Longtime Belleville restaurant announces new management, new name and menu additions
Folks on the west side of Belleville may have noticed a change at 5500 North Belt West.
Signage for Crehan’s Irish Pub & Banquet Facility was replaced last week with signs for McGraw’s Irish Pub & Banquet Center.
The Crehan’s Facebook page declared the end of an era as longtime Crehan’s owners Barry and Patti Gregory (not Mayor Gregory!) thanked the public for the good times and memories.
The social media post also said that the business was placed under new management in May, and if the new name sounds familiar, well, it should.
McGraw’s is named for Brandon McGraw, owner of The Quarter Restaurant in downtown Belleville.
McGraw and the Gregorys have been partners for a while to make an easier transition with the business, according to McGraw’s kitchen manager Bryan Hoffmann.
Their hopes are to keep the established Crehan’s customer base while attracting new customers.
So other than the name (and signage), what changes can customers expect?
“We’ve tried to update the décor,” said Hoffmann in a phone interview.
He said the banquet room was completely redone over the last six months.
Hoffmann said a lot of time and effort went into the menu and deciding what to keep and what to add.
Most of the more popular Crehan’s menu items can be found on the new McGraw’s menu. And there are some more “Irish-centric” additions, according to Hoffmann.
There are more corned beef dishes, like the Loaded Irish Chips and the Leprechaun Shoe, a hamburger bun open faced with corned beef smothered in beer cheese and topped with fries. (You can sub the corned beef with double hamburger patties.)
Reubens and corned beef sandwiches remain on the menu, and corned beef and cabbage is still available on the 17th of each month.
Other new eats include appetizers like the jumbo pub pretzel (served with beer cheese sauce), and an onion ring tower, three different steak entrées – an 8-ounce filet, 10-ounce New York strip and a 1-pound ribeye.
All of the steaks are hand cut and come from the Wenneman Meat Co.
The full menu can be found on the McGraw’s website.
As for drinks, a menu wasn’t posted. But I find the picture of a pint of Guinness on the menu to be very promising. And it’s enough to get me in the door.
Need more incentive? Customers can enjoy a game room, dance floor, live music and more. What more does anyone need?
So whether you were a frequent visitor to Crehan’s or a total newbie, check out McGraw’s.
McGraw’s Irish Pub & Banquet Center is open 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. Monday-Saturday and noon to 1 a.m. Sunday.
For more info, call 618-234-6500, visit mcgrawspub.com or find them on Facebook.
This story was originally published February 21, 2023 at 7:00 AM.
