“Back in the day this place used to be Murray’s,” said Aaron Delidow, who owns the tavern with Bob Hochwalt. “Murray’s was packed from morning to night and that’s what we’re trying to get back to.”
Credit: Natalie Jones
Credit: Natalie Jones
Delidow and Hochwalt, longtime friends and business partners, have owned the building for eight years.
“This restaurant has been here the whole time we’ve owned it,” Hochwalt said. “When the previous owner of the bar closed down in April, May timeframe, we came in and realized there was a lot of maintenance that needed to be done.”
They spent several months redoing the infrastructure of the tavern and during that time, they met people from the neighborhood with hopes that it would reopen.
“Had we not had so many people from employees to patrons saying, “gosh please open it,” we probably wouldn’t have done it,” Hochwalt said.
Credit: Natalie Jones
Credit: Natalie Jones
Hochwalt has about 10 years of experience owning and operating a bar. He previously owned The Hangar, formerly known as the New Moon Saloon, that was once located on Brown Street where Chipotle stands today.
Mort’s East officially opened its doors in July, but the owners have been taking it slow to make sure there was quality and consistency coming out of the kitchen.
Customer favorites so far have been:
- Applewood smoked wings tossed in mango habanero sauce (other sauces include buffalo, Nashville hot, spicy ranch, spicy garlic, BBQ, teriyaki or garlic parmesan)
- Mort’s Burger (a beef patty topped with sauteed onions, bacon and beer cheese served on a pretzel bun)
- The Mikey (a beef patty with sauteed onions and jalapenos, drizzled with mango habanero sauce and topped with an onion ring. Served on a brioche bun)
- Philly (beef or chicken with sauteed onions, peppers and melted provolone cheese served on a hoagie roll)
- Grilled cheese with tomatoes and bacon served on Texas toast
In addition to the full bar with 12 beer taps, the owners are working on building out their bourbon collection.
If you’re wondering where the name comes from, Hochwalt’s daughter lives in Wichita, Kan. where her favorite bar is called, “Mort’s.” The owners added “East” to the name and are using a dog as their mascot, which is really a figurine they found when cleaning up the bar.
Credit: Natalie Jones
Credit: Natalie Jones
The neighborhood tavern is described as having a “Cheers” vibe where everyone known everyone.
“We have a ton of regulars,” Delidow said. “You end up meeting these really cool people. It’s been a lot of fun.”
MORE DETAILS
Mort’s East is open for lunch, dinner and drinks 11 a.m. to 2:30 a.m. Monday through Saturday with the kitchen closing at 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday and midnight Friday and Saturday. The tavern is also open Sunday 11 a.m. to midnight with the kitchen closing at 9 p.m.
The tavern has trivia on Tuesdays, music bingo on Wednesdays, dart league on Thursdays and karaoke on Saturdays. Keno is coming soon. Happy hour is 3 to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday.
The owners have hired nine employees, but are looking to add additional bartenders and kitchen staff to their team. For more information, visit the tavern’s Facebook page or call 937-522-0548.
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