DECA is always out there snooping around, pressing our collective nose in the window of new businesses and chatting up business owners. What have our spies learned lately?
A “lovely Irish guy” named Merv has taken over Susanna’s at 2046 Danforth and is turning it into an Irish pub. He has experience as a publican and he is busy renovating, putting in wainscotting etc. He hopes to open March 1st. Merv is looking forward to his first St. Paddy’s Day at Kilt To Harp.
Interesting. Real Irish or “Oirish”?
Outstanding, my wife and have been hoping for a nice pub in the area. If they do a nice brunch this could become a staple for us.
Hurray! Welcome to Merv. If there are screens in his plans, I know my husband would love a local place to watch football matches, and I’m sure he isn’t alone….
If you’re looking for screens, try TKOs at Coxwell and Danforth. It’s a decent place and the food is pretty good.
Welcome, Merv! That’s great news! My husband and I would also love a place in the neighbourhood where you can get a nice pint or glass of wine…somewhere you’re not a little scared to go in.
Micro beers would be nice…
Any word on opening date?
Sorry to be negative on this – but A couple of weeks ago we planned to have a birthday drink there because of the beer potential. It was not very inviting so we went elsewhere.
Today on a beautiful sunny Sat late afternoon (6pm) I walked by as others with strollers and dogs. The door to the Kilt and Harp was wide open with about 6 men 20’s to 30’s in age, looking well the worse for wear. They were smoking and throwing their butts onto the sidewalk. The sidewalk was covered in butts. A container which might have been intended for butts was further down the frontage. I asked to speak to the manager. A young man said he was the manager and his name was Johnny. I complained about the cigarette butts. they said they would be cleaned up later. I also told them that this is a family community and they were ‘legless’ to use the Scottish equivalent of drunk. After a short while a middle aged man came out and said he was the owner. I told him about the cigarettes. He also said they would clean them later and went back inside. There would have been about 100 butts in front of that pub. I am disappointed if Celina;s is in fact building a business relationship with them.
I think this is right on target to being a blot on our community especially with condos being built opposite and young families and child oriented businesses close by.
A “blot on the community”?! Sorry but that really winds me up. It’s really unfortunate he didn’t clean up the cigarette butts there and then but I’m not sure what you were expecting a small east-end Irish pub to be …. a stroller-filled salon for discussion of politics and organic food? Another Allens? Somewhere people sip camomile teas until 8pm? The size and layout of the storefronts here don’t allow for that sort of joint, and the frugality and stay at home nature of the neighbourhood couldn’t support a high end place like that anyway. The only way to change the atmosphere of the pub to your taste is to frequent it and encourage, ahem, “people like you” to frequent it too. The publican will cut off the session/rounds drinkers if he can make money from other folks.
I hope this fellow won’t be run out of town just because some folks think we’re already Riverdale. The reality is that all of the new businesses around here can’t be helicopter-parent approved kiddy bookstores and hipster baked goods shops. I’m not yet in love with this place either but the guy is a small businessman who has reached out and deserves a chance. If it fails we’ll likely just be left with another empty storefront to walk past (not a sunny Whole Foods with aisles filled with smiling Connors and Avas running around despite how much some may want that), and the neighbourhood’s reputation as a boring spot that young people, singles and renters get the hell out of any time they want to spend money or have fun will be maintained!