Dooley's Irish Ale House closes in West Dundee

Dooley's Irish Ale House has closed in downtown West Dundee, leaving its landlord and village officials searching for a new restaurateur to occupy the space.

The Irish pub closed its doors, at 98 W. Main St., last weekend after being in business less than a year, Village President Chris Nelson said. The space at the corner of First and Main streets, which formerly housed M.T. Barrels Restaurant and Brewery, had been vacant for nearly eight years before building owner Kevin Krak bought the property in 2015.

In seeking a tenant last year, Nelson said, Krak chose to lease the three-story building to Dooley's owner Matt Harrison, a Carpentersville native.

"I think he liked the opportunity to give a new business owner an opportunity to start a restaurant operation," Nelson said. "Regrettably, it didn't work out, but I believe Mr. Krak's heart was in the right place."

Krak also owns and is renovating the former Clearwater Theater next door, where he plans to open a new live music venue called RocHaus. He and Harrison could not be reached for comment Wednesday.

Nelson said village officials and Krak are now searching for new prospective tenants "as quickly as possible." The roughly 9,000-square-foot building has a bar feature on the first floor, a third-floor party room overlooking the Fox River and a small outdoor patio.

Though Krak will ultimately decide on the tenant, Nelson said, West Dundee would prefer the new operator be an experienced restaurateur with a unique concept and the ability to manage such a large space.

"We would like the menu and fare to be different from what one might be able to find already in the market," he said. "That'll be where our focus is."