I love a good Irish Pub as much as I love conch shacks and cured pork. St. James Gate Publick House, 167 Maplewood Avenue, is everything an Irish Pub should be and a wee bit more.

St. James exudes the quintessence of an Irish Pub; it s warm, inviting, convivial, comfortable, and just a little bit dark.

The story behind the restaurant is just as authentic as the floor boards, which were sourced from Guinness vats in Dublin, Ireland.

The tale goes something like this: Irishman, John Meade, spent thirty years as a beer salesman. He did well, but yearned to become a Publickan. In 2003, he did just that and transformed the location on Maplewood Avenue from a men s clothing store into St. James Gate Publick House, taking the very name from the bottle of Guinness. To make his pub as authentic as possible, Mr. Meade imported furniture from Ireland, and even integrated wood from the Guinness vats into the wooden bar floor.

The bar offers a vast selection of fine imported and domestic beers, served by efficient, courteous and knowledgeable bartenders, like Pete Fess. Did I mention he s Irish too?

In the kitchen, traditional Irish fare, such as Bangers and Mash, Irish Breakfast and Shepherd s Pie are cooked up by several cooks, among them a young lad named William McCarther.

If that s not enough to make you feel good, then you may require a Snake Bite that ll do the trick!

Watch the video to take a peak inside St. James Gate kitchen and spend a little time at the bar.

 

By the way, legend has it, that if you drink four Guinness while standing on the very special Guinness wood, you'll suddenly be able to speak Gaelic. If you d like to give this a try, please email me, I ll meet you there with my camera!

Don t forget the pipes are calling on Thursday, March 17th! St. James Gate will be open for breakfast on St. Patrick's Day. So grab an Irish Breakfast, complete with Irish Coffee, hop the train into NYC for the big parade, then come on back for dinner!