Briny Irish Pub Riverfront closes

The hangout known for its nautical decor has shut down, the restaurant announced on its Facebook page.

Briny Irish Pub, the kitschy hangout along the northern edge of Fort Lauderdale’s busy riverfront, has shut down, the restaurant announced on its Facebook page Wednesday morning.

“Unfortunately, we just got word from the owners that the Briny Riverfront will be closed for business until further notice,” the Facebook post read, after a patron asked why “closed” signs had appeared in front of the storefront.

The announcement was buried in the comments thread of a July 31 Briny post that touted its mussels dish with garlic-toast planks.

Phone calls to Briny seeking comment on Wednesday afternoon went straight to voicemail (the mailbox was full).

“I just spoke to Mike Brennan, the owner of Briny Irish Pub Riverfront and he confirmed that the restaurant is indeed closed due to the construction and demolition of Riverfront,” Facebook user Carolyn Burns wrote on the Facebook page.

Briny Irish Pub in Pompano Beach remains open, a server who answered the phone told SouthFlorida.com on Wednesday afternoon. So is Himmarshee Village bar Dicey Riley’s, another downtown Irish pub owned by Brennan.

A St. Patrick’s Day mainstay adorned in nautical relics and onehanded pirate statues, Briny closes at a time of big changes for the dining scene in downtown Fort Lauderdale, where a number of new restaurants have recently opened or plan to.

The closure comes after Briny rebranded as a gastropub last fall, adding Maryland crab cakes, Thai basil chicken, seared scallops Provencales and other upscale fare to its menu.

Another Irish pub on 17th Street in Fort Lauderdale, Waxy O’Connors, also shut down in mid-July for renovations, but owners hope to reopen the pub by October.