Ragsdale's Pub soon will reopen after long hiatus

After years of shuttered doors, Ragsdale’s Pub is reopening in its old location in Cape Girardeau.

Taste of Cape LLC is reopening the riverside pub once frequented by poets and partiers alike. Taste of Cape also owns Buckner Tasting Room and The Bar in downtown Cape Girardeau.

Renovations inside the building are underway, with a soft opening planned in early March and a grand opening March 17, St. Patrick’s Day.

Those who remember Ragsdale’s Pub before it closed in 2008 will find little has changed in the appearance and ambience, manager Penny Held said.

The large, round, red booths of old have been refurbished.

The exterior of Ragsdale's Pub in downtown Cape Girardeau is seen Friday. A grand opening is set for March 17.Laura Simon

The four-sided bar stands in the middle of the floor as always.

“The nostalgia factor for most people who used to hang out in there is still going to be there,” Held said. “But we’re adding some new attributes as well.”

Ragsdale’s Pub will feature a full bar with 12 beers on tap, at least four of which will be provided by Buckner Brewing.

Jack Owen, Buckner’s new brewmaster, brings 33 years of brewing experience to Cape Girardeau and looks forward to building on Buckner’s current offering.

Owen began brewing in 1983.

“I reopened the Dubuque Star Brewing Company in Dubuque, Iowa,” Owen said. “Then in 1997, I moved down to Florida and started up Indian River Brewing Company.”

Though it hasn’t been finalized, Owen said Buckner’s Honey Wheat, Breakfast Porter and Amber Ale will be on tap when the bar opens, and the selection eventually will evolve, depending on the demographic that ultimately frequents the pub.

In addition to libations, a menu of appetizers and personal pizza will be offered from a small kitchen downstairs.

Ragsdale’s Pub also will feature live bands, a DJ and dartboards. Classic video games will line the east wall, Held said.

“Everybody seems really excited about it opening up. It was the bar to be at one time,” Held said. “It was one of the busiest bars and one of the best bars. It was everybody’s destination at one time. I personally want to see it be that again.”

“When they get the music and they have the band set up, it will be great,” marketing director Brittany Meadows said.

The building that houses the pub and tasting room originally opened as the Buckner-Ragsdale clothing store in the early 1900s until it closed in 1982.

After housing several shorter-term ventures, Phil Brinson and Mark Sprigg bought the building in 1998 that grew to contain Ragsdale’s Pub and The River View Room special-events hall in addition to Buckner’s microbrewery and restaurant.

Though the reopening of Ragsdale’s Pub is the next business to reopen in the Buckner-Ragsdale building, it’s not the only one. Behind the back wall of Buckner’s Tasting Room, construction is in progress.

“That’s a temporary wall,” Held said. “Later in the year, we plan on having Buckner’s open. By the end of the year, we hope to have the entire building up and running: downstairs, Buckner’s kitchen and the Riverview Room.

“It’s sad to see a building like this fall into disrepair and then just let set empty,” Held said. “I’m very happy to see this building coming back to life.”

bbrown@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3630

Pertinent address:

132 Main St., Cape Girardeau, MO