"They don't know how to make bagels down here." That's the line Cornelius Today used to open its October story on Hunter's Bagels. The paper described it as a common refrain among Northeastern transplants living around Lake Norman.
Eleven days earlier and a few doors away, the owners of Harp & Crown opened The Alleyway. They built it to feel distinctly different from the sports bars and live-music venues around it.
Both businesses sit in the 19900 block of West Catawba Avenue. Neither is a general-purpose restaurant. Each one was built around a single idea of what was missing, and the ideas are specific enough that the block now works differently at 7 a.m. and at 9 p.m. than it did in September.
The complaint Hunter's Bagels was built to answer
Hunter's Bagels opened Monday, Oct. 12, at 19905 W. Catawba Ave. It took over the former Coffee Republic & Bakery space near Goodwill.
Co-owners Andrew Roth and Brandon Kurz are brothers-in-law. Cornelius Today reports that the bagels come from Kurz's 60-year-old family recipe, which traces back to a Brooklyn kitchen. Roth grew up with parents who ran a bagel shop for nearly two decades.
The two moved from South Florida to North Carolina this year after Kurz sold his custom golf cart dealership. They considered a bar and grill and a deli before settling on bagels.
The money went into the product itself. The owners spent six figures on bagel-making equipment, including an Empire oven about the size of a stand-up shower. Its job is a chewy bagel with a crisp shell. There's no microwave on the premises, and the breakfast sandwiches are made from scratch.
Kurz told the paper the goal is consistency, so that a customer gets "the same product" whether they come in "once a month or every single day or a year from now because you're on vacation."
The shop is named for Kurz's son, Hunter, and the outdoor theme runs through everything. Deer antlers appear in the logo, and Kurz's mother designed the lodge-style interior. Here's what's on the menu:
- Standard bagels: everything, garlic, onion, plain, poppy, salt, sesame, whole wheat, egg, blueberry, chocolate chip and cinnamon raisin
- Specialty bagels: Asiago and jalapeño cheddar
- Egg sandwiches: The Hunter, The Buck and The Doe
- Signature sandwiches: Turkey Club, BLT, Nova, Chicken Salad and Vegetarian
- Sweet side of breakfast: French Toast and Belgian Waffle
- By the bag: a half dozen for $12 or a baker's dozen for $24
Hunter's online listing shows hours of 6:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., seven days a week. That makes it the earliest door on this part of West Catawba. Its day is mostly over by the time the block's evening businesses open.
A few doors down, a room built for talking
Harp & Crown is at 19930 West Catawba Ave., Suite 130. The Alleyway is at the same address in Suite 200, in the space across the alley. According to Cornelius Today, the owners spent 16 months converting it into a 1920s-style cocktail lounge, which opened Oct. 1.
The bagel shop was built around a better bagel. The Alleyway was built around a quieter room.
It seats 75. The menu has about 20 signature cocktails and skips draft beer and sports. A few drinks nod to Harp & Crown's Celtic roots, including the Dublin Express, the Celtic Breeze and the Fake Foolery. There's one TV, at the far end of the room.
"This is about more connection and that chill vibe."
Mary Maiorino, as quoted by Cornelius Today
The music follows the same idea. Maiorino told the paper the lounge would skip the rock-band format and keep the music in the background. "It's not going to be the loud music," she said. "We want our own flavor."
The room looks the part. Maiorino painted the walls black to show off the exposed wood beams that were already in the building. She added a chandelier, and candles light the room at night. The walls are covered in 1920s-style portraits of Harp & Crown regulars and friends, which the owners made by running customer photos through artificial intelligence.
At opening, the food was charcuterie boards and appetizers, prepared in the lounge and in the Harp & Crown kitchen. The launch plan also included monthly themed parties, starting with a ticketed Roaring '20s night in October with a DJ and dancing.
How the two rooms at 19930 split the week
The Alleyway changes the most about the address it shares with Harp & Crown.
The pub's posted schedule has lunch, brunch and dinner six days a week, and it's closed on Tuesdays. The Charlotte Observer reported The Alleyway's hours as Tuesday through Saturday, 5 p.m. to midnight. Cornelius Today described those as opening hours that could change.
Put the two schedules together and Tuesday stands out. It's the one night the lounge is open while the pub next door is closed.
| Day | Harp & Crown, posted hours | The Alleyway, reported opening hours |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | Lunch 11 a.m.–3 p.m., dinner 3–10 p.m. | Closed |
| Tuesday | Closed | 5 p.m.–midnight |
| Wednesday | Lunch 11 a.m.–3 p.m., dinner 3–10 p.m. | 5 p.m.–midnight |
| Thursday | Lunch 11 a.m.–3 p.m., dinner 3–10 p.m. | 5 p.m.–midnight |
| Friday | Lunch 11 a.m.–3 p.m., dinner 3–11 p.m. | 5 p.m.–midnight |
| Saturday | Brunch 10 a.m.–3 p.m., dinner 3–11 p.m. | 5 p.m.–midnight |
| Sunday | Brunch 10 a.m.–3 p.m., dinner 3–10 p.m. | Closed |
The handoff works the same way on the rest of the block. Hunter's Bagels closes at 2:30 p.m., and Harp & Crown's lunch runs until 3. On weekends, the pub's brunch overlaps with the end of the bagel shop's day. The lounge opens at 5. On six days a week, something at these two addresses is open from 6:30 a.m. until late. Tuesday has the one gap, between Hunter's 2:30 p.m. close and The Alleyway's 5 p.m. opening, because Harp & Crown is closed that day. Each place has a narrower job than a full-day restaurant would.
On weekends, Maiorino said the lounge would also host private events.
The Alleyway's calendar for the rest of November
The lounge's events page has music on most nights it's open. Weeknight sets start at 7 p.m., and weekend sets start at 8. Here's what's left this month, starting Thursday, Nov. 12.
- Every Wednesday, 7–10 p.m.: Michelle Renée, the lounge's weekly live-music series
- Thursday, Nov. 12, 7–10 p.m.: LS Brown, guitar
- Friday, Nov. 13, 8–11 p.m.: John Shaunessy
- Saturday, Nov. 14, 8–11 p.m.: Rose and Thorn
- Thursday, Nov. 19, 7–10 p.m.: Holly Hopkins Jazz
- Friday, Nov. 20, and Saturday, Nov. 21, 8–11 p.m.: Bobby Thomas Trio, both nights
- Thursday, Nov. 26: Closed for Thanksgiving
- Friday, Nov. 27, 8–11 p.m.: John Shaunessy
- Saturday, Nov. 28, 8–11 p.m.: Pluto Duo
Saturday, Nov. 28 is also the day of the town's 15th annual Light Up Cornelius, which starts at 4 p.m. according to the Town of Cornelius calendar. Pluto Duo starts four hours later.
If you're picking up a baker's dozen for a full house on Thanksgiving weekend, Hunter's opens at 6:30 a.m.
Earlier this year we covered new restaurants along Bailey Road and North Main and August music on Catawba Avenue and Statesville Road. The 19900 block of West Catawba picked up its two newest stops this fall. More on the town is in our Cornelius guide.
The team at Southern Charm Realty & Retreats works out of Cornelius and keeps up with what opens on our own streets. If you're thinking about a home within an easy walk or short drive of West Catawba, schedule a Lake Norman consult, by car or by boat. We'll start with coffee and a bagel.
