Sacramento’s Irish Pubs…more or less
March 9, 2010 at 12:46 pm 10 comments
Just in time for St. Patrick’s Day, here is a breakdown of Sacramento’s Irish pubs!!!!
1. Devere’s - This is the biggest, cleanest and newest of the Irish pubs in town. On St. Patrick’s Day they’ll have their big ol’ block party. A couple days earlier for St. Baldrick’s they’ll be shaving people’s heads for charity including my boss. My head is already bald, so I won’t be taking part. Anyhow, Devere’s is a great big place that will be the heart of all thing Irish on St. Patrick’s.
2. O’Malley’s – I’m not sure what makes this place Irish other than the fact it’s called O’Malley’s and smells like vomit. It’s in Old Sac and there’s always a huge line on St. Patrick’s day so if you’re into that, go for it.
3. Gallagher’s - For a bar that’s in the lobby of an office building this is actually a decent joint. I’ve never been for St. Pat’s, but I bet it’s a not unpopular spot.
4. Streets of London - As the name implies, this is an English pub not an Irish pub, but we’re in California so why split hairs? I promise you Streets will have a party on St. Pat’s. And for the record, I was officially the first person to ever do an Irish Car Bomb at Streets. Look it up. Oh, also, never order an Irish Car Bomb in Ireland – learned that the hard way.
5. Fox & Goose - Also, not Irish, but cut me some slack here. If being able to order a Guinness and Jameson in a timely fashion is what qualifies a pub to be Irish, then this is as Irish as it gets.
6. Jamie’s - Not sure if this is really an Irish pub, but it does have a green canopy out front so I’m going to include it here. Great food, good bartenders and an all-around cool joint. 
7. Regan’s – If you’re out in the suburbs and you want to see what it takes to get a 2-star Yelp rating, your Irish pub of choice is Regan’s. Have fun with that.
Of course, every bar in town is more or less Irish on St. Pat’s. If you don’t mind your Guinness coming out of a bottle, the Pine Cove is always a favorite of mine – they even give you free corned beef! I’ve hit that for probably the past 8 years.
This year, I’m planning on visiting the fine sponsor of my softball team, the Idle Hour, for some St. Pat’s fun. It’s not the slightest bit Irish, but the jukebox is awesome and the walls are painted green.
Oh and also don’t forget about the big St. Patrick’s Day Parade and festival in Old Sacramento in saturday the 13th.
1. Nick | March 9, 2010 at 1:11 pm
Chargin’s was just suggested to me as another Irish pub. I’m not sure it’s Irish, but again, it is painted green and that goes a long way. And, yes, I’m commenting on my own post.
2. Nick | March 9, 2010 at 1:13 pm
Awww, crud! Forgot about Bonn Lair too. This is way closer to being Irish then some of the ones I already listed. It’s a great bar with a great selection of beer. No hard stuff though. Sorry, for forgetting about you, Bonn Lair!
3. maya | March 9, 2010 at 1:49 pm
We Bonn Lair denizens thank you for leaving it out. It gets plenty crowded on St. Pat’s.
4. George | March 9, 2010 at 8:45 pm
Brownies in Land Park is also Irish, also rad, though requires a fair amount of drunk driving to get back to your 1 bedrom downtown apartment. To define rad, I mean cheap, stiff drinks, leery regulars, a strict cash only policy, and free corned beef for all.
5. Girls on the Grid » Under the Dome – News You Can Use (Updated Daily) | March 11, 2010 at 10:19 am
[...] Nick on the Town blog: Sacramento’s Irish Pubs…more or less (LINK) [...]
6. Mr Lopez | March 11, 2010 at 2:34 pm
Thanks god George mentioned it, but Brownie’s is one of the original Irish Pubs in Sac…….
You named a bunch of touristy/trendy/yuppie spots but forgot one of the realest Irish Pubs in Old Sac….Brownie still does his thing every St. Patricks day and the place is packed! Stiff drinks, regs are cool and always something to eat….cant go wrong!
7. Nick | March 11, 2010 at 2:42 pm
I knew I was dropping the ball somewhere. My apologies to Brownie’s. I’d swing by, but I’ll be busy with the trendy yuppies at the Idle Hour.
8. Mr Lopez | March 12, 2010 at 1:42 pm
Nick, i didnt mean yuppie as an insult my friend……
Make sure you have an irish flag(drink) that night! Happy St. Patricks day
9. Nick | March 12, 2010 at 1:48 pm
It’s cool. I wasn’t insulted. I’m all for promoting the touristy,trendy,yuppie spots – but it’s hard to put the Idle Hour in any of those categories…at least not yet.
10. St. Patrick’s Day is Here Again! « Nick on the Town | March 11, 2011 at 10:28 am
[...] – I’m also extremely lazy and, as Irish luck would have it, I wrote a pretty solid Irish pub overview last year. Now I don’t see any reason to rewrite all that stuff, so just reread last [...]