Los Gatos Irish pub likely closing
Downtown mainstay since 1980 is sporting a for-lease banner
LOS GATOS — A banner appeared outside C.B. Hannegan’s Irish Pub last week that said, “For Lease losgatosretail.com.” Asked about the sign, pub coowner Johnny Hannegan said the downtown Los Gatos mainstay will likely close early next year.
Hannegan’s opened in 1980 at 208 Bachman Ave. Property owner Mark Millen said the for-lease sign went up because “we’ve been led to believe they’ll be leaving soon. It’s not all of a sudden.”
He added, “Their lease has been up for quite some time. We’ve tried very hard to work with them and have not been successful, so we’re moving forward. That’s what any landlord would do.”
Millen said there’s been quite a bit of interest in the property.
“We really want someone who will be part of the downtown community the way Hannegan’s has been. We’re looking for someone to fill that role,” he said.
Those are big shoes to fill. Over the years, Hannegan’s has contributed to a wide variety of causes, such as cooking Thanksgiving dinner for seniors at the Los Gatos Adult Recreation Center.
“They immediately rallied during the 1985 Lexington Fire,” longtime customer Carol Musser said. “They recruited community members to help prepare food for the firefighters who were headquartered at Vasona Park. I remember working on the food line.”
Hannegan’s St. Patrick’s Day parties are legendary, with Irish dignitaries often attending the celebrations.
That relationship with Ireland is why Hannegan’s will serve as the host for this October’s Los GatosListowel Writers’ Festival.
Listowel, Ireland, is Los Gatos’ sister city.
From wakes to graduations and book launches, Hannegan’s has long been a “go to” place for many residents. “This is the only place in town where I can come in alone and feel comfortable,” Musser said. “It’s a little like Cheers.”
Pubgoers, meantime, are lining up to check out the new Loma Brewing Company, which opened Aug. 18 at 130 N. Santa Cruz Ave.
Co-owner Scott Youkilis said the newly built brewery currently has four beers on tap. “Hopefully our fifth beer will be ready this weekend, and we plan to have a sixth by September,” Youkilis said.
The brew pub has three distinct areas: the bar, which includes an adjacent seating area with long tables; the dining room; and a banquet room.
“We had almost 400 people in here on both Friday and Saturday nights,” Youkilis said. “The bar and restaurant were full, and by 10 p.m. we filled up again with all new people.”
The pub is open from 5 to 10 p.m. daily. Lunch hours will be added next month.