A restaurant is set to open in the space that once occupied Morris's Grill. But according to the new owners, nothing will ever take the place of Morris's.

Sometime next year, downtown Skaneateles will see the opening of Moro's, a bistro-style restaurant, in the former Morris's location at 6 W. Genesee St.

Skaneateles residents Ed and Beth Moro will own and operate the eatery. Ed Moro is known for creating Giverny, the four-star dining establishment at Mirbeau Inn and Spa, where he was the executive chef for several years.

“Nothing's going to replace Morris's,” Moro said last week. “Beth and I always loved going there, and I was incredibly sad to see it go.”

Moro said he hopes his new restaurant, which will have a bar and serve family-style international cuisine, will have a similar vibe to the one Morris's created. The couple's aim is to fill that void left when Morris's, a popular hang-out spot, closed.

“We want Moro's to be a place that has outstanding food, but also a place people want to come to again and again. We want it to be a social hub, too,” he added.

Jerrold Gorelick with Emanon Equities, the owners of the Seitz Building, said after Morris's closed, his company received about a dozen offers from businesses that wanted to move in.

“Our intention was to bring somebody in who knows how to run a restaurant/bar that will cater to the needs of Skaneateles,” Gorelick explained.

“From what the Moros have laid out to me, the goal is to create a place where people can go in, have some drinks, and have the option of a more extensive food menu.”

Workers are currently gutting the space, which will double the location's size. Gorelick said he expects crews will finish renovations to the space this fall, after which the Moros will begin designing and creating the bistro.

Beth said she hopes to have the restaurant open for business sometime next spring.

Ed will run the kitchen, and Beth will run the dining room. According to Beth, Moro's will be a full-service restaurant, while Morris's was a bar that served food, but the couple hopes the atmosphere will be similar.

“It'll definitely have a casual feel and very affordable food,” she said. “We want to be sort of everybody's neighborhood restaurant.”

Ed said the bistro will offer “soul-satisfying food,” along with local wines and beer. The menu will include French, Italian and Asian-influenced dishes.

Beth hopes Moro's will foster a sense of community like Morris's did.

“We have always felt welcomed in Skaneateles,” she said. “Ed has wanted to open his own restaurant since he started cooking 20 years ago, and to have the opportunity to open one in our own community is a dream come true.”

Since it opened decades ago, Morris's became known as the local working-class watering hole. On any given night, the parking slots in front of the bar were filled with motorcycles as patrons packed the small establishment.

Morris's owner Burt Lipe died last October. Soon after, Burt's widow, Mary Jayne Lipe, entered into a long, extensive legal battle with Emanon Equities over a lease agreement.

After Skaneateles Town Justice Kathleen Dell issued a warrant of eviction for the pub in January, attorneys representing Morris's Grill Corp. filed a preliminary injunction with the court, which in effect prevented Emanon Equities from proceeding with the eviction.

But in March a judge denied the injunction, and Onondaga County Sheriff's deputies placed padlocks on the bar's doors on April 15. Morris's was later allowed to remain open for another week, and had a “last bash” on May 3.