EAST VILLAGE — Months after shuttering beloved neighborhood bar Dempsey’s Pub, the owner of the neighborhood mainstay has launched a more upscale tavern in its place slinging seasonal draft cocktails.
The Gray Mare last week opened its doors at 61 Second Ave. — the same space occupied by Dempsey’s for 24 years — revealing a more dressed-up take on the neighborhood hangout the owner hopes will draw a larger crowd.
“We wanted to have that community feel — we wanted to appeal to people in the neighborhood. It’s part of the fabric of what we are,” said owner Tom O’Byrne. “But we also wanted to have a broader appeal than just that, so we wanted it to be a little more upscale…[it’s] a little improved on just your general neighborhood dive.”
O’Byrne closed Dempsey’s in April, citing a desire to focus on his other establishments — Slainte Bar and Lounge and Cooper’s Craft & Kitchen — as well as difficulties with the cost of rent and a decline in business.
The problem, he explained, was that the appeal of the neighborhood pub had run its course — the time was right to fold the business and start over with something new and fresh, capable of casting a wider net.
“When we opened Dempsey’s, it had been current and of its time, and it had been popular and much beloved of many years, but generationally things change,” he said.
And while Dempsey’s was known for its pints of beer, trivia nights, and simple pub fare, The Gray Mare is offering a colorful menu including Short Rib Nachos with Avocado Creme Fraiche and a Ribeye Cheese Steak Hero.
The food is accompanied by craft cocktails such as the Native Dancer, featuring tequila, lime and mint, the Final Furlong, featuring bourbon, muddled strawberries and ginger beer, and The Outsider, with mezcal, cognac and sherry.
The bar will also sling a rotating selection of two seasonal cocktails on tap, currently a Mezcal Negroni and Rye Old Fashioned.
The space features an outdoor patio and rooms available for private events, and is equipped with televisions to screen games, award shows, and horse races.
The watering hole is currently open daily between 4 p.m. and 1 or 2 p.m., with hopes of expanding its hours after an initial launch — so far, said O'Byrne, the new venture has received a warm welcome.
"It's been very positive — people are very excited there's another option here," he said.
