Bar #23 Star and Shamrock

I know what you are thinking. In fact I’m thinking the same thing. Another effing Irish bar and this guy is writing it up. Why him? He is just gonna talk about how much he hates Irish bars. Well guess what: You are 100% correct.Now after we stepped out of Biergarten Haus I was feeling great. I’d just found a place that serves great beer in a fantastic atmosphere. I wasn’t sure where we were heading next but I kinda figured that we would not be upping that bar. I realized the next bar on the list was the Star and Shamrock Tavern & Deli. As you all know I’m not a fan of Irish bars. I think that they are overrated. It’s like they invented drinking or something. I personally find them to be generic. Even with this floating through my mind I held hopes for this place. After all, it’s an Irish bar with a Jewish twist. I was curious about how this all melded together. We stepped inside. The bar had a few patrons so we were able to get our choice of places to sit. We picked a table near the window and settled in. Our waitress brought us menus and we started to decide on what to order. I must admit that I was a little impressed by the menu. Generally I’m looking for a place that has two beers that I like at a decent price. They had several beers that I enjoy along with some Hebrew beers that I’ve never tried. The whiskey menu was also good and they offered certain whiskey shots for $5 each. As we waited for our orders we were given Guinness beads, Nationals t-shirts, and hats. You know those hats that look like leprechaun hats. Our drinks were cold and tasty and the staff was both helpful and nice. I must admit that although I liked the staff this place didn’t really stand out from any other Irish bar. I guess there is that Jewish deli in the back but it’s a little out of the way and one could be in this place and never notice it. Besides, how often are you in an Irish bar and find yourself craving Jewish food? A friend and I decided to order up a round of shots to keep things flowing. We hung here for a little while longer and decided to cut out of there and head to the next destination.

The best thing about this place is the story behind how it came to be. Apparently the owners are an Irish/Jewish couple. They were thinking that they were going to open up an Irish bar and eventually settled on this place. The first Friday’s of the month they have discounted Jewish fare and the 17th of the month is discounted Irish fare. This is all nice but at the end of the day it is just another Jewish (Irish?) bar.

They were also giving away free swag – I got a t-shirt, and we all got Mardi Gras beads.