Experienced restaurant owner Maggie Reilly is converting the restaurant space at 472 9th Avenue into a new bar and restaurant concept, according to a recent liquor license application.
As she awaits approval from the community board, Reilly is using “Moe & Sal” as a placeholder name for her new business. Who are Moe & Sal, you may ask? Moe and Sal are Reilly’s beloved dogs. Reilly confirmed in an interview with What Now NY that she might move forward with the name, but she cannot yet confirm.
Reilly’s eponymous pub, Maggie Reilly’s, has served American and Irish pub food in Chelsea since 2013, per the restaurant’s website. The business’ close proximity to Madison Square Garden has drawn crowds after concerts, ice hockey matches and, of course, basketball games, but Reilly’s regular presence in the pub has helped establish it as a neighborhood hangout for locals as well.
In an interview with Time Out New York, famous vocal coach Barbara Maier Gustern said of Maggie Reilly’s, “Their chicken pot pie is the best I’ve ever had.”
The sample menu for Moe & Sal included in the liquor license application mentions a chicken pot pie dish, although the recipe might differ from Maggie Reilly’s. Other menu items mentioned include Guinness beef stew, fish & chips, New York Strip steak, burgers, salads and a kids menu.
“I am looking forward to this new venture and working on decorating, the food items, the drinks menus, the ambiance, reaching a new clientele and catering to their needs,” said Reilly in an email interview with What Now NY. “There’s nothing like seeing the satisfaction on customers’ faces when you just get that vibe right. Believe me, this cannot happen with a team effort, but watching a venture succeed is priceless.”
Reilly’s new restaurant, which is taking over the space once occupied by Thai Select, will have 52 seats, per the liquor license application. Moe & Sal, or whichever name Reilly ultimately lands on, is still in the early stages of development, although she and her team have exciting plans for cosmetic updates to the restaurant’s exterior.
