Kenefick – O’Connor – O’Neill – family names and a proud legacy that will carry over into the newly designed space of Emmett’s Public House. Wrapped around a sailor’s knot, we tip our hat and raise our glass to Emmett Vincent Kenefick who had a vision decades ago to purchase the land originally occupied by a grocery store to house restaurants – to gather and dine, and to support the ongoing vibrancy of Historic Grand Avenue in St. Paul.

The iconic Dixie’s on Grand restaurant that thrived on Grand Avenue for 35 years gave “birth” to Emmett’s Public House in 2015 when Dixie’s Key Largo Banquet Room was reimagined as a gastropub. 

A few walls went down, a few went up, a vintage snug from St. Paul’s original Gallivan’s Irish Pub was restored, a cozy fireplace was lit, and Emmett’s emerged with authentic Irish charm and elevated Irish-American fare.

With the Kenton House now built above, Emmett’s doors are once again open and the pints are flowing.