A Popular Washington County Restaurant & Bar is Reopening Soon

Good news for the folks of Riverside! It was announced yesterday, May 17th, that Murphy's Bar & Grill at 71 1st St E will be reopening this summer!

Last July, the owners of Murphy's revealed on Facebook that after 25 years, the bar and restaurant would be closing down. A little less than a year later, it will make a triumphant return under new owners Carrie Westcott and her daughter Kirstin Westcott!

This morning I spoke with Carrie, who told me that she was born and raised in Iowa City, but has spent a lot of time in Riverside with her family over the years. Both she and her daughter actually purchased houses in Riverside this past fall, and ever since, they've been commenting about how Murphy's needs to reopen. They finally decided to do it themselves!

Carrie and Kirstin aren't ready to open up Murphy's just yet, as they are in the process of painting and cleaning up the interior, but they are hoping to begin welcoming customers sometime in June. To start, the restaurant will have a small menu with bar food, but they plan to expand that to more dinner options as the business grows. They are also looking to add Sunday brunch starting on Father’s Day. Carrie told me that they are "super excited about the chance to bring this back to Riverside."

To get the latest updates from Murphy's, including information about an opening date, you can follow the bar and restaurant on the official Facebook page HERE.