Mitchener’s Drug Store shelves, dating back to the late 1800’s where they once framed other branded medicinals now serve a similar purpose , while becoming a major focal point and prime conversation piece.
Residents packed the restaurant early Wednesday evening, welcoming the owners and getting their first taste of the town’s newest dining spot.
The opening brought fresh activity to a familiar gathering place, with patrons settling into wooden booths, taking seats along the bar and gathering around tables for dinner and drinks. Families with young children joined the crowd, while other guests stood chatting between tables.
Behind them, a large chalkboard offered a simple greeting: “Baron’s Pub Welcomes You!”
The name may already be familiar to residents who dine across the Virginia line. Baron’s Pub has established locations in Olde Towne Portsmouth and historic downtown Suffolk. Its website describes the Portsmouth restaurant as a neighborhood fixture dating to 1988.
The Virginia restaurants feature casual American dining, with a signature Baron’s Burger, seafood and craft beer among their offerings. The Suffolk restaurant’s description emphasizes the personal welcome of a neighborhood pub—a place where staff get to know their customers.
In Edenton, it’s a setting with plenty of character. Blue-green walls, the color of the famed teapot patina frame wooden booths and tables, aside from the front bar and dining room, the oyster bar off the patio has been redone and now offers a comfortable space to gather and watch the shuckers. Along with the model airplanes, a dinghy hangs high next to American and North Carolina flags overhead and televisions positioned around the room.
Staff wearing black Baron’s Pub shirts attended to customers as the first evening unfolded. Plates of food and drinks filled tables, and the mix of seated diners and guests stopping to talk gave the room the appearance of a neighborhood gathering.
For residents familiar with the former Oyster Bar, the evening offered an opportunity to return to the marina space and meet its new operators. For Baron’s Pub, it provided an immediate introduction to Edenton’s enthusiasm for a new place to eat and socialize.
A soft opening gives a restaurant an opportunity to put its kitchen and service through their first paces. Wednesday’s turnout gave Baron’s Pub a busy start—and a warm welcome from its new hometown.
