Keagan’s Irish Pub is located at 218 W. Main St. Ottawa, Il 61350. Check out their website or their Facebook page to learn more! Keagan’s is open Monday 11am to 10pm, Tuesday 11am to 12am, Wednesday/Thursday 11am to 10pm, Friday/Saturday 11am to 12am, and Sunday 11am to 10pm. The kitchen is open from 11am to 9pm Sunday through Thursday, and 11am to 10pm Friday/Saturday.

Restaurant Weeks begin on March 8th through the 21st, just a few days away! For more information on this exciting new event, read the event description here. We are so proud to be working with twelve local businesses to showcase our community’s creative cuisine in the Middle of Everywhere.

As part of our bite-sized series of interviews, we had the chance to speak with owner Jim Fritz and GM Marikay Keen. First, the pair gave us some background information on the pub.

Keagan’s Irish Pub opened in late 2024. Marikay described the restaurant as an “American bar with an Irish twist.” She explained that way, it’s not confusing for the menu to feature items ranging from fried chicken, to their corned beef, and fish & chips.

The menu at Keagan’s is sure to satisfy lovers of Irish cuisine. Next, we spoke about what Keagan’s is cooking up for Restaurant Weeks. And we think you’ll like what they had to say!

‘“Corned beef and cabbage, which is incredibly delicious. We cook it very tender. We’ve been running it on the weekends and starting today, we’re running it every day of the week now. It’s definitely a crowd pleaser,” Marikay said. “And our corned beef is made fresh, in-house, and hand sliced every day.” 

Saint Patrick’s Day is just around the corner too. Last year, Keagan’s sold about 600 pounds of corned beef for the holiday! One of the best parts about this time of year is getting a festive, green drink. Marikay told us more about some exciting Restaurant Week options.

“So, we’re featuring the Emerald Fritzgerald,” she said, explaining the drink is named after the owner. “It’s got a nice green color to it. We’ll do a few other featured menu items that we’re doing along with the corned beef and cabbage. We’re doing Shepherd’s Pie, which we do every Saturday and Sunday, and that actually is made by the owner. It’s the best Shepherds by I ever had, its great.” 

“Our Irish latkes, they’re one of our most popular items, and they’re handmade. I make them myself. It’s a family recipe. We serve sour cream, and green onion, and corned beef on ours,” she explained. “It’s a potato pancake, some good seasoning, some of a little bit of horseradish, and it just made that Irish kick.” 

A trip to Keagan’s is perfect way to experience both of Restaurant Weeks’ themes, comfort food reimagined and the chef’s signature showcase! Plus, it makes the perfect Saint Patrick’s Day celebration. We asked Marikay and Jim about their favorite items on the menu. You might find some inspiration for some Restaurant Week orders!

“I’m very, very proud of our latkes,” Marikay said. “Now, we do it every single day.” 

Jim also shared his favorite menu item with us. We’ve found that some of the best menu items tend to have a story behind them.

“Probably our Shepherd’s Pie, is one thing I created,” Jim said. He explained that it was a process to perfect his recipe for the pie. “I think it just wasn’t right there.” 

The pair told us that one day, after several attempts to tweak the recipe, Jim had jumped back into the kitchen to give it another go. Like an author’s drafts or an artist’s sketches, a cook will continue to hone their foodcraft to perfection. Jim shared his thoughts on the finalized pie recipe with us:

“Definitely works! Like that one’s perfect.” 

Finally, we asked Jim and Marikay what they enjoy most about being a part of Ottawa’s restaurant scene.

“Our families eat here. Our grandchildren eat here, so it’s definitely a scratch kitchen as much as possible,” Marikay said. “You can really taste that difference in food. You can tell that it’s homemade and made with love.” 

Jim mentioned that he appreciates the guests who come into Keagan’s. He enjoys “talking to them, finding out their story, what they’re about, where they’re from… I thought I knew a lot of people until we open this place out here.” 

We couldn’t agree more! With so many participating locations for Restaurant Weeks, it’s clear Ottawa has a great community. Many thanks to Marikay and Jim for having us! Make sure to keep an eye out on our socials for more Restaurant Week updates and bite-sized interviews.