The region's year-round Irish haunts
do it up like no other on St. Paddy's Day. Here's your guide
to the action:
Barley House
As well known for the eye candy as the souped-up pub grub, the Barley House is sure to host one of the livelier crowds this St. Patrick's Day. The Barley Girls — the joint's young and pretty waitstaff — typically dress in tight shirts and kilts, not to be confused with the old guy with bagpipes you may have seen at the parade. A parking lot tailgate begins at 10 a.m., featuring beer, liquor, and corn beef for $6 each. Green Blossom Special will strum Irish ditties starting at 10:30, and things get rockier with Vegas Baby at 5. Bagpipes and dancers will play backup throughout the day.
1265 West 6th St., 216-623-1700,
Hours: 7 a.m. to 2 a.m.
Charles Stewart Parnell
No-nonsense was never so much fun. "If you want breakfast, it'll have to be Jameson," one manager told us. Besides the booze, standard pub grub will be available all day, priced at around $7.50. Bagpipers and Irish dancers from Murphy's Dance School perform starting first thing in the morning.
2167 Lee Rd., Cleveland Heights,
216-321-3469. Hours: 7 a.m. to close.
Claddagh
This Legacy Village location pulls out all the stops: All day live Irish dancers and bagpipers will rock out along with a series of local acts, including the Richard Brentar Band from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m., and Forsythe Special from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Six Nations rugby finals will be on the telly all day, and the Cleveland Eastern Suburbs Rugby Club will be auctioning off a 50" flatscreen to goad you into watching weird foreign sports.
25389 Cedar Rd., Lyndhurst,
216-691-0534, claddaghirishpubs.com.
Hours: 8 a.m. to midnight.
Flannery's Pub
Flannery's prides itself on pouring a perfect 20-ounce Imperial pint, displaying an uncommon commitment to Old World authenticity, mathematical precision, and beer. Breakfast burritos will be served until noon, and an all-day menu will feature homemade corned beef, boxty, fish and chips, and other "hand-held" food priced from $4 to $7. The Celtic punks Boys From the County Hell will play from 1 to 8 p.m.; a $5 cover charge goes into effect when the show begins.
323 E. Prospect, 216-781-7782,
flannerys.com. Hours: 5:30 a.m. to 2:30 a.m.
Flat Iron Café
The Flat Iron maintains the feel of a cozy neighborhood tavern, with comfy furnishings and a vintage bar. Breakfast will be served until 10 a.m., and a lunch and dinner menu will be available after that. Musician Donald O'Shaughnessy brings the pipe and drum music at noon. A courtesy shuttle makes runs up the hill to the St. Patrick's Day Parade starting around noon.
1114 Center St., 216-696-6968,
Hours: 9 a.m. to close.
Great Lakes Brewing Company
Great Lakes doesn't just add green food coloring to the keg to spread their Irish cheer: They've got their very own seasonal brew at the ready! Conway's Irish Ale — which pairs smashingly with corned beef — just may turn out to be the day's go-to libation. A free shuttle service will get you to the parade in one piece. For traditional music, stop in for Ceud Mile Failte from noon to 3 p.m., or the Cleveland Firefighters Memorial Pipes and Drums band from 8:30 to 9 p.m. For something more eclectic, the Irish punk band Craic will be performing at 5:30, mixing old-school Irish instruments with electric guitars and punk rock spirit.
2516 Market Ave., 216-771-4404,
greatlakesbrewing.com. Hours: 10 a.m.
to 11:30 p.m.
The Harp
The Harp's cozy Celtic architecture looks out of place on Detroit Avenue, but by the time your Guinness settles, you'll have forgotten you're in Cleveland anyway. The charming two-story establishment could have been plucked straight out of the Irish countryside, and it offers plenty of traditional drink — like Smithwick's and Harp lager — to support that illusion. The Harp opens at 8 a.m. on St. Paddy's Day, with a heated outdoor tent to help accommodate the holiday crowd. Local Irish rockers The Boys From the County Hell will cap off their jam-packed St. Pat's schedule with a show here from 9:30 p.m. to midnight. Breakfast is served until 10:30 a.m., then a limited menu will dish up holiday favorites until 10:30 p.m.
4408 Detroit Ave., 216-939-0200,
the-harp.com. Hours: 8 a.m. to midnight.
Loco Leprechaun
Eager to observe St. Paddy's, but also pining for Cinco de Mayo? Then this is the joint for you! Hash, potato soup, and corned beef and cabbage will be served today alongside the menu's usual Tex-Mex offerings at this young-skewing, international merrymaking place.
24545 Center Ridge Rd., Westlake,
440-250-5626, locoleprechaun.com.
Hours: 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 a.m.
Market Garden Brewery
Where most places just drop green in the beer, Market Garden has brewed a special pint for the occasion: the "Danny Greene Enforcer," a bourbon barrel-aged stout. The Garden has made the local working-class folk-hero/mob strongman its mascot for the day, scheduling looped showings of his recent biopic Kill the Irishman. For those more interested in fresh air than cinematic turf wars, fire and space heaters will be keeping an outdoor beer garden toasty — though not too toasty to melt the ice sculptures University of Akron students will be carving live throughout the day.
1947 W. 25th St., 216-621-4000,
Hours: 10 a.m. to 2:30 a.m.
