Review: Mulligan's Pub

(Credit: Joseph Lord)

The end of a local institution is difficult to abide. It’s enchanting to experience things and places as an adult that you’d enjoyed as a child — and it’s fun to let your kids experience them, too. You feel left out when opportunities for such nostalgia suddenly and unexpectedly end. Dining out can often trigger this dejected feeling — my grandfather would kill for one more meal at the old burned-down Cunningham’s.

When the economy tanks, restaurants are always a quick and expected victim. Asking a restaurateur “How’s business?” is a dependably interesting experience. They describe their business like it was walking a tightrope between 100-story buildings, with unexpected costs blowing from the east and the fickleness of patrons blowing from the west. When Kaelin’s closed, Louisvillians rightfully commiserated the loss of a restaurant that had been a part of Louisville’s dining scene since the 1930s. The 1930s!

Kaelin’s had a charm, with the whole “birthplace of the cheeseburger” meme. Its closure was perhaps the hardest blow taken by Louisville’s dining scene since the Great Recession began. The thing about closed institutions is that something new always pops up to take its place. Mulligan’s Pub doesn’t have the quirky cheeseburger story, but don’t think the revered building hasn’t been improved.

Mulligan’s is, in effect, a mulligan for the site. Remote from Louisville’s dining hubs, the spot at 1801 Newburg Road could’ve stayed shuttered and empty for months or years. The building could’ve been demolished and replaced by a service station or condos.

Kaelin’s loyalists will be happy to know that Mulligan’s offers a Kaelin’s-style cheeseburger, although the menu spotlights its pizzas and salad offerings. The bar offers a bevy of beers on tap — the expected Guinness, Harp, Smithwick’s, plus Stella Artois, a couple of BBC varieties and Strongbow cider. This Bar Hopper hadn’t found Strongbow on tap before, so he ordered up a glass. It cost $5, but it was tasty — the beers cost between $2.50 and $5.

Mulligan’s is a bit more spacious than Kaelin’s. The bar is a big square in the middle of the room and the dining space was expanded by knocking down a few walls. It has the nice vibe of an Irish pub, which Louisvillians are known to enjoy. Might it replace Kaelin’s? In Louisville lore, perhaps not — at least not for another 70 years. But Mulligan’s is a fine joint for food — yes, cheeseburgers, if you’re so inclined — a few stiff pints and a good laugh or two. That should be enough.

Add a comment