St. Patrick’s Day is right around the corner, and our neighborhoods are home to some of San Diego’s most iconic Irish pubs: The Blarney Stone, O’Brien’s, and The Pub. One of them is rumored to be San Diego’s original Irish pub, and its owners started San Diego’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade way back in 1981.
The Blarney Stone Pub: A Clairemont Institution
The Blarney Stone is tucked away in the corner of Balboa Mesa Shopping Center, near Vons, on Balboa Avenue in Clairemont. It’s been serving Guinness Draught, Ireland’s creamy, nitrogenated stout, to generations of patrons.
The Blarney, as many locals affectionately call it, is dim and feels locked in time. Step inside and you’re met with a dark-wood interior, green brick, and a bar that runs the length of the pub. A tiny stage that looks as if it were designed for a band the size of leprechauns takes the center right of the room.
Irish memorabilia hangs throughout—Gaelic football team banners and a stained-glass map of Ireland behind the bar. And of course, there’s the metal plaque on the bathroom door, also built for leprechauns, which reads “4U2P.”
The Blarney Stone touts itself as San Diego’s original Irish pub. It tapped its first Guinness in 1978 and hasn’t stopped since. It’s one of those rare places where Boomers and Gen Z both have a fondness for, with the Boomers typically opening the bar, while the Gen Z crowd shuts it down.
Jim Foley, who was the original owner of the pub with his wife, Patricia, helped launch San Diego’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade in 1981. Jim knew a thing or two about Ireland, as he was born there in 1936. He was recruited to play Gaelic football in the United States and went on to play on several teams throughout his storied career. Jim passed away in 2014, but his legend lives on at the Blarney Stone and through the St. Patrick’s Day Parade.
This year’s parade kicks off this year on March 14, 2026, at 9 am in downtown. If you visit the Blarney Stone this St. Patrick’s Day, be prepared for a crowd, and be sure to toast sláinte to the memory of Jim Foley.
O’Brien’s Pub: Convoy District Award-Winning Pub
O’Brien’s is another Irish pub that sits unassumingly in the corner of a strip mall on Convoy Street. In an area of town better known for sushi and ramen, O’Brien’s would seem to stick out like a sore thumb, but somehow it fits the neighborhood vibe.
O’Brien’s is popular for many reasons. It’s been voted “Best Beer Bar in America” by USA Today for three years straight. Its co-owner is an award-winning brewer. It’s a gathering spot for soccer fanatics to watch games. It serves beers you won’t typically find at most San Diego pubs, like Russian River Brewing Company’s Pliny the Elder.
A deep green accented wall behind the bar contrasts with the white walls and dark wood throughout the rest of the establishment. Glass beer mugs hang behind the bar, where patrons sip and nosh, facing a 28-beer tap selection that would make any ale-lover downright giddy.
Jim O’Brien, the pub’s namesake, opened O’Brien’s in 1994 and sold it to brewer Tom Nickel nearly a decade later, in 2003. Nickel is a San Diego native and a revered brewer in a city known as the Capital of Craft Beer. He’s worked at Ballast Point, Oggi’s, and Pizza Port before eventually opening Nickel Beer Company in Julian. Nickel co-owns O’Brien’s with Tyson Blake, who has managed the pub since 2017.
Like the Blarney Stone, the crowd at O’Brien’s is multigenerational. There are many regulars, and the most loyal among them are gifted mugs that adorn the bar’s ceiling. More traditional mug clubs allow patrons to purchase a mug and perhaps receive discounts on beer. O’Brien’s patrons have to earn their mugs. They don’t sell them.
From their Facebook page regarding their mug club, O’Brien’s posts, “How do I get a mug???? A question we hear ALL the time. We give out a couple mugs each year to customers who not only come to the pub often, to special people we love, who support us unconditionally, and that truly become part of our family. Ask these guys – they’ll tell you they put in the work!”
In addition to its impressive beer selection, O’Brien’s is also a full-service restaurant and open to all ages. They serve typical pub fare, such as burgers and buffalo wings, along with a wide range of other items, including Irish nachos, fish and chips, ahi tuna sandwiches, and steak for Friday night dinner.
O’Brien’s has a small outdoor patio and shares a parking lot with its neighboring strip-mall businesses. Parking is notoriously challenging in the Convoy District, especially on a holiday like St. Patrick’s Day, so either pack your patience or take an Uber.
The Pub in Bay Park: The New Irish Kid on the Block
While it’s been around for nearly 15 years, The Pub is a relative newcomer in comparison to the Blarney Stone and O’Brien’s. Originally launched as Dan Diego’s Euro Cafe & Pub in 2013, it rebranded as The Pub a decade later.
The Pub is a family-owned and managed bar and restaurant on Morena Boulevard, in the heart of Bay Park. It was named Dan Diego’s in honor of chef and owner Ryan Fulton’s brother, Dan, who passed away before the establishment opened. Dan, who hailed from San Diego but lived in New York, was nicknamed “Dan Diego” by his friends back east.
Like the other Irish bars, The Pub’s theme features familiar wood and green accents, with scarves from soccer, rugby, and Gaelic football teams adorning its wooden beams. It’s a small but cozy indoor space that also boasts an outdoor patio that faces west toward Mission Bay.
If you’re looking for a place to swig Jameson Irish Whiskey while you fill up on a corned beef sandwich or a shepherd’s pie as you watch the sun dip from the sky, you’ve found it. The menu includes traditional Irish food, such as fish and chips and haggis, alongside not-often-seen items in San Diego, including poutine. For vegetarians, they offer a homemade veggie burger made with lentils, polenta, and vegetables.
The Pub is open for dinner Wednesday through Saturday, and for brunch on Sundays. They frequently host musicians who play Irish music and are a home base for watching rugby games. Kids and dogs are welcome, but dogs are limited to the patio.
If you’re planning to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day at The Pub, get there early. It’s a small space that will likely be a very popular choice for locals.
