New Restaurant Opening at Site of Sharkey’s Bar in Binghamton

More than five years after Binghamton's iconic Sharkey's Bar & Grill closed its doors, the building is about to come back to life.

The operators of a Johnson City eatery have been working to start the next chapter of the spot at 56 Glenwood Avenue.

Sharkey's had been a fixture in the First Ward of Binghamton for almost 73 years. The place became a community gathering spot best known for its spiedies, city chicken and clams.

The owners of Sharkey's had put the business on the market in late 2019. They faced plenty of challenges for months during the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic. They ultimately shut down the restaurant in November of that year.

A Broome County woman bought the property in January 2022 and sold it to the owners of Halal Bites restaurant the following year.

Arshad Sohail, a co-owner of Halal Bites, told WNBF News Wednesday that he hopes the restaurant's Binghamton location will be able to open in April.

He said the interior construction work has been completed. New "Halal Bites" signs recently were installed to replace the old "Sharkey's" signs in the front and rear of the building.

Sohail is awaiting final permits from the city and the Broome County Health Department.

He said "we are very close" to launching operations at the Glenwood Avenue site. The owners plan to continue operating the existing Halal Bites location on Riverside Drive in Johnson City for a time during a transitional period.

Sohail said the Binghamton restaurant is expected to have seating for about 40 diners. He said it will be open seven days a week.

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Contact WNBF News reporter Bob Joseph: bob@wnbf.com or call (607) 545-2250. For breaking news and updates on developing stories, follow @BinghamtonNow on Twitter.