ALLENTOWN, Pa. — A new Irish pub plans to open its doors this summer in a familiar spot in the city’s West End.
Bagpipers Pub will open at 2101 Liberty St., home to the former Stooges Bar & Grille, which closed Sunday.
That announcement was made in a post on Stooges’ Facebook page.
“It is with mixed emotions that we have to announce the closing of Stooges,” the post began.
“We greatly appreciate all of the support over the past couple years however the time has come for us to move on. Although the chapter of Stooges has come to an end, there are exciting new things to come that will be a great addition to the West End of Allentown. Again, thank you for all of your support. It has been a great ride!”
A new chapter
Bill Dech and his wife Suzanne — names familiar to the Bethlehem restaurant scene — are the ones behind the new concept and plans for the space.
“It’s going to be called Bagpipers Pub,” Dech said in a phone call Wednesday.
“My business partner is Scottish and he has an authentic Irish bar in his house, and my wife is Irish,” he said, owing to the restaurant’s new theme.
And because the building was heavily renovated in 2020, he said it will need only “cosmetic” updates prior to opening.
“We don’t have to do anything in the kitchen or anything like that,” Dech said.
“It’s really just the feel of an Irish pub when you walk in with the dark woods, the coloring and the deep greens.”
An authentically Irish menu
Stooges offered up options like Boom Boom Shrimp, wings, Buffalo chicken dip, burgers, quesadillas and more.
And while Dech said his new menu will have some tilt to “Americana,” with soup, salads, sandwiches and entrees, it will lean into authentic Irish cuisine.
“We’ll have fish and chips, bangers and mash and Boxty, traditional Irish potato pancakes," he said. They can also be called “poundies” and are shaped into patties and fried.
The concept joins Bethlehem’s McCarthy's Red Stag Pub and Molly’s Irish Grille, along with Hellertown’s Braveheart, in offering traditional Irish foods.
Dech, who also operates Southside 313 and The Nest in South Bethlehem, said he’s intimately familiar with Allentown’s West End.
“My wife and I hang out there and we’re very familiar with the area. When we want to get out of Bethlehem, that’s where we go,” he said.
He named other West End staples like Ringer’s Roost, Greg’s West End Saloon and Volpe's Sports Bar as spots he frequents.
Bagpipers Pub will officially join the roster later this summer.
“We’re tentatively looking to open after Musikfest, because we probably won’t settle on the property until the liquor license goes through,” Dech said.
