Local Bar Returns to Main Street

Rejuvenating a favorite spot in town, three West Orange locals have announced they are reopening a neighborhood bar at the site of the old Gaffers Pub on Main Street. 

OAK Barrel Pub, name drawn from the initials of the owners, is expected to open at 440 Main Street sometime in September by two longtime employees of the West Orange landmark, Frank Attamante and Chris O’Connell, along with Bill Kehue the current director of the West Orange Recreation Department.

The trio has spent the last few months renovating the restaurant floor to ceiling, Kehue said. The dining room overhaul will be outfitted with dozens of historical lithographs and photos depicting the history of West Orange.

According to Attamante, "We are fixing everything that was broken and doing it right, one thing that doesn’t need fixing is what this place has and will remain to be – a cozy West Orange landmark."

The food will remain similar to Gaffers, an American fare menu with burgers and sandwiches, which Kehoe said "was always pretty good." 

"We're not fixin' what ain't broken," he said with a laugh. "The philosophy is going to be exactly the same but everything inside is going to be completely different."

Especially the bar, which the West Orange trio picked up at the Pals Cabin auction, keeping a part of local history alive in the renovations. 

Gone are the signature rugs in the dining room and bar area replaced with new hardwood flooring.  All the table, booths, chairs and stools are new and of course the entire interior sports a brand new coat of paint.

Kehoe added, "I think people are really looking forward to a neighborhood place."