St Patrick's Day 2015: Where to eat and drink in Sydney
St Patrick's Day is nearly upon us, and while the opportunities for rolling out Gaelic cliches are endless, the raucous event is also taken quite seriously in Sydney. St Patrick's Day began as a Roman Catholic feast day for Ireland's patron saint in the 1600s before morphing into a secular holiday in 1737 in America when marginalised Irish migrants marched to celebrate their shared heritage.
This year's festival is themed Celebrate Life and, according to parade committee president John Roper, is all about Sydney gleefully recognising its Irish heritage.
"St Patrick's Day is a day when all Sydneysiders – no matter their background – can come together to celebrate the city's rich cultural history," he says. Whether you're joining the jigging hordes jumping from pub to pub or prefer to be away from the roar of talk and people wearing rayon, there are plenty of places to paint the town green over dinner and a drink while toasting the Emerald Isle.
Join a colcannon cult @ Four in Hand
Expats may come over all misty-eyed when they try Dublin-born Colin Fassnidge's special Irish menu for both lunch and dinner. The menu kicks off with an amuse bouche of Irish stew, then an entree of his famous Irish breakfast (think black pudding and fried bread) followed by a classic main of corned beef with parsley sauce and colcannon. An ice-cream sandwich with dulce de leche is less Irish but equally delish. The dining room will be filled with punters here for the craic as much as the colcannon, which is served with 12-hour braised lamb shoulder, rainbow chard, peas and fennel salad.
105 Sutherland St, Paddington, (02) 9362 1999, fourinhand.com.au
Be frank @ The Soda Factory
The Soda Factory will shake up its food and drink options and adopt a Gangs of New York vibe when the calendar flips to St Pat's Day. The buzzy little bar will be celebrating infamous Irish mobsters with hot dogs named Mad Dog Coll and Mickey Featherston and The Paddy's Colcannon dog served with Guinness fried onions, buttery colcannon and Jamesons' barbecue sauce. Resist the urge to say, "to be sure" and ask "what's up dawg?" instead.
16 Wentworth Avenue, Surry Hills, (02) 8096 9120, sodafactory.com.au
Keep it green @ The Trinity Bar
If you can't afford the return trip to Tipperary, the Trinity Bar is a safe bet. Look out for expats wearing green "Kiss me I'm Irish" pins at the bar named after the Trinity College in Dublin and shout them a few shots of Mickey Finn Sour Apple. On the food front, the McDonnells Curry Chips are the stuff Irish legends are made of. Ready your jig for Claddagh, Sydney's original Irish Folk Band, who will take to the stage from 5.30-8.30pm.
505 Crown Street, Sydney, (02) 9319 6802, trinitybar.com.au
For good luck @ Sweetness the Patisserie
Head pastry chef at Sweetness Gena Karpf has taken the trefoil shape of the small three-leaved shamrock plant – said to have been used by St Patrick to explain the holy trinity – to turn out trays of the lightest, crumbliest iced-vanilla shamrocks. Karpf says she is proud to be part of Ireland's global greening campaign on St Patrick's Day, which she sees as a gesture of friendship and a lot of fun. Pair with a pot of Irish breakfast tea and pop The Pogues on your playlist.
38 Oxford St, Sydney, (02) 9869 3800, sweetness.com.au
Play the fiddle @ The Wild Rover
The Wild Rover has a not-too-scruffy charm that has been lapped up by locals and Celtic crowds alike. No, this is not a carbon copy of your bog-standard Irish pub. But it is still a top place to wear a silly hat and get a bit swilly. The bar is flinging its doors open for plenty of stout-scented revelry. Expect Guinness on tap, trad Irish tunes from the Drunken Riddlers, $1 oysters, spuds and Guinness gravy and a Jameson Irish Whisky tasting.
75 Campbell St, Surry Hills, (02) 9280 2235, thewildrover.com.au
Exit the parade @ PJ Gallagher's Irish pubs
PJ Gallagher's Irish Pub at The Criterion ticks all the right boxes as a top St Pat's Day pit-stop: jovial bartenders, a few loveable rogues drinking at the bar and a menu featuring food most folk will fancy, such as corned beef and creamy mash or a hearty bowl of Irish stew. PJ's pubs also have pots of charm thanks to their ability to pull crowds of lurid green people partial to downing pints of Guinness.
Cnr Park Street & Pitt Street, CBD, (02) 9264 3093, pjgallaghers.com.au
Know when the jig is up @ Devon on Danks
Don some dark shades post-parade and hightail it to Devon on Danks for a "top of the morning" of green eggs and ham, which may or may not have been invented by Ireland's patron saint of hangover cures. The thick-cut bacon, green tomato ketchup, pea puree, 63C egg and pea tendrils will make you want to do a dance in compound time. Better still this breakfast special is available all day.
2 Danks St, Waterloo, NSW, (02) 9698 7795, devoncafe.com.au
Other pared-back places to enjoy a craic-up are: Trinity Bar, Surry Hills, and Cat and Fiddle Hotel, Balmain. You can also up the Irishness at PJ O'Brien's Southgate Sydney, at The Irish Butcher in Penrith and at Paddy the Baker at markets about town.
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