On my way to Franklin last week, I stopped in Cookeville for lunch hoping to find a hometown restaurant. When I'm on the road I like to find eateries we don't have at home, but I drove all the way to the town square and saw nothing but chain restaurants. I headed back toward the interstate, resigned to lunch at Arby's, when I saw Hooligan's Half/Irish Pub, which is located in a strip mall at 586 Jefferson Avenue in Cookeville. I could tell it was a beer joint, but hoped they might serve shepherd's pie.
The indeed made a delicious shepherd's pie, and they had an assortment of the standard pub fare of burgers, sandwiches, wings and the like. Their beer selection was extraordiary, but I stuck with iced tea. The service was good, and my meal including tip was about $13.00. It is not family-friendly, and I detected the odor of cigarette smoke. I nevertheless enjoyed my meal and then got back on the road.
