A new bar has opened in Aggieville. Booty's Bar opened last month at 710 N. Manhattan Ave., taking over the space previously occupied by McCool's Bar and Kitchen, and celebrated its grand opening on October 31.
The bar occupies the same storefront where McCool's Bar and Kitchen once served Aggieville regulars before closing at the end of May, according to The Manhattan Mercury. McCool's had opened four years earlier, and its co-owners, Jeff Zerr and Casey McCool, said at the time that the restaurant would soon go up for sale to potential buyers.
When McCool's announced its closure, the bar's final day of service, per a separate report from KSNT, was Saturday, May 30.
A New Nautical Identity for the Space
Booty's Bar has given the longtime Aggieville address a fresh, swashbuckling identity. The space now features a mural painted by Manhattan artist Phyllis Garibay-Coon, adding a local artistic touch to the bar's pirate theme. Garibay-Coon's work is already recognized beyond Aggieville — she created a mural for the Kansas State Capitol depicting 13 Kansas women integral to advancing women's rights in the state, according to the Kansas Historical Society.
Booty's keeps late hours to match Aggieville's bar-district rhythm. The bar is open from 5 p.m. to midnight on Wednesdays, from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m. Thursday through Saturday, and from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Sundays.
Dead Man's Chest Behind the Bar
Samantha Stom manages Booty's Bar.
Photos from inside the new space were captured by Lewis Marien, staff photographer for The Mercury, giving a first look at how the former McCool's location has been transformed.
