LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A former restaurant in the Shelby Park neighborhood has been transformed into a bar that could seem familiar to patrons.
The Keswick opened on Friday night under the ownership of Red Top HotDogs, which closed its restaurant at the same location in September, but continued to operate its food truck. After founding the food truck, Ryan and Rachel Cohee opened a brick-and-mortar location at the corner of Logan and Mary streets in 2018.
Rachel Cohee said minor tweaks were made changing the restaurant over to a bar, but there was a shift in energy during the grand opening.
"It feels like a refresh, we already had been running it as a restaurant so it's definitely different," Cohee said. "My husband and I talked about that, how quickly it flipped from feeling like a restaurant to feeling like a bar, but it was great. Louisville will decide what kind of bar we are."
IMAGES | The Keswick opens in the Shelby Park neighborhood
The Keswick is located on Logan Street in the Shelby Park neighborhood.
The Keswick is located on Logan Street in the Shelby Park neighborhood.
The Keswick is located on Logan Street in the Shelby Park neighborhood.
The Keswick is located on Logan Street in the Shelby Park neighborhood.
The Keswick is located on Logan Street in the Shelby Park neighborhood.
The Keswick is located on Logan Street in the Shelby Park neighborhood.
The Keswick is located on Logan Street in the Shelby Park neighborhood.
The Keswick is located on Logan Street in the Shelby Park neighborhood.
The Keswick is located on Logan Street in the Shelby Park neighborhood.
The Keswick is located on Logan Street in the Shelby Park neighborhood.
The Keswick is located on Logan Street in the Shelby Park neighborhood.
The Keswick is located on Logan Street in the Shelby Park neighborhood.
The Keswick is located on Logan Street in the Shelby Park neighborhood.
The Keswick is located on Logan Street in the Shelby Park neighborhood.
The Keswick is located on Logan Street in the Shelby Park neighborhood.
The Keswick is located on Logan Street in the Shelby Park neighborhood.
The Keswick is located on Logan Street in the Shelby Park neighborhood.
The Keswick is located on Logan Street in the Shelby Park neighborhood.
The Keswick is located on Logan Street in the Shelby Park neighborhood.
The Keswick is a historical reference to one of the building's previous occupants, the Keswick Democratic Club, which opened in 1953. The private club had dinners, and eventually shifted into punk rock shows.
The bar has exposed brick, mounted deer and boar heads along with historical photos.
"We brought in all the artwork about Shelby Park and all the old stuff about the Keswick to pay some respects to what it started as," Cohee said.
Patrons of Red Top HotDogs will be able to enjoy the food truck's offerings at the Keswick, along with other local vendors.
"We're going to give other food trucks the opportunity to serve here and other pop-ups," Cohee said. "We want to support the smallest of the small if we can because big or small, it's going to be good food."
The ping pong tables and tournaments known formerly at Red Top will continue at the Keswick. Ping pong tournaments are planned for Wednesdays evenings. There is also a foosball table and cornhole.
"We want to keep it as kid-friendly as we can for a bar, we're still going to be serving enough food that we can have kiddos during the daytime," Cohee said.
The bar, which offers local beer on draft, is planning to bring in live music.
The Keswick will be open from 4 p.m. to midnight Wednesdays through Fridays, and it open 1 p.m. to midnight on Saturdays and Sundays.
To view food truck offerings at the Keswick, click here.
Related Stories:
- Red Top Hotdogs closing restaurant in Shelby Park to focus on food truck
- Ping-Pong Emporium opens inside Louisville hot dog shop
- Red Top Hotdogs gives players a place to play ping pong
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