Where To Eat On St. Patrick’s Day

Despite our aversion to weekend bar hopping on St. Patrick’s Day, we’re not total curmudgeons about the holiday. A good Irish supper could be just the thing tonight, but it’s up to you how much tolerance you have for the drunken throngs. The following suggestions should encompass a range of projected crowds.

• For straight-up Irish bar food, the The Napper Tandy does a good job. They have curries and sausages and soda bread, like you’d get in a pub/restaurant in Ireland. It will probably be pretty crowded tonight, but if you can get there early or late enough, you should be able to get served alright. No promises on a seat.

• The The Irish Bank will be (we can almost guarantee) overflowing with green-hatted drunks. Despite that, we have to give them credit for their traditional menu, which includes sausages and beans, fish and chips, shepherd’s pie, and corned beef and cabbage.

• Speaking of corned beef and cabbage, some of the best options for that dish are your hofbraus. And the best hofbrau in town is Tommy’s Joynt. Not exactly an Irish pub, but if you just want steam-tray meats and veggies and an imported beer, that’s the place to go.

• On the cheap, bar-food side of things, the Edinburgh Castle might be a good option. While technically a Scottish bar, they do have a lot of Irish beers, and they serve fish and chips — complete with malt vinegar and newspaper wrapping — from Old Chelsea around the corner.

• Finally, for a slightly higher-end, sit-down dinner, McCormick & Kuleto’s is offering St. Patrick’s Day specials tonight, consisting of “traditional Irish fare.” The steak-and-seafood place is already a pretty solid bet, food-wise, even if it exists in the fourth level of tourist hell (ie. North Point Street).

[Photo: Via Spiros2004/flickr]

Where To Eat On St. Patrick’s Day