Crowley's Dive Bar owners bring focus on burgers, sports to Kirtland

May 20—Crowley's Dive Bar recently expanded to Kirtland, and the owners are looking to bring their focus on smash burgers, sports and Croatian and Irish heritage to the city as they offer new menu items and develop community ties.

The new Kirtland Crowley's opened on April 1 and is the second location for an establishment that describes itself on its website as "unapologetically unglamorous."

Co-owner Brendan Kearney described Crowley's as "a dive bar that focuses on local sports and European soccer and good food." The first location opened at 35647 Vine St. in Eastlake in June.

He said that the fare includes items like smash burgers, wings and "elevated bar food," along with Irish or Croatian specials.

The Kirtland location also includes some new items, Kearney added. These include the jumbo wings served by the site's previous occupant, Just One More Tavern, along with a sloppy joe special on Wednesdays, fried bologna and mac and cheese.

Co-owner Seamus Coyne said that Monday trivia nights are another unique aspect to the Kirtland bar. According to a Crowley's Facebook post from April, trivia nights start at 7 p.m. on Mondays.

The owners also intend to focus on sports with Crowley's, including European soccer. Kearney previously said that the bar opens early on weekends to show English Premier League matches. The most recent season ended on May 19 and the league has announced that the next season will start on Aug. 17.

"We're trying to get that soccer bar feel in here," added co-owner David Bartulovic.

Bartulovic added that the bar also drew "a great crowd" for the recent Rugby World Cup, which included Ireland.

The interest in sports extends to local teams. Coyne said that Browns, Guardians and Cavaliers games have all drawn crowds. The owners also hope to tie into the local high school sports teams and community.

"We're really big with the athletic boosters in Eastlake and we just are starting that relationship with Kirtland, too, just to benefit the high school as much as we possibly can," Kearney said.

"There's a lot of great high school football teams, but Kirtland's been one of the best teams for years and years," Coyne added. "And we're so excited to be a part of the Kirtland community now to support them, and it's going to be fun."

Bartulovic said that their support extends to firefighters and police officers. The bar has patches for local departments hanging up and encourages visitors to bring their patches.

The owners also want to create a fun atmosphere.

"We love simple and easy," Kearney said. "We don't need two-page menus and giant wine lists and things like that. We just want to have fun with our place."

"We're going to have fun with you the whole time you're here," Coyne added.

Kearney said that since the Eastlake location opened last year, Crowley's has served around 40,000 burgers.

Whether you're grilling or hitting a Crowley's, it's burger season

Moving forward, the owners said that they are looking to add 30 to 40 seats in the coming weeks by redoing the bar's patio.

They also plan to open a Painesville location this fall at 77 S. St. Clair St.

"We're doing some cool things in the building and I think we're just trying not to rush it so we responsibly get this location open and on its feet before we move on," Kearney said.

Kearney, Bartulovic and Seamus and McPat Coyne all had previous restaurant experience in Willoughby before opening Crowley's last year. They also previously opened the Fungry food truck, and Seamus Coyne said that they began to make smash burgers there.

The Crowley's name reflects the owners' Croatian and Irish heritage. Bartulovic said that Thomas Crowley was born in Ireland and then later fought in Croatia's war for independence in the 1990s.

Crowley's Dive Bar

9378 Chillicothe Road, Kirtland

Hours: 11 a.m. to closing time on weekdays and 7 a.m. to closing time on weekends. The kitchen will be open until 10 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, until 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Sundays.

Info: crowleysdive.com, 440-256-1134