Irish Bars

[Woodsy]

So its St Patrick's Day

A day many will or once would flock to whatever Irish Bar they know. Drink Guinness and Irish Whiskey, Salainte

But many of us would avoid such a place on this holiday. Many of us would because we prefer it most other days.

I love me some Irish bars

Whats your favourite Irish bar. not the coolest one ya been to, unless that one is.
Your favourite.

I've been to Irish bars in Germany,Spain, Hungary, England, Ireland, likely a few more places....

At University, I used to walk down on Sundays and drink Beamish pints at Jinty McGintys in Glasgow, sometimes get breakfast if we could afford it. Mostly because we could sit in the back on the lawn undisturbed and read every Sunday paper printed in English for free.
Its still there, took my mom there when we were on a wisky tour in 2019.
Not my Favourite.

Watched Manchester United win the Champions League in 2008 in an Irish Bar in Manhattan near my work, not my favourite. THE Irish Bar on 7th Ave where Armchair Extreme first took me when I was just a visitor & later where I watched United win a match with my old flatmate from Salford the morning of my wedding.
Not my favorite.

Watched a lot of soccer a lot of years in many Irish bars in New York, and none of them are my favourite.

I have spent many a day, some with my son in my arms or next to me, watching matches at tigin in Stamford the lat 8 years, my local as much as I have one currently, but not my favorite.


But there is a pace on 48th Street between 9th & 10th Ave in Hell's Kitchen called The Gaf. Amazing pints of Guinness, no food, great bartenders ( often the owners)

I would highly recommend it.

Its the best.

[I Skied Bandini Mountain]

Molly Malone's, L.A. Gave the band their name. Wifey and I spent a lot of time in there in the late 80's when we lived nearby and wanted to keep new relationship quiet. A real Irish pub with a portrait of Bobby Sands on the wall and always some serious looking guys down on the end of the bar. You never overheard what those guys were quietly talking about and a toast to the queen was not recommended behavior. Wifey's big pile of red hair and blazing smile were always met with appreciative eyes.

[cinnepa]

no names but hit several in Galsway, Ireland. a couple years ago that i'm guessing very similar to many throughout the country. the best.

[Peruvian]

McSorley's in the East Village. We would meet there before Dead shows at MSG for a pint or two and gather the crew before walking up to the Garden to get our heads together for the show.

[RShea]

Early 80's there was an Irish Bar in NE Philly- right off Roosevelt Blvd that we found while working down there for a few months. It had Friday Irish Music sing along. Do not remember if it was the same house band or not every week at this point nor do I remember the name of the Bar.

There are a few in town now that are considered true Irish Bars and do it all up for St. Pats every year (except last year they were forced to be closed due to Covid 19)

College there were 2 Irish Bars, but every bar tries to be an Irish Bar on St. Pats it seems- shamrocks and green food colored beer on tap.

[ski_the_fraulein]

The Old Shillelagh in downtown Detroit. An iconic bar that I first visited in the 80s and in addition to having a legendary event on St. Patrick’s was the usual “go-to” prior to a Wings game at the Joe. Lived in Chicago for a bit and have similarly visited Irish Bars all over the world (Ireland, Scotland, England, Belgium, Italy and Australia), my next favorites were in Canada - one in Grand Bend, ONT (near the Pinery) and the other St. James Gate in Banff... both have a lot of good memories attached. I will confirm - Guinness tastes better in Ireland...


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[jackstraw]

McSorley's in the East Village. We would meet there before Dead shows at MSG for a pint or two and gather the crew before walking up to the Garden to get our heads together for the show.

I went there once. I don't remember leaving.

[Wrecked]

The Old Shillelagh in downtown Detroit. An iconic bar that I first visited in the 80s and in addition to having a legendary event on St. Patrick’s was the usual “go-to” prior to a Wings game at the Joe.

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Dude who ran the door there for like 15-20 years sold blow.... that was a nice feature...

[Timberridge]

I went there once. I don't remember leaving.

If you didn't drink enough and order the saltine and raw onion appetizer they made you leave.

They also didn't have a ladies room years ago, so if your bird had to pee you had to stand watch at the door.

[evasive_MT]

I remember some basement level bar on 2nd avenue in the 86-87th street range. I went there a lot with a buddy who moved in around the corner. Nothing special, just your typical neighborhood NYC bar with a buyback, but very Irish. Framed photo of Gerry Adams on the wall behind the bar.

[refried]

favorite would probably be the AOH in Salem, Mass., have a lot of family who are/were lifelong members and the AOH was a big part of their lives. I'm sure I had my first drink in a bar there and would know someone I knew (or a relative of) if I walked in there today.
I was in an Irish bar on the north shore of Long Island eating lunch one day and a group of 8? older guys walk in dressed in full fox hunting attire. One sits next to me and after a minute or two tells the bartender to get me another beer and put it on his tab because he could tell I "had Irish blood" and my friend one because he was the friend of an Irishman. I found out this was the first stop after the hunt that no longer involved foxes.
I remember one around the corner from my grandparents house in South Boston that was cool to go to but it was just a local bar like many others.

