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Five "Irish Bars" in San Diego, two Irish bars

By Beth Castagno

March 13, 2006

San Diego--San Diego seems like the furthest point in America form Ireland, both geographically and culturally. With its crowded corners of burrito and taco stands, the city lacks Irish inspiration. Still, among the surfer bars and nightclubs, one can still find a shillelagh in a haystack.

Instead of Googling the hell out of “Irish Pub San Diego” and sifting through a laundry list of establishments, just keep reading. Below is the very subjective Vyuz.com guide to which San Diego pubs are authentic and which aren’t.

Moose McGillycuddy’s, 535 5^th Avenue, (619) 702-5595

Where are all the Irish bras, and for that matter, all the beautiful people? Not here! The twenty-something crowd is ugly,…really ugly.

Overall, the bar was lacking in Irish spirit and, for that matter, San Diegan spirit.

Consensus: IMPOSTER

Dublin Square, 554 4^th Avenue, (619) 239-5818

Feels as though we’re walking straight into the a Dublin street scene or a bad Disneyland ride. The bar has the “outside feel,” complete with brick walls and gas lamps along the booths. The strength of the Dublin Square is the selection of alcohol, beer and Irish named dishes, including the Irish Lamb Stew and Guinness Braised Beef, ranging from $18.00 to $25.00.

The Dublin Square seemed to have one goal in mind — to make its patrons deaf with Coldplay and Prodigy blasting. This is one of those bars where you have to scream to hear your friends. Don’t go there expecting to meet people. This is a bar where groups of yuppies just starting their first job out of college meet for laughs and memories about those keg parties. No thanks, guys. The waitress really needed to take those suspender shorts off and send them back to Germany.

Consensus: IMPOSTER

The Field, 544 5^th Avenue, (619) 232-9840

You won’t find The Field under a Google search of Irish pubs; rather, you hear about this bar via word of mouth or the radio. This downtown hidden treasure may make you never want to leave.

Irish husband and wife Daniel and Enda Drayne lugged real pieces of a former Irish bar to complete this San Diego icon. The bar is complete with a fireplace and the dark wood feel of Dublin. Along the walls are pressed documents right from the motherland.

Drinks flow at The Field. Fifteen different Irish whiskeys line the menu and, of course, there’s Irish Coffee for dessert. Gather your “Sex in the City” girls and order up some Shamrock martinis. That is, of course, if you’re not in the mood for your choice of draft and bottled beers imported from Europe. They have authentic dishes including the Shepard’s Pie Boxty and Guinness Beef Boxty, all under $12.00. You can relax in a tall booth and trade stories with your friends or sit on open benches and people-watch. Traditional Irish music and dance is performed every Sunday. This is an obvious true-to-the-heart Irish pub.

Consensus: AUTHENTIC IRISH BAR.

Henry’s Pub, 614 5^th Avenue, (619) 238-2389

Okay, okay, we’re a little off the beaten path — still in downtown, but let’s go further northeast to Finland. Yep, running out of Irish bars, one should shoot for an authentic European bar/club. Even though it pops up under an Irish pub search, the pub was established by Osvi “Jack” Niemi. He was inspired by his father, Kai Niemi, who opened up his first bar in 1969 in Kuopio, Finland.

It resembles a European nightclub and is like a Jack in the Box. With each corner you turn, you never know what’s going to pop out at you. You could get a gorgeous man or woman or the scum of San Diego. There’s a line outside, so be prepared to wait. Once inside, though, you can have at any of twenty-three imported beers, as well as varied scotch, cognacs and authentic Finnish drinks. This is no Irish bar but you should take it over the Irish imposters.

Consensus: AUTHENTIC FINNISH BAR

Blarney Stone Pub, 510 5^th Avenue, (619) 233-8519

Upon entering this bar, its image is deceiving. The long wooden bar and mirrored back wall remind you of any American bar. The crowd is older on a Saturday night; really old, like Dad older. But the bartenders, straight from Galloway, know their history and can give you a short lesson on the Gaelic language and the history of Ireland.

Consensus: AUTHENTIC IRISH BAR

So, in the search for authentic Irish bars, there were few authentic replicas of Irish heritage and culture. That’s okay. You have to be forgiving since you are in a city so far from Dublin, Blarney and the Ring of Kerry. For now, slowly sip that Smithwicks at the Blarney Stone or The Field until another bar steps up to the Irish plate.