st patricks day

[eire]

hi guys,
can anybody tell me where i can find a good traditional irish pub? i know u have fionn mcools and the irish embassy,pj o briens but there all fake to me!!

live music actual irish people!! any info would be great!

[LBeater]

Galway arms is real nice. cant wait to put away the landy and drink green beer

[redearth]

What's a landy?

[EPIcureanTO]

Crosspost linking:
http://www.chowhound.com/topics/381116

[badbhoy]

I thought I'd resurrect this thread since St Patrick's Day is fast approaching. Any new spots this year?

Line-ups shouldn't be as much of problem on a Monday, just hangovers on a Tuesday!

[Finnegan]

the Irish Club in Toronto always has a good knees up

[Sam I Am]

hands down, the best st. paddy's day experience in the GTA is not at a pub, but going to the brampton irish centre which is tucked away in an industrial area. i imagine the food - if they even have it - wouldn't be terrific but the atmosphere is second to none!

[dannyboy]

grace o'malley's downtown - duncan/pearl , great undercover spot, not great taps , hot waitresses, really nice layout, they'll have live music so it should be rocking

[fickle]

It must have definitely been rocking since there was a lineup around the block at 12 noon today at O'Malley's when we walked by!

[Mike from Hamilton]

Try the Rebels Rock in Hamilton for true homey Irish Pub experience, warm environment, decent food and a well pulled pint of stout. Or you can try Slainte in Hamilton as well but they are more of a corporate offering with really nice traditional-esque appointments, such as woodwork from traditional Irish snugs and a decent Irish music jam every Saturday. (And Slainte actually makes a mean boxtie)

[Googs]

Let me know when PJ O'Brien's starts serving steak and kidney pie or the Embassy learns how to make a proper Irish breakfast. Until then... pass.

[The Macallan 18]

Steak and kidney pie is served each Thursday and Friday at PJ's as a feature. And the Irish girls are just as yummy!

[Googs]

Sorry I just get so tired of namby pamby Steak & Mushroom... As if. Anyway, my frustration is mainly in the fact that here I am, daughter of a Irishwoman living in Corktown and do you think I could get authentic fare anywhere near me? No. I have to go to Scarborough. I-ma-gine. Thurs & Fri is a nice touch. Every day would be nicer.

[Squeakycheese]

Googy where in Scarborough? thanks

[Googs]

The Tara Inn.

[The Macallan 18]

PJ O'Briens is fake??? Are you kidding me! Guess you haven't been. They recently did a 'restauranr makeover' which really kicked things up a notch on the Irish side. Considering the owner and 90% of the staff are Irish, it doesn't get more bloody Irish than PJ's!

[yoyodyne]

went to highschool with mr. quinn (the proprietor of PJs)'s son gavin who now runs the irish embassy pub and can attest that they're the real deal.

[dickiegreenleaf]

during the summer, half the servers are Irish students

[Lazar]

You could also try the Galway Arms on the Queensway. It is very West (technically, I believe it is Etobicoke) and I myself have never been, but when my relatives from Cork were here last September looking for a pub that broadcast the hurling match, the Galway Arms was the only place that I could find.

[Finnegan]

A little farther west (Bloor and Keele - near High Park) my pick would be Whelan's Gate...a nice friendly pub with barkeeps that know how to pull a pint of Guiness...nice pub menu too

[yoyodyne]

second whelan's gate! since i left the dora and the danforth for high park and environs, this has become my irish pub of choice! great atmosphere and decent food.

[domesticgodess]

just came back from the miller tavern on yonge street (near wilson).
I had mentioned that they were having a party and there was a $25 cover fee that was going to a foundation on an earlier post.
Well, for $25...we received 3 tokens for beer (steam whistle or guiness) or wine or a specialty cocktail made for the party. There was also a full buffet...shrimp, spring rolls, veggie/dip, carved beef on little buns, fruit, a pizza-like appetizer, a smoked samon and cream cheese appetizer, french fries and probably a few more items that I cant remember.
The quality of the food was outstanding...and the service was super friendly.
It wasnt packed-packed-packed, which was fine by me.

I have been to two parties there before...and I always walk away satisfied.
Worth checking out their website every once in a while.

Cheers!!

[Finnegan]

My pick for downtown irish pubs would be the Pour Irish Ale House in the Annex (dupont Street)...good selection of beers and a very good irish menu....and no green beer
http://pourhouse.sites.toronto.com/

[Full tummy]

Murphy's Law Pub on Queen at Kingston Road is always hopping on St. Patrick's Day. And the go early suggestion applies here too.

[eire]

hi guys,
thanks for the responce!well as for finnegan i cant answer for him!green beer u are having a laugh! i havent decided yet! for jesus sake there has to be one decent irish pub in toronto? signing off desperate!!!!

[Splendid Wine Snob]

After multiple trips to Ireland, nothing here compares.

I've tried some of the ones mentioned here, but avoid them 'cause I end up missing that country even more :(

[badbhoy]

Here we go again. The constant theme of the Toronto boards about how the Irish pubs here aren't as good as those in Ireland, the Mexican restaurants aren't as good as those Mexico, the fish and chip shops are better in Britain,etc,etc,etc.

I've been to Ireland many times and of course the atmosphere will be somewhat different here. My favourite is Dora Keogh's if you are looking for a traditional Irish pub. Their celtic sessions on Thrusdays and Wednesdays are fantastic and the set-up is very similar to the small village pubs I frequented in Ireland. The food and Guinness are great too.

For a pub where you are more likely to actually spend time with the Irish (and Scottish), McVeigh's is a good bet. This is where all my relatives and their friends go when they come from overseas and it's authentic in the sense that it's just like the pubs these folk actually frequent back home. Nothing special in terms of food or decor, but it's a friendly neighbourhood pub.

On St. Patrick's Day, even the "authentic pubs" are going to be full of green beer drinking revelers wearing "kiss me I'm Irish" shirts. It's inevitable. If you're Irish don't let this get to you. Enjoy the day that everyone celebrates your culture regardless of their background!

[yoyodyne]

Go on my son! You've pretty much hit the nail on the head. Dora for the feel and Mcveigh's for the peeps. Thanks for a great post!

[Googs]

So that pretty much narrows it down to Dora Keogh or Tarra Inn then doesn't it Finnegan?

[Finnegan]

Avoid any place that serves green beer...no Irishman (or woman) would be caught dead in a place that dyed their brew...I think McVeighs does this...yuck

[morrigan]

Mr. McVeigh is Irish from Belfast...does that count? Last I was there (years ago), most people were fresh off the boat. That doesn't necessarily cover St. Pat's though, when everyone is "Irish"... Dora's is great, but crowded. St. Pat's is the worst day of the year to go to an Irish bar...

[Googs]

The Tarra Inn on Eglinton in Scarborough.

[yoyodyne]

wherever you go, go early. especially in the case of mcveigh's and the dora. those places usually get packed by noon on a weekday st. paddy's day, on a weekend you'll be lucky to get through the door.

[Sam I Am]

McVeigh's at Jarvis and Richmond (i think)

[westhead74]

McVeigh's is Church & Richmond.

[emq]

Galway Arms...Lakeshore Blvd..near Costco

[eyyyelash]

Galway Arms in on The Queensway east of Plastics Dr. (tim horton's) and is on the north side.....

[Finnegan]

Dora Keogh or Allens

http://www.allens.to/dora/dk2.htm

[mummy2Luna]

The line-ups start here before 10am. But it's so worth it.