Whether it's St Patrick's Day (17 March) or just any day of the week when you're looking for some good drinks, food, and craic, there's nowhere better than an Irish bar. The US has some gems, from longstanding taverns set up by families with Irish roots to more modern pubs pouring craft brews and delicious bar food. We’ve found the best Irish pub or bar in each state for traditional Irish food, whiskey, and more.
Read or scroll through our gallery to discover the most charming Irish pub for Guinness and good times.
Our selections are based on genuine user reviews, awards and accolades, and the first-hand experience of our team. They're also regularly checked and updated.
Open since 1946, Callaghan's Irish Social Club in Mobile hosts an annual fancy dress St Patrick's Street Party with the celebrations stretching out over Friday and Saturday this year. The pub, which has regular live music, was once voted the 'Best Bar in America' by Esquire. The accolades don’t end there – Callaghan’s was also voted 'Best Music Venue' by Mobile Bay Monthly and named 'Best Burger Joint' in Alabama by USA Today. Decorated like a wooden snug, the community pub serves a range of brunches, starters, and salads, with plenty of beers on tap.
This small and friendly Irish bar in Anchorage specializes in craft cocktails and beers, and claims to serve the best Irish coffee in town. Reilly's Irish Pub also has regular live music, with patrons partying into the small hours.
Seamus McCaffrey's is a lively Phoenix bar and restaurant with an extensive food menu including traditional Galway boxty – a potato-based grilled pancake, served here with a variety of toppings like corned beef and cabbage, with homemade soda bread and butter on the side. It's worth stopping by for these alone.
There’s whiskey on tap at Dugan's Pub in Little Rock, alongside plenty of draught ales such as Lagunitas IPA, Angry Orchard cider, Smithwick Irish ale and, of course, Guinness. There’s also a range of cocktails, including 'the jig,' which features a punchy combination of Absolut, Apple Pucker, and Kilowatt. You might want to look at the extensive food menu, too – it's packed with Irish classics and local favorites, such as this bacon-topped burger served with bacon-topped sprouts.
We can’t promise you’ll find him behind the bar on St Patrick’s Day, but Bono has been known to pull a few pints at The Auld Dubliner in Long Beach. The U2 frontman popped in during the 2015 TED conference, held nearby. There are plenty of food options served throughout the day, alongside draft and bottled beers. The Auld Dubliner also boasts the largest whiskey collection in southern California and offers a curious range of mixed beers, combining Guinness with other ales and ciders.
Jack Quinn's Irish Pub and Restaurant in Colorado Springs was built in 1883 and was originally a dry-goods store. It was transformed into a bar in 1998, built with imported Irish timber and stained glass. Live music features throughout the week, including a traditional Irish band who play on Sunday nights. Celtic dishes and traditional pub grub are served morning to night.
Tigin (pronounced ti-geen) is Gaelic for ‘small home’ or ‘cottage,’ which is the kind of atmosphere the owners aim to create at the Tigin Irish Pub in Stamford. Cozy yet modern, the venue offers a range of international and local beers, cocktails and whiskeys, and Guinness. All meals, including this comforting Irish dish of corned beef and cabbage, are made from scratch. It’s also a great place to watch sports, especially rugby and soccer.
Sheridan's Irish Pub is owned by husband-and-wife team Joe and Shirly Sheridan, who both grew up in Ireland. They opened the bar in 2004 and it’s now one of the most popular venues in Smyrna, with a huge bar and stylish outdoor deck. The menu is full of Irish specials like this strip steak marinated in Guinness, served with mashed potatoes and roasted vegetables. To celebrate St Patrick's Day each year, the pub opens at 9am for a traditional Irish breakfast, with giveaways and live music throughout the day.
Bono isn't the only famous face to enjoy some Irish hospitality; the Harp and Celt Authentic Irish Pub and Restaurant welcomed Barack Obama in 2011. This family-owned business offers Celtic classics with a twist, such as mussels cooked in Magners cider and nachos served with crumbly Irish sausage.
In 2015, the Olde Blind Dog was named International Irish Pub of the Year by the Irish Pubs Global Federation of Dublin, becoming the first pub in the US to receive the accolade. The pub was described as being "the best in its class, from design to customer service". Open in Milton since 2009, it remains one of the best around, decorated with salvaged European furniture and serving delicious dishes like homemade Irish stews, Guinness Onion Soup (pictured), and Celtic-style curries.
