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 Whether you’re sampling some fresh-as-a-morning-swim oysters, or the hearty mix of neck of lamb, potato, onion and seasoning in Irish stew, you can’t help but love the down-to-earth, tasty Hibernian fare. Gulp down Guinness with your oysters in the hubbub of a pub, sit down to some haute cuisine, or something in between. London’s Irish restaurants are a diverse, often overlooked, bunch and this is the time of year to try them out.
 Toucan 19 Carlisle Street, Soho Square W1V 3BX Toucan is not so much a restaurant as a tiny, atmospheric Irish bar. Having grown out of its minuscule basement into the bar upstairs, it’s always cramped, and come St Patrick’s Day crowds of carousers will be overflowing into the street, all the way down to Soho Square. There is a spectacular collection of Irish whiskeys, including a little known blend called Henry Downes No 9 - all the way from my cousin John's pub in Waterford. They also mix a fine list of delicious Guinness-inspired cocktails. Nowadays every pub and his dog is serving Magners cider, but the Toucan goes one better and sells it on tap. This is certainly not the place to come for a quiet bite to eat, and not for those who don’t like small dark spaces. On St Patrick’s Day it will be utterly enjoyable, smile-inducing pandemonium. The place to come if you want to combine drinking, dancing, revelry and a bite to eat. Address: 19 Carlisle Street, Soho Square W1V 3BX Phone: 020 7437 4123 Time: Mon to Sat 11am - 11pm Nearest Station: Tottenham Court Road Tube The Toucan - Information   The Cow89 Westbourne Park Road, W2 5QH This gastropub venture from Tom Conran isn’t strictly an Irish restaurant, but they serve perhaps the best combo of chilled oysters and Guinness in west London. On the Irish front the sausages infused with the black stuff are a revelation and the soda bread is really superb. The rest of the menu tilts steeply into the ocean with a delectable fresh selection of fish and crustaceans. Sitting on top of the noisy, packed pub, the dining room serves excellent traditional British food at steep prices. The Cow is hugely popular with locals, and it's easy to see why. Wonderful, seasonal food comes in huge, steaming portions, the service is friendly and efficient, there's an impressive wine list and happy faces all around. The seafood sourced from local Notting Hill fishmongers is especially good. For a gastropub it really is rather expensive, but everything about this place is spot on. Even if you can’t get a table in the upstairs restaurant, the bar food downstairs is a worthy substitute. Early booking essential. Address: 89 Westbourne Park Road, W2 5QH Phone: 020 7221 0021 Time: Restaurant Food - Daily, midday-11pm. Bar Menu - Daily, midday-3pm & 6.30pm-10.30pm Price: Main courses £12 - £16 Nearest Station: Westbourne Park Tube The Cow - Information  Lindsay House21 Romilly Street, W1D 5AF Low-key and sophisticated in the extreme. Set over three floors of a Georgian town house in the heart of Soho, head-chef Richard Corrigan brings all his talents from across the Irish Sea to bear on the urbane London dining scene and he’s received a coveted Michelin Star for his efforts. The menu is ever-changing, but you are always guaranteed some novel taste combinations. The lamb shank and garlic confit we tried there was exceptional and I’ve been trying to recreate it at home without success ever since. The menu is, in truth, modern European, but Corrigan never loses touch with his roots, almost all the dishes have earnest Irish undertones. This isn’t the place for St Patrick’s Day revelry, but it does have simply the finest food cooked by one of the best Irish chefs in the city. Book early and prepare to be impressed. Address: 21 Romilly Street, W1D 5AF Phone: 020 7439 0450 Time: Lunch - Mon to Fri midday-2.30pm | Dinner - Mon to Sat 6pm-11pm Pricing: Dinner - £56 three courses | Tasting Menu - £68 per person, £110 with wine | Lunch - main courses £14-£20 Nearest Station: Leicester Square Tube Lindsay House - Information  Callaghan'sHoliday Inn Bloomsbury, Coram Street WC1N 1HT Located just off Piccadilly Circus and hidden in the lobby of Holiday Inn Bloomsbury, Callaghan's offers surprisingly genuine Irish hospitality. The St Patrick's Day parade is set to march right past the door of this place. You can wave, whistle and whoop at the parade, throw your Guinness hat in the air while doing an Irish jig and then retreat into the cavernous depths of this very authentic Irish restaurant. True to the traditions of those friendly