Bryan Kaeser’s Mudhook Bar Offers Craft Beer Selection
Longtime restaurateur Bryan Kaeser brings lively new nightlife to downtown Duncanville, with the opening of Mudhook Bar & Kitchen at 100 S. Main Street. Kaeser’s intimate craft beer bar is a first for Duncanville. Mudhook nestles between an Italian restaurant and a Chinese restaurant in Main Station.
Serving craft beer on 12 taps, a good variety of wine, and craft cocktails (with a focus on Texas whiskeys), Mudhook also serves really good food. Chef Kaeser brings winning recipes from his popular Greenville Avenue Beer Kitchen that he closed in 2017. Favorite comfort foods include gourmet burgers like Mudhook’s biggest seller, Thick Bacon Burger ($10.50). The burger is topped with huge slabs of center cut, lean bacon on Village Bakery buns.
Mudhook Bar’s Popular Menu Items
Other popular menu items are Lonestar Burger ($11), with BBQ sauce and jalapenos; Bacon Cheese fries ($6), and Pork Shanks ($11). Cali burger ($11) features bacon, avocado, mushrooms and Swiss cheese. Fight Club, their chicken breast sandwich on sourdough adds pesto, bacon, avocado, Swiss cheese, lettuce and onion rings ($9.50). Other popular items are roasted brussel sprouts ($7.50), Pork Belly Bites ($10.50), and Pecan Cobbler with vanilla ice cream ($6).
Kaeser says response has been “really gratifying” since their soft opening the week before. “We had a line of 15 or 20 people waiting outside last Friday when we opened the doors at 5 p.m. We are still hiring, and will have a staff of 12 soon,” he said.
House specials include happy hour Tuesday through Thursday from 5-7 p.m., with a selection of food, beer, wine, and craft cocktails for $5 each. Wednesday is $6 burger and fries night, and Thursday is “Keep the Glass Night.” Hours are Tues.-Thursday. From 5 p.m. to 12 a.m.p; Friday, 5 p.m. to 2 a.m.; Sat., 12 p.m. to 2 a.m.; and Sun., 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Delivery is available by Doordash and Uber Eats.
Mudhook Busy on Black Friday
When we visited Mudhook on Black Friday, we saw a good mix of families chowing down on burgers and fries. The bar was packed with customers trying such local beers on tap as Peticolas, Oak Cliff, and Lakewood. Cocktail specials included a Caramel Old Fashioned ($10), Panther’s Tail ($10), and Main Street Mule ($8).The bar stocks over 20 Texas wines and numerous Texas whiskey brands.
Everyone in the downtown area has been extremely welcoming, Kaeser said, including Roma’s Italian Restaurant next door. Duncanville Chamber of Commerce plans a 5 p.m. ribbon cutting for Mudhook December 10. Several office Christmas parties are already booked, Kaeser says, and others have approached him about planning holiday parties at Mudhook.
Developer and City Council member Monte Anderson was instrumental in bringing Kaeser to Main Station. Another neighbor, founding director of Duncanville Community Theatre Amy Jackson, is printing Mudhook’s information on the back of their show tickets. DCT’s next production is “A Texas Romance” Feb. 6-8 and 13-15.
Helping to bring excitement to downtown Duncanville all day long, Kaeser also opened Black & Bitter Coffee and Books a few doors down in June. The store, open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., has three full-time employees, and has quickly become a neighborhood hangout.
Black & Bitter Coffee and Books
“Black & Bitter” is doing great,” he says, “last month was our best yet. We started carrying only local books and hosting local authors for book signings. We find local authors through through Dallas Literary site. That series has proved very popular with the community.”
Authors who appeared recently include A. Walker Scott who wrote sci-fi novel, “No Road Among the Stars.” Author/musician/Booker T. Washington grad Josh Hickman, who has written several satirical novels including “The Kinfolk,” has also appeared.
Asked how he planned to divide his time between two full-time businesses, Kaeser said, “It will definitely be a challenge, but one I look forward to. Right now I’m operating on very little sleep.”
For more information about Mudhook Bar & Kitchen, visit MudhookBar.com. For information about Black & Bitter Coffee and Books, visit Black&Bitter.com.
