TAMPA, Fla. — Wilton Morley, a proper Brit for sure, is not prone to getting mushy or overly emotional.
For 33 years, the son of famous actor Robert Morley owned a small, cozy Tampa icon, the English pub Mad Dogs & Englishmen.
There, he would hold court about his wild life, including friendships with Lauren Bacall, Bob Dylan, and Russell Crowe.
Now, Mad Dogs has a new home (4914 S MacDill Ave., Tampa) just down the street from the first location.
It’s a lovely thing, more than three times the size of the original, with 6,000 square feet of myriad themed rooms evoking posh British comfort and cuisine.
Art adorning every inch of wall space celebrates the best of England in the 20th century, from poets and kings to the Clash and David Bowie.
So when Morley first saw his lovely new home…
“I actually choked up,” he says with a smile. “I had to go out to the parking lot and get myself together.”
Mad Dogs still serves up pints of Guinness and famous fish & chips, but now there’s a LOT more room to enjoy the delicious fare, with both indoor and outdoor seating, an upbeat bar, and a refined “Moroccan room.”
One of Morley’s main partners is none other than Blake Casper, a Tampa restaurateur whose ownership palate spans from McDonald’s to Oxford Exchange.
Three decades ago, Casper got his food service start as a busboy for Morley at the original Mad Dogs.
“When he gets on a roll, I’ll hear a new story,” says Casper, laughing. “Even after 30 years, there’s more and more and more.”
The new Mad Dogs location is open 7 days a week for lunch, dinner, and weekend brunch.
For more on Mad Dogs & Englishmen, go here.
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