Top 10 Irish Pubs in Las Vegas
"An Irishman is never drunk as long as he can hold onto one blade of grass to keep from falling off the earth." - Irish saying
March 13, 2008
By Jake Gosselin
Bodog Nation Contributing Writer
St. Patrick's Day is coming up and Bodog Nation has you covered this week with our list of the 10 best Irish bars in Vegas.
But first, for those of us who are excited about the fantastic excuse to get beastly drunk on St. Patrick's Day, I'd like to clear up a little confusion.
Everybody wants to party like Prince, but the only question is: When? (AP Images)There is a St. Patty's issue this year that is reminiscent of the great millennial party debate of 2000 which divided the world. On one side were the traditionalists who insisted that midnight on Dec. 31, 2000 was the right time to celebrate because since there was no year zero, the new millennium wouldn't happen until 2001. On the other side were Prince and all the people who had listened to Prince for years with an unstoppable urge to party like it was 1999. They liked the idea of watching all the numbers roll over from 1999 to 2000 while they checked their computer to see if it would explode.
The end result of this debate was that the world was split in two, and although there were plenty of epic New Year's parties on both dates, the confusion watered everything down and we weren't able to focus all of our party energy on just the one day. Truly sad.
So too it will be with this year's St. Patrick's Day.
You see, every year, St. Patrick's Day goes down on March 17. Oh how sad, it'll be on a Monday this year. But, wait! What's that I see? The Roman Catholic Church coming to our drunken rescue?
It's true. In 1940, St. Patty's was changed to April 3 because it conflicted with Palm Sunday. 2008 will be the first similar conflict since, as it is set to land on the Holy Monday. Consequently, St. Patrick's Day in 2008 will be on Saturday, March 15.
So the good news is that St. Patty's Day is moved to a Saturday this year. The bad news is that it could cause some confusion for those poor sods waiting to get their drink on this Monday. The best course of action remains the same as it did for the millennium issue: Get hammered on both days.
St. Patrick's Day Fun Fact:
St. Patrick is renowned for chasing all of the snakes out of Ireland. A good trick, considering there were no snakes in Ireland circa 400 AD. What this most likely refers to is his getting rid of the druids and their wacky pagan religion since the druid symbol was the snake.
Now that you've got the date right, Saturday March 15, you'll need the right venue. And since Bodog Nation is the master of all things Vegas, we are happy to present to you the 10 best Irish pubs in Las Vegas, or more accurately, the 10 best places to celebrate St. Patrick's Day in Las Vegas. Because it takes more than just hanging a shamrock on the wall to make it the right place to get good and hammered.
10. The Dumpster Behind 7-11.
Bodog Nation has visited this dumpster before with our Best Places to Be Sick in Vegas list.
Don't knock it 'til you try it.Fortunately, you can kill two birds with one dumpster, since this is a great (and for some people inevitable) place to enjoy your St. Patty's Day. What it lacks in ambience and service it makes up for with affordability, privacy and cute little rodents.
9. Sean Patrick's
Located at the Flamingo, Sean Patrick's is definitely striving for a more authentic Irish pub experience. Unfortunately, it combines this with a touch of class. What a shame.
The food is traditional Irish fare and tastes as bad as you might expect it to. Go for the decor and the beer. If you eat the corned beef hash, we fully expect you to die on the toilet.
8. Kavanaugh's Irish Pub & Grill
Located off the Strip at 3290 W Ann Road, Kavanaugh's is a great place to go if you like to complain. There is very little about Kavanaugh's that makes it an Irish pub. The beer selection is terrible and the food has nothing to do with the Emerald Isle's cuisine. Other than that, it's a decent pub. Just be sure to complain about its lack of authenticity and to demand some damn leprechauns.
7. The Crown and Anchor Pub
What's a St. Patty's Day without a good old fashioned fist fight? (Courtesy San Sharma at Flickr.com)What better way to get in the Irish spirit than heading to one of the best English pubs in Vegas and getting into a fight. Now remember, you don't actually have to fight an Englishman, it's the spirit of the affair that matters. Just find the most arrogant man in the place and tell him you don’t like the way he's looking at you. The action should take care of itself from there. And don't forget to scream, "Sinn Fein forever!" They love it when you do that.
Located at the Tropicana, The Crown and Anchor’s fish and chips are the best in town, so you might want to try them out before you start swinging. Good luck and have fun.
6. McFadden's Restaurant and Saloon
Recently opened this year at the Rio, McFadden's isn't going to blow your mind, but it’s a decent pub with standard pub grub, like nachos and wings, done well. It's a big place at 7,000 square feet, as it occupies the same space as the Rio's previous Irish pub, the Tilted Kilt. It's an improvement over the previous pub, especially in the areas of food and decor.
5. Three Angry Wives Pub
Also off the Strip, the Three Angry Wives Pub located at 8820 W Charleston Blvd., also has 24-hour gambling. The food and beer is excellent, but the service tends to be like what you might expect from a place called the Three Angry Wives Pub.
This dark-wooded pub is a great spot to end your night with some video poker and to hang out with fellow hardcore revelers.
4. Quinn's Irish Pub
Located at the Green Valley Ranch, Quinn's is a very comfortable place to have pint and an even better place to turn it up to 11. However, what really won us over at Quinn's was its beer pong tournament. Check it out and maybe we'll see you there.
3. McMullan's Irish Pub
Like the Crown and Anchor, McMullan's is located at the Tropicana. It has some great specials between midnight and 8 a.m. with two-for-one drinks. So belly up at 6 a.m. and get your St. Patty's Day started off right!
2. J.C. Wooloughan's Irish Pub
Located in the mall at 221 N Rampart Blvd., J.C. Wooloughan's is about as traditional an Irish pub as you can get. The place was actually dismantled in Dublin and shipped to Vegas where it was rebuilt.
The food and drink is beyond reproach, it has excellent live music and dancing (on a somewhat diminutive dance floor) and a patio. This place will be hopping on St. Patrick's Day. Go here and you won’t be disappointed.
1. Nine Fine Irishmen
Located in the New York-New York Hotel & Casino, Nine Fine Irishmen is not only the finest in Irish pubs in Vegas, it's arguably the best all-round bar.
The Holy Grail of Las Vegas Irish pubs. (Courtesy Julie, Dave and Family at Flickr.com)Like its No. 2 counterpart, Nine Fine Irishmen was built in Ireland and shipped to the Nevada desert.
It scores full marks for authenticity, food, beer and service. You can expect plenty of great live music, and come St. Patrick's Day, you can expect it to be nuts. Get there early and tell them the boys from Bodog Nation say, "Hi." They won’t have a clue who you're talking about, but we like to get our name out there.
TOP PHOTO: Green beer and boobs. What more could you ask for? (Bodog Nation File Photo)