Housed in the stunning Dillingham Transportation Building, Ferguson's Pub is seriously stylish and sophisticated. Furnished with glossy dark wood, checkered table cloths, and arty prints on the walls, Ferguson's serves an extensive list of wines, beers, and cocktails with a bar snack menu including sandwiches, pizza, sliders, and cheese and charcuterie.
To get your fix of classic Irish dishes in Idaho, head to The Celt Pub & Grill in Idaho Falls. Standout menu items include the traditional corned beef and cabbage, served with colcannon (mashed potato with kale or cabbage) and gravy. Just make sure you leave enough room for the Guinness brownie and ice cream.
Taking its name from the Dublin postal code where co-owner Brendan McNeill grew up, the D4 Irish Pub & Cafe in Chicago has been designed to look like a modern Dublin townhouse. With a leafy terrace area for sunny days, its bright and airy decor blends dark wood-paneling and tiled flooring with two large fireplaces to keep things cozy in winter.
Nine Irish Brothers was founded by Jerry O’Bryan who, as you may have guessed, is one of nine brothers (he also has five sisters). Family is very much at the heart of this Irish pub and, over the years, various members have helped out, either building the bar or working behind it. This popular venue has won various accolades and was also once named one of the 50 best bars in the US for St Patrick's Day by Travel + Leisure.
If you've never had a traditional boxty (a type of potato pancake), now's your chance. There are three different fillings on offer at The Dublin Bay Irish Pub & Grill in Ames, including Guinness-marinated beef with vegetables, corned beef with cream, or sausage and mashed potatoes with onion gravy. Sweet tooth? You may find it hard to resist their signature desserts, which include a Bailey’s Irish Cream cookie cake with ice cream. There's a jam-packed schedule on St Patrick's Day with a 6am opening for breakfast and a day of live music, Irish dancers, bagpipers, and dueling pianos.
With three branches – in Overland Park, Westwood, and Leawood – in and around Kansas City, Conroy's Public House is famed for its fish and chips. Serving both Irish and American hearty classics as well as pizzas and flatbreads, the food is all made fresh to order. There's a patio plus a family-friendly dining area where children under 12 receive free ice cream after their meal.
This friendly pub in Louisville serves a wide menu of traditional Irish dishes and hosts regular themed special events. The Irish Rover's owners, Michael and Siobhan Reidy, offer regulars the chance to book onto one of their tours of Ireland, where they visit hotels and pubs loved by the locals and introduce the group to the real Emerald Isle.
Voted best neighborhood bar in New Orleans by Gambit Weekly, Finn McCool’s Irish Pub is the place to go to watch the biggest soccer matches around the globe. They show everything from the Champions League to the World Cup and, with nine indoor and two outdoor screens, sports-loving guests won’t miss any of the action. Along with plenty of beers, you’ll also find burgers, wraps, sandwiches, and frozen Irish coffee.
Overlooking the harbor in picturesque Portland, the Rí Rá Irish Pub & Restaurant is a little more refined that your average Irish bar. Spread over two levels and with three distinct areas, the interior is decorated with salvaged materials sourced and restored in Ireland. The large wooden bar, which dates back to the early 1900s, is a real show-stopper and originally stood in a pub in the small Irish coastal town of Annagassan.
With live music at the weekend, TV screens, darts and board games, there's something for everyone at Mick O'Shea's Irish Pub in Baltimore. This popular venue offers regular food deals, including Tuesday burger nights and a taco and tequila special on Thursdays. It's an eclectic and colorful venue, decorated with Celtic artworks.
Located in the heart of Boston’s Faneuil Hall, The Black Rose has been serving pints of Guinness and traditional Irish meals since 1976. A warm and inviting space, the bar is decorated with wood-paneled walls, comfy chairs, and several large beer barrels.
Kennedy's Irish Pub, which first opened its doors in 1972, boasts a distinctive bright green exterior, complete with matching lampposts and Irish flags. It's just as lively inside, with regular Irish music nights, plenty of cocktails, beers, and burgers. It's also known as a top spot for celebrating St Patrick's Day.
Kieran’s Irish Pub is always adding to its whiskey collection, as well as serving a broad range of draught and bottled beers, wines, and cocktails. The weekend brunch is popular with regulars and the pub usually throws a three-day extravaganza to mark St Patrick's day, with activities like Guinness pint glass engraving, a trivia quiz, and live music.
