Hallihan's Irish Pub Opens on West William Street in Delaware
Shorty's Pizza co-owner John Cordas and Mike Barker opened Sept. 14 with elevated Irish plates and a second-floor sports lounge.
Downtown Delaware has its first Irish pub on the books. Hallihan's Irish Pub opened September 14 at 12 W. William St., the former 12 West and Lazy Dawg address, and confirmed the grand opening on social media with a simple invite to raise a glass.
The concept comes from John Cordas, co-owner of Shorty's Pizza, and Mike Barker. Cordas has said Delaware's growth left an obvious hole: no traditional Irish pub. Hallihan's uses Barker's family crest in its logo and pitches an elevated Irish menu rather than a sticker-and-Guinness tourist room.
Details in this story draw from 614Now's opening report on Hallihan's and earlier April 614Now coverage of the Delaware Irish pub plan.
Menu and the upstairs sports lounge
Expected plates include shepherd's pie, boxty (Irish potato pancakes), and fish and chips as a flagship. The kitchen is also partnering with an Ohio baker on giant soft pretzels. Upstairs, a sports lounge with a pair of 75-inch TVs is meant for soccer, rugby, and other European matches that Cordas said Delaware lacked a natural home for.
Hours are Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. to 2 a.m., and Sunday through Thursday 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. That late Friday-Saturday window positions Hallihan's as both a dinner stop and a watch-party room once Kickoff and Premier League calendars stack up.
Why William Street matters
12 West closed in 2020. Lazy Dawg followed last year. Filling that storefront with an Irish pub gives downtown Delaware another reason to linger after Open BTL and other recent openings changed the nighttime map. Cordas already has pizza and wine-bar fingerprints in the same suburb, so Hallihan's extends a local operator's bet that Delaware wants more than chain rows.
Visitors routing a day trip from Columbus can start with weekend in Columbus for visitors for metro logistics, then treat Delaware as the north-suburb add-on. Food listings that travel beyond High Street sit under Things to Do: Food & Drink. Date-night budgets that still want a proper dinner plate map through cheap date night. Unusual formats and elevated pub concepts also fit the spirit of Best Unique Dining Experiences.
Hallihan's is open now on West William. Sláinte, soft pretzels, and those 75-inch screens are the early sell.
