WAXY O'Connor's "True Irish Pub" Now Open at New Woburn MA Location

At long last, WAXY O'Connor's Irish Pub and Restaurant opened its doors Friday, January 18th, where the Spud's Restaurant used to be on Montvale Ave, I-93 Exit 36 at the Best Western Plus Hotel, near the town line of Stoneham, MA. From when you first walk in, the feel is very much Irish, from the authentic woodwork and stain-glass, to the big center-bar, the private alcoves and the menu, which has the classic Irish favorites like Sheppard's Pie and Corn Beef and Cabbage all year long. Waxy's is run by General Manager Oscar Dirks, who lives in Stoneham and has 27 years managing restaurants locally. "Waxy's is what this area has needed – real Irish flavors, good beer, and a wonderful atmosphere, with live music on weekends. I saw dozens of people the first night we opened back on the second night. It's a home run."

"What people don't realize is, all the actual woodwork – the bar, the walls, the moldings and furnishings - they are all milled and made in Ireland , then brought over and re-assembled here by the Irish craftsman themselves" said Mark Rohleder, one of the principals. The company, Truwood ltd out of County Monaghan, Ireland, did four of the most famous pubs in Dublin: the Waterloo, The 51, Lansdowne, and Toner's. Mark started the Waxy's O'Connor's store concept down in Ft Lauderdale back in 1997 after coming over from Ireland in 1992. Later they opened San Antonio in 2005, South Beach, Miami and up in Foxboro in 2008, Lexington in 2010, Keene, NH 2011, and another one to open soon in Plainville, CT 2013.

Mark continues: "Where does the name WAXY O'Connor's come from – we get that a lot. It comes from an old Irish story. Way back when, there was a candle maker who'd been given the nickname 'Waxy' because he's all covered with wax making candles of course. Then one night at his shop where he lived, there was a huge fire, but he managed to escape without a hair on his head being harmed. Being covered with wax, that was quite lucky indeed. So everyone in the town thought it was close to a miracle. So they started to say whenever someone was really lucky, it was like Waxy. 'My, how Waxy that turned out to be.' So we thought, what better way to spread around the luck of the Irish than to name our pubs by the luckiest of all."

It's not just the atmosphere and owners that are Irish at Waxy's. The food is all made in-house fresh, many from Irish recipes. "Going to your typical restaurant, you will find a lot of pre-made things heated up or taken out of a can. Here, the pears on your spinach and crusted goat cheese salad are sliced up fresh, seasoned and pan-seared. Or take our soda bread - we use traditional Irish recipes in the kitchen and bake it here. The rest of our bread we buy from a local bakery in Medford" says Adam Maslowski , Executive Chef. Adam, who has a culinary and pastry degree from the University of New Hampshire, has run the kitchens at Waxy's other locations and brings 18 years of experience and expertise.

WAXY O'Connor's will also be catering functions for parties up to 175 people. The restaurant is attached to the Best Western Plus Hotel, a 3-Diamond property with two ballrooms. Dinners, weddings, social gatherings, meetings, large parties – the banquet spaces are all nicely-done with 11-foot ceilings, chandeliers and wall sconces.

WAXY O'Connor's is located at the Best Western Hotel at 1 Rainin Road, Woburn, MA. The restaurant is opened 11am-12am daily. Prices range from Irish Nachos at 9.95 to Fish & Chips at $13.95 and Warm Bread Pudding for $6.95. For more information, please call 781-281-7290, email waxyswoburn@gmail.com, or the website at www.waxys.com. For functions and meetings, call the Best Western Catering Department at 781-935-8160 or email sparris@jamsanhotels.com.