TV Restaurants

What Happened to Kilkenny's Irish Pub After Bar Rescue?

Closed verified

As of September 2026, Kilkenny's Irish Pub has closed — confirmed via patch.com, March 5, 2012.

Primary source
patch.com ·
Secondary source
patch.com

Last verified

What the source shows: Redondo Beach Patch reported the bar surrendered its liquor license on January 25, 2012 and closed permanently under the Bar Rescue-given name Breakwall; a related Patch headline confirms Barney's Beanery later took over the same pier space.

  • Season / episode Season 1, Episode 4
  • Original air date
  • Address 100 Fisherman's Wharf, Redondo Beach, CA 90277

Interactive map — loads when you ask for it.

Everything on this map is also in the list below.

© OpenStreetMap contributors © CARTO

What happened after Bar Rescue?

Kilkenny's Irish Pub had opened on the Redondo Beach Pier in 2006 under sisters Allie and Alexis Speed, drawing as much as $120,000 a month when business was strong. By the time Bar Rescue arrived, the sisters had let day-to-day standards slip and the business was carrying roughly $900,000 in debt. The episode's rescue effort centered on repositioning the bar away from its traditional Irish-pub identity toward a concept built around the pier's surf culture: Jon Taffer's team retrained the staff, including then-general manager Carlos Cable, redecorated the space, and renamed the business Breakwall.

In the weeks after the episode aired, the new surf-themed concept appeared to connect with a younger, beach-oriented crowd. Customers were described as coming out to "drink and party and have fun," according to co-owner Allie Speed's own comments to Redondo Beach Patch, and a bartender told the outlet his tips had improved under the new format. Online reviews told a more mixed story over time, with some customers describing declining food quality and thinning crowds in the months that followed; one longtime patron told Patch she had high hopes after watching the episode but came to feel the show's format had not fully accounted for how the pier location actually did business.

By early January 2012, Breakwall closed its doors. Records from the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control show the business surrendered its liquor license on January 25, 2012, and a separate application for a new license, filed under the Kilkenny's name, was withdrawn in December 2013. In a statement to Redondo Beach Patch, co-owner Allie Speed said the bar became "impossible to keep it open," thanking patrons and staff for their support over its six years of operation under both names. Barney's Beanery later opened in the same Fisherman's Wharf pier space, on the pier's Redondo Landing side.

Featured on Bar Rescue

Season / episode
Season 1, Episode 4
Original air date
Episode title
Beach Bummer
What was featured
Irish pub's rebrand into a surf-themed bar called Breakwall
Role
Featured restaurant
Name on the broadcast
Kilkenny's Irish Pub

Frequently asked questions

Is Kilkenny's Irish Pub still open in 2026?

As of September 2026, Kilkenny's Irish Pub has closed — confirmed via patch.com, March 5, 2012.

What happened to Kilkenny's Irish Pub after Bar Rescue?

Kilkenny's Irish Pub had opened on the Redondo Beach Pier in 2006 under sisters Allie and Alexis Speed, drawing as much as $120,000 a month when business was strong. As of September 2026, Kilkenny's Irish Pub has closed — confirmed via patch.com, March 5, 2012.

Is Kilkenny's Irish Pub permanently closed?

As of September 2026, Kilkenny's Irish Pub has closed — confirmed via patch.com, March 5, 2012. We publish a closure only with a dated source behind it, and we say plainly when it has not been independently confirmed.

Where is Kilkenny's Irish Pub located?

100 Fisherman's Wharf, Redondo Beach, CA 90277. That is the address on the record as of September 7, 2026.

What season and episode of Bar Rescue featured Kilkenny's Irish Pub?

Season 1, Episode 4 of Bar Rescue, first aired August 7, 2011. The episode is titled “Beach Bummer”.

Did the makeover last at Kilkenny's Irish Pub?

The episode first aired August 7, 2011. Our most recent check was September 7, 2026 — 15 years later —: As of September 2026, Kilkenny's Irish Pub has closed — confirmed via patch.com, March 5, 2012.

What do reviews say since Bar Rescue?

Online reviews told a more mixed story over time, with some customers describing declining food quality and thinning crowds in the months that followed; one longtime patron told Patch she had high hopes after watching the episode but came to feel the show's format had not fully accounted for how the pier location actually did business. We summarise what dated sources report; we do not publish our own rating.

Every status on this site carries a confidence label and a date, and names the source it rests on. Read the Editorial & Corrections Policy for what each label means and how quickly we act on corrections. The questions above are generated from this record's own published fields — we never publish a question we cannot answer from the data.

More from Bar Rescue

Every Bar Rescue restaurant we track

Other TV restaurants in California

All California locations

Nearest tracked restaurants

  • Zayna Flaming Grill

    Redondo Beach, CA · 1.1 mi away

    Kitchen Nightmares

    Closed verified Checked

  • The Spot Natural Food Restaurant - CLOSED

    Hermosa Beach, CA · 1.2 mi away

    Food Paradise

    Closed verified Checked

  • Patrick Molloy's

    Hermosa Beach, CA · 1.7 mi away

    Gordon Ramsay's 24 Hours to Hell and Back

    Open verified Checked

  • Tower 12

    Hermosa Beach, CA · 1.7 mi away

    Food Paradise

    Open verified Checked

  • North End Caffe

    Manhattan Beach, CA · 2.8 mi away

    Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives

    Open reported Checked

  • Strand House

    Manhattan Beach, CA · 3.4 mi away

    Food Paradise

    Open reported Checked

Visit info

Address
100 Fisherman's Wharf, Redondo Beach, CA 90277
Venue type
bar
Official website
None found

Businesses change fast. Always confirm directly with the restaurant — call ahead, or check its own current website or social media — before making plans around anything on this page.

Sources

  • patch.com — https://patch.com/california/redondobeach/despite-bar-rescue-breakwall-closes
  • patch.com — https://patch.com/california/redondobeach/barneys-beanery-replaces-breakwall-on-redondo-beach-pier

See something wrong?

We work hard to keep every status accurate and dated, but restaurants change fast and our sources aren't perfect. If something here is wrong — a status, a name, an address, anything — tell us what you're seeing and where you saw it, and we'll check it.

See something wrong? Tell us →

Share this page

Record br-004 · last verified .