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Every major city is required to have a decent selection of Irish bars, and Seattle is no exception. Irish bars are favorites among college students, young professionals and seasoned drinkers. How can all these different groups love the same places? Irish bars are notorious for just being plain fun. These drinking spots aren't afraid to serve up the Guinness and whiskey is mass quantities, and patrons aren't afraid to step up and consume them. One of the craziest Irish bars in Seattle is called the Irish Emigrant. During the weekend, UW students flock here for heavy drinking and an exciting young crowd. Owl 'n Thistle Irish Pub, perhaps the most popular of Seattle's Irish bars, features excellent live tunes and perfectly poured pints. Of course, Seattle offers several more Irish pubs that are definitely worth stopping by for a pint…or five.
Clever Dunne's Irish House
1501 East Olive Way, Seattle, Washington; Tel. 206.709.8079
Not enough Seattle bars pour you imperial pints, but at Clever Dunne's Irish House that's pretty much what your draft of Guinness is coming in. Besides the beers poured the way beers should be, Clever Dunne's Irish House also has a fine selection of Irish whiskeys to warm your chilled bones and this Seattle Irish bar also serves up heart stopping traditional Irish fare for the decidedly un-health conscious. When DJs aren't manning the decks—usually spinning hip-hop, funk and the like which is a little weird to hear in an Irish bar—live bands take the stage on the weekends with no cover and get the packed in crowds moving. The happy hours rock at Clever Dunne's featuring drink specials nightly and sporting those discounts all day on Sunday. |
Conor Byrne's Pub
5140 Ballard Ave. NW, Seattle, Washington; Tel. 206.784.3640
Local Seattle hipsters mix with old time boozers at Conor Byrne's Pub, a great Irish bar to down the best-pulled pints of Guinness in. Traditional Irish music calms the nerves of this Seattle bar during the day while nighttime sees a variety of live music and open mic shows. Any beer you buy at Conor Byrne's Pub is so cheap that you almost feel guilty indulging in them, but you really shouldn't because that's what neighborhood bars are all about. |
Dubliner
3515 Fremont Ave. N, Seattle, Washington; Tel. 206.548.1508
Decked out in traditional Irish green, the Dubliner Irish bar in Seattle is a Guinness and whiskey joint where drinking hard takes precedence over anything else. The Dubliner does do food and their Irish laden selections are good, but if you're a closet gourmet then grab your chow someplace else. This Seattle Irish bar does a good go around with local Irish bands on some nights during the week along with an open mic night and the weekends see droves of boozers having impromptu dart tournaments at the Dubliner. |
Fado Irish Pub
801 First Ave., Seattle, Washington; Tel. 206.264.2700
Fado Irish Pub in Seattle starts getting crowded with the after work set downing hearty pints of Guinness and other Irish brews and noshing on some authentic Irish fare, it's a might expensive and the menu often deviates from your artery clogging Irish norms, but heck, the shepherds pie and boxty are spot on. Later in the evening, this Seattle bar sees hordes of college kids lining their green walls in search of that elusive sauced hook-up. Also, on some nights, Fado Irish Pub hosts live music from local Seattle indie rock bands and Irish musicians that give this national chain pub a little bit of Irish clout. |
Galway Arms
5257 University Way NE, Seattle, Washington; Tel. 206.527.0404
The food at the Galway Arms Irish bar in Seattle isn't exactly traditional, but the old school, laid back neighborly charm and raise your pint to whatever attitude is. The bar fare at the Galway Arms is excellent by the way, they serve up top-notch burgers and fries with some great soups and chowders or you can wolf down some of their spicy wings. This Seattle Irish bar is probably one of the most welcoming in the city where everybody knows everybody's name and the bartenders always have time to pour you a shot and a beer even when it's wall to wall boozers. |
Irish Emigrant
5260 University Way NE, Seattle, Washington; Tel. 206.525.2955
With a plethora of Irish bars to choose from in Seattle, each with its own ups and downs, the Irish Emigrant should definitely be on your green bar drinking tour if only for the fact that it's actually owned and operated by Irish ex-pats. During the week loads of folks that haven't exactly dropped their brogues yet crowd this two-story Seattle bar for some Guinness heavy drinking and some fiddle heavy tunes. But, when the weekend hits, the Irish Emigrant could be renamed using some Greek because this Seattle bar is total University of Washington frat and sorority bender central. |
