A polished passenger car has a new life as a 24-seat wine bar tucked behind Spirits in Willoughby, giving the downtown spot a full-on dining-car vibe out back. The retro railcar, now a reservation-only tasting room, debuted on Valentine’s Day and currently opens only on Fridays and Saturdays. New owner Kirk Swanson and general manager Mary O'Neill Vicic are operating the cozy car alongside the tavern’s larger indoor bar and patio.
According to Cleveland.com, Swanson took over the seven-year-old tavern and brought in Vicic as general manager to guide the train-car concept. The outlet reports that the railcar likely dates to the 1950s, previously ran with the Pennsylvania Railroad, and later appeared on the 1975–76 Bicentennial Freedom Train. That same report notes that the neighboring Willoughby Coal & Supply Co. building is slated to store oak barrels as Spirits moves into small-scale wine production.
Spirits' own website lists the business at 3872 Erie Street and posts its current kitchen and bar hours, according to Spirits in Willoughby. The site also promotes an Easter brunch on April 5, 2026, which is billed as the venue’s first brunch service.
“We had a vision to create a retro dining car,” Vicic told Cleveland.com, outlining plans for wine-and-food pairing nights and specialty menu evenings inside the car. The owners say the train-car setup lets Spirits host intimate, ticketed tasting events in addition to its regular bar operations.
Menu, capacity and tasting setup
The train car itself holds about 24 diners, while the main tavern seats roughly 95 indoors with room for another 50 on the patio, according to the Willoughby Western Lake County Chamber of Commerce. Local business listings add that the operation produces wine on-site and note that the program will feature small plates, seafood options and tavern classics designed with wine pairings in mind.
Local history and a ghost story
The old Willoughby Coal & Supply Co. building behind the tavern has long been woven into local ghost lore and appears in regional histories and paranormal guides, as documented in Haunted Willoughby. That spooky backstory helped inspire the Spirits name and now colors the venue’s atmosphere as owners age barrels and broaden event programming, according to local guides.
The train-car tasting room is open by reservation on Fridays and Saturdays and can also be booked for private events. For reservations and the full events calendar, call (440) 525-5699 or check the events page at Spirits in Willoughby.
