The luck and the charm of the Irish are everywhere in the world. And wherever the Irish have settled, the Irish bar is always soon to follow.
Budapest has five Irish bars in the city and each one offers a very different experience, so depending on your mood, choose the right Irish bar to match the way you feel.
On a personal note, this has definitely been my favourite article to research. I may have to do a follow up each month just to keep totally on top of the Irish bar scene, in case this article needs updating. The Irish bars with the creamiest, tastiest, most authentically and well-poured Guinness, contributed strongly to my personal ranking of that Irish bar, along with the atmosphere, comfort, and other entertainment on offer.
Publin Irish pub and restaurant
The Publin Irish pub is a narrow, small bar with two floors. There is a very limited menu of bar snacks, such as nachos, but there is no kitchen or hot food. The Guinness is fine. This is more of a place to meet someone for a drink and a chat, with some music on in the background.
This is a place to go after work, for a quick pint and a download, before going home or going out for something to eat. Apart from the Guinness, this did not really feel like an Irish bar experience for me.
Madách Imre tér. 5, 1075 Budapest
A bejegyzés megtekintése az Instagramon
Becketts Irish bar
In a salubrious part of town, off Andrássy út, you can find Becketts Irish bar. It is not difficult to find, with Irish tricolour flag bunting flapping outside and Guinness adorned awnings above the windows, it holds a lot of promise.
Inside is similarly adorned with flags, photos, Irish whisky barrels and Samuel Beckett quotes including one of my favourites, “Dance first. Think later. It’s the natural order”. This bar has the most Irish food choices on the menu, including several Guinness infused stews, bangers and mash, cottage pie and shepherd’s pie, as well as fish and chips.
The food was hot and tasty, and the bar is well-decked out with Irish regalia, but the Guinness lacked creaminess and was disappointing, as was the Soproni beer. We enjoyed the food, drank up and moved on.
Liszt Ferenc tér. 11, 1061 Budapest
A bejegyzés megtekintése az Instagramon
Longford Irish pub and restaurant
The Longford bar is handily located near Deák Ferenc tér. Metro station in the middle of Pest. An underground bar, slightly dated and dark, with big tables and a large dining area, Longford’s has much more of a restaurant feel to the place, rather than an Irish pub vibe.
It has the biggest range of meal choices on its menu, of all the Irish bars, to choose from and I can recommend the Wiener Schnitzel with chips, which was delicious, and the Guinness on tap was well poured and tasty too.
Fehér Hajó utca 5, 1052 Budapest
A bejegyzés megtekintése az Instagramon
Jack Doyle’s Irish pub and restaurant
As soon as you walk into this place you feel like you are in a pub, with Shane McGowan quotes on the walls, Gaelic football and Irish rugby memorabilia everywhere, portraits of famous Irish rockstars, writers and sporting legends, U2 playing, Peaky Blinder’s caps for sale, sport on the TVs and a mix of tall stools and bar tables, to small tables and chairs, and then more comfortable benches against the walls.
There is a small and simple menu to choose from, including fish and chips (with mushy peas) and several burgers, and the portions are hearty and emerge from the kitchen piping hot and freshly cooked. Bar staff are super friendly, and the Guinness is poured slowly and in stages, so that the black gold can settle.
If you fancy a few beers in a good setting, or a simple meal and a couple of pints, head to Jack Doyle’s. There will be competitions, music, t-shirts and other prizes to give away on St Patrick’s night. The staff said they have been able to stage a St Patrick’s night for two years and are excited to celebrate properly this year. This was my second favourite Irish bar, and I will be back.
Pilvax köz 1-3, 1052 Budapest
Davy Byrne’s Irish pub
If you love live rugby, head here. If you love Guinness, head here. We went to watch the rugby on a Saturday afternoon and struggled to find a seat. The place was heaving with people having a good time and many were there for the rugby.
There is a big main room with a giant screen, filled with tables and chairs and party and rugby groups, and others too, all enjoying themselves in a lively atmosphere. The Guinness was well poured and delicious. There is a simple food menu, and the food is made up the road and delivered. When the rugby finished, the music began.
A talented acoustic guitar player and singer performed a range of artist covers and despite the drunken frivolity of the crowd, and to paraphrase Oasis, kept singing his heart out. There are other smaller areas to be found off the main hall, with a pool table room, and another room with a smaller big screen which usually shows a different live sport channel to the one on the main big screen. There are open mic nights here too.
This was my favourite Irish bar overall, and I am looking forward to coming back whenever I can.
Jókai utca 4, 1066 Budapest
A bejegyzés megtekintése az Instagramon
Summary
The five Irish bars in Budapest all have a slightly different feel to one another and the character of the bars and owners shines through as you walk in the door. My favourite Irish bar experience was in Davy Byrne’s, watching the rugby on the big screen, the shenanigans of the customers in the room, the live music, and the creamy Guinness to accompany it all.
Next would be Jack Doyle’s, a calmer experience, where I enjoyed a very British fish and chips meal, friendly banter with the bar staff, good background music and well-poured Guinness. An even calmer experience was had in Longford’s, where it felt much more like a restaurant, but the food was good and the Guinness great.
Publin was one of my least favourite Irish bars, with it being so small and difficult to get comfortable in, but at least the beer was okay. Beckett’s was disappointing, especially having seen the interesting food menu, chiefly because the beer was poor, but maybe we caught them on a bad day.
These are only my impressions, however, and now it’s your turn to have a go at the Irish five and make your own ratings.