blogTO
Midtown residents who have long watched and wondered about the fate of an obscure local pub that was once home to Scruffy Murphy's Irish Pub can finally put years of speculation to rest, as the business has officially opened its doors following years of delays and uncertainty. The long-awaited neighbourhood Irish pub, The Harp Tavern , opened its doors last month to the delight of local residents, who watched the corner location sitting largely untouched for years, fuelling rumours about permitting complications and even questions surrounding an adjacent pizza shop that appeared on-site but never opened. The uncertainty of the pub's future turned into something of a local mystery, with locals regularly taking to platforms like Reddit to ask if anyone had information on the business and the sort of challenges it was facing. Now, under the stewardship of the Quinn family and business partner Shaun Ruddy (who is best known for his involvement in organizing the annual St. Patrick's Day Parade), the revived pub is finally ready to welcome customers. According to staff, the delayed timeline was largely due to construction issues and lengthy permit changes, which were required after the business purchased the coffee shop next door (formerly known as the Istanbul Cafe & Espresso Bar , and now, The Coffee Bar @ The Harp ). Over the years, the team has fully renovated the building from top to bottom. The new tavern room features a bar counter, which was built by Irish-Canadian carpenters and constructed out of wood from a local old black walnut tree. The space is now home to two kitchens — one for the soon-to-be-open Angels Pizza, which will offer Detroit-style inspired pies, and another dedicated to the Harp Tavern menu, with items like beef and Guinness stew, chicken curry, smoked salmon on soda bread, cottage pie, and fish and chips. Once open, Angels Pizza will offer a variety of pizzas, oven-baked wings, Italian sandwiches, and baked pasta. Along with their impressive draft system for pints of Guinness and Harp Lager, the pub also offers a selection of other beers, ciders, wines, cocktails, and whiskey. Head Chef Paul Pisa brings extensive experience to the pub's kitchen, having previously managed operations at Scaramouche , Irish Embassy Pub , and PJ O'Brien Pub . "The reception and feedback from the local community has been fantastic and humbling. We are all looking forward to welcoming our local neighbours and visitors to Midtown and becoming an important hospitality hub," business partner Gavin Quinn told blogTO. Along with the opening of Angels Pizza, the pub is set to debut a weekend live music program next month. The Harp Tavern is located at 180 Eglinton Ave. E., and is open Tuesday to Sunday from 5 p.m. to late.
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