TC-O_leary_s-best-irish-bar_NashCo-Photo_s90znv Portland’s Best Irish Bars | Portland Monthly — T.C. O’Leary’s is one of Portland’s favorite Irish pubs.

Portland isn’t the most Hibernian locale in the US, missing the deep roster of Irish pubs that cities like Boston and New York boast. But while we lack the Dead Rabbits and Black Roses of East Coast cities, we do have a handful of spots where we can admire the ombré of a settling stout pour and dig into some fish and chips. In March, just about every bar in town with an O’ or a Mc in its name hosts some kind of St. Patrick’s Day party; the ones downtown go all out, with Paddy’s and Kells each hosting raucous, weekend-long events for the holiday. But these bars are also ideal places to clink glasses with a friend and share some craic, or enjoy a solo night of Celtic indulgence, whether they’re Irish or just Irish-ish.

Dublin Pub

Beaverton

Is it named for the capital of the Republic of Ireland? Yes. Does that make it Irish? Not really; nor does its sorta-Celtic logo font or the menu’s “Irish nachos.” But this Beaverton neighborhood bar with sports on TV, jam bands on the live music calendar, and regular trivia and other game nights will still be extra-packed on St Paddy’s. And if you do live in the western Portland suburb, it’s probably the most Irish you can get without heading down US 26. —Alex Frane

Katie O’Brien’s

kerns

Despite its moniker, this NE Glisan watering hole hews closer to a dive bar with sports than an Irish pub. While you can always find cans of Guinness, stouts on tap are more likely to be locally brewed than sourced from across the pond. Still, it has a few menu items that could arguably be found at an Irish bar, like a corned beef breakfast special served all day, or the Irish dip, essentially a French dip with corned beef and horseradish. We’ll take what we can get in Portland, and with Katie O’Brien’s that means a lovable, welcoming neighborhood bar with a modicum of Irish flair. —AF

kells-best-irish-pub-st-paddys_edrq2m Portland’s Best Irish Bars | Portland Monthly — Kells Irish Pub is an Old Town institution.

Kells Irish Pub and Kells Brewery

old town and northwest district

This Pacific Northwest chainlet’s soaring drinking hall opened in 1990 with a long bar, a fireplace, framed soccer jerseys, and a cigar room; it soon established itself as one of Portland’s premier Irish watering holes, a status it still enjoys today with little competition. A little over a decade after its debut, the team opened a companion brewery in Nob Hill, a very Portland take on an Irish brewery with brown rice veggie bowls and sweet potato fries alongside corned beef and cabbage. Each location is an easy place to kill an afternoon or evening, and they’ll all be swarmed around St. Paddy’s. —Margaret Seiler and AF

Paddy’s Bar & Grill

Downtown

Another grand, high-ceilinged room with a long bar and framed soccer garb on its walls, Paddy’s boasts more sunlight than Kells and a startlingly large TV, plus plaid-upholstered booths and a mirrored wall of whiskey that requires a ladder behind the bar. The menu is mostly pub standards, some vaguely described as “Irish” (Irish poutine, big Irish burger), but you’ll also spot a fried fish sandwich, Scotch egg, bangers and mash, shepherd’s pie, and Irish lamb stew. Around St. Patrick’s Day, it tends to go big, with a days-long festival that spills across First and Yamhill. —MS

T.C. O’Leary’s

concordia

Tom O’Leary and his wife Siobhan’s fine establishment on Alberta Street is everything I didn’t realize I needed in an Irish pub—and as someone who tends to run fast in the opposite direction to most Irish drinking establishments outside of my home country, this is saying something. The reasons are manifold: It has a snug, secret drinking spot (usually a walled-off portion of the bar that’s set aside for priests and other private tipplers) that’s as commonly found in Irish pubs as, say, a door or an old man muttering into his cap. It serves its fish and chips wrapped in paper. And it has an ancestor wall, dedicated to the ancestors of not only the proprietors, but of many of their regulars. It’s a touching tribute to the Irish diaspora and to those who put their time in as part of this establishment’s extended family of customers. The pub will no doubt be packed to the hilt around St. Paddy’s Day, but that’s what happens back in the old sod too. If you’re lucky, Tom’ll pull you a pint the way they’re meant to be pulled, and you’ll raise a glass to a warm space on a wet day, which is about as Irish as they come. —Fiona McCann

Whelan’s Irish Pub

mills park

Those living west of 205 may not be aware, but residents of Mills Park and its surrounding hoods will know Whelan’s as a charming, Irish-owned drinking establishment. Decked out in hardwoods with clover green highlights, the bar serves an appreciable menu with dishes like a Guinness-glazed burger, shepherd’s pie with Irish cheddar, and Pacific cod fish and chips with a beer batter. Guinness by the pint and plenty of whiskeys from the Emerald Isle help nail the experience, but what really makes it is the friendly warmth. —AF

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