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Local spots available to accomplish
a St. Patrick’s Day mission
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Ah yes, it’s St. Patty’s Day again, which means it’s time to lay it on like a leprechaun. It’s the only holiday that you’re allowed to punch someone in the face and then kiss them all in the name of tradition.
But why should you celebrate an Irish tradition at some downtown bar that changes its theme with every holiday? Like some schizophrenic doppelganger, these bars go from Bourbon Street to the Blarney Stone with no regard for taste or tradition. Don’t be fooled. It will still be the same experience you had last weekend, only with green paper four-leaf clovers hanging from the ceiling. Embrace your Irish blood and go to the places that live the theme all year long – the more authentic, the better. Don’t know where to go? In an effort to save you from yourselves, I scouted out some Irish pubs (well, at least their names are Irish) so you don’t have to.
Ha’ Penny Bridge (800 W. Idaho Street)
Trendsters please apply. This place looks like an Irish pub, acts like an Irish pub, but under the trendy facade, lies a franchise dressed in Irish drab. Ha’ Penny is like that kid in high school that dresses like a punk, but listens to pop music (that’s me). The look is there, but it lacks that certain old-world charm – however, it does make a valiant effort. As the luck of the Irish would have it, Ha’ Penny is as close to an authentic Irish pub as you will find in Boise.
With cocktails, beer, and wine, the pub also boasts an impressive selection of Irish whisky and scotch, ranging from $4.75 – $16 a pop. If you’re into Dublin’s finest brews, Guinness and Harp Lager are on tap at $4.75 for 20 ounces and $13.50 for a 60-ounce pitcher. Ha’ Penny also has a variety of tasty Irish cuisine, including corned beef and cabbage and shepherd’s pie.
For St. Patrick’s Day, Ha’ Penny will pull out the bagpipes and lay down the best hits from the Emerald Isle. The bagpipes, booze, and food should be enough to stir the Irish blood in you. For the out-of-town NCAA fans, Ha’ Penny will also run a free shuttle between the pub and the tournament during Patty’s Day.
Ha’ Penny is a little spendy, definitely trendy, but it may be your best bet for an authentic St. Patty’s Day if you have enough gold in your pot.
I rate Ha’ Penny Bridge at four punches to the face out of five.
Dublin Up Irish Pub (86 Chapter Eleven Street)
Well kick me in the blarney stones, this place doesn’t exist anymore. Damn that mischievous leprechaun who told me to come here. Bankruptcy is not very Irish – sorry folks, The Dublin Up is tits up.
Quinn’s Restaurant and Lounge (1005 S. Vista Avenue.)
Just a slide down the rainbow from the Boise State campus on Vista Avenue is Quinn’s Restaurant and Lounge. The exterior of the place is lackluster, but inside awaits a jackpot of cheap booze, a reasonable menu, and the comfort of an Irish-themed bar. And it’s probably the cleanest joint I have ever been to.
St. Patrick’s Day at Quinn’s offers plenty for the lads and lassies to do a jig over. Quinn’s will celebrate by offering happy hour all day long and homemade corn beef and cabbage for $8.25. Cocktails, beer, and wine are available, and Quinn’s will strike up the bagpipes for some traditional Irish tunes that would make St. Patty himself hit the dance floor.
Quinn’s will also serve food until 3 a.m. – so scrap that late night trip to McDonald’s, because Shamrock Shakes are not Irish.
The lack of Irish tap beers and closet-like bathrooms are two downfalls of Quinn’s, though no cover charges and $2 green beers make this place a good choice for a downtown alternative. Quinn’s falls short of being a full-blown Irish pub, but it makes up for it by throwing one hell of a St. Patty’s Day party that’s easy on the pocketbook.
I rate Quinn’s Restaurant and Lounge at four punches to the face out of five.
McCleary’s Pub (9155 W. State Street)
Along with a bar patron ticked off about someone spraying gravel all over his truck, McCleary’s boasts free corned beef on Patty’s Day. The pub is more of a roadside bar than anything else, but the name sounds Irish (or Scottish?) and the beer is cheap. There will be no bagpipes here, but they have Van Morrison on the jukebox and MacTarnahan’s on tap for $1.50. The place is really small, and the man behind the bar assured me it will be packed full of people on Patty’s Day. But hey, free corned beef!
The lack of cocktails makes this trip a tough one to take, but if you’re out on West State Street, drop in for a plate of steaming corned beef – just don’t peel out in the gravel.
I rate McCleary’s Pub at two punches to the face out of five.
May the luck of the Irish be with you!
Kyle Gorham
Managing Editor
