Irish Pub News

Owners of Dallas' Dubliner will open a new Irish pub in Lake Highlands

Group of people drinking beer at a bar cheers

Here's a toast to Irish pubs.

Caiaimage/Paul Bradbury/Getty Images

UPDATE 2-5-2020: Lochland's Food and Spirits will open on February 6.

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Lake Highlands is getting the kind of bar that Dallas loves the most: an Irish pub. And it's from a couple that many would agree are masters of the craft.

Peter and Cheryl Kenny, who own The Dubliner on Greenville Avenue and Capitol Pub on Henderson Avenue, will open a third pub at the intersection of Lake Highlands Drive and Northwest Highway.

Called Lochland's, it will open in January 2020.

"Yes, we are opening a new spot in Lake Highlands in January," Cheryl confirms. "We live in East Dallas and it's such an underserved area — we’re just hoping to make a contribution to this gem of an area in Dallas."

Peter Kenny is a native of Dublin who opened the Dubliner in 1994. It's become a staple of Greenville Avenue and a centerpiece of the annual St. Patrick's Day Parade. It also serves as a headquarters of sorts for Dallas' community of Vespa scooter riders.

He and Cheryl opened the Capitol Pub in 2007, just as Henderson Avenue was transitioning into a buzzy area.

For Lochland's, they've snagged a really cool building at 8518 Plano Rd.

"We’ve been looking for years for a property to purchase," Cheryl says. There’s so little available for small business owners like us — but we persisted with calling on this building that had been sitting unoccupied for some time."

Previous tenants were a veterinary clinic.

"It was in horrific shape," Cheryl says. "We had to completely gut the building & remove part of the rear portion of it for parking. It’s been a long, difficult road, but I think it will be a hit in the long run."

While Capitol Pub and the Dubliner have similar pub DNA, they also both have their own particular DNA, with the Dubliner functioning as a classic Irish pub with a focus on beer, and Capitol Pub serving as a neighborhood hangout with good food and a legendary brunch — a tradition they'll recreate in Lake Highlands.

"We're trying to take favorite bits from every place we've had — The Dubliner, The Gin Mill, & Capitol Pub — and bring them together at Lochland's," Cheryl says. (The Gin Mill was a restaurant-pub they opened on Henderson Avenue which was noted for its great food, but it closed in 2015.)

"Again, so little options in this area, so we feel our Irish Pub hospitality might be a welcome addition to East Dallas," she says.

openings

Craft Beer News

Frisco rolls out red carpet for Rollertown Beerworks brewery

Rollertown

Rollertown Beerworks

A brewery owned by a pair of Dallas celebrities has opened the taps in Frisco: Rollertown Beerworks, it's from Ben Rogers and Jeff Wade, beloved hosts of "The Ben & Skin Show" on KEGL-FM, joined by Jonathan Rogers, who is CEO as well as Ben's younger brother, and it just opened at 6450 Main St., next to Frisco’s historic silos.

The brewery was originally founded in Celina in 2020. This is a relocation that's been four years in the making, with backing from the city of Frisco.

The brewery is a public-private partnership between Rollertown and the city of Frisco, Frisco Community Development Corporation, and Frisco TX EDC.

“Rollertown will be an entertainment destination, a family friendly gathering place for residents and visitors,” said Frisco Mayor Jeff Cheney in a statement at the brewery's opening. “Our residents will find the live music and brewery experience they craved here in the heart of our city. … After years of looking for the right fit for the silo property, Rollertown bridges both sides of Main Street, connecting our historic Rail District to Frisco Square and Toyota Stadium."

Jonathan Rogers says they're thrilled about their location and its proximity to … everything.

“We’re at the corner of Main & Main in Downtown Frisco — just a block from Toyota Stadium and FC Dallas, and down the street from the Dallas Cowboys HQ, the Dallas Stars HQ, the PGA of America, Universal Studios, and at least three new billion-dollar developments," he says.

"There’s so much happening in Frisco that the real question is…why wouldn’t we want to be here?" he says. "Beyond the incredible location and explosive growth, there’s a sense of possibility and teamwork that exists in Frisco that you don’t always find everywhere else. It’s a perfect culture and values fit for us."

Rollertown BeerworksRollertown

The taproom has two levels of indoor and outdoor seating, beer garden, rooftop deck, and a performance stage. The heart of the operation is a production facility featuring a state-of-the-art 60-barrel brewhouse which will allow Rollertown to produce more than 75,000 barrels annually.

Rollertown offers 21 rotating beers on tap, and plans to release a new beer every two weeks. The selection includes IPAs, sours, and stouts.

“We use traditional brewing techniques that result in approachable beers that are true to their classic styles,” says Rogers.

Beyond the popularity of the founders, Rollertown is best known for its Big German beer, named in honor of Dallas Mavericks legend Dirk Nowitzki, who is an investor of Rollertown. They describe the brew as a “highly crushable Kölsch” containing “minimal hops and a smooth finish,” like Nowitzki himself.

“He loves that joke, we promise,” Rogers says.

On site are three brewhouses of different sizes: a 30-BBL system for production beers, a 7-BBL system for frequent small-batch releases, and a 1-BBL system for private parties and experimental batches.

In addition to beer, Rollertown also offers wine a full range of spirits — vodka, bourbon, tequila, rum, and gin.

Following a common brewery practice, they delegate the food to food trucks, with three — American Gothic Pizza, Jazzy’s Tacos, and Mueller Wagyu — currently in residence. Mueller, known for its Wagyu smashburgers, will have permanent residence at the venue beginning in the first quarter of 2026.

craft beer openings