The American bar is really only a distant cousin of the Irish Pub. Not only a place to raise a pint, pubs in Ireland are also where you can eat hearty fare, listen to lively music, hear a tale or tell one of your own. They are places where it's just as comfortable to bring your family for a meal or to sit and blather with your friends over several rounds of stout. Many of the "Irish Bars" that seem to be popping up around Chicago are even further away from authenticity: a green coat of paint and a couple Guinness posters does not a pub make. But there are a few spots in Chicago that do summon up memories of the Emerald Isle. Lincoln Square's The Grafton is such a place, with all the friendliness, warmth and atmosphere of a pub in Ireland, thanks to its Irish-born proprietors.
Billy Lawless and Malcolm Molloy are the co-owners of The Grafton, two charming fellows who complement each other's strengths and sense of humor. (Malcolm plays the straight man to Billy's offbeat jokes.) They originally met at The Irish Oak, the Wrigleyville pub owned by Billy's father. "It was the only bar in the city where I could get a free shot," laughs Malcolm. After living in London for a few years, Malcolm, who hails from Dublin, traveled to the US with the intention of settling in Silicon Valley. "I only planned to stay in Chicago for a week or two," recalls Malcolm. "I had no idea what a great place Chicago was—and that it had such a large Irish community." Billy arrived in Chicago 7 years ago from Galway with his family. In the US, Billy's dad went from dairy farmer to pub owner, founding a number of popular taverns around Chicago. Malcolm also has a family history of tending bar. "My grandfather and his brother had a bar in New York City around 1910 or so, called The Telephone Cafe," says Malcolm. "It was one of those kind of places with the swing doors on the front. He was single, so eventually went back to Ireland around the time of World War I to find a wife." Both Billy and Malcolm are family men with two boys. Billy's wife is from Montreal, while Malcolm met his wife at a wedding. Whenever you visit The Grafton, you will always see one or the other behind the bar. Each puts in his respective time and carries the weight for the other. "We support each other," says Billy. "It's not easy being a business partner with someone," says Malcolm. "It's even more difficult than being in a relationship because there's money involved. The reason we're so successful, is that we have the same drive and desire for this place."
 In the years that Malcolm visited The Irish Oak, he and Billy developed a friendship that they continued outside the bar as regular golf partners. Eventually, their friendship led to a business partnership in The Grafton. Prior to opening, they searched and searched for the perfect location, then finally stumbled on the one in Lincoln Square. "The Old Town School next door was a great selling point, as was the car park across the street," says Billy. "Fate conspired to put us here," says Malcolm. They moved into the space, formerly a bar, hoping to make use of what was already there. But in order to create the atmosphere they wanted, they had to literally take the walls down to the studs. However, the results were what they hoped for: a warm, welcoming space with none of the tacky trappings of the typical "Irish Bar." Instead, you can warm yourself in front of a roaring fire in the back, cozy up in one of the wooden booths, or pull up a stool to the bar for some friendly conversation.
The Grafton opened its doors in December 2002 and immediately filled with crowds that ranged from students from the Old Town School, to couples and families. It was obviously a good fit with the neighborhood. "We found this to be a very nice community," says Billy. "Our neighbors are really supportive. We are very lucky to be operating in this area." Alderman Schulter and his staff were also a big help to Billy and Malcolm as they opened the business.
From their initial plans, Billy and Malcolm envisioned live music as an element of their bar. As a neighbor to the Old Town School of Folk Music, there's a natural symbiosis that has grown between the two. On any given night, a cursory look around The Grafton shows guitar, fiddle and banjo cases scattered here and there. Or the night might even lead to an impromptu performance. "We want to give back to the students," says Malcolm. "People often come in and ask us, 'Do you mind if we play?' We always intended to create a bar that's amenable to music." Besides the random performances, you can come in during scheduled music nights at The Grafton, Sunday through Wednesday every week. Sunday and Wednesday nights feature Irish music from 8:00pm to 11:00pm. Monday is open mic night and there's more live folk music every Tuesday.
 But don't let all the music and the charm distract you: the real reason to come to The Grafton is for its food and drink. Billy is "the food man" behind the menu, a mix of Irish comfort dishes and some more unexpected items like the Lincoln Square Salad (mixed greens with tomatoes, walnuts, apples, oranges, blue cheese and raspberry vinaigrette), a spicy veggie bean burger and a variety of kids' meals. Traditional meals include fish and chips, shepard's pie, a full Irish breakfast ("The Full Monty," as the menu says) and a Grafton specialty, the beef and Guinness stew. "It's the kind of stew you'd want to make for yourself at home," says Malcolm. All soups are made fresh every day, and they make their own dressings and salsas to boot. The kitchen is open every night until 11:00pm, which gives you plenty of time to enjoy a nosh with your pint. As you'd imagine, The Grafton is quite famous for its Guinness. And if stout doesn't wet your whistle, "We also have about 40 different beers, a selection of highland Scotches and Irish whiskeys to suit all budgets," says Billy.
The food and drink aren't the only reasons why The Grafton is full of patrons every night of the week. Warm, friendly service is a big part of its attraction. It's rare to come in and not see either Billy or Malcolm behind the bar. (The two trade off shifts and each have their own set of regulars at the bar.) And the rest of the staff is just as hospitable as they are. "We are extremely lucky to have a great staff," explains Malcolm. "We have had very little turnover in the time we've been here, which is very unusual in this industry." Joe is another one of the bartenders who is a fixture at The Grafton. "The customers really like Joe," says Billy. "He's really hospitable, he's really good at making people feel comfortable here." "Billy and I both wanted the same thing for this place," says Malcolm. "We both wanted a relaxed environment of the kind that is often overlooked in the hospitality industry," says Billy. "We wanted a place where we as the owners could sit down and have a chat and a joke." "It's not just lip service," says Malcolm. "We really want to make people feel welcome here from the moment that they walk in." So if you're looking for craic (Irish for good fun and great company) without the airfare to Dublin, look no further than Lincoln Square's own pub, The Grafton.
The Grafton
4530 North Lincoln Avenue
Chicago, IL 60625
773.271.9000
www.thegrafton.com
Hours:
Monday through Friday - 4:00pm to 2:00am
Saturday - 11:00am to 3:00am
Sunday - 11:00am to 2:00am
Kitchen open until 11:00pm every night.
Live music Sunday through Wednesday.
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