Best places to get Irish food and drink in Richmond

Nov 16, 2023

The Irish burger at Park Lane Tavern consists of a half-pound chargrilled burger topped with Dubliner cheddar, bacon whiskey jam and Jameson aioli.

The Irish nachos at Park Lane Tavern in Short Pump are seasoned waffle fries with melted cheese, tomatoes, jalapenos and crispy corned beef.

The Greater Richmond Pipes and Drums plays at O’Toole’s Restaurant and Pub’s Irish wake in 2022.

Cameo Cakery & Cafe on Libbie Avenue serves up cake and cocktails and will be celebrating St. Patrick’s Day on Friday.

These birthday cake cupcakes at Cameo Cakery & Cafe have shamrock sprinkles.

Traditional Irish Guinness gingerbread from Two and a Half Irishmen is a moist, almost dessert-like bread made with Guinness, loads of ginger, sour cream and molasses.

A handful of Richmond restaurants for your St. Patrick's Day essentials

If you’re looking for some of the best places to get corned beef, fish and chips, and Guinness around Richmond for St. Patrick’s Day, check out these top picks.

Full warning: Not all of them come from traditional Irish pubs.

If you’re looking for a salty, perfectly cured corned beef sandwich on rye, Jewish deli Perly’s is where it’s at. The Oy vey! delivers a whopping half-pound each of salty, delicious pastrami and corned beef piled high on rye and slathered with mustard ($17). It’s a pillowy bite of salty perfection. Or the Reuben, served hot with corned beef, sauerkraut, Swiss and Russian dressing on rye ($14), is a close second. Try an order of crispy Brussels sprouts ($7) on the side. 111 E. Grace St. (804) 912-1560 or perlysrichmond.com.

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Did you know you can get authentic fish and chips in Richmond at a Thai restaurant? When it’s owned by a Brit, you can.

Hefty slabs of cod or haddock are deep-fried a glorious golden hue at Thai Won On and served with a green curry sauce that gives the fried fish a fresh piquant kick. Fried fish dishes are also served with tartar sauce, salt and malt vinegar on newsprint wax paper. ($15.99-$16.99).

Thai Won On opened as a Thai restaurant in late 2021 from husband and wife team Jonathan Niemiec and Joy Supanya. Niemiec is from England, while Supanya is from Thailand. “We started doing a British menu about eight months ago,” Niemiec said, as a way to increase lunch traffic. And with Niemiec’s British roots, the fish and chips have been a hit. 3422 Lauderdale Drive, (804) 477-6604 or thaiwonon.com.

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Irish transplant Niall Duffy, now a Henrico County resident, has been baking traditional Irish breads and scones to die for. Be sure to try his traditional Irish Guinness gingerbread ($8), a moist, almost dessert-like bread made with Guinness, loads of ginger, sour cream and molasses.

“It’s the one we sell the most of year-round,” Duffy said. “Initially, we just made it for Christmas. But now we offer it year-round and especially for St. Patrick’s Day.”

Other treats from Duffy’s family recipes include Guinness and chocolate porter cake ($8) made with orange peel and chocolate chips and traditional Irish tea brack ($), a bread made with steeped tea leaves, figs and apricots or with almonds.

You can pick up his goodies at places like Ellwood Thompson’s, Yellow Umbrella, Tom Leonard’s and the RVA Big Market. Or order directly from the website at traditionalirishbaking.com.

Okay, we all know that O’Toole’s, Penny Lane, Rosie Connolly’s, Rare Olde Times and Siné Irish Pub are great traditional Irish pubs in Richmond and solid choices for a St. Patrick’s Day fix.

But if you’re looking for new pub grub that tastes really good, head to Park Lane Tavern in Short Pump.

Opened in the Keagan’s space in 2019, Park Lane Tavern offers the traditional beer-battered fish and chips ($16.50), corned beef and cabbage ($17) and bangers and mash ($16.50), as well as a solid corned beef sandwich ($14) and a corned beef burger topped with corned beef, beer-braised cabbage, Swiss cheese and Russian dressing ($14).Park Lane will be hosting a St. Patrick’s Day party on Friday and Saturday with music and specials. West Broad Village, 2251 Old Brick Road, Glen Allen. parklanetavern.com

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Rosie Connolly’s serves Guinness at just the right temperature, 42.8 degrees, and the space is so cozy, like an old Irish pub. It also has Harp and Smithwick’s on tap, plus plenty of single malt scotches and Irish whiskeys.

For St. Patrick’s Day on Friday, Rosie’s will have a tented patio, bagpipes throughout the day and plenty of Irish specials such as bangers and mash, corned beef and cabbage and fish and chips. 1548 E. Main St. (804) 343-1063 or rosieconnollys.com.

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Enter the rainbow arches at Richmond’s “cake all day” café on Friday for a St. Patrick’s Day celebration with face painting from 3-5 p.m. and Irish Celtic music from Pugsy Mahone from 5-9 p.m.

For special sweet treats, try the Irish car bomb cupcake filled with Irish cream and topped with a chocolate bourbon ganache drizzle ($4), birthday cake cupcakes with shamrock sprinkles ($4) and St. Patrick’s Day-themed shortbreads ($4). For the more savory option, go for the gargantuan pretzel with beer cheese ($13).

