The Old Canal Inn Opens Less Than A Week After The Fire #ocinutley #restoreoci

The Old Canal Inn Reopened At Noon Nov 22

The legendary Old Canal Inn reopened at noon today just short of a week after a fire in the kitchen. The kitchen and dining room portion of the Inn are closed as reconstruction and restoration work is done.

Owner Mark Conca estimates that that portion of the business will be closed for about six months. In the meantime the bar, including the iconic death seat and shuffleboard table are open and ready for guests.

A large party tent was put up in the parking lot as a gathering place while the dining room is rebuilt. It is a great gathering place and can hold dozens of people, which is perfect because on Thanksgiving Eve, people from all over the region are expected to visit to express their gratitude for what they have this year, and that the Conca family, their tenants upstairs, and their business are all headed toward a great 2015.

First "Sale" After The Fire

Located on the Bloomfield/Nutley  border, the Old Canal Inn was saved from being a total loss because of the swift efforts of the Bloomfield and Nutley Fire Departments. The first paying customer after the fire was a Bloomfield Firefighter. The Conca Brothers were ready to put that beer on their own personal tabs tab but he insisted to pay $10 for that one beer to help the business recover.

That story, and so many others from this period of restoratin, tell so much about the type of place the OCI is: people coming together in good times for a beer, and coming together to support each other in the not so good times. It is always like that at the OCI.

While it will be several months until the "New Old Canal Inn" reopens the restaurant portion, but the organizers at Bloomfield Restaurant Week were proud to announce that the OCI was the first restaurant to sign up for the August 2015 event. The Old Canal Inn will indeed come back bigger, better, and more bad-ass than ever before.

 

The Old Canal Inn
2 East Passaic Ave Nutley, NJ 07110

Type of Cuisine: Pub Food

Price Range: $$

Phone: 973) 284-1272

Alcohol: Full Bar