Fresh look, new menu for Buckley's Tavern

Virtually everything about Buckley's Tavern in Centreville is new. Yet the staff is continuing the tradition of creating a comfortable atmosphere where customers can feel right at home.

Major upgrades by the restaurant's new operators include a menu with a balance of fine dining entrées — such as pan seared salmon and braised lamb shank — and traditional Buckley's staples like Thai noodle soup and the famous Buckley Burger (a bacon burger marinated in the special ingredient of love).

Aside from the food, additional enhancements include a concise main entrance with a hostess station located on the right side of the restaurant. Previously there were two unofficial entrances that didn't offer a clear path.

The interior of the establishment's décor has been modernized. The walls of the main dining area have been painted gray (used to be brown) and the main dining space now includes two flat screen TVs. And the dining area near the back patio, now named the Greenville Room, has been painted green and redesigned with swank ceiling paddle fans and brick flooring, compared to its previous carpeted flooring. Not to mention, classy wall lights now wrap around the three dining areas on the ground level.

"It's basically a new building inside of an old exterior," said 55-year-old Tom Hannum, co-operator and executive chef of Buckley's.

Hannum, of Middletown, added the restaurant has been fitted with a new HVAC system, and it now offers Wi-Fi service.

A roof has been built to cover patrons outside on the upper terrace (the roof only hung over the terrace's bar area, previously), allowing for outdoor dining on raining days. The upper terrace has also been fitted with heating units to make outdoor dining cozier during cold weather, and so has the dining area on the front patio.

One of the things Hannum and his two partners (Coley du Pont and Vance Keshner) decided they didn't want to change about Buckley's was the friendly, homey environment it provides its customers.

"We've been stressing that as we were hiring people that we wanted to keep the atmosphere that was here in the past," Hannum said. "The customers are part of our family when they come in."

Prior to re-opening in late October, Buckley's had been closed since January, the same month the lease of the previous operators had ended; at the time, the restaurant's longtime owners, Bob Applegate and Bob Bolling, were in search of new operators. Hannum, du Pont and Keshner came onboard as the new co-operators in April, Hannum said. Renovations were being done to the establishment, which was built in 1817, during its closing.

Thoughts on the redesign

Reviews of the remodel have been a bit mixed.

On Wednesday, longtime patron Elaine Atz, of Newark, and her sister, Chris Duncan, were sitting at a booth, waiting for their sister Ruth Tauber to arrive. It was the first time either of them had dined at Buckley's since the renovation. In fact, it was only Duncan's second time at the restaurant. When asked what the two thought about the redesign, both said it looked "beautiful." Yet they're still adjusting to the new look.

"When you came in, you knew you were in a place that was old. It was like a part of the family. Now it's different," Atz explained.

"When we came in [before the redesign], it felt like a tavern — very quiet feeling and there were more brown tones; so there was more comfort. Color means everything to me and when I look at the gray, I'm like: [it feels] cold and kind of modern," said Duncan, who isn't crazy about modern décor.

As for the food, both ladies were still pondering what to order — especially Atz, because her favorite dish before the redesign, hummus, had been removed from the menu.

Meanwhile, patron George Sheftic, 74, of Chaddsford, Pa., loves the remodeled look.

"I think they did a good job," Sheftic said.

But he couldn't offer an opinion on what he thinks about the eats.

"I haven't eaten here yet," he said. "It's my first time."

IF YOU GO

WHERE Buckley's Tavern, 5812 Kennett Pike, Wilmington

WHEN 11 a.m. to midnight, Monday through Thursday; 11 a.m. to 1 a.m., Friday and Saturday; 10 a.m. to 12 a.m. Sunday

INFO buckleystavern.com or 656-9776