Does Baltimore really need another Irish pub? The answer could be a resounding yes, but only if we?re talking the real deal.
Picture this: a downtown Baltimore bank, constructed in 1857, sitting like royalty on a throne at the corner of Eutaw and Fayette Streets.
Now, 150 years later, imagine new life breathed into the stately grand dame ? a reincarnation named Maggie Moore?s Irish Pub and Restaurant.
For starters, Maggie Moore is not some corporatephantom spawning a chain of eateries, like the Kentucky Colonel.
Maggie and her husband, John, hail from County Monaghan, Ireland. Opening a pub has been a life?s dream for the couple. They knew from the beginning they had a great space, and had no intention of disturbing its architectural integrity.
Under tin ceilings soaring 20 feet high, the main pub and dining area on the first floor retain the stately feel of a place of commerce. John and Maggie have worked with that. The long, carved mahogany bar was once the bank?s main counter. Over the bar, stained glass windows replace a few of the panes in the Palladian window frames. The bank president?s office, its walls, fireplace and flooring totally intact, serves as a private dining room. There is even a table for eight nestled into the bank?s original vault.
A mezzanine at the rear of the dining room contains four tables, accessible, like the second story dining room, by winding staircase or elevator. Black and white photographs of the Irish landscape dot the walls throughout and are worth a thousand words, as are the genuine smiles from the staff, many from the “old sod.”
The menu is not extensive; this is after all a pub, not a diner. But the dishes served are the “pure drop” (Irish for “the real thing”). Beef and Guinness stew, bangers and mash, and shepherd?s pie are among the offerings, along with several sandwiches and salad dishes.
Live Irish bands perform on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.
The manager, who greets you like a long-lost child, accompanies patrons to the door as they leave. The meal, drink and the craic (conversation) have been good.
Baltimore does need Maggie Moore?s.
If you go
Maggie Moore?s Irish Pub and Restaurant
21 N. Eutaw St., Baltimore
410-837-2100
» Hours: Open daily from 11 a.m.