On draft, there will be a Rockville Irish red ale and an Irish cream stout from Southern Tier Brewing Co. “The Irish cream stout is super surprising. It’s not as heavy as you’d expect a stout to be. It’s delightful. We ran out of it last year,” owner Christina Miller said. And the specialty cocktail for St. Patrick’s Day will be the Lucky Fizz, a refreshing blend of gin and cucumber. 306 Libbie Ave. (804) 542-2020 or cameocakery.com.

There’s just something warm and wonderful about O’Toole’s annual St. Patrick’s Day celebrations. O’Toole’s throws a lively St. Patrick’s three-day party that kicks off with a festive fake Irish wake on Thursday, followed by Irish bands, bagpipers and food specials like corned beef and cabbage, shepherd’s pie and fish and chips on Friday and Saturday. It’s family-friendly, and everyone is always smiling. 4800 Forest Hill Ave. (804) 233-1781 or otoolesrestaurant.com.

The Beef Wellington at Park Lane Tavern in Glen Allen, VA on March 15, 2023. The dish consists of a Filet Mignon layered with mushroom duxelles, wrapped in prosciutto and baked in a butter flake pastry. It is served with chive whipped potatoes and grilled asparagus. EVA RUSSO/TIMES-DISPATCH

The Magners Corned Beef and Beer Braised Cabbage at Park Lane Tavern in Glen Allen, VA on March 15, 2023. The dish consists of Magners cider marinated USDA corned beef brisket, slow-cooked and thinly sliced. It is paired with Harp Lager braised cabbage and bacon, chive whipped potatoes and baby carrots. EVA RUSSO/TIMES-DISPATCH

The Jameson Bread Pudding at Park Lane Tavern in Glen Allen, VA on March 15, 2023. The dish consists of the house made recipe topped with Jameson Irish whiskey sauce and vanilla bean ice cream. EVA RUSSO/TIMES-DISPATCH

The Irish Burger at Park Lane Tavern in Glen Allen, VA on March 15, 2023. The dish consists of a half-pound chargrilled burger topped with Dubliner cheddar, bacon whiskey jam, and Jameson aioli. EVA RUSSO/TIMES-DISPATCH

The Jameson Bread Pudding at Park Lane Tavern in Glen Allen, VA on March 15, 2023. The dish consists of the house made recipe topped with Jameson Irish whiskey sauce and vanilla bean ice cream. EVA RUSSO/TIMES-DISPATCH

The Beef Wellington at Park Lane Tavern in Glen Allen, VA on March 15, 2023. The dish consists of a Filet Mignon layered with mushroom duxelles, wrapped in prosciutto and baked in a butter flake pastry. It is served with chive whipped potatoes and grilled asparagus. EVA RUSSO/TIMES-DISPATCH

The Irish nachos at Park Lane Tavern in Short Pump are seasoned waffle fries with melted cheese, tomatoes, jalapenos and crispy corned beef.

The Irish burger at Park Lane Tavern consists of a half-pound chargrilled burger topped with Dubliner cheddar, bacon whiskey jam and Jameson aioli.

Traditional Irish Guinness gingerbread from Two and a Half Irishmen is a moist, almost dessert-like bread made with Guinness, loads of ginger, sour cream and molasses.

Traditional Irish almond tea brack from Two and a Half Irishmen.

St. Patrick's Day cookies at Cameo Cakery & Cafe.

The Lucky Fizz at Cameo Cakery & Cafe.

Cameo Cakery & Cafe on Libbie Avenue serves up cake and cocktails and will be celebrating St. Patrick’s Day on Friday.

These birthday cake cupcakes at Cameo Cakery & Cafe have shamrock sprinkles.

Thai Won On serves a British menu including authentic fish and chips at 3422 Lauderdale Drive.

The Greater Richmond Pipes and Drums plays at O’Toole’s Restaurant and Pub’s Irish wake in 2022.

Colleen Curran (804) 649-6151

[email protected]

@collcurran on Twitter

Rare Olde Times Public House: Rare Olde Times throws a St. Patrick's Day party every year with music all day from Irish bands and an Irish buffet, as well as individual items such as shepherd's pie, fish 'n chips, and Scotch eggs. Doors open at 11 a.m. on Friday. 10602 Patterson Ave. (804) 750-1346 or www.rareoldetimes.com.

Penny Lane Pub: Penny Lane will be celebrating St. Patrick's Day with the Ireland v. England rugby match on Saturday, football on Sunday and plenty of March Madness. They'll also have corned beef, Scotch eggs, steak and Guinness pie, and bangers and mash. (804) 780-1682 or https://www.pennylanepub.com

River City Roll: The Scott's Addition boutique bowling alley is throwing a St. Patrick's Day party on Friday with music from Bart Chucker & Friends. On Saturday, there will be a family friendly outdoor St. Paddy Rock Festival with live music from 2 p.m.-8:30 p.m., then the party moves inside for ages 21 and over. 939 Myers St. (804) 331-0416 or www.rivercityroll.com.

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