O’Connell’s Irish Pub & Grille scores with great food for game days

O’Connell’s Irish Pub & Grille has been a Norman game day favorite since 1968. 

Normanites look at O’Connell’s, known as O’Conn’s to locals, as a city staple for those looking to immerse themselves in culture, food and drinks.

Before O’Connell’s joined Campus Corner, the pub operated at the corner of Lindsey Street and Jenkins Avenue where OU’s Headington Hall now stands. After OU purchased the land in 2007, O’Connell’s opened a new location on Campus Corner a year later and operated out of both locations until 2011 when the original pub was demolished.

Now located on Asp Avenue, O’Connell’s is known for its involvement in local sports scenes, ranging from high school to OU football. Owner Jeff Stewart purchased O’Connell’s in the summer of 1979 and continues to embrace the pub’s role in Norman’s game days. 

Jeff Stewart is the owner of O’Connell’s Irish Pub on Campus Corner. Stewart enjoys being involved with local sports in Norman.

Olivia Lauter/OU Daily

“I enjoy talking to people and meeting people, I always have,“ Stewart said. “My favorite part has got to be game day. It always gets exciting and everyone is cheering.”

As thousands of fans flock to Campus Corner and Lindsey Street on OU game days, O’Conn’s is filled with fans watching the Sooners on screens around the pub. 

Server Mitchell Waltman knew O’Connell’s as a staple among students and began working there around a year ago. Along with the fast-paced work environment of the pub, game days are Waltman’s favorite part of the job.

“It’s a really fun and eccentric place to be,” Waltman said. “It gives the staff a pep in their step and we’re all on our toes.”

O’Connell’s bustling environment inside also carries outside for tailgating, one of the pub’s greatest strengths.

Game days at O’Connell’s are not limited to football though. Fans of all sports often crowd the pub. The pub sees spectators of Norman High and Norman North basketball as well as OU softball and gymnastics.

“It doesn’t really matter which type of event. We get rugby, football, basketball and track,” Stewart said. “You name it, we get them all.”

Aside from game days, St. Patrick’s Day is O’Connell’s’ busiest day of the year. Stewart said every year on holidays and game days, customers often run into old friends.

“When you come in on a game day or St. Patrick’s day, you’re gonna run into somebody that you haven’t seen in 10 years. Without a doubt, that always happens,” Stewart said. 

Each week, O’Connell’s features Wednesday night karaoke at 9:30 p.m. and happy hour daily from 4 to 7 p.m. The pub also hosts around five events every year, one of the most recent being the Campus Corner Barbie bar crawl.

Along with the pub’s usual daily activities, it also collaborates in special fundraisers and events, such as Norman’s annual sidewalk sale and the Norman Conquest, a bicycle race that raises money for children with developmental disabilities.

A signature O’Connell’s event is inviting former football players into the pub before the annual spring game. 

“It’s really great to talk to them and hear their stories from OU, whether it’s going through recruiting or when they moved on to the pros,” Stewart said. 

Though he is the owner, Stewart enjoys taking an active role at his pub, whether it be answering phone calls or making burgers. Stewart said he attempts to ensure customer satisfaction at the pub by prioritizing interacting with guests or touching tables.

The interaction from the employees is only one aspect of what makes the pub unique. To Stewart, the history behind O’Connell’s is what makes it most special and what drives the return of parents and former students.

“The past demographics were primarily newcomers,” Stewart said. “Now we get parents that bring their students in. We’ve already got a whole generation where students’ kids bring their kids in.”

O’Connell’s is located at 769 Asp Ave. and is open from 4 p.m. to midnight Monday and Tuesday, and between 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. Wednesday and Thursday. On Friday and Saturday, it is open from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. O’Conn’s is closed on Sundays. 

This story was edited by Karoline Leonard and Emma Blakley. Cooper Marshall, Mary Ann Livingood and Nikkie Aisha copy edited this story.