Two things I'm passionate about are the pub & a good pint of Guinness.

Not sure where this newsletter is going to take us but the general consensus is to talk about what you’re passionate about and two things I certainly do love are the pub and a pint of Guinness, so here’s a little guide to get you ready for St. Patrick’s Day Weekend.

When it comes to the best pints in New York most people in-the-know put places like Swift, Hartley’s, Grace’s and often The Dead Rabbit near the top, but there’s some other gems out there too.

There really are different levels when it comes to the quality of a pint of Guinness, but for me once you reach a certain standard I’m happy and it becomes more about the pub or the place you’re having the pint.

Aside from first hand knowledge from patronising a lot of these fine establishments, most of our recommendations come from bartenders but there’s a couple of excellent sources online I use; NYC By Pub who keeps it old school, sharing pictures and detailed descriptions of pubs around New York, really giving you a feel for what they’re like and then New York State of Pint, who are the go to guys for pints ranked out of 10.

📍 Swift Hibernian Lounge

We’ll start with my favorite pub in New York, Swift Hibernian Lounge. The wooden bar, the hospitality, the simple nod for another when your pints getting low; all key factors along with the expert pours that keep me and plenty of others coming back time after time.

I don’t want to sound like I’m getting old, but I’m much more of a fan of a late afternoon or weekday pint (especially for their traditional Irish music sessions on a Tuesday) over their weekends when it’s packed out or they have DJ’s on, but as this is for Paddy’s Day celebrations that kind of atmosphere will be just what you want.

Plenty of bar seating, a small table outside and a large back room here. Don’t forget to order the sausage roll to fill your belly for a day of drinking.

📍Grace’s

New York State of Pint rated Grace’s their joint highest in Manhattan along with The Long Hall. It’s from the same owners as Hartley’s which many put right at the top of the tree in all of NYC.

Lovely pint, warm atmosphere, deserved high rating. It’s not the biggest space, so may well fill up quickly, but they have a nice section at the back with high top tables if you’re with a group.

📍Iona

We live in Williamsburg, so this is my go to in the neighborhood. Elite level pours, cosy nooks, live music sessions and occasional food pop ups. Generally American bartenders who don’t give you much chat but still an excellent spot and if the warmer weather holds the crowds can spill out into their nice back garden.

📍The Parkgate

Run by an Irishman and an Englishman, The Parkgate is a newcomer but a with a strong pedigree. I’ve been here a few times since they opened last summer and the drinks have been very, very solid. Potentially working their way into the elite tier, I personally prefer the pint here to The Dead Rabbit.

It’s a more modern vibe in than the others, so definitely a crowd pleaser and they also do pretty decent cocktails, which is sometimes important too. You know, keep the Mrs happy.

📍The Dead Rabbit

Perhaps the quintessential NYC Irish pub, ‘welcome home’ is their motto and there’s usually warm hospitality to live up to that. They’ve been doing it right for a long time and carved out a deserved reputation as one of New York’s best pints. I didn’t know if this was in my head but the guys at @newyorkstateofpint agreed that it’s a touch cold out the taps, so sits just outside my top few but I’d still happily drink it any day of the week.

The pub is one of the things I miss most about back home and the design inside makes it feel like I’m somewhere you’d find in England or that I’d taken a trip to Ireland.

Other solid options;

Donovan’s — An old school boozer in heart of once heavily Irish neighborhood, Woodside. A nice enough pint but more for the old school feel and tavern burger.

Mug’s Alehouse — I owe these guys a correction, the serve proper pints and not American measures! Underrated Williamsburg watering hole.

The Clonard  — I went in a couple of times to watch the rugby in the first few months of them opening, even though it wasn’t particularly busy they were serving fantastic pints. Used to live around the corner and went for Paddy’s Day a couple of years back and it was a full house. Little backyard which is ideal if the weather holds and the Irish breakfast looks pretty good too.

Places where Guinness isn’t the main focus but it’s done extremely well;

Bar Americano — A Greenpoint gem, serving excellent negronis in a setting you’d expect for a cocktail bar but there’s also an Irishman at the helm who’s ensuring they have one of the area’s best pints.

Bar Snack — A recently opened East Village cocktail bar with surprisingly good Guinness.

Lucky Jack’s — An East Village watering hole with a bar that stretches the across two NYC avenues.

Haven’t visited but want to get to;

• The Long Hall

• Hartley’s

• Bartley Dunne’s

This is by no means an exhaustive list or a definitive ‘best of’ list, it clearly skews to neighborhoods I often find myself in; Williamsburg, East Village and West Village and was written on the fly in an attempt to share my niche and personal pub and Guinness knowledge with the few people on this newsletter that might be interested. If you have any favorites that I need to know, I’d love to hear them so I can visit in the name of ‘research.’

Here’s a little Guinness Crawl I did back in December.