Near the heart of horse country – ten minutes from Radnor Hunt and eight miles from Devon – sits the new Jockey Tavern: horsey, handsome and … HAPPENING.
Crowds have swarmed place – the former McKenzie Brew House on Rte. 30 – since it opened November 14.
And for good reason: The décor is smashing, the booze is bountiful, and the food is on the money and fairly priced. In racing parlance, a superfecta.
The Trophy Room at The Jockey Tavern. A fast-track makeover, McKenzie became The Jockey in five months, The place was fully closed for only a month.
The Jockey Tavern is the Mangan family’s third new restaurant in four years. Bill Mangan and sons Will and Drew also operate Will’s and Bill’s Brewery in Berwyn and The Crown Tavern in Glen Mills. All three are total makeovers of former McKenzies, also a Mangan enterprise.
With The Jockey, the McKenzie clan – an ancestral family name – has been put out to pasture. “Every restaurant has a life cycle,” Bill says. “You have to reinvent yourself every 10 or 15 years.”
Bill, Will and Drew Mangan are hands-on overseers of their latest venture in Malvern. Hospitality is in the Mangan DNA. Besides McKenzie Brew Houses, Bill’s father, aka “Bill Sr.” operated Mangan’s Café in Southwest Philly, Drexel Ale Houses in Upper Darby and Newtown Square, the Drexel Inn and La Grande in Glen Mills and Café La Grande in Malvern. “Dad allowed me to stand on his shoulders and hopefully, my sons will as well,” Bill Mangan shares.
Still, The Jockey sports touches of the old sod: Bill’s Irish grandmother Anna McKenzie and Bill’s father, William J. Mangan, Sr., grace walls. (Both were painted by Bill’s mother, Caroline, 96, an accomplished Willistown artist.)
The rest of the lively décor was foraged from taxidermists, Etsy, vintage magazines, Romantic equine artist George Stubbs’ online gallery, and Villanova’s Balongue Design.
Equine and hunt-country nods – some playful, others traditional – abound.
A stuffed impala and a pheasant are showcased in the Trophy Room.
An imposing bison guards the bar. Tatanka!
And the Jockey’s taxidermied mascot, sly and sassy Finnegan the Fox, perches on a bourbon barrel off the foyer. An account of his mysterious exploits – at Radnor Hunt, Devon Horse Show and beyond – is posted behind him.
Firmly rooted in place, The Jockey was partly inspired by Bill Mangan’s personal penchant for outdoor sports. This photo of him at age 26 astride Jack in Unionville adorns a shelf in the Trophy Room.
Quality exudes from three dining rooms and the capacious bar. There are reclaimed brick and real oak floors, salvaged wood-beamed ceilings, solid walnut tables, board-and-batten paneling, heirloom plaids, tweeds and toiles, and three working fireplaces.
“Nothing is faddish,” Bill Mangan explains. “We wanted a place that would stand the test of time.” Adds Will: “A stylish atmosphere, comfort foods and friendly service are not going to go out of style.”
About those comfort foods. There’s something for everyone, portions are ample and price points are reasonable.
The Tomahawk Pork Chop (above), The Martinique salad with grilled tuna (below), and (far below) oversized Bananas Foster and Chocolate Brownie sundaes.
Apps – “Dips and Nibbles,” Starters and Seafood Bar – are $9 to $16. We tried and enjoyed the Colorado Lamb & Spinach Egg Rolls ($14) and the French Onion Au Gratin ($10 for a huge crock).
Six salads are $12 to $16 and include the Martinique (McKenzie fans knew it as Key West), the top-selling Burrata & Beets, and the Santorini Chopped Club, a chopped Greek with tzatziki dressing. Top them off with a skewer of chicken, steak or four fishes/seafoods for $7 – $13.
Bowls, burgers, sandwiches and main plates start at $17.
Two winners we sampled: the Tomahawk Pork Chop with roasted apples, garlicky sautéed spinach and Yukon gold mashers ($34) and the Shrimp & Scallop Coconut Curry bowl with seasonal veggies, sticky rice and warm naan ($26). Next time, we’ll try the lean Bison Burger with wild mushrooms, gruyere and truffled tater tots ($24). The hot-selling, all-beef Jockey Burger is $19. Not to fear, carnivores: McKenzie’s popular French Dip Roast Beef ($18) made the cut, too.
Just off the foyer, the bar with 25 stools, high tops and booths, is already bustling.
The Jockey’s bar at 3 p.m. on a recent weekday. It’s much livelier when the sun goes down.
Oak barrels of Negronis and bourbon Manhattans sit on the weighty quartz bar.
Bottles become art on a snazzy rear liquor wall.
A pianist plays an antique upright on weekends. As your fave millennial might say, this place is lit.
There are 23 bourbons and ryes and eight craft beers (brewed at nearby Will’s and Bill’s in Berwyn). “We tasted 50 wines to come up with five white wines by the glass,” Drew Mangan explains.
Discerning eyes will note the bar’s antique tile floor, stained shiplap, suspended beams and jockey-embossed taps. Look skyward for a scene right out of Radnor Hunt.
While the Jockey is steeped in the region’s refined horsey heritage, there are serious deals to be had:
*All lunchtime sandwiches ($17 – $19) include a cup of roasted tomato bisque.
*The 21 Club Weekend Brunch choices are all $21 and include a bloody, mimosa, bellini or Jockey brew. Fun fact: Lawn jockeys were a centerpiece at NYC’s iconic 21 Club.
*Jockey Hour seems uncommonly generous. Grab a bar booth, high top or barstool nightly until 6 p.m. – weekends, too –and enjoy buck-a-shuck oysters, hearty bits & bites, and half-priced pints, wines and select cocktails.
*A weekly Sunday Roast features prime rib, baked potato, Caesar salad, and a classic old-fashioned, house wine or draft beer for $39.
Ambitious as it is, The Jockey is just getting started.
Due to debut April 1, the lower-level “Polo Lounge” will have its own bar, soft seating, food stations, dining tables and dance floor for private parties for up to 100. On the main level, the clubby Trophy Room seats 60 and the cozy Saratoga Room, around 24.
And outdoors, the 150-seat “Gardens” – complete with bar, fireplace and arbor – will flower in time for Derby Day, Mother’s Day and spring weddings.
Show. Place. WIN.
***EDITOR’S DISCLOSURE: Yours truly, SAVVY’s Caroline Mangan O’Halloran, is the sister of The Jockey Tavern’s owner Bill Mangan, Jr. and the aunt of Will and Drew. I’m only sorry that my father, the late great Bill Mangan, Sr. – a true Chester County gentleman – never saw his legacy live on in Will’s and Bill’s Brewery, The Crown Tavern or The Jockey Tavern. This story’s for you, Dad.***
The Jockey Tavern, 240 Lancaster Ave., Malvern, is open from 11: 30 a.m. Tuesday to Sunday. Closed Mondays. Reservations suggested. Book online or call 610-296-2222. Happy Hour weekdays 4 to 6, Sat. & Sun. 3 to 6. Private parties for up to 100 indoors and 150 (outside) beginning May 1.
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