Emerald Gems of Lexington
Irish poet William Yeats once famously remarked about the local pub: “There are no strangers here. Only friends you haven’t yet met.” This adage, which adorns the shirts of the staff at O’Hara’s Public House and O’Hara’s Bakery Café, proudly communicates the heart of the restaurants’ co-owner and founder, Matt O’Hara, an entrepreneur who strives to serve quality cuisine and cultivate camaraderie in the Lexington community.
Matt O’Hara, the visionary, founder, and co-owner of O’Hara’s Public House and O’Hara’s Bakery Café, in downtown Lexington, described his restaurants as a “warm and welcoming celebration of community, food, music, and fun.” This “labor of love,” according to Matt, begins with those in the back of the house and flows organically to the patrons who frequent the establishment.
From early childhood, Matt was seemingly destined to fulfill his calling as a restaurateur. “Everything we do here really is a tip of the cap to my mom and to my dad and to the history of hospitality,” he said. “My mom was an amazing cook, and time around the table was always spent with great food.” The twelfth of fifteen children in a lively Irish-Catholic family, he said, “There was never a time when somebody else wasn’t welcome at the table.”
Even while bartending and waiting tables as a student in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, “I always said, ‘When I have my restaurant, we’re going to do it like this,’” he recalled. Later, when traveling for his career in the sales and marketing of animal healthcare products, “I would find the Irish pub, and that’s where I would go. Those are my people, and I loved it.”
“I would return from my travels,” he continued, “and I would tell my wife, ‘Man, our town needs an Irish pub.’” Convinced that such a concept would be a “good fit” and “well received by the town of Lexington,” Matt seized this opportunity to pursue his dream when restaurant space, previously occupied by the Main Street Cafe & Grill, became available in 2017.
Prior to meeting with the building owner, Billy Walker, Matt had done his homework by visiting nearly 50 pubs in Dublin, Ireland. “I wanted to honor the history of an authentic traditional Irish pub,” he explained, and when Matt shared his vision with the landlord, Billy also became excited about the venture.
After a lease was signed, a construction team spent about five months transforming the space into a mirror image of a pub across the pond. Under Matt’s instructions, genuine Irish details were intentionally implemented throughout the property, from hanging flower baskets outside, to Celtic lettering on the restroom doors. Other authentic touches included the stamped metal ceiling; the ornate entrance doors; the dark woods and craftsmanship surrounding the bar; and the cozy snug, community tables, and booths for seating. The ambiance was even further elevated by nuanced amenities like Irish drink and menu selections, framed photography of famous places on the Emerald Isle, and sports-oriented décor that reflects Matt’s loyalty to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
In time, Matt was able to expand when he and his current partners (Michele, his wife, and Damon and Farrah Schildknecht, another local couple) purchased a second restaurant, known as the Haven Coffee House, just a few doors down. Again, this opportunity was fueled by the idea that “this coffee shop is the place where the town comes together,” Matt said. At first, the place continued to operate with the same name, but eventually, the spot was reopened with a brand-new menu and moniker as O’Hara’s Bakery Café. “We went from being a coffee shop to a dessert bar to doing meal service,” explained Matt, “and now that’s really the core of what we do there.”
The Café primarily serves American favorites like sandwiches, French toast, waffles, and bagels, as well as a traditional Irish breakfast with fresh soda bread around the holidays. As for the Public House, “Fish and chips is our runaway best-selling food item, every single day,” said Matt. “There’s no such thing as a pub that doesn’t serve fish and chips.” Naturally, their main menu is built around “core Irish items” such as corned beef and cabbage, in addition to “a few other things that people wouldn’t expect us to have,” added Matt, like award-winning hamburgers, salads, elevated sandwiches, steak, and seafood.
Together, the two establishments provide four eating areas between them: the Public House has the bar, a family-friendly dining area, and a spacious back deck, while the Café is housed within a sizable room divided by partitions and outfitted with mostly bench seating. Although the menu items and settings are somewhat different within each restaurant, community remains the focal point in both places.
Just like in Ireland, another commonality that is prized in the restaurants is the appreciation of good music. Whether it’s classic rock or Dubliner’s radio piped in over the speakers, a traditional Irish band “sesh” in the corner, a favorite local group on the back deck, or dueling pianists performing in the cafe, music plays a major role in enriching the atmosphere of O’Hara’s.
Every St. Patrick’s Day, O’Hara’s extends its unique heritage beyond its doors by promoting all-things-Irish in the town of Lexington. Highlights of the family-friendly festivities include their participation in the Shamrock Parade, which is sponsored by Bill Shanahan, owner of the Lexington County Blowfish. In the past, the procession, which leads directly to the entrance of O’Hara’s Public House, has featured Matt and Michele O’Hara as Mr. and Mrs. Shamrock and the “Sesh” performing on a float representing the O’Hara’s restaurants.
To coincide with the Shamrock Parade, Matt also hosts a free special event called the Shamrock Festival. “We have, the last three years, rented the Pavilion at the Icehouse Amphitheater, and I bring in face painters and balloon animals and bouncy castles and all these fun things for the kids,” Matt explained. “The Shamrock Festival Kids Zone happens three hours in advance of the parade, and it’s an opportunity for the kids to have some real family fun.” This year, these activities will begin at 11:30 AM on Sunday, March 8.
Other meaningful ways that O’Hara’s connects with the community are through everyday events like a pancake-eating contest fundraiser, which occurs on Wednesday evenings and supports local nonprofit organizations. In the past, they have also sponsored athletic programs at the local schools, but more recently, they have contributed significantly to Representative Chris Wooten’s “Operation Blue Christmas” campaign that provides gift cards from local restaurants to every police officer employed within the County of Lexington.
Since its inception, O’Hara’s has benefited from the downtown transformations and updated traffic patterns, and while “We are interested in the prospect of expanding O’Hara’s Public House within the city of Columbia, maybe Chapin, maybe Forest Acres,” Matt said, “We have a great district here of independent restaurants that are really changing the way people see downtown Lexington, and I think that we’re blessed to be a part of a great restaurant scene.”
O’Hara’s Public House
131 East Main Street
(803) 785-4025
O’Hara’s Bakery Café
121 East Main Street
(803) 356-1402