Royal Oaks decor now cleaner, simpler and classier

August 7, 2015 at 1:07p.m.

YOUNGSTOWN

It’s not like you wouldn’t even recognize the place, but the Royal Oaks isn't what it used to be.

The “Bar Rescue” team has left it cleaner, simpler and classier in its decor, and plays up its more than 80-year history.

Actually, for East Side resident Frank Gaetano, the new Oaks is very recognizable. “They restored it to the way it looked 50 years ago,” he said. Gaetano stopped by the bar Friday afternoon and reminisced about the days when he was a youth on the East Side, and used to stop in the then-family friendly tavern.

“Bar Rescue,” the Spike TV docu-reality series starring Jon Taffer, visits struggling establishments and gives them a physical makeover as well as fixing problems with the menu and management. A film crew from the show was at the Oaks all week. It is not yet known when the episode will air.

The Royal Oaks, owned by brothers Lou and John Kennedy, was known for its offbeat decor, bizarre objects of art, cheap drinks, and shabby-chic interior, and it attracted a faithful core of regulars that ranged form rockers to professionals and everything in between.