The owners of de Vere's Irish Pub have announced that a Davis location for their popular watering hole will open in September.
A lease was signed in March for a 4,800 square foot space at 217 E St. in downtown Davis, a space formerly occupied by Soga's restaurant. Like its downtown Sacramento location, the Davis branch of de Vere's will focus on Irish-themed drinks and decor, and a menu that includes house-made bacon, blood sausages and other pub fare. The Davis location will be about 1,000 square feet larger than its Sacramento pub, and includes a wraparound patio.
Co-owner Henry de Vere White, who once ran a college pub in Seattle, feels confident that Davis is a good fit for his Irish pub.
"We love the food movement out there and just relate well to the area," said de Vere White. "We're going to cater to the Davis community as a whole, from the professors and college students to those with families and kid-friendly brunches. We want locals to come in and have a pint and have a nice change of pace."
de Vere signed a 10-year lease for the space with two five year options. The pub will be neighbors with a variety of other watering holes and restaurants, including Cafe Bernardo and Burgers and Brew, and officials with the City of Davis' Economic Development Department are encouraged with the news about de Vere's coming to town.
"Davis prides itself in its range of dining and beverage establishments," said Katherine Hess, Community Development Department Administrator. "We've heard a lot of comments that people would like to see something that's not Thai food and pizza, so this is encouraging. We want a wide variety of restaurants for visitors and residents alike."
Remodeling the space is underway and the de Vere family plans to travel to Ireland to pick up decorative items for the pub. de Vere's has hired architects both in Ireland and locally to complete the project.
"Pub life is more than just having a bar," said de Vere White. "We want the college students to come back on a road trip later in life and remember de Vere's as a place where they formed friendships."
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