St. Patrick’s Day ranks right up there with Thanksgiving as one of the most important eating and drinking holidays. And while we’ve heard that the real reason we celebrate on March 17 has something to do with a guy and some snakes, we’re sticking with the eating and drinking part.
First, of course, there’s the beer. Or, more specifically, green beer, because, well, Patrick must have liked the color. And whiskey. Or beer and whiskey. Or beer and whiskey and Irish cream and whatever else sounds good, because at this point does it even really matter?
Since you’re drinking all that, it’s important to have a salt-cured beef product and leafy vegetables in your stomach, which is probably how that whole corned beef and cabbage part got started.
Here are some ideas for where to eat corned beef, drink that green beer, whiskey, et al., and otherwise honor dear St. Patrick around Denver and Boulder.
Food & Drink
ViewHouse Littleton is having a Shamrock Shakedown on Saturday, which entails lots of Irish beer, live music and an outdoor crawfish boil. (We searched the internet and yes, one species of crawfish exists in Ireland, so it’s not a total stretch.) There will also be Irish food and drink specials from Thursday through Saturday, like $4 green Bud Lights and Guinness cheddar soup. 2680 W. Main St., Littleton, 303-797-4829; viewhouse.com
From March 16-18, get a pint glass for a penny with the purchase of any beer and small plate at Tupelo Honey. For a penny! 1650 Wewatta St., Denver, 720-274-0650; tupelohoneycafe.com
It’s a full week of drink at Avanti Food & Beverage. From March 12 to 17, the food hall will run drink specials like $6 Guinness, $8 Irish Coffees or Hot Toddies and a $10 Irish cocktail featuring Tullamore D.E.W. Whiskey, sweet vermouth and green chartreuse. 3200 N. Pecos St., Denver, 720-269-4778; avantifandb.com
Lucky Strike is celebrating St. Patty’s Day with $1 Jell-O shots, $2 green beers, $6 Irish car bombs, and Irish food specials like pot roast eggrolls (just go with it) and a corned beef reuben. 500 16th St., Denver, 303-629-9090; bowlluckystrike.com
Want corned beef and cabbage delivered to your house on St. Patrick’s Day Eve? (That’s the 16th.) Better yet — how about Chef Frank Bonanno’s corned beef and cabbage? SupperBell will do just that for $13.95. supperbell.com
Do St. Patrick’s Day with a Latin twist at Tamayo. On the big day, it’s serving slow-cooked corned beef tacos and a spicy green pepino margarita. 1400 Larimer St., Denver, 720-946-1433; eattamayo.com
Start the day with a dozen Irish-inspired doughnuts at Fractured Prune. For $16.23 you get two each of St. Patrick-y flavors like the “Paddy Cake” (birthday cake doughnut with green and white sprinkles) and Irish Crème and Cookies (Cookies and Cream doughnut with green vanilla glaze). 9696 E. Arapahoe, Greenwood Village, 303-759-0645; fracturedprune.com
Don’t want a wild party but still want good food? Stir Cooking School is hosting a St. Patrick’s Day feast workshop on the 17th. Learn to make Irish soda bread, beer cheese soup and, of course, corned beef and cabbage. 3215 Zuni St., Denver, 720-287-4823; stirtolearn.com; $75, 6:30 p.m.
When it’s a bowl o’ punch you’re after, then you go to Punch Bowl Social. In addition to Irish-themed food specials, the entertainment hub will be mixing up bowls of Tickle Your Leprechaun punch, made with Irish whiskey, mint currant syrup, spiced plum tea and lemon juice. 65 Broadway, Denver, 303-765-2695 and 3120 N. Uinta St., Denver, 720-500-3788; punchbowlsocial.com
The original glazed doughnuts at Krispy Kreme locations in Denver, Lone Tree and Thornton will be goin’ green with emerald-colored glazed donuts on March 16 and 17 in honor of St. Patrick’s Day. A great way to freak your coworkers out in the morning.
