This post was updated in March 2024.
There are two kinds of bars on St. Patrick’s Day: places that throw a leprechaun on the door, and real Irish pubs that celebrate with live music, dancing, and traditional food and drink. We’ll celebrate at the latter—see a full lineup below.
DC Pubs
Across the Pond
1732 Connecticut Ave., NW
Rise and shine—doors open at 8 AM for St. Patrick’s Day at Dupont Circle’s Irish sports pub (you know what they say: you can’t drink all day if you don’t start in the morning). Once you’ve guzzled breakfast, there’s live music and specials all day long. Entry is free.
The Blaguard
2003 18th St., NW
An Irish bar with DC roots, the Blag is a popular bi-level Adams Morgan spot for watching local sports and digging into wings and totchos (with daily happy hour specials, including weekends).
Boundary Stone
116 Rhode Island Ave., NW
Bloomingdale’s neighborhood pub, run by longtime friends Gareth Croke and Colin McDonough, is celebrating all weekend with specials from chef David Bacot. Doors open at 10 AM on St. Patrick’s Day for brunch and Irish breakfast. Food specials like a corned beef and cabbage Wellington run through Friday, March 22.
The Dubliner
4 F St., NW
The Coleman family-owned institution has poured Irish beers on Capitol Hill for nearly 50 years. Patrons can drop by on St. Patrick’s Day starting at 9 AM for an all-day party with live music, Irish dancing, full lunch and dinner menus (we have our eye on the corned beef and cabbage or shepherd’s pie), and Guinness.
Irish Channel
500 H St., NW
County Cork native Tom Stack runs this low-key neighborhood bar in Chinatown, which offers traditional pub grub alongside Irish favorites like a “spice bag” (Dublin’s answer to fried chicken and chips) and Guinness stew. Doors open at 10 AM on St. Patrick’s Day for celebrations.
Kirwan’s on the Wharf
749 Wharf St., SW
Tipperary native Mark Kirwan is behind this Irish gastropub (as well as Samuel Beckett’s in Arlington). Head to both for music, Irish dancers, and Guinness specials, plus from-scratch dishes like a stellar Shepard’s pie made with braised lamb. The festivities start early— on Saturday, March 16, Kirwan’s co-hosts the Ireland on the Wharf festival with a waterfront Guinness beer garden, live music, and dancing.
Kelly’s Irish Times
14 F St., NW
This self-described “quaint, sometimes boisterous” pub near Union Station has served pints and an extensive selection of whiskeys for over four decades. St. Patrick’s Day brings thirsty crowds looking for a good time.
Virginia Pubs
The Auld Shebeen
3971 Chain Bridge Rd., Fairfax
Fairfax City’s classic Irish pub is a popular gathering place for musicians—there’s often live music on the calendar—as well as fans of home-style cooking like cottage pie or bangers in mash with brown gravy. St. Patrick’s is less of day here, more of a “season,” with plenty of live music and specials scheduled through the week.
The Celtic House
2500 Columbia Pk., Arlington
Drop by this stalwart pub, which opens at 9 AM on St. Patrick’s Day for a holiday brunch buffet plus hours of live music, food, beer, and Irish dancing. There’s also live music planned for Tuesday, March 12, and Thursday through Sunday evening. Reservations are recommended.
Ireland’s Four Courts
2051 Wilson Blvd., Arlington
This is the first St. Patrick’s Day celebration for this Arlington pub since its renovation last year. Doors open at 8:30 AM on Saturday, March 16 and on St. Patrick’s Day and they don’t close until 2 AM. Revelers can check out over 10 live bands and traditional Irish dancers. On Thursday, March 14th, you can have your Guinness pint engraved with an etching machine.
Ireland’s Four Provinces
105 W. Broad St., Falls Church
Cork native Colm Dillon is behind “Four P’s,” a Falls Church staple of nearly three decades. Neighbors love it for the large patio and bar (with TVs for streaming sports) and music inside and out. St. Patrick’s Day kicks off with a kegs n’ eggs breakfast, followed by a three-course midday meal (reservations required) and live music all day long. Featured musicians include Irish folksinger Gerry Timlin and DC native Brooks Yoder.
Murphy’s Grand Irish Pub
713 King St., Alexandria
Old Town is home to a large Irish-American community and several pubs. This one is among the best. Listen to live music throughout this week, or sip a stout alongside bangers and mash. On St. Patrick’s Day, doors open at 9 AM and there’s more live music and dancing all day.
Mattie and Eddie’s
1301 South Joyce St., Arlington
Dublin native Cathal Armstrong, author of My Irish Table, is the chef-owner of this Pentagon City pub. The food is true to the Emerald Isle–we’re fans of the all-day Irish breakfast, house-cured corned beef, and fish n’ chips. St. Patrick’s Day festivities—music, dancing, and drinking—run from Friday, March 15 to Sunday, March 17.
The Old Brogue
760 Walker Rd., Great Falls
The 43 year-old pub is an Irish spot for all seasons, equipped with a large patio for sipping Smithwick’s in summer and a fireplace warming the room in winter. Comfort fare goes year-round with plenty of sausages, savory pies, and stews.Doors open at 10 AM on St. Patrick’s Day ($10 cover) with live music and specials all day (ages 21 and over only). There are music and dance performances Friday and Saturday, too.
Maryland Pubs
The Irish Inn at Glen Echo
6119 Tulane Ave., Glen Echo
The atmospheric inn is a great place to avoid green beer-chugging crowds and celebrate the holiday with family and friends. Patrons can sip Guinness at the bar, tuck into dishes like potato/leek soup, and catch live Irish music and dancing. Need holiday cheer? Watch this video with co-owner Christy Hughes as he reflects on coming to America, working at the Dubliner for 18 years, and opening his own Irish bars and restaurants.
Finnegan’s Wake Irish Pub
100 Gibbs St., Rockville
The independent Irish bar in Rockville Town Center is throwing a two-day St. Patrick’s Day festival that will include brunch, special drinks, giveaways, games, and a moon bounce.
The Limerick Pub
11301 Elkin St., Wheaton
Regulars can relax by the fire or play darts at this Wheaton pub. Doors open at 11 AM for St. Patrick’s day festivities, which include live music, and traditional Irish dishes like Guinness beef stew, shepherds pie, and fish n’ chips.. There’s a $5 cover, and it’s 21+.
McGinty’s Public House
911 Ellsworth Dr., Silver Spring
This gathering place in downtown Silver Spring comes from Irish-born owners, and the menu boasts a few less-common finds like an Irish “boxty” (potato-and-cheddar cake) and colcannon (mashed potatoes with cabbage).
Anna Spiegel covers the dining and drinking scene in her native DC. Prior to joining Washingtonian in 2010, she attended the French Culinary Institute and Columbia University’s MFA program in New York, and held various cooking and writing positions in NYC and in St. John, US Virgin Islands.
