Murphy’s, an American Bistro located in the heart of Virginia Highland, has served the community for over 30 years under the ownership of Tom Murphy, but in early 2026 a father-son partnership took over.

The McCarthy family has been a part of Murphy’s for almost 20 years. Chef Matt McCarthy said he and his father Greg McCarthy have both worked as chefs at the restaurant at different points in time, and are eager to continue the business.

“It was very important for Tom to find people who were going to honor what he’s built,” Matt McCarthy said. “I’ve been here since June of 2023, and my father Greg was the chef in 2005 until about 2009, so all the Murphy’s, the restaurant and the family, have been part of our family for over 20 years. At this point it was the right move for him and also for us.”

Matt McCarthy said Murphy’s is a restaurant fit for special events, but also offers versatility for each occasion.

“I would call Murphy’s an American Bistro where you can come in, you can have a light lunch, a sandwich, a bigger entree, but also you can have business meetings here or fine dining at night,” Matt McCarthy said. “It’s a special occasion restaurant and you can have celebrations here.”

Virginia Highlands resident Debra Shwartz said she would describe the atmosphere of the restaurant as comforting and classic.

“I think classic american and southern fare would be a good way to describe the restaurant,” Schwartz said. “It has a lovely patio, friendly, relaxing bar and an airy dining room filled with natural light.”

Both Greg and Matt McCarthy graduated from the Culinary Institute of America and have been dedicated to their careers as chefs since then.

“My dad graduated from the Culinary Institute of America in 1980,” Matt McCarthy said.” He’s been a chef for 40 years now so I’ve been around it my whole life. I graduated from the same culinary school in 2011 so I’ve been professionally outside of school for 15 years.”

Greg McCarthy said his years of experience with different projects have allowed him to bring a wide range of restaurant and business knowledge to the table.

“I’m able to contribute years of experience,” Greg McCarthy said. “My last venture was a restaurant company in Florida. I helped build the restaurant and the company, so I do have well-rounded restaurant knowledge and experience.” 

On the other hand, Matt McCarthy said his area of expertise is within the kitchen, and he hopes to provide a fresh outlook.

“For me, my strength is certainly in the kitchen,” Matt McCarthy said. “That’s where I’ve primarily focused, but I spent a handful of years in fine dining working with some more modern cuisine and techniques. I think what I bring is a little bit of youthfulness and passion and I view everything through that lens.”

Matt McCarthy said he and his father have always aspired to collaborate on a project like Murphy’s, and when the opportunity became available, they knew they couldn’t pass it up.

“There’s certainly a huge sentimental part of it,” McCarthy said. “Many years ago when I was looking to go to culinary school, we always talked about doing a project together, and until this came along, we never really thought of that as being reality. When this was presented to us we realized this is our chance to carry out the dream we had talked about.”

Matt McCarthy said that their main goal as owners is to honor and build upon the legacy that founder Tom Murphy created.

“I think it’s important to say, no conversation has ever been about taking away,” Matt McCarthy said. “It’s only improving upon improving upon what already exists here. We want people to know us as owners and be able to come to Murphy’s like they always have been and rely on Murphy’s for the food, the service and for the camaraderie. People come here because they love what exists.”

While the restaurant will still largely remain the same, Greg McCarthy believes there are smaller changes that will most likely take place in upcoming years.

“There’s certain changes that we’re going to look for in the future,” Greg McCarthy said. “We probably want to do a little work with the patio in the wine shop area in the future, but nothing quick. Matt has been working on the menu for a couple years now, knowing that this project was gonna happen. There won’t be any major upheaval with the menu because it’s already been in the works.”

The Virginia Highland neighborhood is known for its close community and events. Matt McCarthy said the location of the restaurant allows them to contribute to that great community.

“The beauty of the physical location of this restaurant is when events in the neighborhood happen, everyone shows up,” Matt McCarthy said. “For Halloween, we do the candy crawl and we have our Christmas tree lighting where we bring in the Georgia boy choir and Santa comes down. We try to be a place that’s involved with the community.”

Schwartz said Murphy’s consistency and engagement with the community make it a core part of the neighborhood.

“The food has been great consistently for the life of the business and It has been a neighborhood mainstay for so long,” Schwartz said. “It is part of VaHi’s coming of age story. Both the restaurant as well as Tom Murphy’s ongoing support and contributions to help make the neighborhood what it is today.