If you’re Irish, St Paddy’s day doesn’t get better than seeing the national rugby team poised for a historic grand slam in the final round of the Six Nations Championship at Twickenham. They could be taking the trophy out of English hands, in England’s own back yard making London the place to be this March 17th. Whatever the result, already assured of lifting the trophy, Irish eyes will be smiling so we’ve picked the St Patrick’s Day London pubs to raise a glass of the black stuff.
Sláinte – Cheers!
Waxy O’Connor’s Pub
14-16 Rupert Street, London, W1D 6DD
Nearest tube station – Piccadilly Circus
Ask many Londoners what the best Irish pub in the city is and the chances are they’ll reply Waxy O’Connor’s. This is a temple to good times, ice-cold Guinness and fantastic craic, featuring 4 unique bars spread over 6 rocking floors. With live sports on TV, there’s a great atmosphere to cheer on your favourite team to boot. It’s the full shillelagh swinging package.
Waxy’s Little Sister
20 Wardour Street, London, W1D 6QG
Nearest tube station – Covent Garden
For fans of more subtle shindigs, Waxy’s Little Sister is the place to go. A quieter alternative to Waxy O’Connor’s main venue, you can relax by an open fire, sink into a sofa and really taste the cream atop o’ your Guinness. It’s that brilliant kind of bar that’s thought of the little things, like the dumb waiter upstairs so you don’t need to wobble down when it’s your round.
Ganley’s Irish Bar
43-47 London Road, Morden, SM4 5HP
Nearest tube station – Morden Station
The family-run Ganley’s Irish Bar is Gaelic good times at their very best. This place is absolutely rocking every weekend of the year and St Paddy’s Day will be no exception. There’ll be a party-loving crowd, the music will be loud, and the Guinness will be flowing. Get here, be thirsty.
Philomena’s Irish Bar & Sports Café
40 Great Queen Street, WC2 B5AA
Nearest tube station – Holborn
Philomena’s is brilliantly quirky in that crazy Irish way, packed with cool vintage bric-a-brac and artwork. There are few better places to order a neat Jameson’s and raise a toast in the name of St. Patrick, plus, if you’ve never seen Gaelic Football on TV before then this is the perfect place to introduce yourself to this hard-hitting sport.
The Porterhouse
21-22 Maiden Lane, London, WC2E 7NA
Nearest tube station – Leicester Square
Set just off Covent Garden, The Porterhouse is famous for giving London natives a taste of the legendary Temple Bar in the heart of the English party capital. Whether you’re ordering cool pints of the award-winning Plain Porter and Oyster Stout in the main bar, sampling a glass of Ireland’s finest in the Dingle Whiskey Bar, tasting man-cocktails or throwing shapes in the basement, The Porterhouse has good times by the bucket load. It’s time you jumped on the bandwagon.
The Sheephaven Bay
2 Mornington Street, Camden Town, NW1 7QD
Nearest tube station – Mornington Crescent
Camden Town might have a reputation for fancy craft microbreweries and vegan cafes, but The Sheephaven Bay is still here to remind us that sometimes, all it takes to have a good night is a friendly crowd and a healthy supply of ‘Liffey water’. This is where those in the know come to soak up a relaxed atmosphere, watch live sports and get all kinds of wobbly on March 17th every year. St. Patrick would be proud.
The Claddagh Ring
10 Church Road, Hendon, London, NW4 4EA
Nearest tube station – Hendon Central
The Claddagh Ring takes the prize for the most Irish-sounding pub on this list and the good Gaelic vibes continue from there, the people are welcoming, the food hearty, the music brilliant and the Guinness cool. What more could you ask for? Oh, a whole weekend of raucous St Patrick’s Day celebrations? The Claddagh Ring has you sorted.
The Alexandra
14 Clapham Common South Side, Clapham Common, SW4 7AA
Nearest tube station – Clapham Common
The Alexandra’s been serving Clapham locals happiness in bottled form for over 150 years and in that time, they’ve learned how to throw one hell of a St. Paddy’s Day party. With a superb explosion of traditional Irish décor and more obscure ornaments like the London Underground sign hanging from the wall, it’s quite possible that The Alexandra will become your new favourite London pub.
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The Taps Irish Bar
29 Silver Street, Enfield Town, EN1 3EF
Nearest tube station – Enfield Town
From the moment you step inside The Taps you’re transported off the streets of Enfield Town and into what feels like the heart of Temple Bar. Whether you’re sipping Guinness, tapping your feet to the music or just marvelling at the awesome range of whiskeys behind the oak bar, this is the closest you’ll get to a traditional St. Patrick’s Day without jumping on the next flight to Dublin.
The Ramble Bar
223 Mitcham Road, London, SW17 9JG
Nearest tube station – Tooting Broadway
When The Irish Post start calling a bar one of the best Irish pubs in London, you know it’s time to grab your bodhran and tin whistle and head to town. The Ramble Bar has earned its plaudits and continues to deliver an authentic Irish experience from the Guinness and whiskey to the music and the friendly party atmosphere. This is what a great pub looks like.
The Swan
2A Stockwell Road, Stockwell, London, SW9 9BF
Nearest tube station – Stockwell
The Swan claims to have ‘London’s best craic’ and with three different bars it appears they can talk the talk and walk the tipsy walk. The main bar features live music on weekends as well as DJs spinning up the biggest anthems to have crossed over from the emerald isles. Or if you’re up for some disco cheese then you can do your best Westlife impressions in the Hayloft. Whatever your music mood, The Swan will be rocking wall-to-wall this St Paddy’s Day.
Connolly’s Chiswick
450 Chiswick High Road, London, W4 5TT
Nearest tube station – Chiswick Park
Connolly’s have been keeping West London locals thirst-free for nearly a decade and they’re not done yet. As well as the essentials (Guinness, Guinness and more Guinness) Connolly’s has some delicious homemade Irish food as well as the rugby on TV and Chiswick’s best beer garden. Although with live Irish music on weekends, the chances are you’ll head back inside to join in all the Celtic fun.
The Cow
89 Westbourne Park Road, London, W2 5QH
Nearest tube station – Royal Oak
Renowned for its fantastic Irish-inspired seafood, The Cow shows us that St. Patrick’s Day isn’t all about the drink but the food as well. That being said, they won’t leave your pint-lifting-arm with nothing to do as their lively saloon bar has a fantastic beer list and with a full weekend of festivities planned, there’s never been a better time to discover why this pub is so udderly brilliant (we’ll show ourselves out).
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The Sir Colin Campbell
264-266 Kilburn High Road, Hampstead, London, NW6 2BY
Nearest tube station – Kilburn London Underground
Dating back to 1898, The Sir Colin Campbell has traditionally been an Irish pub for most of its long life and that’s not going to change anytime soon, with a team who pride themselves on their Irish roots and serving a perfect pint of Guinness. Where better to raise a glass o’ Liffey water to Ireland’s and cheer the boys in green on?
The Auld Shelleleigh
105 Stoke Newington Church Street, London, N16 0UD
Nearest tube station – Arsenal
The winner of the Irish Times’ prestigious “Most authentic Irish pub in the world outside Ireland” award, The Auld Shelleleigh is what happens when you take passionate pub people and give them the keys to a seen-better-days-boozer in North London. They’ve totally transformed the old girl, with a massive beer garden, live music, big screen sports and what some argue is the best Guinness in town.
