PARSIPPANY — The Mule Tavern Bar & Grill was joined Friday evening, May 4, by the Parsippany Area Chamber of Commerce President Robert Peluso, Executive Board Member Frank Cahill, Board Members Ildiko Peluso and Nicolas Limanov, Parsippany-Troy Hills Mayor Michael Soriano, Councilman Michael dePierro, Lake Hiawatha residents Gordon Meth and Al Goldberg for a ribbon cutting grand opening event.
Robert Peluso also presented to Rita and Russell Poole, the owners, a plaque on behalf of the Parsippany Area Chamber of Commerce, and Frank Cahill, co-chairman of Parsippany Economic Development Advisory Board presented a welcome plaque on behalf of Parsippany-Troy Hills to Rita and Russell.
The Mule Tavern is named after Rita’s favorite drink, the Moscow Mule, a cocktail made with vodka, ginger beer and lime juice. Garnished with a wedge of lime, it’s served cold and refreshing in a copper mug. Currently, there are a dozen variations of “Mule Madness” drinks on the menu. Rita said “I just love them. The copper cup keeps the drink so nice and cold. It’s such a crisp, awesome drink and there’s just so many different things you can do with it. Ever since I had one, I fell in love with them.”
The party continued Saturday with a free Cinco de Mayo celebration that includes tacos and margaritas.
Owners Russell & Rita Poole are local to the area and were inspired to create an establishment where the community could gather to enjoy great meals, creative cocktails and live entertainment with friends and families. There is great pride in the quality of the menu which consists of scratch made meals that accommodate a wide range of tastes.
“One of the main reasons we opened so quickly after closing was to help get the employees and bands back on payroll. The prior establishment closed at the end of Dec, leaving many people after work following the holidays. Each employee was interviewed and provided with an employment opportunity. Our current team consists of about 50% of staff from the prior establishment (Dave, Eddie, Jay, Krystal & Patti and 50% new members include (Christine, Luis, Mary, Michelle, Mickey & Todd). The legacy team has been instrumental in helping bring us up to speed on the facility and operation while the new team has been instrumental in executing our vision. Collectively, we have an awesome team,” stated Rita.
The kitchen staff is new with the exception of Chris who is the resident expert in creating amazing pies. He is a highly skilled sous chef who assists our Head Chef, Miguel who brings decades of experience. Russell is also very hands on it the kitchen and incorporates recipes he has been perfecting for years, including his famous teriyaki sauce, BBQ sauce and fall off the bone ribs.
The Mule Tavern actually opened their doors for business on Friday, February 23, spending working long hours to get everything ready when the Mount Holleran Towne Tavern closed on December 31, 2017, leaving patrons and especially the staff, caught off guard.
The Mule weekly events and specials include:
Monday – Trivia Game from 8:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. Customers play for prizes. Steamer Special, 18 clams for the price of 12.
Tuesday – 3 Street Tacos, House Made Salsa and Chips (choice of pulled pork, fish, chicken or beef) just $10.00
Wednesday – Two personal size bar pies and two draft beers only $20.00. (Gluten free add $3.00); or Two large classic pies and four draft beers for $30.00.
Thursday – Karaoke from 8:00 until people stop singing. $2.00 off wings and pies.
Friday and Saturday – Bands start at 9:30 p.m. every Friday and Saturday Night. Friday, May 11, Carnaby Street; Saturday, May 12 – Overboard; Friday, May 18 – Country Comfort; Saturday, May 19 – PM Ryder; Friday, May 25 Street Hassle and Saturday, May 26 – JM Band.
Sunday – Half off all appetizers. Sunday Fun Day surprise.
Their fabulous menu appetizers include beef sliders, fried calamari, steamers, jumbo fried shrimp, chicken fingers mussels, french onion soup, and lots of favorites. The menu is complete with burgers, sandwiches, signature pies (small and large), salads, entrees, and pastas. They also have a children’s menu.
Make sure you save room for desserts which include carrot cake, chocolate fudge cake, lemon coconut cake and many more. And to top off a great meal try their coffee, tea, cappuccino, espresso, Irish coffees, Mexican Coffee, and the list goes on.
Their current hours of operation are Sunday through Thursday, 4:00 p.m. to 12:00 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 4:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m. Prior to expanding the operation, they wanted to perfect the primary shift. They are in the planning stage to open for lunch, launch our catering menu and design an amazing Sunday brunch. The Mule Tavern is located at 450 North Beverwyck Road. For additional information call (973) 588-3564 or visit their website by clicking here.
“It has been a wonderful experience meeting so many amazing people from Parsippany and all the neighboring towns. The support has been amazing and is greatly appreciated. A big perk is that we get to spend each weekend with family and friends (new and old) enjoying good food, mules and live music. Who could ask for more than that,” said Russell.