Mavis Winkle's
Located beneath a glistening office structure on Rockside Road, Mavis Winkle's expands on the pub tradition by offering a menu big enough to get lost in. It's full of faves like boxty, corned beef and cabbage, and shepherd's pie, along with plenty of burgers, sandwiches, and other entrées — enough to satisfy even the most voracious appetite. This St. Patrick's Day, they'll open at 8 a.m. for a "kegs & eggs" breakfast buffet that will run through 11 a.m. If you're looking to get out of downtown, Mavis Winkle's is just a skip down I-77 for your post-parade partying.
5005 Rockside Rd., Independence,
216-525-0770, maviswinkles.com.
Hours: 8 a.m. to 11p.m.
Merry Arts Pub
This familiar, classic neighborhood pub opens at 7 a.m. with the most economical breakfast buffet in the area for just $4.50. Corn beef sandwiches, including Reubens, and full-sized dinners follow that. To wash it all down, get merry with the Great Guinness Glass Giveaway, where the first dark one is $6.50 and refills are two dollars cheaper each. Bagpipe music and a DJ provide the soundtrack.
15607 Detroit Ave., Lakewood
216-226-4080. Hours: 7 a.m. to close.
Nighttown
As an alternative to the drink-and-puke crowd, consider the jazzy surroundings of Nighttown, where you'll find an authentic Irish celebration without the usual assaults on your self-respect. Pray to St. Patrick for a miraculous cancelation and $22 to get into either of the two currently sold-out performances by affable crooners New Barleycorn at 5:30 and 8 p.m.
12387 Cedar Rd., Cleveland Heights,
216-795-0550, nighttowncleveland.com.
Hours: 10:30 a.m. to midnight.
Old Angle Tavern
Nestled in the heart of Ohio City, within walking distance of the parade, the Old Angle makes a fitting start to your St. Paddy's Day celebration. Irish breakfast will be served till 11 a.m., followed by a Special Irish Menu. Pipe and drum bands will play throughout the day, and the Celtic rock band Whiskey Island Ramblers will start playing after the parade around 2 p.m.
1848 W. 25th St., 216-861-5643, oldangletavern.com. Hours: 9 a.m. to 2 a.m.
P.J. McIntyre's
Every day is St. Paddy's Day at P.J. McIntyre's, a handsome pub nestled in the heart of Kamm's Corners. This cozy joint has been open only since 2008, but it has already established itself as one of Cleveland's finest Irish watering holes. The decor is as authentic as you're likely to find outside the Emerald Isle, and the spot is known for its friendly service and a host of Irish pub faves like fish and chips, bangers and mash, and a full bar stocked with enough whiskey and suds to keep the wall-to-wall crowd tipsy and happy.
17119 Lorain Ave., 216-941-9311,
pjmcintyres.com. Hours: 7 a.m. to
2:30 a.m.
Public House
A "public house," defined, is simply a "tavern consisting of a building with a bar and public rooms; often provides light meals." Indeed, Cleveland's Public House is just that, but the slogan on their website gives you a better idea of the place: "There are no strangers here, just friends you have yet to meet." One can think of few better ways to make friends than over shots of Jameson and the corned beef that Public House will have on special.
17219 Lorain Ave., 216-252-6608.
Hours: 11:30 a.m. to 2 a.m.
Sullivan's Irish Pub
& Restaurant
Cozy, good-humored, and celebratory for Old and New World Irish heritage, Sullivan's is an emerald of the West Side. Breakfast is served from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m., after which the full menu will be available. The well-stocked bar features 14 Irish whiskeys, 24 beers on tap, and a crazy-good Black & Tan. A parade of Irish bands, including Guinness Bill Band and Lake Erie Isle, will play throughout the day.
13368 Madison Ave., Lakewood,
216-529-8969, sullivansirishpub.net.
Hours: 7 a.m. to 1:30 a.m.
West Park Station
Serving Irish and Italian favorites, West Park Station doesn't fall squarely into the typical Irish pub tradition. But don't let that fool you: Their St. Patrick's Day parties rival anyone's. You'll want to be in a hurry to get there, since the first 50 people in the door get free breakfast; Jill and Johnny Come-Latelies can still pay for eggs until 10 a.m. Irish step dancers, pipe and drum musicians, and a live DJ will be there for your amusement throughout the day. Ask for Aunty Kath's famous Irish soda bread.
17015 Lorain Ave., 216-476-2000,
westparkstation.com. Hours: 6 a.m.
to 2:30 a.m.
OTHER ASSORTED IRISHNESS:
Irish American Club East Side
From noon to 6 p.m., the whole family is invited to the clubhouse for food and live music by Neil Jacobs. A more adult-oriented party starts at 6 p.m., featuring the Whiskey Island Ramblers from 7:30 to 11:30 p.m. Members attend free; guests are $5 apiece.
22770 Lake Shore Blvd., Euclid,
216-731-4003,
irishamericanclubeastside.org.
St. Colman's Parish
For those of you who actually care about the saintliness of St. Patrick, St. Colman Parish hosts the region's most elaborate and well-attended masses, starting at 10:30 a.m. Coffee and confections are sold immediately afterwards, and after the parade from 3 to 6 p.m., the Conway/Patton/McGoun Party serves up Great Lakes Brewery beer, corned beef, potato soup, and live dance and music to benefit the parish. Hosted by the West Side Irish American Club, the event is $5 per head.
2027 West 65th St., 216-651-0550.
