The 11 best Irish pubs in NYC

The classic champion of the genre, McSorley’s Old Ale House is the rare tourist destination that also draws locals. Its effortless charm is irresistible. Cross the sawdust-covered floor in a space that dates back to the 1850s and join a heavy wood table for light or dark ale. Though the libations are famously limited to those two brews, McSorley’s has expanded its food menu in the last 168 years to include corned beef hash, burgers and sandwiches. 

A much more recent addition to NYC’s Irish pub landscape, The Dead Rabbit has won oodles of awards since it opened in 2013. Its cozy, cluttered, crowded ground floor is lined with bar seats and tables between banquettes and low stools. There’s a similarly appointed and slightly more comfortable (the chairs have backs) parlor upstairs. The cocktails are serious in both spaces, and the Guinness is an art form. 

After a brief closure right around last year's Saint Patrick's Day Paddy Reilly's reopened with new owners a few months later. The 37-year-old spot as known for as its music as for its Guinness-designed taps and it's Emerald Isle-sourced design elements has knotted floorboards that were once underfoot at an Irish hotel, and a makeshift still constructed in County Cavan. 

Gaelic for "the poor mouth" (also the title of a Flann O'Brien novel), An Béal Bocht is a gathering place for Irish-American art and theater communities. Decor depicts literary heroes like James Joyce and comfort foods abound on the lengthy menu, which stars bangers and mash, a classic shepherd’s pie and beef stew.

Now in its 9th year, Brooklyn’s Hartleys preceded another Irish pub, Grace’s in Manhattan, from the same team. Their first spot has live music every Monday and a full menu that includes a proprietary sausage blend, daily-baked soda bread and a new Guinness beef stew. 

The beer here is vast and varied: You’ll find a dozen on tap and two dozen bottles, many of them imported, to sip at long wooden communal tables. Swift also offers more than 30 single malts and plenty of whiskey from the Emerald Isle. The bar’s been known to host traditional Irish bands on Tuesday evenings.

​​This family-owned saloon, which first opened at its present location in 1936, is among the city’s oldest. It’s also appeared on classic NYC shows like Seinfeld and Law & Order. Sidle up to the oak bar for a few shots and chase ‘em with the house’s own McManus Ale. And if you want some privacy, simply slip into one of the old-school telephone booths

Longtime regulars populate the bar at this weathered Irish stalwart, which also has a wood-paneled dining room inlaid with stained glass. Pair your proper Guinness with shepherd’s pie, a long list of burgers, plenty of eclectic entrees and bar food bites.  

Elements of Ireland are all throughout The Wicked Monk. Wood, stained glass and even a confessional were all shipped from a late 1800s-era Gothic Irish monastery. The beer, of course, is a lot fresher, and the lovely spot also serves lengthy brunch, lunch and dinner menus. 

Pastoral touches—a whitewashed facade, a sawdust-covered floor and Celtic crosses—make this tavern feel like it's been transplanted from the Irish countryside. Regulars swear by the Irish lamb stew paired with a pint of Murphy's Stout, a creamy swig brewed in County Cork using a 150-year-old recipe.

A self-declared “haven for Irish expats and West Village locals,” the Four-Faced Liar’s warm lights, tin ceilings and tufted banquettes create a lazy pub atmosphere. Friendly barkeeps dispense 20-ounce drafts of Guinness and pour cocktails from the full bar.