New Keller restaurant is a neighborhood hangout with a funny name

A restaurant with an unusual name offers quick meals for busy families or a neighborhood hangout to settle in with a beer or glass of wine and watch a game.

The Angry Leprechaun, 2041 Rufe Snow Dr., opened in November in the Kroger shopping center on Rufe Snow Drive at North Tarrant Parkway in Keller.

“We wanted people to feel comfortable, whether they’re a family coming in for something quick or they want to have a beer and watch a game,” said Patrick Frederick, who owns and operates the restaurant with his wife Erica.

The most popular items on the menu are burgers and wings.

For burgers, the theme is “build your own” from a wide variety of ingredients. Customers can choose from a third-pound beef patty or a quarter pound turkey burger, white or wheat bun, the usual veggies and wing sauce. Add ons for 99 cents include three different cheeses, bacon, chili, avocado, queso and a grilled egg.

Wings are bone-in and come in mild, hot, BBQ, honey BBQ, lemon pepper, garlic parm and ranch rub.

Salads, fries, tots, onion rings, nachos, chicken tenders, a grilled chicken sandwich, corndogs and sliders round out a menu with plenty of kid friendly options.

A wall full of classic arcade games like Pac Man, Ms. Pac Man and Galaga that patrons can play for free add to the family appeal.

For moms and dads, the restaurant has a full service bar and ten large-screen televisions.

“We live close by, and we saw that this area needed a neighborhood hangout,” Frederick said.

Since their opening, at least 90 percent of their business has come from nearby residents.

Frederick has more than 16 years of experience in the restaurant business and had his own franchise of a fast casual chain before deciding to open his own place.

As for the eye-catching name, The Angry Leprechaun came from a nickname given to him by another couple. Frederick’s son plays select baseball and a family new to the team gave everyone secret nicknames to remember them before they learned parents’ real names. They nicknamed Frederick the Angry Leprechaun because of his red beard and his demeanor with referees. Once the Fredericks became friends with the family, they told him about the nickname.

“Once we heard it, we knew that was what we wanted to call our restaurant,” Frederick said.

This story was originally published January 5, 2018 at 6:05 PM with the headline "New Keller restaurant is a neighborhood hangout with a funny name."