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Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Coakley's Irish Pub

Coakley's Irish Pub, New Cumberland, Pennsylvania © Susqueats.com 2009

As the oldest Irish Pub in the Harrisburg area, Coakley's has built up a lot of tradition. In fact it has been operating continuously as a bar and/or restaurant since 1895.

Located in the Olde Town section of New Cumberland, Coakley's has an atmosphere that can come from years in business only. It's kitsch - yet authentic. It seems forced - yet natural.

The restaurant is sprawling with multiple rooms that are certainly the result of an ever-expanding successful business.

At the start of the year new management took over at Coakley's. But they came in with an attitude of "If it ain't broke - don't fix it." They plan on following the same successful blueprint laid out by the Coakley family over the past quarter century.

The main focus of the new management is shoring up the consistency of the food. They brought on new staff with a tradition of excellence in the food service industry to make sure every item stands up to quality standards.

Here, an order of Coakley's Nibbler offers a glimpse at the appetizer selection, including Cheese Sticks, Onion Rings, Potato Skins, and Chicken Fingers with dipping sauces.

Among their seven salads is this meal-in-and-of-itself Pittsburgh Steak Salad. This is a mountain of crisp tossed lettuce with tomatoes and cucumbers topped with London broil, steak fries and onion rings. And believe it or not, this is the small.

Other salads include such selections as Taco Salad, Asian Chicken Salad and Coakley's California Salad.

In this image is Coakley's take on Salmon. The salmon is baked on a fresh cedar plank and finished with a dill sauce. Another salmon option offers it blackened and grilled and served with a honey mustard topping.

Coakley's menu is decidedly American until you get to the bar menu where there is a much more deliberate nod to the Emerald Isle. But if you are looking for a filling entree like the New York Strip Steak pictured below, you won't go wrong.

As part of their commitment to community involvement the new management staff has developed The Coakley's Foundation. The foundation is set up to help provide financial support to children to participate in after school activities such as sports, the arts, music and theater, who may otherwise be financially unable to participate. They also hope to help support the providers of these activities. T-shirts are being sold to help fund the foundation.

If it is traditional Irish food you are looking for, you might be in luck as the new owners may slowly introduce some favorites. For now, look for items such as this Corned Beef and Cabbage on the specials board.