folk from the Emerald Isle, they serve up smooth Guinness and tasty Irish cuisine both seasoned by a nice helping of Irish music and sport on the big screens. Choose from brunch or a piping lamb hot pot, guaranteed to warm you up on a brisk March day in London. It may be a little chaotic come St Patrick’s Day but that’s all part of the Irish fun. When you’ve finished eating, there will be a whole host of rosy-cheeked Paddy’s Day punters to share a pint of the black stuff with and party till the small hours. Address: Holiday Inn Bloomsbury, Coram Street WC1N 1HT Phone: 0870 400 9222 Time: Midday-11pm Price: Main courses £8-£12 Nearest Station: Piccadilly Circus Tube Callaghan's - Information  Mulligans13 Cork Street, W1S 3NS “We’ll be serving mainly Guinness,” says the barman at Mulligans of their St Patrick Day’s celebrations. It’s very fitting that this cool little Irish restaurant is found on Mayfair’s Cork Street. The place resolutely retains its affinity with the Emerald Isle. It also upholds a pretty smart reputation, attracting the cream of Mayfair into its hallowed Celtic caverns. Very trendy Guinness guzzlers sit alongside Champagne sippers, lounging on the rather plush leather sofas that are peppered across the first floor. Its dark wood panelling and polished timbered floors give the place a certain Irish charm while also preserving the more refined appeal the restaurant is so famous for. It’s their menu however that betrays their tenacious loyalty to Ireland - the oysters are from Strangford Lough and wherever possible ingredients are sourced directly from Ireland. For starters you can choose from duck liver and whiskey pâté, Guinness rarebit or Irish salmon. For mains, the house specialities are Kildare rib-eye steak, Mulligans Irish stew, braised beef & Guinness pie and of course fresh oysters. You can also get a healthy portion of the obligatory soda bread and rinse it down with a creamy pint of the black stuff. Mulligans will be busy over St Patrick’s Day so it’s worth booking a table. Address: 13 Cork Street, W1S 3NS Phone: 020 7409 1370 Time: Mon to Fri 11am-11pm Price: £8.25-£15.95 Nearest Station: Green Park Tube Mulligans - Information  Bentley's Oyster Bar and Grill11-15 Swallow Street, W1B 4DE Set over two floors, this restaurant is an absolute gem. Yet another creation from true Irishman Richard Corrigan, the celebrated chef at Soho's Lindsay House, it's a fun and authentic place to dine come St Patrick’s Day. If you do have a partiality for the odd oyster this is the best place in town. Enthusiastic diners can have the full works - the ritual with chopped onion and Tabasco, the gentle squelchy slip down the throat and the saltwater aftertaste followed by the obligatory gulp of Guinness. The Oyster Bar downstairs is alive with a vibrant buzz and general joviality. Incidentally, the infectious noise and merriment is pretty much restricted to the Oyster Bar. The marble, wood-panelled room is full of rowdy, oyster appreciating folk - it's great craic. The grill upstairs is a completely different experience. Serene, sophisticated and elegant the stately Edwardian veneer of the interior is made up of beige wallpaper and black and white pics. The waiters are in tails and the seating space generous. Up at the grill there is a good balance between fish and meat dishes. No doubt, folk will also welcome the element of foreign influence visible in parts of the menu. The Thai crab soup is a big hit. If you're resolutely determined to eat only Irish produce, the menu lets you know exactly where your smoked salmon originated from. The whole place has been restored by Corrigan and the menu is his brainchild. However, don't expect to catch a glimpse of him gutting fish in the kitchen. He doesn't work here. It's a very popular venue over St Patrick's Day - booking is advised. Address: 11-15 Swallow Street, W1B 4DE Phone: 020 7734 4756 Time: Oyster & Champagne Bar - Mon to Sat midday-midnight, Sun midday-10pm | The Grill - Mon to Sat, lunch midday-3pm, dinner 6pm-11pm, Sunday brunch 11.30am-3.30pm, dinner 6pm-10pm. Price: £120 for two Nearest Station: Piccadilly Circus Tube Bentley's Oyster Bar and Grill - Information  Did you know?The apparent aphrodisiac powers of oysters have yet to be proved. Scientific tests have revealed the molluscs have a high zinc content and this is perhaps one of the reasons why they have gained a reputation for boosting bedroom energy levels – with the mineral improving not just sexual performance but overall health and vitality. |
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