The Mountain Brook location of Carrigan’s Public House is finally ready. The second location of David Carrigan’s gastopub and craft cocktail bar opens today (Nov. 25) at 4 p.m. in Mountain Brook Village after a soft opening over the weekend. This is Carrigan’s third restaurant-- he also owns Brät Brot in Lakeview, which reopened in April, and the original Carrigan’s Public House on historic Morris Ave. in downtown Birmingham.

This new iteration of Carrigan’s opens in the former Dram Whiskey Bar. AVO Restaurant and Dram Whiskey Bar shuttered in January after nearly a decade in Mountain Brook.

Carrigan’s team made a few interior changes to the Dram space. In addition to more seating-- the windows in the front and back have pushed out to create more interior space-- the patio side is now the only entrance to the restaurant (patrons could previously enter AVO and Dram through the front door).

“If you came into Dram previously it would feel familiarly cozy, but also completely fresh and new,” Carrigan told AL.com in an email.

The Food

Kristy Collins from Carrigan’s downtown is now the general manager of the Mountain Book location.

Angela Schmidt will helm the kitchen as executive chef (Schmidt is also the executive chef at Brät Brot ) with Chris Spear as the chef de cuisine.

About half of the food menu is the same as the downtown location, but there are some new offerings. The Mountain Book location’s rendition of Carrigan’s Village Loaded Fries features the popular fries topped with braised bacon, fresno chilli pepper, pickled red onion, poached eggs, scallions, and mornay sauce. Other new dishes include cornmeal crusted whole fried okra, a bison burger, roasted delicata squash salad, and new steak and roasted chicken plates.

The whole fried Okra at Carrigan's Public House in Mountain Brook (Shauna Stuart for AL.com)

The Drinks:

Joseph Kushner is managing the bar at Carrigan’s Mountain Brook location. Joining the bar staff is Reece Dodd, former bar manager at Cafe Dupont.

The Deception at Carrigan's Public House (Credit: Shauna Stuart for Al.com)

While the majority of the cocktail menu mirrors the one downtown, one new libation is the Snowed In, a blend of cold brew from Birmingham’s Domestique Coffee, Jameson Irish Whiskey, amaretto, black walnut bitters, J.T. Bitters, and nutmeg.

In addition to an expanded wine selection, the gastropub will also offer a frozen bourbon and coke slushy.

Carrigan says the restaurant and bar’s website will be updated with the new offerings later this week.

Carrigan’s is the first new restaurant to open in the former AVO and Dram space. A second location of Ahbi Eatery and Bar, the forthcoming restaurant from Abhi Sainju, will open upstairs in the former AVO location.

Details:

Carriagan’s Public House in Mountain Brook Village 2400 Montevallo Road Mountain Brook, AL 35223

Hours: 7 days a week open at 4 p.m. Kitchen closes at 10 p.m. Sunday- Thursday with bar closing at 11 p.m. Kitchen closes at 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday with bar closing at midnight.