SACO — Work is set to begin soon for the interior remodeling of a new Ricetta’s Brick Oven Ristorante.

The Falmouth-based restaurant is opening a Saco location at 512 Main St., the site of the former Kerrymen Pub.

The Kerrymen Pub was a destination for live music and traditional Irish food in Saco for 40 years, and was started by brothers John, Richard, David and Paul Kerry and their cousin Jimmy Sullivan in 1978.

The Kerrymen Pub closed in October and the Kerry family announced in January that it had been sold.

Ricetta’s replied to a query on its Facebook page recently stating that the Saco restaurant would open in late summer or early fall.

Ricetta’s owner Ron Stephan said in an email that there had been a longer than normal renovation period because he and others involved wanted to preserve the historical characteristics of the Kerrymen building for its loyal followers while significantly upgrading the experience to match the concept and needs of the new restaurant.

Restaurant officials have been working diligently with an architect over the past three months to redesign the space and attend to the required improvements to the facility, said Stephan.

“We do not have a precise date for completion of the renovation currently, but we are making much progress and demolition of the interior is set to begin very shortly,” said Stephan.

The menu at the Ricetta’s restaurant in Falmouth features specialty pizzas, pasta dishes, wood grilled items, burgers, sandwiches and gluten-free items.

Stephan said earlier this year that he thought Saco was a wonderful city and he liked the 512 Main St. location because of its high visibility, high traffic counts and location in the heart of the city.

In addition to keeping some of the characteristics of the Kerrymen Pub building, Ricetta’s has also kept the tradition of the restaurant’s involvement with the annual Mary’s Walk and Kerrymen 5K to raise money for cancer research and programs by hosting the post-race party at the annual event.

— Staff Writer Liz Gotthelf can be reached at 780-9015 or by email at egotthelf@journaltribune.com.

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