[gatorboy]

But there is a pace on 48th Street between 9th & 10th Ave in Hell's Kitchen called The Gaf. Amazing pints of Guinness, no food, great bartenders ( often the owners)

Its the best.

What determines an "amazing pint of Guinness"?

Is it other than:
Poured in a Guinness glass
Proper head (bonus if the last pour created a shamrock)
Proper temp (40-45 degrees)
?

[ski_adk]

Eamonn’s in Loudonville,NY was the best. Great bands, bench seating and it had a beloved owner confined to a wheelchair from falling off a bar stool in his own bar. The guy was a legend - kind, charitable and a great musician.


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[Woodsy]

What determines an "amazing pint of Guinness"?

Is it other than:
Poured in a Guinness glass
Proper head (bonus if the last pour created a shamrock)
Proper temp (40-45 degrees)
?

Me, I have had a number of them.

Well poured, take your time
No shamrock and In a proper pint glass ( bonus for Imperial pints) so many fucking bullshit Irish bars serve in a 13 or 14 oz glass shaped like a pint glass
fucking wankers

[Woodsy]

& McSorleys is McSorleys
Dive bar
Ale house and truly unique in the US
Even though owned and operated by a few different generations of Irish Immigrant families, I never considered it an Irish bar

Me on Easter Sunday there a number of years back. Notice the gent in the background. Classic

[evdog]

no names but hit several in Galsway, Ireland. a couple years ago that i'm guessing very similar to many throughout the country. the best.

Isn't an irish bar in Ireland just a....bar?

[Flyoverland Captive]

"Half Time Rec" in St. Paul; I saw some great music there back in the 90's. They even have two dirt-floor Bocce courts in the basement.

[mud]

There was the one down the street in Brooklyn that had 25 cent drafts during happy hour, no windows, 4 old guys perpetually at the bar, it's a sushi place now.

McGuire's is fun, they have a 5k run with unlimited Irish Wakes and Senate Bean Soup at the end.
I skip the soup and stick to the Irish Wake's.
https://www.mcguiresirishpub.com/dinner-menu

[gatorboy]

I found this documentary entertaining:

https://www.amazon.com/Irish-Pub-Ale.../dp/B018YA97GA

[Dhelihiker]

I just made proper Irish coffees for the entire office. Productivity has diminished.

[Flounder]

Always partial to McGraths at the Inn at the Long Trail. In the 80s it was one of the few places in the US where you could get true Guinness on tap. Helped that our fake IDs worked there senior year of HS when licenses were made of paper and had no pictures! Still meet up with the Rutland crew there now and again and it’s still a great place.

Spent most of a year working in DC where I came to like the Dubliner. Much larger than McGraths but decent food and drink. Still try and stop by if I’m in DC.

[Dexter Rutecki]

McSorley's in the East Village. We would meet there before Dead shows at MSG for a pint or two and gather the crew before walking up to the Garden to get our heads together for the show.

Funny, I know the place (used to have to park around it all the time when we lived down there and for some reason still end up parking on the block every other month or so), but have probably only been in once. I believe it is the oldest continuously operating bar in the city (because they had a speakeasy type thing during prohibition), started before 1860.

I actually know Woodsy's Gaf place, because I remember when it opened (the little group I hung around with often went to Hell's Kitchen in the 90's). Didn't even know for sure that it was still there. But I liked going to Rudy's because you could get cheap hot dogs (absolutely no clue if that place survived or not).

Woodsy, let's grab a pint once we're all vaxed and you are in the hood.

[criscam]

Not sure if still there but loved Matt Murphy's in Brookline 15+ years ago. small bar, live music and great shepherds pie.

[Art Shirk]

[MakersTeleMark]

What determines an "amazing pint of Guinness"?

Is it other than:
Poured in a Guinness glass
Proper head (bonus if the last pour created a shamrock)
Proper temp (40-45 degrees)
?

Me, I have had a number of them.

Well poured, take your time
No shamrock and In a proper pint glass ( bonus for Imperial pints) so many fucking bullshit Irish bars serve in a 13 or 14 oz glass shaped like a pint glass
fucking wankers

I found this documentary entertaining:

https://www.amazon.com/Irish-Pub-Ale.../dp/B018YA97GA

Not sure if still there but loved Matt Murphy's in Brookline 15+ years ago. small bar, live music and great shepherds pie.

That was my local in the late 90's. Hundreds of pints. Just looked it up, they put stools around the redone bar, and it seems to have gone all bougie.

https://www.amazon.com/Pint-Sized-Ir.../dp/0312377584

TL,DR: The perfect pint is the one in front of you with the ones around you.