Irish pub's name honors former Rosemont mayor's service

An authentic Irish pub in Rosemont's new restaurant and entertainment district under construction off the Tri-State Tollway will be named Five Roses Pub — a rose for each decade the late Mayor Donald E. Stephens served the village.

Rosemont Mayor Bradley Stephens said it's a nice tribute to his father, who founded the town which he served from 1956 until his death in 2007.

The elder Stephens envisioned building an entertainment complex in Rosemont, which will finally come to fruition this spring.

Bradley Stephens said he sought to bring an Irish pub to town. It originally was to be named Landsdowne after a sister pub in Boston. Owner Patrick Lyons picked the name Five Roses after a recent visit to Quebec, Canada, where he saw a like-named tavern, Stephens said.

“He was toying with Wild Irish Rose as a name,” Stephens said. “He ran across a sign that said Five Roses Pub and he sent me an email. The question was how many decades was your dad mayor? Was it five?”

The Five Roses Pub will be one of eight venues to debut this spring and summer in The Park at Rosemont development, which is anchored on one end by Muvico. Other notable tenants include Toby Keith's “I Love This Bar & Grill,” King's Bowling, Taverna Opa, The Park Tavern and Adobe Gilas.

The district includes 200,000 square feet of entertainment, dining, and festival space. It will feature a recreational area for year-round events, including ice skating, farmers' markets, concerts, fairs, festivals and exhibition sporting events.

The shells of all the buildings in the entertainment district are under construction and should be completed within a month. Interior plans have been approved for the Five Roses Pub and King's Bowling alley, another Lyons Group project, Stephens said.

“We are looking for the first two venues to be open by mid-March,” Stephens said. “I think this is going to be a real exciting development.”

The pub likely will open in time for St. Patrick's Day, Stephens added.