A little taste of home: Junction Pub opens in Sylva
With a keen focus on Italian and Greek dishes, the Junction Pub in Sylva will be hosting its grand opening April 11-13.
It’s mid-afternoon and the seats are starting to fill up at the Junction Pub in Sylva. Located along Skyland Drive near downtown, the old-style railroad depot structure is now entering its next chapter.
“This building has been sitting empty for many years,” said Junction Pub owner/chef Craig Szymanski. “And I’d been looking around at every building around here that’d been a restaurant before — this place just seemed to fit what I was looking to do.”
With its official grand opening to be held April 11-13, the Jackson County establishment is a much-anticipated addition to the already-bustling culinary scene in the small mountain town.
Formerly No Name Sports Pub, the building itself has remained dormant for the better part of the last decade. And as No Name, the business was a highly-popular spot when it came to watching sports and seeing live music — two aspects of the Junction Pub that Szymanski aims to revive and focus on.
“I heard all these stores from people about how they loved this place and how great it was [for music and food],” Szymanski said. “And that’s exactly what we’re trying to bring back.”
If Szymanski’s name sounds familiar, it’s because he’s also the owner/chef for the Rivers & Rails Tavern in Dillsboro. Opened in 2020, the tavern has become a haven for those in search of a wide-range of food styles and offerings — Korean to Mexican and beyond.
Related Items
This must be the place: Ain’t no time like the present to get your shit together
Gas station would be a big mistake
Fueled up: Public opposition mounts over gas station project
‘Hands off’ protests hit their mark, nationally and locally
“R&R has some Asian flare to it that I took from my time living out west [in California],” Szymanski said. So, [with the Junction], I’m bringing more of my New York/Eastern stuff [to the table].”
In contrast to R&R, the Junction Pub will have a keen focus on Italian and Greek cuisine — gyros to mussels, lamb meatballs to shrimp fra diavolo — which harkens back to Szymanski’s roots as a New York native. There’s also a “Weekend Brunch” component to the menu atop the usual pub standbys (burgers, wings, etc.).
Craig Szymanski is the owner/chef at the Junction Pub. Garret K. Woodward photo
“[The Junction] is scratching that Northeast itch,” Szymanski said.
Raised just outside of New York City in Rockland County, New York, Szymanski was a teenager in the 1980s when he started washing dishes and prepping ingredients at city eateries, gradually working his way up to becoming a chef of his own.
As expected, those decades-old metropolitan restaurants were tight ships that expected quality and respect to what not only what was being served, but also who was serving it.
“I learned so much from growing up in New York, where we’d go right into the city and experience some of the greatest food you’ll ever eat, everything from Italian or Chinese — you soak in all of this culture and tradition,” Szymanski reminisced.
From New York, Szymanski headed for culinary work in California, working and honing his kitchen craft in authentic Mexican and Asian restaurants for the better part of 20 years. During this West Coast period, Szymanski also acquired and developed a successful catering company.
By December 2018, Szymanski and his family had decided to relocate to Western North Carolina. It was a fresh start, with Szymanski eventually becoming the chef at Balsam Falls Brewing when its kitchen opened in August 2019. That move eventually parleyed itself into the opportunity for Szymanski to open Rivers & Rails Tavern.
“We want to offer these dishes you can’t find anywhere,” Szymanski said. “There’s so much room for growth in the food scene here, this growth you really can’t find anywhere else — we love it here.”
Aesthetically, Szymanski did an extensive renovation of the Junction Pub building, from brand new bathrooms to a complete overhaul of the live music stage in the backroom. A lifelong musician himself, Szymanski is excited for the acts to jump up behind the microphone.
“I just love music and I know this area loves music,” Szymanski said, who also plays drums in the venue’s house band, Break Cutter.
To note, there’s an “Open Jam” starting at 7 p.m. on Tuesdays and an “Open Mic” 6 p.m. Thursdays, all of which atop a slew of live bands and singer-songwriters that are booked on the weekends. Talks are also in the works to create a “Comedy Night” and feature stand-up.
“This place is about everybody being able to come in and enjoy all of the things we have,” Szymanski said. “We’re ready to be open.”
Want to go?
The grand opening of the Junction Pub will be held April 11-13 at the restaurant/taproom, which is located at 1070 Skyland Drive in Sylva.
Featuring an array of specialized Italian and Green menu items, the establishment also hosts live music throughout the week. Hours of operation are 11 a.m. to midnight Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Sunday.
For more information, call 828.370.2090 or visit facebook.com/jctpub.
