New bar in Louisville to serve drinks, good times and nostalgia for an old Shelby Park club

Rae Johnson, Louisville Courier Journal
·3 min read
The Keswick Club, a bar opening at 1127 Logan St. by owner Ryan Cohee, who also opens Red Top Gourmet Hotdogs, a shop that formerly occupied the space.
The Keswick Club, a bar opening at 1127 Logan St. by owner Ryan Cohee, who also opens Red Top Gourmet Hotdogs, a shop that formerly occupied the space.

An old space in Louisville's Shelby Park neighborhood is getting revamped into a new bar, with a grand opening set for Friday.

The Keswick Club at 1127 Logan St. will get new life as a bar after staffing shortages recently forced owner Ryan Cohee to shut down Red Top Gourmet Hotdogs, which previously occupied the space. And nostalgia will play a key role in its future.

The bar is named for the former Keswick Democratic Club, a social group that once operated at the site, Cohee said. Old traditions from the club, like live music and fried chicken dinners, will be brought back when the space reopens, he added.

Cohee said the bar wants to capture a down-home vibe, with an "Eastern Kentucky, Appalachian feel" that leaves customers feeling like they're in a small town near Daniel Boone National Forest.

Opening night is Friday, and Cohee said the first few weeks should be fun.

Cohee has a few things planned for the first weeks of the bar's opening, including a ping pong tournament Wednesday and an invitation for the Derby City Supper Club to serve fried chicken plates for the crowd beginning on Jan. 21. He wants to bring in live bluegrass music soon as well, he said.

The Keswick Club, a bar opening at 1127 Logan St. by owner Ryan Cohee, who also opens Red Top Gourmet Hotdogs, a shop that formerly occupied the space.
The Keswick Club, a bar opening at 1127 Logan St. by owner Ryan Cohee, who also opens Red Top Gourmet Hotdogs, a shop that formerly occupied the space.

Friday night won't be quite as fancy, he said – Cohee still needs to get a feel for what the neighborhood wants to see from the club, which is located down the street from other popular venues like Trouble Bar, Atrium Brewing and Logan Street Market. But Fright Bites, a local horror-themed food truck, will be on site serving Mexican-influenced fare like "frightful tacos" and "pollo diablo."

Cohee and his team are "super excited" to celebrate their hard work and open for the neighborhood, but it hasn't been an easy journey to get here.

The owner has the chops to keep a restaurant going – he's been in the business since he was 14, he said – but he made the decision to bring a bar into the space because bartenders are easier to find than kitchen staff.

Employee shortages played a key role last year in the closure of Red Top Hotdogs' brick-and-mortar location at the Logan Street site. Red Top transitioned back to a food truck, which had been in operation before the Shelby Park shop opened in 2018, and its products are still available in some places around the city, including at The Keswick Club's nearby community partner, Monnik Beer Company.

Atrium Brewing and Gallant Fox have also partnered with the new bar, Cohee said, and he hopes to bring in more local breweries as well. In addition to the ping pong tournaments, the bar will offer a "few games to blow off steam," like pool and darts.

The Keswick Club, a bar opening at 1127 Logan St. by owner Ryan Cohee, who also opens Red Top Gourmet Hotdogs, a shop that formerly occupied the space.
The Keswick Club, a bar opening at 1127 Logan St. by owner Ryan Cohee, who also opens Red Top Gourmet Hotdogs, a shop that formerly occupied the space.

When is The Keswick Club open?

The bar's opening day is Friday, Jan. 6. beginning at 4 p.m.

Wednesday through Friday: 4. p.m. to midnight

Saturday and Sunday: 1 p.m. to midnight

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Louisville bars: The Keswick brings drinks, nostalgia to Logan Street