Molly Malone’s, 7652 Madison St., is under new ownership as of Monday, but the concept and feel of the popular Irish pub will remain largely the same.
“I am keeping the name, and the staff is remaining,” said Bobby Gomez, one of three investors who purchased the restaurant, which opened in 2001. “My number one goal is to focus on the menu and focus on the high quality food I have at another location.”
Gomez also owns two successful Chicago bars and music venues”Subterranean, located at North and Damen avenues and Beat Kitchen, located at Belmont and Hoyne avenues.
He purchased Molly Malone’s along with Rob Palley of River Forest and Scott Inbinder of Chicago, who are also investors in Beat Kitchen.
Gomez said he plans to bring in chefs from Beat Kitchen to help Molly Malone’s staff enhance the quality of the dishes they currently serve and add a few new items.
He said that Molly Malone’s will probably host the least live music out of his three businesses, but that he will retain the current rotation of “less amplified, mostly acoustic” performers including the Thursday night traditional Irish sessions.
“Madison is an incredible street,” said Gomez. “We saw it and we said, ‘We could really make this work.'”
“Seth Stern
