A new restaurant and bar opened in Saratoga Springs in May at the site of the former Irish Times restaurant and pub at 14 Phila St.
Business partners Bill Donovan and Nick Adie are launching Harvey’s Irish Pub & Restaurant. The building has undergone extensive renovation that “retains the heritage and style of a unique building but adds significantly to guest comfort,” said Donovan.
The new owners have added a new space for functions, dubbing it the Library. The space has its own private terrace, allows Harvey’s to cater private events and parties for up to 30-50 people, Donovan said. It is designed to reflect the style and atmosphere of an Irish country manor.
“The Library at Harvey’s will be booked for wedding rehearsal dinners, showers, birthday and anniversary parties, bereavement luncheons and a plethora of other social functions,” he said.
Adie is the former bar manager of Irish Times. The bar will stock numerous Irish beers and whiskeys. There is also a new wine list for guests to experience.
The owners said they plan on having regular live music every weekend and traditional Irish music on Thursday nights.
Todd Cutler, previously of Sagamore Resort on Lake George and Legal Sea Foods in Boston, is the executive chef. The owners said the menu will combine the best of traditional Irish food and modern pub style cuisine.
Donovan said the name “Harvey” comes from a good natured Irish spirit who brings good fortune, a pooka, according to Irish lore. He is an unseen character in the Mary Chase play of the same name. The 1950 film “Harvey,” starring James Stewart, is a pooka in the form of an invisible rabbit.
“Harvey’s Irish Pub & Restaurant aspires to be such a benevolent entity, charming those who come to know us by spreading goodwill, camaraderie and a bit of ‘craic’ (Gaelic for fun) along the way,” the owners said in a statement on its website.
The bar is open Monday through Thursday until midnight and Fridays and Saturdays until 2 a.m. Sunday it closes at 11 p.m.
The pub menu is available from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily. Dinner menu is served daily from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. There is a brunch menu both Saturday and Sunday, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. There is also a special event and catering menu.
The phone number is 583-0003. The website is www.harveyspub.com.