Tribes Alehouse to Open in Former Tinley Park CharleyHorse

Tribes Alehouse is opening a second location in the former CharleyHorse in Tinley Park.

By Bob Bong
Southland Savvy

It didn’t take long for a new establishment to gobble up the site of the former CharleyHorse sports pub at 171^st Street and LaGrange Road in Tinley Park’s Park Hill Towne Center.

Niall Freyne, owner of Tribes Alehouse in Mokena, is in the process of converting the former sports pub into a second location for his restaurant and pub.

"We're looking at opening in mid-September," Freyne said Tuesday. "We've only been in here for three weeks and we're almost done."

Freyne said he gutted the interior and started from scratch.

"I went against the rules and made the space inside smaller," he said. "But we are doubling the size of the bar and will have seating for 135."

"We'll start with 50 beers on tap and I hope to add a few as we go along."

Tinley Park Mayor Ed Zabrocki said he had been working with Freyne for the past three or four months to open a Tribes Alehouse in the village.

Zabrocki said Freyne has his liquor license and all of the other permits he needs, so it’s up to him when the new Tribes will open.

“I know he wants to open ASAP,” Zabrocki said.

The mayor also is quite pleased to see Tribes moving into Tinley Park.

“He has an excellent reputation,” Zabrocki said. “It’s a great location.”

Zabrocki said the opening of Tribes would be great for the area near 171^st and LaGrange.

“You’ll have Frankie’s Ristorante, a white tablecloth Italian restaurant, and Tribes, a kind of Irish pub. What more could you ask for?”

The website for Tribes says the pub is taking applications for all positions from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. through Thursday on the patio at the Tinley location and also anytime at the Mokena location, 11220 W. Lincoln Highway.

Freyne, of Mokena, opened Tribes in November 2009 just five months after he closed Galway Tribes in Frankfort. Freyne said the recession and a dramatically increased tax assessment killed Galway Tribes, which has since reopened as Tommy Nevin’s Pub.

Tribes Alehouse in Mokena features craft beers with 45 on tap most days, a full bar and an extensive menu.

Final Days for Enrico's

Enrico's Italian Dining is shutting its doors for a final time tomorrow at its longtime home on LaGrange Road in Frankfort.

The property was sold earlier this year by owners Harry and Bob D'Ercole to Roundy's, a supermarket chain based in Milwaukee that plans to build a Mariano's Fresh Market on the site.

The D'Ercoles have said they want to stay in the village in a new location, but haven't announced a spot.

If you see a new business in town or wonder what happened to an old favorite, drop me a line at bobbong@hotmail.com.

You can also catch up on Comings & Goings in other parts of the Southland at www.southlandbusinessnews.blogspot.com.