Reny Alfonso thinks of Bog & Barley as a “bistro on steroids ... but with an Irish flair to everything.”

The capacious East Memphis restaurant is well-appointed and full of gleaming wood finishes, glittering chandeliers and “lots of whiskey, lots of Guinness,” in Alfonso’s words. 

“People walk in after three years and ... they still go, wow, this is here. It’s impressive,” Bog & Barley owner DJ Naylor said on this week’s Sound Bites podcast. “There’s a lot to take in.” 

But before there was Bog & Barley, there was Celtic Crossing. Cooper-Young’s staple Irish bar was damaged in a car crash a few days after celebrating the pub’s 20th anniversary in late June.

Celtic Crossing will partially reopen in time for Cooper-Young Fest, which is Saturday, Sept. 13. 

What better time to bring in Brazen Restaurant Group owner, Naylor, and director of operations, Reny Alfonso to talk with me on Sound Bites?

In this week’s conversation, we discuss the differences between Celtic Crossing, Bog & Barley and Maeve’s Tavern. Maeve’s opened in June in the Collierville Town Square. Naylor and Alfonso talked about each spot’s atmosphere, price points and food. 

We also talked about the state of the Irish pub, as a concept. 

We discussed the shifting (and shrinking) drinking culture. An August 2025 Gallup poll reported that “the percentage of U.S. adults who say they consume alcohol has fallen to 54%,” the lowest in 90 years. 

On the podcast, Naylor said that Irish-style pubs, whether in Ireland or elsewhere, have traditionally focused on drinking rather than top-notch food. 

“People just used to go there and go drinking ... maybe get a shepherd’s pie that was average. That’s not going to cut it anymore. It’s not going to be memorable,” Naylor said. 

Naylor has taken a differet approach to his Irish establishments.

He brought former Chez Philippe chef Alfonso back to Memphis to open Bog & Barley in 2023. The chef designs the restaurants’ menus and operations at Celtic and Maeve’s, too. And so food is what we talked about next.

We discuss fish and chips, shepherd’s pie, redfish and grits with a Dubliner cream sauce, oysters, Irish dairy, boiled ham and potatoes, Guinness, whiskey, carbonara, avocados, the best dinner Naylor’s had in town recently and Alfonso’s favorite “guilty pleasure” dish. 

Listen to the full episode below. 

What do you want us to talk about on Sound Bites next? Email me with your guest or topic ideas.

Bog & Barley is in the Regalia Shopping Center at 6150 Poplar Ave., Suite 124. Celtic Crossing is located at 903 Cooper St. Maeve’s Tavern is at 78 N Main St. in Collierville.