Three years after the Horseshoe Restaurant and Lounge closed its doors, the iconic Collinsville restaurant will re-open Tuesday under new ownership.

Husband and wife team Bernie and Charlie Clardy have been painstakingly preparing the building since January. After some delays beyond their control, construction took off in May.

The bar, circa the 1950’s, in the building currently known as Horseshoe Restaurant and Lounge / Photo courtesy of Neal Strebel

The bar of the new Horseshoe Restaurant and Lounge / Photo by Roger Starkey

The back of the building was knocked out to make room for a new kitchen and new restrooms. Strategically placed lighting makes the building feel more open than the last Horseshoe.

There are two pool tables in the bar area, where the horseshoe shaped bar is still the centerpiece. Patrons will be able to choose from 16 beers on tap. Bernie, a craft beer lover, stocked his bar with selections from big and small brewers. O’Fallon Brewery is well represented, as is Southern Tier, including Chocklat, a beer brewed with chocolate and packing a 10 percent alcohol punch. Charlie promised anyone who orders a Guinness will receive the proper pour, something to make an Irishman proud.

“We want to make sure we have something for everyone, and something people can’t find anywhere else in Collinsville,” Bernie said.

Bernie described the new Horseshoe menu as “nothing fancy, just good food.” Choice steaks and fresh ground hamburgers may be the highlight of a menu that also features 11 sandwich options, a kids menu, pasta, salads, pizza, wings, chicken, fish and a large selection of appetizers.

Those wanting a taste of Chicago can order an Italian Beef, slow roasted and served on a hoagie bun with optional giardiniera. Upon request, the entire sandwich will be dipped in au jus – and that should be everyone’s request.

As the Clardy’s were working to get the Horseshoe ready, they received frequent visitors. Two items frequently requested, and therefore, on the menu, are chicken livers and chicken gizzards.

The choice cut steaks may not be “fancy,” but they will be cut in house daily and, like the hamburgers, never frozen. The steaks range in price from $10.95 for an eight-ounce sirloin to $17.95 for a 14-ounce rib-eye or an eight-ounce bacon-wrapped filet. The steaks will spend time in a special marinade, which will also be applied as they are cooked to order.

Hamburgers will have a special seasoning mix and be charbroiled to either pink or no pink. The Barn Burner Burger, dipped in Buffalo hot sauce and topped with pepper jack cheese and breaded and fried jalapeños, begs to be washed down with a beer while watching football.

Fall Sunday’s at the Horseshoe will find Charlie watching the Broncos and Bernie the Vikings on one of eight flat screen televisions. The couple ensured their restaurant has the NFL Sunday Ticket for a simple reason.

“We made this a place where we would want to hang out,” Bernie said.

The place the Clardy’s want to hang out first opened as the Circle Café and Tap Room around 1947. According to the book “Collinsville (IL) (Postcard History Series),” edited by Neal Strebel, the Circle Café and Tap Room gave way to Saggio’s Tap Room and Dining Room, which operated in the building from 1953 to about 1959. The building, along with other nearby businesses and homes, stands on the site that was Abbey No. 1/Hardscrabble Coal Mine from 1904 to 1938, Strebel indicates.

The history of the building was one of the things that convinced Bernie to end his six-month search for a restaurant location. The building was not in great shape at the time, and Charlie noticed.

“She thought I was nuts the first time she saw it,” Bernie said.

Soon Charlie and Bernie met with representatives from the City of Collinsville about remodeling and opening the building. Expecting to meet only Economic Development/TIF Director Erika Kennett, the couple was instead welcomed by 12 officials, all excited about the possibility of the Horseshoe re-opening.

“She didn’t think I was so crazy after that,” Bernie said.

The Horseshoe Restaurant and Lounge will be open Monday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to midnight and from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays. A full menu will be served until two hours prior to closing each day. Appetizers and pizza can be ordered until closing time.

With seating capacity of 130 and a total capacity of 195, the reinvigorated ‘Shoe should have plenty of room to accommodate the crowds eager to get another taste of a Collinsville tradition. The Horseshoe Restaurant and Lounge is located at 410 St. Louis Road.