Where to eat, drink, and celebrate St. Paddy’s in Milwaukee

You don’t even need the “luck of the Irish” to score a Reuben, Guinness, or other Irish foods and drinks in Milwaukee around St. Patrick’s Day. The city has long hosted Irish pubs and restaurants open year-round, not to mention the world’s largest celebration of culture: Irish Fest, hosted at the Henry Maier Festival Park on downtown Milwaukee’s lakefront every August.

But St. Patrick’s Day is as good a reason as any to sample Milwaukee’s Irish food and drink culture. Here are eight places to go on St. Patrick’s Day this year. 

County Clare Irish Inn & Pub

This East Side spot packs a lot into one place, including live music (Thursday through Saturday), a food menu, a full bar, and 29 guestrooms if you don’t feel like driving home. The owners organize trips to Ireland each year, too.

For weekend brunch, there’s a full Irish breakfast of bangers, black-and-white pudding, a rasher, brown bread, grilled tomato, baked beans, and choice of potato; and a Reuben sandwich, corned-beef sandwich, cottage pie, and corned beef and cabbage are on the dinner menu.

Photo courtesy of County Clare via Facebook.

Paddy’s Pub

This intimate two-story bar — with Guinness on tap and stained-glass windows — is tucked away on the East Side off bustling North Avenue and features a darling little courtyard at the entrance. Traditional Celtic music sessions are hosted every Thursday evening, with pub patrons bringing their own instruments. On the first Monday of the month is a whiskey tasting.

Trinity Three Irish Pubs

If you’re looking for an Irish pub with a dance floor, this is your place. In fact, there are two dance floors at this downtown venue and DJs spin the hits Wednesday through Sunday. That it’s across the street from the Milwaukee River and near Fiserv Forum makes this a crowded — but very fun — bar before or after events held there. Guinness is always on tap and, near St. Patrick’s Day, so is green beer.

Lucky Clover

Milwaukee’s newest Irish bar is a stone’s throw from Fiserv Forum just north of downtown Milwaukee. Pair a small plate or entree (such as Reuben rolls or loaded potato tots to share or a Reuben sandwich) with Irish beers on tap that include O’Hara’s, Guinness, Harp, Kilkenny, and Smithwick’s, plus Magners Irish Cider and shots of Jameson and seven other whiskies.

Photo courtesy of Lucky Clover via Facebook.

McBob’s Pub & Grill

A staple for 35 years on West North Avenue near the Wauwatosa border, new owners took over this spot last month. What makes this restaurant unique is that it’s open at 8 a.m. Thursday to Sunday and 10 a.m. weekdays, so you don’t have to wait long for Irish eats.

On the food menu are Scotch eggs, Irish Spring Rolls (stuffed with corned beef, Swiss cheese, and sauerkraut), corned beef hash, Irish meatloaf, Reuben sandwiches, corned beef sandwiches, and a Farmer’s Dinner (corned beef served with fries, sauteed spinach, onions, and bacon bread). Of course, you can also score a pint of Guinness on tap.

Mo’s Irish Pub

With two Wisconsin locations — in Wauwatosa and downtown Milwaukee — this is a bustling, sprawling restaurant with a vibrant bar area, and perfect for large groups. Food folds in Irish ingredients, like fish and chips (battered with Harp) and chicken breasts glazed with Jameson sauce and you’ll also find a classic Reuben sandwich and shepherd’s pie. On the cocktail menu are unique Irish-themed drinks such as an Irish Float and Dublin Mule. 

O’Lydia’s Bar and Grill

Located in Walker’s Point, right on South First Street, the food menu lingers into the night (until 10 p.m. weeknights and 1 a.m. weekends), serving up Irish-inspired food like Irish potato skins, Irish dip sandwiches, Reuben sandwiches, Reuben rolls, and meatloaf or shredded pot roast with Guinness gravy. For weekend brunch, you can order corned beef hash and a skillet or omelet stuffed with corned beef. This restaurant also has an enclosed outdoor patio.

Photo courtesy of O’Lydias via Facebook.

The Harp Irish Pub

The downtown perch for this Irish pub — just a half block east of the Wisconsin River along East Juneau Avenue, boasting a nice patio with a river view — is a popular stop before or after concerts or sporting events. It was founded and run for decades by a middle-aged widow, moving to the current spot in the 1970s, and now has different owners.

Guinness is on tap, as is Harp, and while skewing more towards bar food than some of the other restaurants on this list, you can find Reuben rolls alongside cheese curds on the menu.

This article first appeared on Good Info News Wire and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.