Pensacola Irish pubs: 4 places to party like it's St. Patrick's Day, every day

Irish pubs have been around in the United States since the large-scale emigration from Ireland in the 1840s.

Pensacola isn’t known for its extensive Irish history, but there are still a handful of places where you can celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, and they have everything a traditional Irish pub needs: an extensive beer menu, a welcoming atmosphere and lively music.

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McGuire’s Irish Pub

600 E. Gregory St.

McGuire’s is one of Pensacola’s most well-known restaurants and, subsequently, its most well-known Irish pub. Established in 1977, McGuire’s is one of Pensacola’s oldest still-operating restaurants, and it’s known as the oldest craft brewery in Florida.

McGuire’s is an 11-time Golden Spoon award winner, it’s featured in Florida Trend Magazine’s hall of fame, received Beef Backers' award for best steaks in Florida, was voted as the best pub in Florida in Florida Monthly Magazine and was featured on NBC’s Today Show and the Food Network.

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McGuire’s is truly the total package, including a huge list of beers (locally crafted and otherwise), a food menu that rivals its beer selection (and they’re very generous with their portions) and plenty of traditional live music — including bagpipes.

The food: You know a restaurant is serious when it has brunch menus, lunch menus, dinner menus and a menu for night owls.

For traditional Irish pub foods, McGuire’s has Irish boxtys, shepherd’s pie, authentic Irish lamb stew, Irish cockles and mussels, corned beef and cabbage, lamb shank colcannon, Irish steak and mushroom pie.

The menu doesn’t end there, however. You can find a literal table of 3/4-pound Angus steak burgers, pasta, seafood, several cuts of steak and more.

The drinks: The McGuire’s Craft Brewery opened in 1988 brewing fine ales, porters, stouts and more. All the beer is brewed on premise in the traditional oak and copper brewery using the finest malted barley, imported hops and McGuire’s own house yeast.

The menu features five regular beers: light ale, Irish stout, red ale, IPA and porter. Seasonal beers are offered on rotation, depending on the season, and feature things like raspberry wheat, Belgian ale, India pale ale, Octoberfest, Hefeweizen and more.

For those who don’t drink, McGuire’s also brews its own root beer.

The entertainment: McGuire’s features live music from 9 p.m. until close just about every night. The music can be described as traditional Irish pub music with some popular favorites sprinkled into the mix.

McGuire’s also has its own band — Pipes and Drums. It was formed in 1988 under McGuire’s sponsorship and was inspired by owners McGuire and Molly Martin along with manager Jack Dasinger, who passed away in 2003.

O’Riley’s Irish Pub Downtown

321 S. Palafox St.

O’Riley’s Irish Pub Downtown is one of two O’Riley’s locations in Pensacola. The downtown spot opened in 2013 in the heart of Downtown Pensacola and features a little something for everyone.

The two-story space has its main bar on the first floor with multiple TVs to watch sports and there’s plenty of outdoor seating to soak up that Florida weather. Upstairs is a private bar with billiard tables, steel-tip darts and a relaxing library room.

The food: O’Riley’s has a fairly extensive food menu that features a mesh of American and Irish pub foods. You’ll find things like Cajun egg rolls, chili cheese fries and burgers, but also boxtys, shepherd’s pie, fish and chips and bangers and mash.

The drinks: With over 30 beers on tap, O’Riley’s has just about everyone covered. While the pub doesn’t brew its own beer, it has an eclectic selection featuring everything from Miller Lite and Bud Light, to local selections like Sir Richard’s Queen’s Lager from Pensacola Bay Brewery, McGuire’s Irish Red Ale, the Riptide from Pensacola Bay Brewery and more.

The entertainment: Much like McGuire’s, O’Riley’s always has something fun going on — part of which is thanks to its central location that allows it to naturally be a part of all the latest happenings downtown.

Weekly events include trivia nights, dollar nights, bingo and gamer nights. They also don’t miss a chance to set up live music for Gallery Night each month and participate in annual events like Pensacon, Halloween events and more.

O’Riley’s Uptown Tavern

3728 Creighton Road

O’Riley’s Uptown Tavern, Pensacola’s original O’Riley’s Pub, has served the Pensacola area for decades. Located a little off the beaten path, O’Riley’s Uptown provides a fun getaway for those in the north end of Escambia County who don’t want to make a trip all the way downtown.

The Uptown Tavern offers a variety of drink specials, pool tables, TVs, weekly events and plenty of outdoor seating. Unlike its sister pub, you won’t find food here.

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The drinks: The Uptown Tavern has a more limited selection of beers on tap than the downtown location, clocking in at just around 20. The list includes Pensacola Bay Brewery’s Riptide, Sir Richard’s Queen’s Lager and OPP (Original Pensacola Premium).

The entertainment: You’ll find a host of weekly events including bar bingo, karaoke, trivia, late-night Jackbox Mondays and more.

Paddy O’Leary’s Irish Pub

49 Via De Luna Dr.

Paddy O’Leary’s Irish Pub is somewhat of a hidden gem on Pensacola Beach, often overshadowed by what’s new at the beach. But the pub, which has operated for over 20 years, has developed a loyal following that makes it one of the best hangout spots on the beach.

According to the pub, it’s “where the fun begins and never ends.” You’ll find imported Guinness, college football, the full NFL Sunday Ticket, live music, karaoke, open mics and over 100 brands of beer.

Like O’Riley’s Uptown Tavern, you won’t find any food here, however.

The drinks: With over 100 beers available, you’re bound to find something you enjoy. Paddy O’Leary’s signature drink is the Irish car bomb, which is a cocktail made by dropping a shot of Irish cream and Irish whiskey into a glass of Irish stout — which is typically Guinness, in this case.

The entertainment: Paddy’s has something going on just about all hours of the day. Live music is a huge draw for the pub and you’ll find local big names like The Modern Eldorados, plus traditional Irish tunes by The Irish Claddagh. If you’re a musician yourself, head over for karaoke and open mic nights.

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Pensacola Irish pubs: MGuire's, O'Riley's, O'Leary's