The Irish Bars
Fadó Irish Pub closed last May, but it’s rising like an Irish phoenix from the ashes to throw an epic St. Patrick’s Day party with Howl at the Moon. Billed as Denver’s largest St. Patrick’s Day celebration, the all-day outdoor festival kicks off at 10 a.m. 1901 Wazee St., Denver.Tickets start at $20
Scruffy Murphy’s will open at 7 a.m. on St. Pat’s Day and will keep the party going all day (and night) long with live music, a heated beer tent, bagpipers a-pipin’ and more “car bombs” than anyone should responsibly consume. 2030 Larimer St., Denver, 303-291-6992; scruffymurphysirishpub.com
The Fainting Goat will host the 21st annual Billy Donohue’s 2018 St. Patrick’s Day Extravaganza supporting the Avielle Foundation on Thursday, March 15, from 3:30 to 10:30 p.m. Your $30 donation gets you two drink tickets, access to the buffet, and hours of Irish entertainment. We’re sure the Goat will be hopping on March 17, too, when it opens at 7 a.m. 846 Broadway, Denver, 303-945-2323; thefaintinggoatdenver.com
It’s a two-day Irish extravaganza at the Irish Snug. The Annual Capitol Hill Hooley starts Friday, March 16, at 5 p.m. and really gets going on Saturday with a full-day line-up that includes a magic show, Irish stepdancing and lots of live music. Don’t miss Under a Blood Red Sky, a U2 cover band performing at 9:30 p.m., for a drunken “With or Without You” sing-along. 1201 E. Colfax Ave., Denver, 303-839-1394; irishsnug.com
The Abbey Tavern will host its 5th annual St. Patrick’s Day Celebration on the 17th from 12 to 10 p.m. There will be bagpipes and Irish dancing and a ’90s cover band, because nothing symbolizes Ireland better than Sinead O’Connor ballads. 5151 E. Colfax Ave., Denver, 303-321-5151; theabbeytaverndenver.com
Special Events
If you’re going to do one thing in honor of St. Patrick’s Day, it’ll probably be drink green beer. If you’re going to do two things? It might involve corned beef. Never mind how many things, just go to the parade. The 2018 Denver St. Patrick’s Day parade starts at 9:30 a.m. at 19th near Wynkoop and wraps up at 27th and Blake. denverstpatricksdayparade.com; March 17
Wake up early on Friday, March 16, for Blake Street Tavern’s Keggs and Eggs. The annual event gets started at 7 a.m. (!) and will feature live performances by Portugal the Man, AJR and Stélouse. Leprechaun attire strongly encouraged. 2301 Blake St., Denver; blakestreettavern.com; free
Last year, The Cherry Cricket was still closed due to a kitchen fire, so this year’s party should be especially raucous. Spend St. Patrick’s Day Eve with Irish dancers and live music. Then, on Saturday, grab a green Coors Light for $3.50, car bombs for $7 and an Irish burger for $12 with hundreds of your green-clad closest friends. 2641 E. 2nd Ave., Denver, 303-322-7666; cherrycricket.com
The West End Tavern is hosting a rooftop bash with traditional Irish dancing starting at 5:30 p.m. on the 17th. The Boulder bar is also running Irish food and drink specials all weekend long, like shepherd’s pie and corned beef and cabbage, plus a $10 flight of Irish whiskeys. 926 Pearl St., Boulder, 303-444-3535; thewestendtavern.com
Just in case you over-serve yourself, The Farm House at Breckenridge Brewery is offering free Lyft rides home from its party on St. Patrick’s Day. The shindig, which gets started at 2 p.m., will be filled with Irish food and drink specials, dancers, bagpipers and free pint glass giveaways to the first 100 people to buy a pint of Nitro Irish Stout. 2920 Brewery Lane, Littleton, 303-803-1380; breckbrew.com
It’s a weekend-long party at ViewHouse Ballpark’s 6th annual St. Patrick’s Day Shenanigans. Friday will see brunch, Irish games and a silent disco; on Saturday, catch the parade and then hang out at ViewHouse’s after-party. Finally, nurse your hangover on Sunday with the Irish recovery brunch. 2015 Market St., Denver, 720-878-2015; viewhouse.com
The Thirsty Lion Gastropub & Grill’s special St. Patrick’s Day menu kicked off on March 8 — including Scotch eggs, corned beef mac and cheese, bacon cheddar potato cakes, Irish mules and Irish old fashioneds. But the coolest part is on St. Patrick’s Day itself, when the Cherry Creek location hosts a St. Baldrick’s Day event. Participants raise money for local kids battling cancer by pledging to shave their heads. Make a donation — or shed your mane — on March 17 between 1 and 3 p.m. (Note: There are multiple St. Baldrick’s Day events in the Denver metro area. Check out stbaldricksday.org/Denver for a complete list.) 201 Columbine St., Denver and 1605 Wynkoop St., Denver; thirstyliongastropub.com
