The Essential Guide to the Best Irish Pubs in South Jersey for St. Paddy’s Day

St. Patrick's Day lands on a Sunday this year, which gives fans of the great holiday the whole weekend to celebrate.

So what are the absolute best Irish Pubs to visit in Atlantic, Cape May or Cumberland county when celebrating the holiday?

Lets take a look at the essential Irish Pub to visit this year for St. Patrick's Day.

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What are the top Irish Pubs in South Jersey?

With the help of Peter Genovese of NJ Advance Media, who toured all the Irish Pubs in New Jersey and ranked the Top 37 in the state, lets take a look at the six spots that made his list and I will add a few more at the end of the list

First up, coming in at No. 34 on his list we head down to exit 17 on the Garden State Parkway to Sea Isle City for O’Donnell’s Pour House at 907 Landis Ave.

O’Donnell’s, open since 1999, is one of the swankier spots on this list, with its casual upscale vibe. The menu goes well beyond shepherd’s pie and corned beef, with Berkshire pork belly, six-cheese Sacchetti pasta and Togarashi Pepper Seared Tuna among the offerings.

Next up, at No. 24 on the list, we are traveling all the way down the Garden State Parkway to Cape May to Delaney’s Irish Pub & Grill at 400 Washington Steet.

The “Welcome’' message on the brick-walled exterior of Delaney’s substitutes a shamrock for the “O,’' so you know you’re in the right place. The restaurant is located on the pedestrian-only Washington Street mall, home of two of the restaurants on our list of Cape May’s 11 best restaurants. There’s live music on the compact stage, and the menu is extensive, not just Irish standards (bangers and mash, shepherd’s pie, fish and chips, etc.) but also chicken parm, seafood pasta, pizza, homemade chicken salad, fish sandwich and much more.

Over in North Wildwood, coming in at No. 23 on the list, is the Anglesea Pub at 116 W 1st Ave.

The Anglesea Pub is a year-round Shore bar in a rambling house. It was voted the best Irish bar in the state by Yelp, whatever that’s worth. The buffalo wings are popular, and there’s a Paddy Wagon burger (topped with bacon, melted cheddar cheese and homemade honey Guinness BBQ sauce), plus shepherd’s pie and fish n chips.

Back up the Parkway at exit 30 you have Josie Kelly's Public House at 908 Shore Road in Somers Point, came in at No. 13 on the list.

Housed in the old Mac’s restaurant building, Josie Kelly’s is named after the owners’ grandmother. The menu is more Irish-centric than most Irish pubs; dishes include a beef and Guinness pie and an Irish poutine.

At No. 7 on the list, we take a drive out to Cumberland County for one of the best spots in the state, Old Oar House at 123 North High Street in Millville.

A jersey bearing the name of baseball superstar and hometown hero Mike Trout hangs in the Old Oar House in downtown Millville. The building dates to 1883; out back is a beer garden. The restrooms are labeled “Nuts” and “No Nuts.” There are 40-plus beers on tap, including several from Jersey craft breweries. The shepherd’s pie (photo) is Irish comfort food supreme — a hearty, savory mix of ground beef and vegetables in a heavy brown gravy, topped with homemade mashed potatoes and cheese. The Guinness Irish Stew, with beef, carrots, onions, celery and diced potatoes in a Guinness gravy, is nearly as good.

And the top spot in the area? It's old faithful, The Irish Pub at 164 St James Place in Atlantic City, which came in on the list at No. 3 overall.

A speakeasy during Prohibition, later a favorite haunt of Joe DiMaggio and other celebs, the Irish Pub is an A.C. icon. The red hotels used in Monopoly are based on the pub’s architecture. The rooms upstairs, which start at $50 a night, are one of Atlantic City’s great hidden bargains. “I would like to spend my last hours on earth at the Irish Pub,” Budd Schulberg, screenwriter of “On the Waterfront,” once said. The day after St. Patrick’s Day is Bag Day, when you can decorate a bag and wear it to the bar for a party “you’ll never forget.”

 

More of the best Irish Pubs in South Jersey from Mike Gill

Cattle 'n Clover Irish Steak house
3817 Pacific Avenue,
Wildwood, NJ

St. George's Pub
282 Harbor Beach Blvd
Brigantine, NJ

Keenan's Irish Pub
113 Olde New Jersey Ave
North Wildwood, NJ

McGettigan's 19th Hole
500 S New York Rd #9720
Galloway, NJ