Best places to eat and drink Irish in Richmond

If you’re looking for some of the best places to buy corned beef, fish and chips and Guinness around Richmond for St. Patrick’s Day, check out these top picks.

Full Disclaimer: Not all are from traditional Irish pubs.

If you’re looking for a perfectly salted corned beef sandwich on rye, Jewish deli Perly’s is where it’s at. The Oy vey! offers a huge half pound each of salty and delicious pastrami and corned beef piled on rye and covered in mustard ($17). It’s a chewy bite of salty perfection. Or the Reuben, served hot with corned beef, sauerkraut, Swiss and Russian vinaigrette over rye ($14), is a close second. Try an order of Crispy Brussels Sprouts ($7) on the side. 111 E. Grace St. (804) 912-1560 or perlysrichmond.com.

Did you know you can enjoy authentic fish and chips in Richmond at a Thai restaurant? When it’s owned by a Brit, you can.

Chunky slices of cod or haddock are fried to a glorious golden hue in Thai Won On and served with a green curry sauce that gives the fried fish a fresh kick of spiciness. Fried fish dishes are also served with tartar sauce, salt and malt vinegar on waxed newspaper. ($15.99 – $16.99).

Thai Won On opened as a Thai restaurant in late 2021 by husband and wife team Jonathan Niemiec and Joy Supanya. Niemiec is from England, while Supanya is from Thailand. “We started doing a UK menu about eight months ago,” Niemiec said, in an effort to increase lunchtime traffic. And with Niemiec’s British roots, the fish and chips were a hit. 3422 Lauderdale Drive, (804) 477-6604 or thaiwonon.com.

Irish transplant Niall Duffy, now a resident of Henrico County, baked traditional Irish breads and scones to die for. Be sure to try his traditional Irish Guinness Gingerbread ($8), a soft, dessert-like bread made with Guinness, lots of ginger, sour cream and molasses.

“It’s the one we sell the most all year round,” Duffy said. “Initially, we did it just for Christmas. But now we offer it all year round and especially for St. Patrick’s Day.

Other treats from the Duffy family recipes include the Guinness Chocolate Porter Cake ($8) made with orange peel and chocolate chips and traditional Irish tea ($), a bread made with infused tea leaves, figs and apricots or with almonds.

You can buy his treats at places like Ellwood Thompson’s, Yellow Umbrella, Tom Leonard’s, and the RVA Big Market. Or order direct from the website at traditionalirishbaking.com.

Okay, we all know that O’Toole’s, Penny Lane, Rosie Connolly’s, Rare Olde Times and Siné Irish Pub are great traditional Irish pubs in Richmond and solid choices for a St. Patrick’s Day fix.

But if you’re looking for some new pub grub that tastes really good, head to Park Lane Tavern at Short Pump.

Opened in the Keagan space in 2019, Park Lane Tavern offers the traditional beer-battered fish and chips ($16.50), corned beef and cabbage ($17) and bangers and mash ($16.50 ), as well as a solid corned beef sandwich ($14) and a corned beef burger topped with corned beef, beer-braised cabbage, Swiss cheese and Russian dressing ($14). Park Lane will host a St. Patrick’s Day party Friday and Saturday with music and specials. West Broad Village, 2251 Old Brick Road, Glen Allen. parklanetavern.com

Rosie Connolly serves Guinness at the right temperature, 42.8 degrees, and the space is so cozy, like an old Irish pub. It also offers Harp and Smithwick’s, as well as many single malt scotches and Irish whiskeys.

For St. Patrick’s Day Friday, Rosie’s will have a tent patio, bagpipes throughout the day and many Irish specialties such as bangers and mash, corned beef and cabbage and fish and chips. 1548 E. Main St. (804) 343-1063 or rosieconnollys.com.

Step into the rainbow arches of Richmond’s ‘cake all day’ cafe on Friday for a St. Patrick’s Day celebration with face painting from 3-5 p.m. and Irish Celtic music by Pugsy Mahone from 5-9 p.m.

For special treats, try the Car Bomb Irish Cupcake filled with Irish Cream and topped with a drizzle of Bourbon Chocolate Ganache ($4), Birthday Cake Cupcakes with Clover Sprinkles ($4) and St. Patrick’s Day-themed shortbread cookies ($4). For the tastiest option, go for the gargantuan pretzel with beer cheese ($13).

In the draw, there will be a Rockville Irish red ale and an Irish cream stout from the Southern Tier Brewing Co. “The Irish cream stout is super surprising. It’s not as heavy as one would expect from a stout. It is delicious. We ran out of that last year,” owner Christina Miller said. And the specialty cocktail on St. Patrick’s Day will be the Lucky Fizz, a refreshing blend of gin and cucumber. 306 Libbie Ave. (804) 542-2020 or cameocakery.com.

There’s just something warm and wonderful about O’Toole’s annual St. Patrick’s Day celebrations. O’Toole’s throws a lively three-day St. Patrick’s Day party that kicks off with a festive mock Irish wake on Thursday, followed by Irish bands, pipers and specials like corned beef and cabbage, shepherd’s pie and fish and chips on Friday and Saturday. It’s family run and everyone is always smiling. 4800 Forest Hill Ave. (804) 233-1781 or otoolesrestaurant.com.