WTF Report: Hibernia

This afternoon, I was walking up 9th avenue when something weird caught my eye (which is itself notable in NYC, where everything is weird). More specifically, I noticed that Epoque Bar & Grill, a bar/restaurant on 50th and 9th that had just opened in mid-October, was gone. But not only that-- a new bar had already taken its place.

Same awnings, different colors and text

Hibernia looks vaguely Irish-ish and definitely more downscale than Epoque (which was a little bit cooler-than-thou), more along the sports bar vein than see-and-be-seen. No menu or anything up. No sign that they just opened, no word on whether it's owned by the same people as Epoque. They seem to have kept roughly the same setup as Epoque, with maybe a new paint job and a change in furniture. Overall...curious.

A shot of the interior