Completely renovated St. James Gate re-opens just in time for the summer rush
By Lorne Chambers | Editor
Dublin native John Teevan has seen enough gimmicky Irish bars in the U.S. to know that when he and his longtime partner Stephanie Mahan took over the building at the corner of Center Street and West Ashley Avenue, it was going to take a lot more than a bucket of green paint and some traditional Celtic music on the stereo to convert the 4,500-square-foot space into an authentic Irish pub.
After temporarily opening in March under the name Folly Beach Irish Pub, some on the island wondered if it was going to be yet another uninspired restaurant and bar, this time with an Irish theme. Over the last several years, locals have seen the building be several things — a wine bar (11 Center Street), a seafood restaurant (Conch), a country-cooking restaurant (Center Street Kitchen), to yet another seafood restaurant (Folly Beach Shrimp Company) with a dance club upstairs (The Fall Out).
So most folks were relieved when shortly after opening its doors, the Folly Beach Irish Pub closed them again and work began on completely renovating the two-story restaurant and bar. The Folly Beach Irish Pub wasn’t the real name of the place. It was just a mirage, a tease, a mere glimpse of what was really to come.
Teevan and Mahan, along with business partner and international restaurant and bar designer Benjamin Kay, had much larger plans for the space. For the next two months work crews were busy converting the cavernous downstairs restaurant into an authentic Irish pub, with beautiful woodwork, glasswork, new windows that swing outward to enjoy the ocean breeze, new tables, chairs, bar, barstools, several new bathrooms, just about everything was upgraded.
Then finally, the secret was out. The name St. James Gate was painted on the outside of the building. Its name comes from the section of Dublin known for beer and breweries, including Guinness.
Besides the name itself representing some rich Irish history, behind the downstairs bar there’s a true piece of Irish history. The remarkable piece of stained glass behind the bar was acquired from Slane Castle after a fire damaged much of the famed castle in 1991. During that time, Teevan owned a bar near the castle and following the fire was given the beautiful piece of glass from the castle’s chapel. Nearly a quarter of a century later, that historic piece of glass is much more than a talking piece, it’s the centerpiece of St. James Gate.
Last month Teevan made a promise to his father, who was in town visiting from Ireland, that he would have the bar open before he had to go back home. His father had a Thursday morning flight and sure enough on that Wednesday night, Teevan’s father Frank was the one who pulled the first pint of Guinness at St. James Gate. It was a special moment for Teevan and Mahan to have Teevan’s father and the grandfather of their twins to be the first to pour a Guinness at their new bar, which they had worked so hard on for the last several months.
In addition to creating a beautiful Irish pub, Teevan and Mahan also recently created two adorable red-headed babies. Twins and a new bar has made for an interesting year for the couple. In their 10 years together, Teevan and Mahan have also built five bars together in New York and most recently, the popular cocktail lounge Prohibition on upper King Street in downtown Charleston. They’ve since sold their stake in Prohibition as well as all of their other bars in order to focus solely on St. James Gate. “You can’t be in two places at the same time. And this is our home,” says Teevan.
In addition to the renovated downstairs restaurant, the upstairs bar has been completely gutted and redone as well. Teevan says the bar, which overlooks both Center Street and West Ashley Avenue, will be open to the public, but will also be available as an event space. A separate staircase going directly to the upstairs bar has been built at the entrance of restaurant.
Out back, the previously underutilized patio has also been completely renovated to offer a more welcoming atmosphere to sit outside and enjoy a meal or a beer. Speaking of beer, St. James Gate has 22 beer taps and two wines on tap at all time. While some of the beers may rotate from time to time, you can always count on getting the perfect pint of Guinness.
“It was important to not only have Guinness on tap, but its got to be served properly,” says Teevan. “When you serve a Guinness, it’s got to be served with the right gas.” He says a lot of places aren’t willing to pay the extra money or go to the effort of having the right blend of nitrogen and co2. For the Dublin native, cutting corners is not the way to do things, especially when it comes to serving Ireland’s most famous export.
Like the renovated and redesigned building, there was obviously a lot of thought and expertise in creating the menu. Walking the line between an authentic Irish pub and beach restaurant, St. James Gate offers everything from corned beef and cabbage and shepherd’s pie to fish and chips, fresh seafood, and fish tacos.
Teevan says they will also offer Irish breakfast “all day, every day” and then smiles. St. James Gate isn’t actually open for breakfast, but he explains an Irish breakfast of Irish bacon, Irish sausage, beans, and black and white pudding, is good no matter what time you wake up. He does plan to open early once English Premier League soccer gets back into full swing and big games come on earlier in the day.
In addition to its Irish standards and seafood, St. James Gate also offers standard pub food, such as burgers and chicken wings. “There’s always going to be one person in the family staying out here who is going to say, ‘I’ve had enough fish, or enough fried food. I want something hearty,’” says Mahan. “That’s why we wanted to offer a little something different.”
With one of the most visible spaces on Center Street, Mahan says they certainly hope to be a popular destination for tourists. But more importantly, they hope to be a place that locals come all year round.
St. James Gate is located at 11 Center St. For more information, call (843) 588-0002 or visit www.stjamesgatesc.com.
