Owners of 2 popular taverns in Charlotte will take over Galway Hooker
Piper’s at Galway Hooker
Feb. 7. By Dave Yochum. Piper’s at Galway Hooker, which has been closed since since January, will get a new owner later this month. The owners of the highly successful Ed’s Tavern in Dilworth and the FreeMore Tavern on Morehead Street in Charlotte will finalize the purchase later this month, but they won’t open in time for St. Patrick’s Day.
The purchase price was not disclosed.
“We will make it a neighborhood bar with sports,” said Mike Morelli, who manages Ed’s and FreeMore. “The menu will be close to the same including fish and chips.”
Mike Morelli
Interior renovations are planned.
Both Ed’s Tavern and FreeMore Tavern are known as friendly neighborhood establishments with good food and drink.
Background
The Galway Hooker operated for two decades before being purchased by Dan Reynolds and renamed Piper’s at Galway Hooker during the pandemic.
The Galway Hooker was named for a traditional fishing boat used in the powerful seas of Galway Bay on the west coast of Ireland.
The structure here was built in Ireland before being dismantled and rebuilt here by the original owner, John Bisson, back in 2001-2002. It became a beloved local landmark, with massive St. Patrick’s Day celebrations, Irish food, Guinness on draft and live music.
Morelli said neighborhood bars and steakhouse seem to stand the test of time.
Galway Hooker
“We want to be a good spot for Cornelius and Huntersville and take care of the regulars and locals,” Morelli said. “We’re trying not to get too fancy.”
The building, at 17044 Kenton Drive in Kenton Place, still has a small doorway for leprechauns. “We’ll take all the luck we can get,” Morelli said.
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Wonderful, we used to make the Hooker our weekly get together spot.
please keep the Irish fare and whisk(e)y. Good luck and thanks!
That is such good news.. please keep the Irish pub decor.. it is unique and adds to the dining experience. There is plenty of good Irish music that can be played in the background.. the immediate previous owners did not utilize what they had! Looking forward to the reopening.. we always brought out of town guest to the Galway Hooker as well as frequenting the pub regularly when Chris was the owner!
Pleased they mentioned the Fish & Chips. That was always my favorite dish at the Galaway Hooker!
This was one of our favorite spots. Great fun to know it’s coming back. We frequented the restaurant also. Even got to know the Chef! Love it!
Please dont turn this restaurant into a sports bar..Please dont!
Poor mooresville has turned into a sports bar/ cheep pizza dead end.
We have good food here in Cornelius – good chefs – memorable dinners.
Please keep it reasonable, embrace this sites unusual decor and spirit ..please handle this community with care and it will be returned in profit.
Melissa, we do not consider ourselves a traditional “sports bar” as we do not have any sports decor or memorabilia and we do not host specific team fan club events. We do have TVs and sports related entertainment playing at our two locations in Charlotte, as well as trivia, games, live music, community events like watch parties for popular shows, and we plan to bring back the Comedy Zone or create an Adult Arcade in the upper room. Our food is consistently rated as some of the best in Charlotte for what we serve, which is NOT cheap pizza. We have the best chicken wings in Charlotte and better burgers, salads and sandwiches than most ‘gourmet’ spots. Ask around and I am sure my statements will be confirmed. We are also family and pet friendly. Rest assured we plan to respect the integrity and history of the building and its decor. We may remove a few of the Irish slogans, but we love the vibe of this place or we would not be buying it. We are family owned and our management team and staff are the best I have ever worked with. The proof will come when we open and you make this one of your favorite local spots. We very much look forward to exceeding any expectations you might have.
The last owners took all the ambiance out of this great pub with their new decor . Raised prices and the food was not good. It Was our favorite place to go with friends. Not anymore. Please bring back the ambiance and moderately priced food and you will have a winner..
My daughter and I loved Galway Hooker.
We tried Piper’s a few times. We were disappointed.
We hope your idea of Sports Pub isn’t a disappointment. Galway Hooker is historic.
The one thing we didn’t like is handicapped accessibility,to get upstairs,for events. We hope there will be an improvement.
My daughter uses a scooter, she also uses crutches. We try to find an area where she can park the scooter. Then uses crutches to walk to booth or table. We did go to one event, that Galway Hooker had. Climbing all those stairs was too much. We never went to another event.
Looking forward to reopening.