ATE DAY8 of St. Pat’s

With spring break upon us, St. Patrick’s Day is right around the corner. This week and next, we’ve got some solid suggestions for those wanting to do some reveling. Let the green beer flow!

1.) West 7th is always #GrandCentralStation for partygoers in Fort Worth, and now with the aid of Top Shelf Crawls, the folks at Junk Punch, Pour Decisions, Reservoir, Whiskey Garden, and Your Mom’s House invite you to partake in the Finnegan’s St. Patrick’s Bar Crawl 4pm-midnight Sat for those 21 and up. The festivities begin with a registration party at Whiskey Garden (2800 Bledsoe St, Ste 150, 682-312-7708) 4pm-6pm. There will be an after-party as well. “Be safe and have a great time! Please don’t drink and drive. Call a cab, Lyft, or Uber or have someone who will be a designated driver.” Tickets start at $12.99 on Eventbrite.com and include cover at all five bars, food and drink specials, souvenir beads, and koozies for all crawlers.

2.) Fat Daddy’s (781 W Debbie Ln, 817-453-0188) knows how to par-tay, and for the Mansfield spot’s big St. Patrick’s Day Party (5pm-11:30pm Fri, Mar 17), enjoy some country tunes from Aaron Copeland and Jamie Richards. As for food and drink specials, there’ll be $10 Irish Nachos, $8 Lucky Leprechaun Cocktails (Malibu, Captain Morgan, sour apple, and pineapple juice), $7 Irish drop shots (Jameson with Bailey’s dropped into Guinness), $5 Jameson, and $4 green beer or Guinness cans. Clearly, they’ve thought this through.

3.) With plates like their famous Irish Nachos, which have been featured on a variety of national food shows, J. Gilligan’s Bar & Grill (400 E Abram St, Arlington, 817-274-8561) is great any ol’ day of the week, but if you’d like to kick it up a notch, as Emeril Lagasse would say, come to the 44th Annual St. Patrick’s Day Block Party on Friday. Doors are at 6pm, and Arlington Americana/roots band September Moon will play at 9pm. Cover is only $6.

4.) The doors of The Londoner Pub (5120 Hwy 121, Colleyville, 817-684-8810) fly open at 11am on Fri, Mar 17, so that you can maximize your St. Paddy’s celebrating — dig into some corned beef and hash and wash it down with green beer all day. A bagpiper will perform throughout the day, and then the JBC Band will play at 9pm. “Come eat, drink, and be Irish!” There is no cost to attend.

5.) Founded in Burleson, craft brewpub Old Texas Brewing Co. has chosen Fort Worth for its second location (6333 Camp Bowie Blvd, Ste 200, 817-386-0752). Check it out on Fri, Mar 17, and hear the Mojo Brothers playing their brand of blues/country/rock 8pm-midnight. At the Burleson location (112 W Ellison St, 817-447-2337), dance band 3 Drunk Monkeys will play 8pm-11:30pm. You must be 21 and up to attend. There is no cover at either location.

6.) If you’d rather get away from the city, there’s always Sammy’s on the Lake at Lakeview Marina on Eagle Mountain Lake (6680 Peden Rd, 682-841-1122). On Fri, Mar 17, there will be all-day food and drink specials, plus live music by Russell Barretto 7pm-10pm. (As I just finished watching Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal on Netflix, let me be the one to remind you not to drink and drive by land or by sea. Keep boat safety in mind and live to party another day! Everyone say, “Thanks, Aunt Jenn!”)

7.) For a laid-back but delicious time in Keller, visit Texas’ only Irish brewing company, Shannon Brewing (818 N Main St, 817-337-9892), on Fri, Mar 17. Starting at 4pm, Shannon will host live music and offer special beer releases throughout the evening, plus the Cousins Maine Lobster food truck will make an appearance. Then on Sat, Mar 18, come back noon-9pm and get rowdy at a full-on St. Patrick’s Day Festival, where you can enjoy seasonal beer varieties (including green beer), bagpipe music, and more. For updates and a sneak peek at the festivities, visit Facebook.com/ShannonBrewing.

8.) Day drinkers, unite! Doors open at 3pm Fri, Mar 17, at Texas Live (1650 E Randol Mill Rd, Arlington, 817-852-6688) for its annual Shamrocks & Shenanigans: DFW St. Patrick’s Day Party, featuring drink specials, live music, and an Irish dance-off. Tickets range from $10 to $15 at AXS.com and include different amounts of goodies in various shades of green. For example, the GA Plus Drink Package comes with three drink tokens to use for soft drinks or domestic beers and a St. Paddy’s Swag Bag filled with beads, sunglasses, and more. You don’t need a ticket to enter the venue, but one will guarantee you a spot if district capacity is reached.

For more food and booze ideas for St. Pat’s 2023, see the March 15 edition of Ate Day8 a Week by clicking here.