows photos

of the fencing and gutted interior.

The pub held a “renovation party” on July 16 with half off all checks, and posted, “Thank you to all our loyal customers for 21 years of continued patronage — we look forward to unveiling the new Waxy’s October 2018 … Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and our website waxyspub.com for updates on the renovation and our re-opening.”

The owners say they are keeping mementos and wall decorations in storage until the renovations are complete.

“This broke my heart until I realized it’s just a renovation,” Rory Callahan wrote on Facebook.

“What was wrong with the interior?” Christopher Hale wrote.

“Wow! Excited to see the end result,” Mary-Ellen Quesnel Kelly wrote.

WAXY O’CONNOR’S/COURTESY Waxy O’Connor’s Irish Pub and Restaurant is remodeling its interior and will reopen in October.