When you step inside Molly Maguire’s Irish Pub & Restaurant these days, you can see that there’s something different.
First of all, there’s now a lovely barn door in the wall that allows access to the previously separate Fenix Room. The Fenix Room is now open seven days a week for patrons to relax and enjoy their drinks and food.
Second, take a look behind the bar—it’s Molly Maguire’s newest bartender, Brian DiBonaventure, who can also be found crafting creative cocktails, especially cosmopolitans, bloody Marys and margaritas, at the Fenix Room.
Brian’s bartending career is in his blood; his father Louis DiBonaventure was the bar manager at The Collegeville Inn for 30 years, and in the 1970s his family owned a bar in Wildwood, New Jersey. He started as day bartender in 1999 under general manager Doug Blane at Lonestar Steakhouse and Saloon in Pottstown, where he learned to cater to a more mature crowd by mastering traditional drinks like Manhattans and old fashioneds.
He worked at Alexander’s German Deli and Tavern in New Jerusalem before moving on to become part of the restaurant-opening team for The Melting Pot in Bethlehem. Brian then became head bartender/bar manager from 2008–2015.
“I oversaw liquor and beer inventory as well as product ordering. I was in charge of creating specialty drink recipes and food pairings for special events and theme nights, a part of my job that was very important to me,” he said. “The Melting Pot Bethlehem was voted Best Bethlehem restaurant in Lehigh Valley Magazine in 2013.”
Settling in at Molly Maguire’s and the Fenix Room, Brian has been creating new spirit pairings with the Irish flavors on the menu such as shepherd’s pie, scotch eggs, Irish stew, colcannon balls and madras chicken curry. His bartending philosophy is simple: be friendly, shake hands and make the best damn cocktail in town.
Molly Maguire’s is a destination spot in Phoenixville, where many converge for lunch, dinner and late-night socializing. And don’t forget Sunday brunch.
“Brunch is one of my favorite days—people can have one of my cocktails during lazy Sunday.” Molly’s new brunch menu includes specialty omelets, French toast, boxtys, breakfast burgers and steak & eggs, plus a fun kids’ menu.
Brian’s favorite part about bartending is making creative drinks like a modern-day alchemist and having interesting conversations with interesting people. “A good conversation is key, and I have a head full of bizarre trivia,” he admitted. His love of bartending is also a part of his personal life—when he throws parties at his warehouse loft playfully dubbed The Tower, everyone requests Brian’s craft cocktails.
Brian’s side hustle includes the film scene, working with director Luke Ramer in West 2nd Productions and Punkmonkey Pictures with film director Edward Ballinger. He’s currently in the middle of production for a new film, The Taxidermist, with West 2nd Productions. Brian also works with The Midsummer Renaissance Faire and The New World Renaissance Faire and acts in the Pennhurst Asylum haunted attraction during the Halloween season.
The next item on the his agenda at Molly Maguire’s is St. Patrick’s Day, which includes Irish dancing, live music and drink specials. As an added Gaelic-themed attraction, get a jump on St. Patrick’s Day with Irish dance lessons at 6:30 every Tuesday evening. An added bonus: Molly’s will open at 8 a.m. March 17.
Molly Maguire’s has room for private events, too, with Molly Maguire’s Up Top on the rooftop, the private McCarthy room on the third floor and the Fenix Room. The Phoenixville Beer & Wine Festival (May 13) is holding its first-ever four-course beer dinner April 30, and is working with Molly Maguire’s food and beverage managers and bartenders to create an exciting and delicious dinner with favorable beer pairings and free swag bags.
Don’t miss Molly Maguire’s upcoming events, the new menu and great food for 365 days of Irish right here in Phoenixville, with traditional Irish music every Sunday from 4–7 p.m., as well as everybody’s favorite trivia game, Quizzo, each Wednesday evening from 8 –10 p.m.
Find Molly Maguire’s Irish Pub & Restaurant at 197 Bridge St., Phoenixville; phone: (610) 933-9550.
- Photos: Christine Tarlecki
