The Harp Reopens with New Owner, New Look

The Harp, a longtime staple of the local pub scene, has officially reopened under the new ownership of Dom McMahon, a Belfast native who attended Ealing Culinary College in West London.

Following culinary school, McMahon moved to Minneapolis, where he owned and operated several pubs before transitioning to restaurant consulting. After visiting a close friend in Wilmington, he decided to see if opening a pub in the Port City might be in the cards.

McMahon connected with Terry Espy, president of MoMentum Companies, and sure enough, Espy knew of a pub that would soon be for sale.

The Harp opened in 2010 at 1423 S. Third St., in what would become Wilmington’s South Front District, and has built a loyal following over the past 15 years.

Now, after a lightning-fast, three-week renovation, McMahon is poised to bring new energy to The Harp with a menu that draws from both his hometown and local provisions.

“We quite literally gutted the place,” he said, “new boards, new ceiling, new décor, new patio. The kitchen has been completely redesigned and has all new equipment – basically everything that needed to be redone has been done.”

While the bones of the pub remain the same, a new custom bar top has been installed along with all new booths, tables and patio furniture. The interior and exterior have been repainted in gold and red, outlined with black. Guests will find a nod to the nine counties of Northern Ireland, with banners above the bar representing each of them, plus the four provinces of Ireland.

McMahon has kept the name The Harp, and retained most of the original staff, many of whom helped with the renovations.

“They were all for it,” McMahon said. “We all just formed a team, and they had a huge part in the renovations. Now, they can take ownership in it and say, ‘Yeah, I did that.’”

McMahon’s menu overhaul includes the addition of the Harp burger, with two battered and deep-fried burger patties topped with Irish bacon, Swiss cheese, onion rings and a house sauce.

“Yes, a deep-fried burger,” McMahon confirmed, laughing. “It’s not designed to be healthy, but it’s delicious.”

Guests will also find Irish staples such as Shepherd’s Pie, Belfast fish and chips, a beef and Guinness pie and house-cut curry fries. The menu includes several other burgers and sandwiches, as well as soups, salads and plenty of bar snacks.

McMahon is also planning to showcase local seafood, something he says reminds him of home on the north coast of Ireland.

“Being a chef by trade, I’m really looking forward to getting my hands on the incredible bounty of local seafood and having some fun with specials,” McMahon said.

Just about everything on the menu is made from scratch, said McMahon, including the hand-cut fries, sauces, dressings and curries.

McMahon did swap out one Irish staple, Harp lager, in favor of Denmark’s Carlsberg pilsner, noting the original Harp recipe has changed, and he doesn’t care for the stronger hops flavor the lager now has. In addition to Carlsberg, guests will find Guinness and well-loved crafts like Waterline Kolsch and Sierra Nevada Pils on draft.

On the entertainment side, McMahon plans on showing mostly European sports like rugby and Premier League matches, but come the fall, he plans to show both soccer and football.