Happy St. Paddy’s Day to all of our Irish and “wanna-be Irish for a day” readers. We asked our wonderful Jersey Bites contributors to send in their suggestions for places in New Jersey to get your Irish on this Saturday. Please be sure to leave us your suggestions in the comment section if we missed your favorite spot.
Michele : Irish Eyes Pub is as Irish as Leprechauns, lace curtains, St. Patty and….well you get the idea! The food is always great, try the Shepards Pie and Corned Beef and Cabbage and the drinks are always served with a smile. 446 St. Louis Avenue in Egg Harbor Twp. 609.965.7878
Jennifer: The Old Oar House Irish Pub inhabits an 1883 original 3-story building in the heart of Millville’s revitalized downtown district. Carefully reconstructed to look like the Irish pubs of old Philadelphia, Old Oar House boasts a custom wrap-around bar featuring 33 beers (18 on tap) including Guinness, Harp, and Flying Fish, and a collection of “drinking man’s” whiskeys. Enjoy Irish pub favorites such as Corned Beef and Cabbage, Shepherd’s Pie, and Guinness Irish Stew. Old Oar House blends the charm of a dimly lit traditional pub with the amenities of a city restaurant. The food here is first-rate! Karaoke on Wednesdays, live music Thursday through Saturday. It’s sure to be packed on March 17th! Located at 123 North High Street, Millville. 856-293-1200
Allison: Cattle ‘n Clover Irish Steakhouse is having a grand opening festival on March 17th, St Patty’s Day. They’re aiming for a Guinness world record for making the world’s largest shepherd’s pie and they’re giving away a trip to Ireland. Details below. More info here: http://www.wildwoodstpatsday.com Come celebrate like the Irish on St. Patricks day in Wildwood! This inaugural festival will be a crowd pleaser with entertainment all day long and family fun! This event is free & open to the public! Start the fun bright & early with Kegs & Eggs breakfast buffet ($10 includes 2 drink tickets) then get ready to listen to live bands like the Soul Cruisers, Burning Bridget Cleary & winner’s of ABC’s the Sing Off- PENTATONIX! Stick around for a chance to win a trip to IRELAND courtesy of Cattle ‘n Clover Irish Steakhouse and 98.6 the Coast & the making of the WORLD’S LARGEST SHEPHERDS PIE! Guinness record officials will be there to make sure it’s official! 3817 Pacific Avenue, Wildwood, NJ 08260
Deanna: Morris County’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade always attracts green-hued hordes to Morristown to celebrate, and crowds overflow from the many friendly pubs and bars surrounding the (appropriately named) Green. Take your pick from the Dublin Pub, Hennessy’s, and Grasshopper Off the Green, to name just a few. But for a decidedly less rowdy and entirely charming experience, head a bit north to Dover and venture into The Quiet Man, an Irish Pub that serves excellent grub as well as fresh, foamy Guinness and “famous” Irish Coffee. Their 32nd annual St. Patrick’s Day celebration, on Saturday, March 17, will feature a special Irish menu including potato leek soup, traditional corned beef and cabbage, Irish stew, and “Dublin style” fish & chips, along with live Irish music beginning at 2pm. No need to limit yourself to the holiday, though. The Quiet Man is open 7 days a week with Happy Hour and menu specials every weekday, and live music every weekend. Sláinte! The Quiet Man, 64 East McFarlan Street (Rt 46) Dover, NJ 07801. 973-366-6333
Colleen: Just open for 10 months, this will be The Irish Mile’s inaugural St. Patrick’s Day celebration. Saturday from 1pm to 1am everyone will be enjoying this weekend’s mild weather with a big outside tent equipped with beer kiosks, live Irish music, and traditional fare like shepherd’s pie and corned beef and cabbage. There are no tickets or reservations. Just come as you are and ready to celebrate. The pub currently has 48 beers on tap with another 12 coming soon! The party is sure to get bigger later in the afternoon and into the night as runners from the 7th Annual Adrenaline 5k look to quench their thirst and celebrate the Haddonfield Running Company’s 15thAnniversary. If all that isn’t enough of a pull, builder of the bar and St. Pat look-alike, Barry Felton will be available for photo ops and if you get stir crazy you can always join the free Haddon Township St. Patrick’s Day Pub Crawl with trolley service from 2-8pm! “This stretch of Haddon Township is unique…the Irish Mile. From Cuthbert Boulevard to PJ’s down the road is about a mile. It’s special because you have the major train station right there and all the restaurants with liquor license along that stretch,” said owner Ed Donohue. 350 Haddon Avenue, Haddon Township, NJ 08108 856-858-8500
Kerry: Dubh Linn Square owners Michael and Sean McGeough opened their two NJ pubs so we all could enjoy quality food and drink in a fun atmosphere with friendly service and great live entertainment – all wrapped up in a big, warm Irish welcome. The countdown to St. Patrick’s Day starts on March 18 of the previous year. They feature St. Practice Day specials on the 17th of each month. Every Sunday they feature Irish music. Needless to say, they celebrate the actual St. Patrick’s Day in a big. big way! At the Cherry Hill location, there’s no sleeping in for the Irish! St. Patrick’s Day, shenanigans begin at 8:30 a.m. Live Irish music all day. At 10:00 a.m., Belfast Connection; at 2:00 p.m.,Tom Brett; and at 8:00 p.m. Eddie Drive. Drink Specials, and a $15.00 Buffet will keep your spirits high and your belly full. There’s a $5.00 cover after 3:00 p.m. Overflow parking will be at the back portion of the Shoprite parking lot and a shuttle bus will transport everyone to and from the lot. 482 Evesham Road Cherry Hill; Phone: 856.520.8312
In Bordentown, a huge tented outdoor festival featuring a food & beer truck, live entertainment by Matt Sorrentino and Turtle Head Productions all day long; games & prizes, Irish dancers, pipers, and more. Live Music from 10:00 a.m – 1:00 p.m. with Bill O’Neal; 1:00 p.m.- 4:00 p.m. with Paul Kennedy and 8:00 p.m. – 12:00 a.m. with Drew’s Farm. 167 Route 130 North, Bordentown, NJ. Phone: 609.298.7100 Dublin Square wants to remind all revelers to have a happy and safe day – Slainte!
