A former popular downtown bar will soon reopen with a new owner, a new name and an expanded food menu.
Opie’s Bar and Grill expects to open in late October or early November at 158 N. Broad St., former home of Fat Fish Pub. Opie’s will offer traditional and unique grill items for lunch and dinner six days a week.
It’s Opie Carter’s first venture into restaurant ownership, but won’t be her first time in the food service business. Her parents ran the Watering Hole at Oak Run for many years, and she’s also worked at several restaurants in Galesburg.
Carter told WGIL, “I’ve been around the restaurant business my whole life, and I’ve always wanted to open my own bar and grill. It’s time to get my dreams going.”
In addition to traditional grill items, Opie’s Bar and Grill will feature speciality items like a beer battered tenderloin, chicken and waffles, and scorpion tails – which are shrimp with provolone and jalapeño, wrapped in bacon and fried.
Carter said Opie’s menu is inspired by some of her parents’ menu items from the Watering Hole, along with plenty of her own ideas. She expects her father’s reuben sandwich recipe to also be a favorite.
Opie’s will offer vegetarian menu items and will eventually feature a Sunday brunch.
Carter, 25, has received a $10,000 startup grant from the Minority and/or Woman owned Business Startup Assistance Program sponsored by the City of Galesburg.
“KCAP wishes Opie Carter the best success with her new venture, said Ken Springer, president of Knox County Area Partnership for Economic Development. “It’s phenomenal to see young entrepreneurs bring new businesses to our area. In this case, Ms. Carter will be renovating a formerly-vacant space and bringing it back to life.”
The former Fat Fish Pub announced in July 2020 it would be close temporarily due to state-mandated regulations for COVID-19, however the bar failed to reopen.
