beta
beta
...Or as some folks like to call it, "St. Practice Day," where one practices how much alcohol can imbibe before liver failure. Here's a variety of St. Patrick's party houses below, ranging from a quaint little cottage to bathroom-graffitied Irish pubs.
Fado hosts Wednesday night trivia night, and if you're new to the daunting, lightening speeds of seasoned trivia players, this Irish bar is a good place to break yourself in -- the questions aren't too hard. Fado is also famous for their annual St. Patrick's Day party, and coming from experience, I can tell you that they take wearing green very seriously.
A low-lit, Hobbit hole of a pub, with tartan decor and knotty wood booths everywhere you turn. Dog & Duck has a large outdoor deck where St. Patrick's Day merrymakers gather every year, filling the parking lot with live music, swishing beer, and the occasional clogger.
I've seen Buffalo Billiards exist in one of two states: subdued pool hall for serious billiards sportsmen, or wild, Spring Break-esque 6th Street bar where the Real World: Austin cast used to hang out. The latter personality suits St. Patrick's Day partiers just fine, and Buffalo Billiards does it right with beer specials galore.
The Emerald is a hidden little restaurant here in Austin, a petite Irish cottage that serves eats from the owner's homeland on Irish china and silver platters: Irish whiskey cake, flambeed onion soup, savory roasted leg of lamb. Head here after you've abused yourself on St. Patrick's Day proper, and get some culinary TLC.
Run by an Irish guy named Johnny, Bull McCabe's is a beloved, grimy pub on Red River's strip with live music, an incredibly friendly vibe, and generous pours of whiskey. What more could you want on St. Paddy's Day?
B.D. Riley's own catchphrase -- "6th Street, for grownups" -- actually captures the atmosphere here quite nicely. Good job, marketing team. A bit sports bar, a bit historical Austin, and a bit upmarket, B.D. Riley's is the gentleman's choice for St. Patrick's Day, where aged Irish whiskey is the order of the day, rather than questionable green beer.
Like Halloween and "Talk Like a Pirate Day," Opal D's is always reliably raucous for drinking holidays, and St. Patrick's is no exception. There are plenty of beers here if you want to get sloppy, but an equally abundant Scotch selection, courtesy of Ireland's UK neighbors.
