Honolulu Weekly

J.J. Dolan’s Pizza Pub / It’s 4:30 on a rainy Thursday afternoon at the soon-to-open J.J. Dolan’s Pizza Pub on Bethel Street, and co-owner Jay Niebuhr’s mother is on the floor. No, she hasn’t been tippling at the freshly installed beer taps. She and Jay’s father have flown in from New Jersey to assist with the opening. She’s on the floor meticulously polishing the brass foot rail at the base of the lustrous koa wood bar. “But I hope I’m back down here after they open!” she jokes. Renovations to the space are nearly complete after a year of planning and financing. None of it would have been possible without the support of family and friends.

Jay Niebuhr and co-owner Danny Dolan are veterans of Honolulu’s bar and restaurant industries. Niebuhr, a New Jersey native, is a retired U.S. Marine who once owned Luigi’s Pizza in Wahiawa, and who made authentic New York style Pizza at Murphy’s Bar & Grill, which sold out regularly. Dolan is Kaua’i born and bred and has been in the bar industry for 20 years. He was a manager at Anna Bannana’s during its heyday in the ’90s, a time when that place would see lines of out the door and the downstairs ceiling bounce under the weight of an always-packed dance floor. He later managed O’Toole’s Irish Pub in Chinatown for two years before going on his own.

Both are well aware of the challenges of running a restaurant, particularly during an economic downturn. But Niebuhr and Dolan had been planning to open before the economy soured, and with the help of their friends in various industries, they are set to open for First Friday this week.

“It was just a couple of guys sitting over some pints and talking about opening a pub in downtown,” explains Niebuhr, in a thick Jersey accent. “We saw a niche for a place downtown with cheap beer and authentic New York pizza by the slice.”

When it is suggested that it is perhaps gutsy to open a restaurant, which is statistically iffy in any market at any time, Dolan, who is affable and always quick with witty rejoinders, laughs, “Yeah. Or stupid.” It belies his confidence in the venture. When discussing the closures of some popular local establishments like Palomino’s and later Chef Mavro’s Cassis, as well as a growing number of mom-and-pop joints, Dolan shrugs. “Times are tough.”

“But we figure that cheap beer and pizza is recession-proof,” adds Niebuhr.

J.J. Dolan’s enjoys the support of friends in the downtown community, support that is truly grassroots. Using friends as contractors for the renovations allowed the two owners to continue to work at their now-previous jobs. The sound and video system were provided and wired by a sound technician buddy. A friend in finance helped secure the loan that covered the considerable costs of renovating their space to fit their needs and outfit the kitchen. Even during an interview, Niehbur excuses himself to consult with Don Murphy, of Murphy’s Bar & Grill, about the size of the tables being built. Most of the wood for the carpentry work was procured from discarded lumber at the University of Hawai’i. The authentic brass rails around the bar were donated with a wink and tacit gratuitous bar tab, and the wine list was created by an award-winning sommelier friend in South Carolina.

The owners of J.J Dolan’s don’t see themselves as competition for other such establishments in the area, and neither do their former employers at Murphy’s and O’Toole’s. “I was just in there and the place looks great,” says O’Toole’s Fred Remington. “Jay makes a great pie. They should be able to do great.”

Don Murphy echoes the sentiment. “They’re great guys. Anything good for downtown is good for the community.”

It’s early evening on Saturday, and the drums and gongs of Chinese lion dancers can be heard blocks away from J.J. Dolan’s as the owners are holding a “soft opening” for family and friends. Upon entering, the familiar smells of pikake and maile mingle with the aromas of New York style pizza, shrimp scampi and mussels marinara. Children chomp happily on pizza and slurp noodles loudly as Niebuhr laughs with a variety of well wishers from beneath a forest of lei. Dolan would be expected to be similarly draped, but he is hard at work in the kitchen, cracking wise and flinging pies into the air, while the bartenders are all smiles, pulling at the taps and cheerfully pouring drinks.

In a quick aside, Dolan laughs innocently, “Who knows? It could be an instant classic.”