Deborah: In Monmouth County, home to our very own “Irish Riviera” there are quite a few watering holes to stop in for a quick pint. In 2009, I did a round up of some of my favorites, you can read all about that in the article, The Best Irish Pubs and Grub in New Jersey. But, I’d like to mention a few more stand-outs. The Dublin House in Red Bank is one of the best Irish “pubs” around. Located in one of the most historic buildings in Red Bank, it stands out like the emerald isle amidst a sea of shops and parking lots. It will surely be the spot for a day of revelry on St. Patrick’s Day. 30 Monmouth St Redbank, NJ. Phone: 732-747-6699
Located in the heart of historic Downtown Keyport in a turn of the century brick building near the bay, McDonagh’s Pub combines old-world charm with modern cuisine. This means they’ve got more on the menu than Shepard’s Pie and Corned Beef. 2 West Front Street, Keyport, NJ. 732-264-0999.
If you are a craft beer fan, the undisputed champion of the on tap craft beer selection in Monmouth County is Maloney’s Pub and Grill in Matawan. On Saint Patrick’s Day they will be serving corned beef and cabbage, corned beef on rye, and corned beef Reubens, their “famous” fish & chips and shepherd’s pie. They will have live entertainment all day and all night. As far as beer is concerned, they will have all of the Irish favorites, and some great tributes to the Saint Patty’s day tradition from our favorite domestic craft breweries. 119 Main Street, Matawan, NJ 07747, (732) 583-4040
Jeffrey’s invites you to celebrate St. Patricks Day from March 15 through Saturday March 17. Their St. Patrick’s Day celebration includes $1 off bottles of Guinness and Jameson drinks and your your favorite Irish dishes. Indulge in Corned Beef & Cabbage, Shepherd’s Pie, Irish Soda Bread, Bailey’s Cheesecake & Warm Apple Cake with a Jameson Sauce. Jeffrey’s of Westfield.
Heidi: Biddy O’Malley’s – This new Northvale addition has an Irish-inspired menu that has the classics like Shepherd’s Pie and fish and chips, along with plenty of Irish beer on tap. The burger and many dishes are well-executed, earning the pub 3.5 star review in The Record a few months ago. A special menu will be offered on St. Patty’s and Sunday, March 18th including beef stew, and other Irish staples. Live Irish music at lunch and dinner service will accompany and restaurant owner Noel O’Malley promises “some members of local bagpipe bands will also be passing through in the evening.” Biddy O’Malley’s is located at 191 Paris Avenue in Northvale, NJ. Visit www.biddyomalleys.com
Tommy Foxes – This Irish icon has a dedicated following who visit for the pub’s fare and a younger following who come for the live gigs and wide array of bar promotions. Owner Tommy O’Reilly predicts he’ll go through 10 barrels of Guinness, the beloved beer of Ireland, over the upcoming weekend and sell plenty o f Harp and Smithwicks on tap, the holy trinity of Irish brews. St. Patty’s Day will feature Corned Beef and Cabbage (O’Reilly estimates he’ll sell about 1,500 pounds of the pickled beef) and classic Irish food including Shepherd’s Pie and fish and chips. The McLaughlin School Irish Dancers will grace patrons with performances at the top and bottom of every hour on Saturday after 12 Noon and through about 9PM. The pub, which features live music every Sunday at 5PM, will offer the same this weekend with an Irish show band which plays traditional Irish music, dancing waltzes and more. Tommy Fox’s is located at 32 South Washington Avenue in Bergenfield, NJ. Visit www.tommyfoxs.com
