Irish Pub Planned on 12th Avenue Near Lark and Cafe Presse
The Chieftain will cater to Seattle U kids and Capitol Hillers alike.
Posted by: Jessica Voelker on Feb 28, 2011 at 09:04AM
8 Comments
Irish publicans Peter and Adrianna Johnson, who own both McGilvra’s in Madison Park and Finn MacCools in the University District, have a third pub planned at 908 12th Avenue (between Spring and Marion Streets).
Called the Chieftain, the 3,600 square-foot pub has been named both in homage to the clannish history of the Emerald Isle as well as the former Seattle University mascot. (SU did away with the Chieftain symbol, in favor of the more politically correct Redhawk, in 2000). When I spoke with Peter Johnson, I did not confirm whether or not music recorded by the band called the Chieftains would be often audible inside the Chieftain pub, but I think we can probably assume that it will.
Just as Finn MacCools draws the UWers, Johnson hopes the Chieftain will lure in the Seattle U students. He is himself a Jesuit Catholic with a strong connection to the school. But he also wants to cater to Capitol Hill’s more mature denizens, who may not necessarily be tempted with the weekly quiz night or the dedicated game room.
How will he do this? With a pizza-centric menu heavy on vegetarian and vegan options, he says, plus an outdoor deck for warm days and, (code allowing), a big toasty fireplace for cold ones.
Johnson hopes to open the Chieftain within the space of three months.
Tags: Capitol Hill, Bar Openings, Seattle Bars, Seattle Irish Pubs, Bars Near Seattle University
“With a pizza-centric menu heavy on vegetarian and vegan options(….)”
How is this in anyway Irish publican fare? Where’s the soda bread, shepherd’s pie, and other Irish staples?
If they are going to have a “pizza-centric menu” and not good Irish fare, don’t insult people by calling it an Irish Pub. Some might consider that false advertising.
L Murphy, they’re doing pizza, but other items as well. I should have mentioned that.
Besides I grew up on on my great-grandma’s recipe for “Irish spaghetti,” and she was pretty gosh darn authentic. Why not Irish pizza?
@Jess: It looks like your original post was a direct quote from the publicans. “[A] a pizza-centric menu heavy on vegetarian and vegan options” is not the basis of a menu for an Irish Pub. Yet that is apparently what the “publicans” have said verbatim would be the menu. If they have “other items as well,” as you say in your post above, that means that it is going to be a pizza and vegan food joint with a few other things on the side. That still isn’t Irish pub fare.
My very Irish grandmother made spaghetti, too. That didn’t make spaghetti Irish. She was an Irish American cooking Americanized Italian food. Same goes for pizza, no matter what name or nationality you put on the bar.
Unless they want to change it to an Irish-centric menu, and serve a little bit of pizza on the side for the college kids (as if there isn’t enough of that around already), they will be misrepresenting the nature of the pub by calling it Irish.
Nah, “pizza-centric” was my own masterful word-smithing, and probably misleading. I’ll check in with the owner and get more details. A lot of times bar owners at this phase are kind of figuring out how to handle food and looking at what the neighborhood needs/wants. I agree with you that more pizza is probably not what we need. The menu at McGilvra’s is decidedly Italian-American, for what that information is worth.
@Jess: Cool. I really think that good authentic Irish fare would be an excellent addition to the Hill. There are plenty of pizza, Mexican, Thai, sushi, and American classic places around. However, there are few Irish Pubs (even in the Greater Metro Area) that have an authentically Irish-centric menu. It would be a nice change and welcomed late-night comfort food when out drinking in the cold wet.
hopefully they’ll put some ciders on tap which Seattle sorely needs – Mangers at the least!
Peter Johnson is Irish. If he’s saying he’s opening an Irish pub, then I think he knows what he’s doing. I assure you, there are pubs in Ireland that serve pizza.
Yeah, there are pubs in Ireland that serve pizza, but have you had it? They use corn as a topping. It’s gross. Just sayin.