By Charles Brandt

This Friday, March 17th, you’ll find our city of St. Paul full of celebration for St. Patrick’s Day. The downtown parade is at noon, and around the city there will be live Irish music, dancing, DJs, green beer and whiskey shot specials. But you may find yourself wondering where you can go for some proper Irish food to go with your green beer and sweater. Here is a list of St. Paul bars and restaurants that really get into the spirit and have special food offerings for you as you celebrate St Paddy’s Day.

Emmett’s Public House
Serving Irish breakfast from 8:30 – 11 a.m., which includes two potato cakes, English-style bangers, soft fried egg, Irish cheese sauce, with cottage bread and whiskey bacon jam. Emmet’s lunch and dinner menu will be served from 11 a.m – 11 p.m., featuring menu items like Mulligan stew, shepherd’s pie, corned beef and colcannon, and curried beer and whiskey mussels. Drinks for the day will feature 20 ounce Guinness for $8, Irish beers on tap, and 53 Irish whiskey’s for a “wee nip”. Reservations are not available and all walk-ins are welcome.

Gabe’s By The Park
You can also start off your day with an Irish breakfast at Gabe’s with bag pipers at 9 a.m. They’ll be offering a free shuttle to the parade and back, if you feel like returning for some Hammer-Schlagen at 3 p.m., followed by DJ STR8 REPPIN at 6 p.m.. Food specials will include corned beef, cabbage and carrots, which you can wash down with some good ol’ green beer.

The St. Paul Grill
The St. Paul Grill has announced that it will have a stand at the corner of Fifth Street and Market starting at 10 a.m. Get ready for a pair of reuben sliders and sweet potato chips for $10, along with Guinness ($7), and Jameson Gingers or a Baileys and Coffee for $8. Regular menu will also be available inside The St. Paul Grill as well.

Herbie’s on the Park
They’ll be handing out complimentary water bottles with green Herbie’s On The Park koozies. If a guest shows their green koozie any day after March 17th, they’ll receive a can of Hamm’s for a dollar! Food specials for St. Patrick’s Day include milk stout braised corned beef, pickled cabbage and cream corn, or fish ‘n chips (ale battered pollock), with caper tarter, hand cut potato wedges and pickled cabbage.

35th Annual St. Patrick’s Day Irish Celebration
Irish Music & Dance Association (IMDA) is at the Landmark Center and will run from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. The event will feature traditional Irish music, dancing, live bagpipes and traditional Irish cuisine. There will also be Celtic vendors and fun free attractions for kids at the celebration.

Tickets are $7 for adults, $5 for kids 6-12, and seniors 65 and over and may be purchased at the door on either day. Kids 5 and under are free. Group discounts can be arranged by calling 651-341-3618 or email at Info@IrishMusicandDanceAssociation.org. Check out the full schedule of performances here.

Dark Horse Bar & Eatery
Dark Horse will offer a special celebratory selection of food for St. Paddy’s Day, along with their “Irish Trilogy” from 11 a.m. – 2 a.m., which includes a one-ounce pour of Jameson, Jameson Caskmates and Jameson Black, along with a 12 ounce Guinness for $20.

Black Dog
This Lowertown coffee and wine bar, eatery, and performance venue welcomes you to “come celebrate the spirit of the Irish” with them on St. Patrick’s Day. Black Dog will be featuring Irish food and drink specials all day, beginning at 10:30 a.m. At 7:30 p.m. they are hosting “The Next Parish Over,” featuring song, dance, poetry and storytelling performances by Kathleen Heaney, Mike Finley, Tim Cassidy, Yvonne Peralta, Rich Broderick, Biddies Galore and Mike Casey. Traditional Irish music with Michael Keyes and Friends will follow around 9 p.m.

Patrick McGovern’s Pub
After the parade, stop by the big tent celebration at Patrick McGovern’s for drinks and DJs in the party tent, on the patio, or upstairs on the second level. They’ll be offering their daily menu, which includes favorites like McGovern’s Irish stew and fish ‘n chips.

Wild Tymes and the Palace Stage
Live music at Wild Tymes starts at 1 p.m., with 80HD, The Serfs, The Wibesmen, Fifth Season and What’s Next. Stick around for Hammer-Schlagen nail driving, corned beef and cabbage, shepherd’s pie, green beer, beads and multiple giveaways.

The Dubliner Pub
Join The Dubliner for an all day St. Patrick’s Day celebration with musical guests, Todd Menton, Charlie Heymann, Tiller Black and Irish Brigade. They’ll have a special Irish celebration food menu, including corned beef sandwiches and Biddy Nash’s Irish beef stew with soda bread.

O’Gara’s St. Paddy’s Celebration
The main bar opens at O’Gara’s will open at 8 a.m. and the kitchen shortly after at 9 a.m. They’ll be offering an Irish breakfast with traditional baked beans, and also a corned beef hash. Lunch and dinner menu features items including bangers and mash, shepherd’s pie and fish ‘n chips. The St. Paddy’s Day celebration will continue throughout the day, including the following musical performances:

3:30 p.m.: 26th Annual World’s Shortest Parade led by the Brian Boru Pipe Band
4-7 p.m.: The Whiskies in The Tent
4-8 p.m.: Love Songs for Angry Men (Acoustic) in The Shamrock Room
5 p.m.-2 a.m.: DJ in The Shanty
8-Midnight: The Todd Douglas Band in The Tent
9 p.m.-1 a.m.: The Sam Kuusisto Band in The Shamrock Room
*ALL Music FREE, NO COVER

Half Time Rec
This place is a bit of a local legend for both their basement Bocce court and St. Paddy’s Day celebrations. Half Time Rec is pulling out all the stops and opening at 8 a.m. to start the festivities. They have a food menu with traditional Irish selections (bangers and mash, fish ‘n chips, shepherd’s pie, etc.), along with more creative items like a Guinness burger, Irish poutine fries and Irish corned beef tacos. The Irish Brigade will be performing at 1 p.m. (they’ll be at Dubliner later in the day if you don’t get a chance to catch them here). Happy hour runs from 3 – 6 p.m. with $3 domestic bottles, drafts and rails, and at 6 p.m. the DJ starts spinning.

Tin Whiskers Brewing Co.
They may not have their own food menu, but you’re allowed to bring your own or have delivery drop off at the location. Tin Whiskers was founded by Irishmen, so you’ll be sure to have a good time. Doors open at 1 p.m. for the release of Irish Cream Short Circuit Stout, followed by the release of this season’s final keg of Lecky Peated Scottish Ale at 3 p.m. To celebrate further, from 3-6 p.m. Tin Whiskers will have live Irish drinking songs, dance songs and ballads from Todd Menton. Stick around until 6 p.m. for the release of Short Circuit Stout cask-aged on oak.