Owners Maddie Burnside and John Kehoe celebrated the ribbon cutting of Oddfellows last week. Oddfellows, located at 526 Chillicothe Street in Downtown Portsmouth, features wood fired pizza, unique drinks and apps, an arcade, duck pin bowling and more.
Owners Maddie Burnside and John Kehoe along with manager Terry Stevens celebrating the grand opening.
PORTSMOUTH – Last week, the Portsmouth Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon cutting at the brand-new restaurant Oddfellows Pizza and Pins on 2nd Street.
Oddfellows, owned by Maddie Burnside, opened officially in December and has been the hottest restaurant in town during that time. Featuring wood fired pizzas, unique salads, upscale appetizers, trendy cocktails, an arcade, and even duck pin bowling, the establishment has been the talk of Portsmouth.
“We’ve been open about 3 months now,” said Burnside. “It started what seems like a long time ago. It’s been fun and very rewarding. It’s nice to see the public support us so well. We have a great staff and everything is coming together really nicely.”
Originally, Burnside and her late husband Jeremy envisioned the location offering beer, wine, and cigars. But his untimely death caused her to pivot.
“It was scary moving away from that vision,” admitted Burnside. “A restaurant had not even crossed my mind until I met my fiancé Jay (Kehoe).”
“I didn’t know Jeremy,” said Kehoe. “I heard alot about him from the community. But the way she talked about his vision and the work he put into the building –alot of the ideas in this building stay true to him as much as possible. We thought, ‘how do we bring more people to town’? A restaurant and bar is a good way to do that.”
The interior of Oddfellows features two murals – one to memorialize Jeremy Burnside – and the other of the building’s original owner, Milton Kennedy. Kennedy was a grain merchant and underground railroad conductor in Portsmouth in the 1800s.
“All along, we asked ourselves what Jeremy would want to see,” said Burnside. “He always wanted Portsmouth to be a destination. He always wanted to get rid of the bad publicity. That was his vision. And now, people come in and saying they feel like they are dining in the Columbus Short North district right here in Portsmouth.”
In addition to embracing the history and culture of the building, owners Kehoe and Burnside have cooked up a unique menu – especially for the Portsmouth area. Offerings include fresh oysters, bone marrow, local artisan mushrooms provided by Appalachia Unveiled, and much more.
“Maddie, myself, and Chef Drew Thockmorton really had a hand in the menu,” said Kehoe. “We love being able to have seasonal offerings and doing cool unique things.”
“This is a really cool environment with good fresh food, fresh drinks and cocktails, its a really nice spot,” said Oddfellows General Manager Terry Stevens. “Many people say they would have to travel two hours to see another place like this. Word of mouth is huge in Appalachia, so we try to give a positive experience and great customer service for every guest.”
The arcade and duck-pin bowling also gives guests another layer of activity in the space.
“It’s been a hit. It’s retro, it’s old, and its easy for everyone to play. We also have special rental packages for the lanes.”
Burnside and Kehoe are in the process of renovating the second floor as an event space. Next month, Friends of Portsmouth will host a comedy night to kick off the new space.
“This is the best food you can find in Portsmouth. We really hope the public comes and checks us out,” said Kehoe.