Big appetite? Check out the menu at Fenian’s Pub, which includes the Dirty South burger (pictured), stacked with Creekstone Farms beef, Irish pimento cheddar, fried pickles, and garlic mayo. You’ll find plenty of classic Celtic dishes on the menu too, including beef stews, shepherd’s pie, and corned beef with cabbage.
Founded in 1978, John D. McGurk's Irish Pub and Garden is one Missouri’s best-loved music venues, hosting musicians 'from Galway to Dublin and Cork to Derry.' Inside, the bar is decorated with Irish artefacts, while outside you'll find a whopping 20,000 square feet of landscaped gardens.
Named after a 19th-century Irish revolutionary, the Thomas Meagher Bar is located in downtown Missoula, and claims to be 'the official bar' of St Partick's Day. The pub has an impressive range of Irish whiskeys and a wide food menu including bar snacks, burgers, mac 'n' cheese, salads, sandwiches, and traditional Irish dishes.
McKinney's Irish Pub in the Haymarket, Lincoln, throws a mini festival to celebrate St Patrick's Day. The pub has a wide menu including daily specials, a party room for hire, heated patio area, and a wide menu of pub classics.
Like a lot of venues in Las Vegas, McMullan's Irish Pub is open 24/7 – but its unique history and welcoming atmosphere make it stand out from the vast array of bars in this party-loving city. The pub was founded by Brian McMullan in 1908 and is now run by his grandson, Thomas. This long family history is reflected in the decor, with old photos and portraits on the walls.
If you love beer, burgers and comedy, The Shaskeen in Manchester, New Hampshire, is the place for you. As well as the enormous burgers (pictured), there’s plenty to feast your eyes to feast on, from nostalgic photos to retro Guinness memorabilia. They also host regular live music and open-mic nights, with genres ranging from rap to Irish classics.
As it's open 24/7, the party never ends at the Irish Pub on the Boardwalk in Atlantic City, recipient of numerous local nightlife awards over the years. Famous for its friendly and cozy atmosphere, the venue is decorated with old pictures, low-hanging decorative lights, and stained glass. Promising to deliver ‘the best value in Atlantic City,’ the American-style menu includes burgers, panini, and salads.
The Two Fools Tavern in Albuquerque was set up by friends Tom and Jeff, and promises to offer the largest whiskey selection in the Southwest. The bar also serves draught beers and a hearty food menu including Guinness stew and Jester's pot pie – chicken, carrots, mushrooms, peas and green chili topped with a pastry crust.
Established in 1854, New York's oldest Irish pub McSorley's Old Ale House is proud of its rich history, with a sign in the window that reads ‘we were here before you were born.’ Abraham Lincoln and John Lennon are among the notable guests to have drunk in this old watering hole, though women have only been admitted since the 1970s. With sawdust on the floor and walls covered in Irish and American memorabilia, today you may well feel like you’ve stepped back in time.
Irish-born Val Cleary relocated to Wilmington in 1995, and finally realized his dream of setting up his own pub in 2010. Overlooking the Greenfield Lake Park, The Harp always has something going on, from weekly quiz nights to karaoke and live music. They serve a particularly impressive range of breakfasts and offer a weekend buffet bar.
Weekend breakfasts come with either a free Bloody Mary or Mimosa at the Blarney Stone in Bismarck. Breakfast is called ‘Dinner in Dublin,’ to reflect the time difference across the Atlantic, and includes traditional Irish breakfast, breakfast nachos, and sausages and eggs. The rest of the menu features pub classics, burgers, salads, and wraps.
The Dublin Pub is famous for hosting Ohio’s largest St Patrick's Day party in a huge tent next door to the main pub. The day starts early, with a Guinness-fueled breakfast served before live bands and Irish dancers take to the stage. The fun doesn't stop the rest of the year, though, with great service, a lively atmosphere, and a wide range of ales to tempt you to visit.
Kilkenny's Irish Pub in Tulsa has a cozy atmosphere and a menu full of comforting classics to enjoy by the open fire, like beer-battered fish and chips and the Jenkinstown cottage pie (pictured) – beef casserole topped with mashed potatoes and Parmesan. The pub usually hosts a street party to celebrate St Patrick's Day, with 20,000 people expected to attend.