Molly Maguire's
610 NW 65th St., Seattle, Washington; Tel. 206.789.9643
With the slew of Irish bars in Seattle it's hard to choose a favorite, so the one in your neighborhood probably becomes a default pub. Well residents of east Ballard must have made a deal somewhere to land the ever-relaxing Molly Maguire's Irish bar and pub because the regulars sport knowing looks over their Guinness like the proverbial cat that ate the canary. Molly Maguire's serves a wholly affordable and delicious menu of homemade Irish favorites for the hearty along with some twists on Isle classics to support their extensive selection of beer. You've got to hit up this Seattle bar on Sundays when Molly Maguire's puts out a fully traditional Irish breakfast. |
Mulleady's Irish Pub & Restaurant
3055 21st Ave. W, Seattle, Washington; Tel. 206.283.8843
Mulleady's Irish Pub and Restaurant in Seattle is owned and operated by Irish ex-pats that have decided to leave the Emerald Isle for the Emerald City and set up their inviting traditional pub much to the benefit of the Magnolia neighborhood. Everything, from the staff to the food to the drinks, is done extremely well at Mulleady's Irish Pub and Restaurant that not only has helped them snag hordes of regulars, but has set them firmly in the mind of greater Seattle. Speaking of the regulars, they range from bike messengers to biz pros, from blue collar to white and from families (really) to the lone boozer on a lazy afternoon. |
Murphy's Pub
1928 N 45th St., Seattle, Washington; Tel. 206.634.2110
Murphy's Pub is a hopping Seattle Irish bar that caters to a diverse crowd of regulars in their comfy confines. The weekends at Murphy's Pub features live music from traditional Irish acts and the crowds seemingly multiply to a slightly raucous beer and whiskey fueled party. During the week, however, this Seattle bar is a might bit mellower with regulars chowing down on some of Murphy's authentic pub fare and looking for a game of darts, which, by the way, are the real steel tipped ones. |
Old Pequliar
1722 NW Market St., Seattle, Washington; Tel. 206.782.8886
The Old Pequliar combines that distinct Irish bar charm with a Seattle neighborhood bar comfort creating an unavoidable draw that has snagged hordes of regulars. The tag line of the Old Pequliar is "you're a stranger here but once" and we're hard pressed to find a bar is Seattle or elsewhere that sticks to this adage better. You can come as you are and grab some authentic Irish fare or some more Americanized bar staples, all reasonably priced, with a few pints or cocktails to wash it all down. The Old Pequliar is a home away from home thanks to the amicable staff and owner, but the crowd doesn't just stop at regulars, hipsters and college kids also convene for some good times at this welcoming Seattle bar. |
O'Shea's Easy Street Pub
309 NE 45th St., Seattle, Washington; Tel. 206.547.6832
Irish ex-pats commingle with Seattle neighborhood regulars and U-Dub grad students at O'Shea's Easy Street Pub for some down home authentic Irish pub fare and drinks. The unpretentious atmosphere of this Seattle bar is presided over daily by the owner who also happens to be from the Emerald Isle which gives O'Shea's Easy Street Pub a leg up on some other Irish bars. The back room has all of your typical bar distractions, but the darts here are real steel tipped beauties and the taps selection of Irish and other British Isle brews—along with the whiskey list—is unparalleled. |
Owl 'n Thistle Irish Pub
808 Post Ave., Seattle, Washington; Tel. 206.621.7777
Probably the best known and most popular Irish bar and restaurant in Seattle, the Owl 'n Thistle Irish Pub has been herding in various drinkers for years to sample the excellent pub fare and the well poured Guinness. The Owl 'n Thistle is also favorite among Seattle locals for live music, usually in the traditional Irish vein, but also branching into other folksy genres—heck, they even sport a house band that's really a notch above—and if you want to park it for a musical performance, you'd better get to this Seattle bar early. Everything from the drinks to the food is hugely portioned and very reasonably priced and the intimate space at the Owl 'n Thistle completely lends to their come as you are, hey I know you atmosphere. |
—Seattle bar and club reviews by Ryan Osterbeck |
