First look: Hooley House

Hooley, pronounced (who-lee), is an Irish term for an informal, boisterous party. Traditionally, a Hooley was a noisy gathering that took place in a private residence, often in the kitchen, where partygoers brought their favorite dish, their instruments, dancing shoes, and of course their favorite drinks.

Hooley House, a fairly new sports pub and grille located in Mentor, isn’t much different, but at this festive little venue, patrons only need to bring their friends to have a good time. 

Atmosphere: The interior of Hooley House, with its dark brick walls, certainly gives off an old kitchen feel, almost to the point of being a little bit of a downer. The spacious, dining room and bar offers two large projection HD screens, complemented by more than 20 flat-panel TVs displaying every sporting event that could possibly be of interest. A cutting-edge, custom surround sound system contributes to your viewing pleasure.

Hooley House’s stage and performance sound system creates a small scale concert-like effect. Live bands offer entertainment every weekend. Karaoke, DJs and game nights keep the party going when the band has a day or two off.

Food: This Mentor establishment has a very extensive menu of moderately priced dishes. We loved the Buffalo chicken dip, French onion soup and the Monte Cristo, but don’t miss out on Irish specialties like corned beef and cabbage, bangers mash, shepherds pie and Irish stew. The menu has it all from wraps, salads, burgers and pizzas to fish and pasta dinners. There’s also a late night menu that serves up appetizers from 10:30 p.m. to 2 a.m.

Drinks: Hooley House really has it all when it comes to libations. Imported and domestic brews are served, headlined by the pubs own craft beers. Red and white wines, martinis, piña coladas and a variety of signature drinks and cocktails are available. The Shillelagh Slammer is a customer favorite, containing a mix of Southern Comfort, sloe gin, amaretto and some orange juice for good health.

Service: Servers are very talkative and friendly, ensuring a social and entertaining atmosphere around the bar. Dining patrons can expect fast and personable service.

Insider tips: There are lots o’deals at Hooley House.

Sundays feature $3 Bloody Marys all day long to soothe your hangover from Saturday night.

$4 Long Islands and 35-cent wings will help you relax after a manic Monday and $2 tall drafts on Tuesdays are recession proof to say the least.

On Wednesday, you have the option of ordering two very awkwardly-named menu items, a basket of “Hooley Hunks” for $5 and a pitcher of “Hooley Hooch” for $8. Thursdays feature $5 burgers, $10 buckets of beer and $3 bombs.

Happy Hour runs 4-7 p.m. Monday through Friday and features incredibly cheap deals: $2 domestic drafts and $2.50 well drinks and wine.

Bottom line: Hooley House is a causal, yet fun-loving place to get together with friends, enjoy good food and drinks at a great price and experience some one-of-a-kind entertainment from both the band and the crowd.