EL DORADO HILLS, Calif. — A familiar gathering place for El Dorado Hills residents will pour its final drinks and serve its final meals Saturday.
36 Handles Public House, located at 1010 White Rock Road in the Montano De El Dorado shopping center, announced Tuesday that it will permanently close Sept. 26 after more than a decade in business.
The restaurant announced the closure through social media, describing the decision as difficult and saying efforts to keep the business operating had been unsuccessful.
“This was an incredibly difficult decision. We tried everything we could to keep going, but unfortunately, we were unable to make it work.”
The closure follows a Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing in July, according to the Sacramento Business Journal. At the time of the filing, the business reported estimated assets of between $500,000 and $1 million and estimated liabilities of between $100,000 and $500,000.
The restaurant’s financial difficulties also included eviction filings involving its landlord, Montano Ventures I LLC, in 2025 and 2026, according to reporting cited by the Sacramento Business Journal.
A decade in El Dorado Hills
36 Handles opened in 2012 and became known locally for its beer selection and Irish-pub atmosphere. The name referred to the restaurant’s original offering of 36 beers on tap.
Over the years, the White Rock Road establishment became more than a place to eat and drink. It hosted live music and provided a neighborhood setting for families, friends and community gatherings.
In its closing announcement, the business thanked customers, vendors, friends and musicians who had supported the establishment.
“Over the years, 36 Handles has become much more than a restaurant,” the business said. “It has been a place where friendships began, families gathered, celebrations happened, and countless memories were made.”
The restaurant’s history also included a change in ownership and a shift in its concept. Its former operators described it as an Irish-style pub before new owners redesigned the restaurant and moved toward an American gastropub model.
Final weekend
According to the closure announcement, 36 Handles will remain open through Saturday.
Its final operating schedule is 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
For El Dorado Hills, the closure represents another change in a commercial landscape that has continued to evolve as restaurants and gathering places open, change ownership or disappear.
The loss is particularly noticeable because 36 Handles occupied a location that has been associated with an Irish-pub concept for years. Earlier iterations of the business included Kinnee O’Reilly’s Irish Pub at the same White Rock Road address.
The closure also comes as El Dorado Hills continues to see changes among its independently operated restaurants and neighborhood businesses. Earlier this year, Bella Bru Café’s El Dorado Hills location on Park Drive also permanently closed.
For longtime patrons of 36 Handles, however, Saturday will be less about the business’s financial troubles than about saying goodbye to a familiar local institution.
The owners ended their announcement with a message of appreciation to the El Dorado Hills community — a reminder that neighborhood restaurants often become part of the social fabric of a community long before their final closing day.
36 Handles Public House will close permanently Saturday, Sept. 26.
Sources: Sacramento Business Journal; 36 Handles Public House social media announcement; public business information.
