Hibernian owner to open Raleigh Beer Garden

Niall Hanley, owner of the Triangle’s three Hibernian Irish Pub locations, is building Raleigh Beer Garden, a three-story beer and cocktail bar on Glenwood South, which will likely open this spring.

The 8,500-square-foot bar and restaurant with a rooftop deck will open at 614 Glenwood Ave., next to Harry’s Guitar Shop, explained Hanley during a recent walk-through of the space. Hanley said the Raleigh Beer Garden will have a craft cocktail bar with an outdoor patio in the front facing Glenwood Avenue, two large beer bars with a short draw system with about 365 beers on draft and extensive outdoor seating on the building’s three sides, plus the rooftop deck.

“We hope to have all the craft beers in North Carolina,” Hanley said.

While the menu isn’t finalized, Hanley said the bar will serve gourmet thin-crust pizzas, crostinis, salads, local cheeses, German sausage and German pretzels. Hanley noted that the Raleigh Beer Garden will have a rooftop garden to provide produce for the restaurant.

Hanley said he hopes the Raleigh Beer Garden will open in mid-April or May.

Hanley owns the Hibernian, a classic Irish bar with locations on Glenwood South, in North Raleigh and Cary. Hanley also owns Solas, a night club and restaurant in Glenwood South, and The Station, a popular bar and restaurant on Person Street, a recently revitalized corner of downtown Raleigh.

Hanley is partnering with Cliff “CliffyB” Bleszinski, who also is part owner in The Station, to open Raleigh Beer Garden. Bleszinski is a well-known game designer and former design director at Cary-based Epic games. He now runs Raleigh-based Boss Key Productions.

For those in the hospitality industry, Hanley is hiring for several key positions: a kitchen manager, a beer cellar manager and a craft cocktail bar manager. Inquiries can be sent to info@theraleighbeergarden.com.

This story was originally published February 24, 2015 at 12:26 PM with the headline "Hibernian owner to open Raleigh Beer Garden."