Nana's Irish Pub in Newport’s historic Nye Beach specializes in proper Irish meals, 'just like Nana used to make.' There are also plenty of draught ales on offer, including Guinness, Smithwicks, and Imperial. The pub, open since 2008, is owned by Philomena O’Brien. She named her place in honor of her mother, who was affectionately nicknamed Nana.
The Arigna Irish Pub & Coal Fire Kitchen in Pawtucket has a menu of pub classics but the real stars of the show are the coal-fired pizzas, including regular specials. The pub also has branches in Bellingham and North Providence.
Open since 1860, McGillin's Olde Ale House is the oldest continuously open tavern in Philadelphia. This large historic building is stunning, both inside and out, with large decorative windows, an array of flags, stained glass, and wooden beams. The pub even has its own ale, McGillin’s 1860 IPA, which launched in 2010 to mark the bar's 150th anniversary. McGillin's celebrate St Patrick's Day throughout the whole month of March, with food and drink specials, live music, and Irish dancing.
Madra Rua Irish Pub claims to be the best place to watch soccer in South Carolina, and always shows the big international games. Expect a menu of traditional Irish dishes served alongside classic pub grub, like this prime rib of beef sandwich with fries. The pub also has fortnightly drag shows.
Wooden furnishings and leather upholstery provide a cozy backdrop to enjoy menu favorites including roasted chicken (pictured) and Guinness meatloaf. McNally's Irish Pub also has a gaming parlor and calendar of live music and Irish dancing. St Patrick's Day sees the pub open all day and until the early hours, with live entertainment and food specials. Patrons are also able to book a spot on the pub's bus for the following day's town parade.
Nashville's cozy, cottage-like McNamara's Irish Pub & Restaurant is decorated with old photographs, Gaelic sports memorabilia, and musical instruments. Founded in 2010 by musician Sean McNamara, the bar has bands and singers performing every weekend, so there's never a dull moment to visit.
This lively tavern in Richardson has a loyal local following for its fantastic live music, huge whiskey menu and hearty food, including the signature Reuben sandwich and Irish Nachos – house-made potato chips topped with a meaty shepherd's pie mix, cheese, bacon bits and sour cream, served on a sizzling cast iron skillet. Or, for something more traditionally Irish, the Guinness Stew Pie is also pretty fantastic.
It's always a good time to visit Piper Down Pub. Sunday mornings mean brunch, including a free Bloody Mary, then there's live music in the evenings, a happy hour (or two hours), and regular karaoke nights. The menu is full of all the usual pub classics, along with Irish-inspired dishes and plenty of vegetarian and vegan options.
The Killarney lives by the classic Irish saying: 'There are no strangers here; Only friends you haven’t yet met.' Staff members are known for their friendly service and warm welcome, and the atmosphere is always fun. The food is good, too, with a menu of pub classics including burgers, fish and chips, and shepherd's pie.
Guinness has been flowing at Murphy's Grand Irish Pub since 1978. Set up by a group of friends, the bar serves a wide range of classic Irish ales and there's live acoustic music every evening. The exterior of the pub has been designed to look like many of the bars you’d find in the heart of Dublin.
Mulleady's Irish Pub prides itself on serving Irish-inspired dishes with local produce, and you’ll find a list of local suppliers proudly listed on the menu. Visit between 4-6pm for their happy hour menu, which features Manhattans and Old Fashioneds alongside the local Maritime Old Seattle Lager and small plates of mac 'n' cheese, truffle French fries, and deviled Scotch eggs.
Meagher's Irish Pub is designed as a welcoming place for the whole family, with regular quiz nights and live music. Beer is a big deal here, and there's an extensive list of ales including unusual seasonal specials. There's also a bottomless brunch with free-flowing Mimosas and tasty dishes, such as this steak and potato breakfast bowl, every weekend.
With cozy corners and three fireplaces, Erin's Snug Irish Pub certainly lives up to its name. Outside, there's a large, stylish beer garden with a fire pit, and you may even spot their party bus traveling through the town. The quirky menu includes 'Leprechaun Pots O' Gold’ (onion rings and cheese with chili sauce) and 'The Brave Heart Cardiac Attack' (a belly-busting combination of steak fries, melted cheese, bacon, and jalapeños).
O'Dwyers Public House is an Irish American bar, serving Celtic classics and American favorites. There are 20 beers on tap, including the Sheep Mountain Hoppy Kid Pale Ale, Guinness, and Blue Moon, as well as plenty of cocktails. O’Dwyers also hosts live music and shows the biggest sports matches.